Book Review: Once Upon a Song by Nadine Bells
Title: Once Upon a Song
Author: Nadine Bells
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: Novella
This January 2026 debut was initially sold to me as Anastasia X Phantom of the Opera, and there are these elements within it, but they are tightly wound around an adult retelling of The Snow Queen, set in a snowbound, mysterious hotel that reminded me of Stephen King’s infamous Overlook of The Shining fame. I will say right up front that The Snow Queen is not my favourite fairytale, but if it is one of yours, this novella should be a must for your TBR, and I’d be interested to see what you think of it.
The opening set me up for a lightweight romantasy with some Gothic bite; an orphan singer, Ana Greene, is late for an audition and walks through the snow to get there. She literally bumps into a handsome brooding stranger, Dimitri, does her audition, and doesn’t get the job… until an ‘order from the top’ overrules the decision and she finds herself as the new hotel singer. Except it isn’t the order of Dimitri, who turns out to be the hotel manager, but someone else… someone who doesn’t intend to let Ana go…
We are drawn into a Gothic Fantasy world within the confines of the hotel and its grounds, where it is always winter, the staff can never leave – or at least, not alive – and Ana is plagued by the prima ballerina’s ominous warnings and threats. Nobody will tell her what’s really going on (which became a little repetitive, and frustrating), but there is clearly a curse of some kind at work. Add to this a frisson of sexual tension with Ana and Dimitri, with boss/employee dynamics and the good old seduction/betrayal trope, and there’s enough in here to sustain a quick, entertaining read.
I really got into it when I saw where it was going. I enjoy fairytale retellings, and while I didn't vibe with a few elements of the book, I did really appreciate it as a Snow Queen story and a Gothic Fantasy Mystery with a fun reveal.
As this is a short novella with a large cast, the side characters are hard to pin down and there isn’t a lot of time to spend developing them. Bahar Yilmaz reminds me a little of Leyla Taylan (played by Serenay Sarikaya) from the TV show Kimler Geldi Kimler Geçti / Thank You, Next (2024-) in terms of the bubbly nature and worrying/messy drinking habits, but without the high-powered job and the endless stream of relationship dramas. I couldn’t really get a handle on her, though, and I think she and Everett were two characters I would want to spend more time with in a more fleshed-out way.
I think this novella had enough in it to sustain a longer work, but the tightness of the plot timeline works well enough as it is to hold interest, build tension, and lead us to a satisfactory climax and resolution. Overall, if you're looking for a quick, lightweight and entertaining Gothic read with mystery, mysterious deaths, curses, a bit of romance, lost/found family themes, and a modern setting, this is one to look out for and pre-order from your local store or library.
If you’re looking for a film chaser, but something that leans more on the horror side, I would recommend the German-language feature Hotel (2004), written and directed by Jessica Hausner, as a dark, slow, Gothic counterpoint to this novella. It is set in the Austrian Alps, where Irene, the protagonist, discovers the staff member she has replaced has disappeared without trace, and she might be next; a very similar premise to Once Upon a Song. As one of the unfortunate staff in Once Upon a Song is Austrian-Turkish and the author herself is from Germany, I think this is a good choice. Hotel (2004) lacks fantasy and romance, but it does have a dark adult fairytale feel, is all about the tone and atmosphere of creeping dread, and once again it’s hard not to draw comparisons with King’s infamous Overlook Hotel.
Happy reading/watching.
Purchase at Quill & Crow / Amazon / Blackwells / Barnes & Noble / Bookshop.org
Review by C.M. Rosens
Bluesky: @cmrosens.com
Instagram, Threads, TikTok: @cm.rosens
I received an eARC directly from Quill & Crow Publishing.
