Fear & Fire (Fear and Fire #1) (2024)

I keep changing my mind between 2 and 3 stars, so I’ll settle for 2,5 stars.

Let me preface this review by saying that this author has an insanely creative imagination and I simply KNOW! she has an amazing career as an author in front of her - cannot wait to see her thrive. Moreover, this author writes and publishes fully independently and I cannot help but admire her for this. I cannot imagine how difficult this must be!

In Fear and Fire we follow Alina. She lives a sheltered and quite unremarkable life with her sister and her parents. Everything changes when she finds out her parents are not her biological parents and she decides to embark on a journey to find her birth mother. As she learns this, she also learns that her biological father is the king her family has feared all their lives. Her birth mother tried to protect her by putting her in the care of her adoptive parents, so that her biological father cannot use her for evil.

The premise of the story intrigued me, which is one of the reasons I decided to purchase an e-copy of the book. I liked the general storyline of the book and I enjoyed getting to know the different magical creatures, their habits, and their ways of life. Moreover, I loved the different characters introduced in the book and how the author has a clear view of who her characters are. This made the story much more immersive as a reader.

However, there were some strong points that have lead me to a 3-star rating. The first point being the language, spelling and grammar used. I understand that the author is self-published and this brings many difficulties. However, at some point the many spelling mistakes (chain instead of chin, twits instead of twists) grammatical errors ("Follow the girl, my eyes wander" instead of "following the girl, my eyes wander") and literal Dutch-to-English translations ("band" instead of "bond", "pulse" instead of "wrist") were too much. It made it impossible for me to flow with the story and its characters. As a university student, I understand not being able to see your own mistakes, but like I said, it was too much. This issue honestly deserved more time from the author and/or proofreaders.

Secondly, I felt the story followed a checklist of "big" moments. First this happens, then this happens, then THAT happens. It did not feel like there was an overarching goal to the story. They had to find someone; they found her. Then they had to find something else; they found it. Then, once again, they had to find another thing and/or someone; they did. One of the things I genuinely do not understand is at the start Alina embarks on an insanely dangerous journey to find her mom and a king offers (forces) her two of his highly skilled and valued children as protection and help. As soon as this part of the journey is over, said king KILLS!!!!!! her mom??????? This is the start of the entire story and everything happens because of this journey. WHY!!! Why does he send his children with her just to then kill the mom?

Everything also happened quite fast. The descriptions of places and people felt like they were trying to fill up space in the book because it would have been too short otherwise - it didn't truly add a lot to the story or atmosphere.

HOWEVER! Like I said, I liked the premise, I like the different characters and magical creatures and I liked the imagination of the author. I truly think this book has A LOT of potential and I'm sure the more the author writes, the more she will grow. I am definitely rooting for her and I cannot wait to see her evolve even more!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice rate: there's no spice in this book, but THE TENSION.
It definitely made up for it. ❤️‍🔥

Tropes: it's a fantasy, with a tension filled romance
I don't trust you, don't touch her-trope, new powers, has to safe the world, found family - kinda, schemes and plot twists, masked ball, ...

TW: yes.
The book deals with loss of a loved one. (You NEED tissues) 🤧

Review:
This book is perfect if you are into fantasy - or want to get into fantasy and/or english books - because our FMC discovers this new world and her powers as well, so it's easy to get into the story. The book has fae, elves, shapeshifters, wolves,... all things nice if you ask me. This was so plot driven, yet the romance really had me going. I love LOVE our love interest, he is such a strong broody yet caring character! AGH! This book also contains a certain amount of PAIN, but it is honestly so well done that I didn't even mind crying into my newest pillow. This is what fantasy books need to be, and I can't wait for even more ROMANCE and TENSION, that the second book will deliver. I just know it will be AMAZING. 🫶

the way this book had ME GASPING... I can honestly say it is one of my new favorites! And for a book without smut in it, that says a lot. B.B. Salem gifted me this book, but I can say she turned into a friend because we bonded so much during my reading journey, I WILL READ WHATEVER THIS WOMAN WRITES!!!!!! 🩷

I would 100% recommend, AGH I LOVED IT SM!

4 ✨ but only cause I wanted MORE!

This book is basically fast paced pain wrapped up in pages ✌️ we love the pain. I really enjoyed the story and the unique magic system… and with that ending… I AM SO HAPPY I HAVE THE NEXT ONE! Gimme more!

Obviously I’m giving it five stars as it’s my own book🙈.

The release date is set for December 2022! ARCS have been sent out and I’m really stoked for everyone to finally read Alina’s story!

The is book one in a duology and the second book won’t take too long as I’ve already written most of it!
Thank you for everyone who has shared, read and hyped about this book so far. I love you all♥️

I loved the story,can not wait on the rest

I think maybe I’m in a bad reading mood because I just couldn’t get into this story… the tension was great tho!!

4,5⭐️
This was a really good YA fantasy!

I really enjoyed this one. It had all the things a good YA fantasy needs! Quite a unique magic system, Fae, elfs, a handsome love interest, powerful FMC, plottwists, good pacing, (this can be a me-thing but) chapters that weren’t too long etc it really had it all.

Sometimes it was predictable BUT there were a lot of times that it wasn’t predictable at all and I just kept staring at my page for like 10 minutes because I couldn’t believe what had happened!!

Like I said there is a handsome male love interest aswell and the tension is REAL, there is no spice but the tension really makes up for it. I can’t wait where this goes in book 2!

The magic system was quite unique aswell and I loved seeing how certain powers from certain people evolved throughout the book and how it was used and what could be done with it!

Fear & Fire is book one in the duology. After how this book ended, I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2 and how this story ends!

Such a good book with magic, dragons and a lot of tension between the main character and the love interest.
The mc needs to take a chill pill, though. But at the same time she's been through so much so she gets a pass. Her character growth is also a plus!

UPDATED after reread:

I had an e-arc a while ago. I reread it this time.

Let me tell you. This is such a lovely read. There is a lot going on and the character has many flaws. A little irritating but it’s worth it. I can actually relate to Alina in a way. Her fear of losing people keeps her away from them. It’s really relatable. I can’t wait to read more of her growth in the second book.

There is sisterly love, kind of enemies to lovers, and they go back and forth between talking and not talking while they are in their journey this fantasy read gives us. It reminded me of the fantasy books I read in my youth. (Now I’m more into dark romance but I loved the variation this book gave me. Loved how it brought me back at that time)

I highly recomment getting the hardcover, especially the second book… ooff I can’t wait. It’s coming soon. Not soon enough but soon haha.

Now, this is a very… very … VERY slow burn. But there was so much going on and there is tension/attraction so I didn’t mind.

One bed trope? Nah, this one has a one horse trope. Honestly I loved that!

I NEEDDD THE SECOND ONE. (And the last one, since it’s a duet.)

To give you a clearer vision, I kind of felt the vibes of shadow and bone en cruel prince. Don’t quote me on it though. It just has elements of those books in it.

The author has a lot of aesthetic videos on her social media so if you need more convincing, you know were to go.

***
I got an e-ARC copy of this book.

My reading slump got the best of me so it was difficult to get into it. But the story still made me want to read further, just a little slower than I’m used to. Nevertheless, my rating didn’t differ because of it.

I still think I might let it sink in a bit but overall it was a lovely read.

I have been reading only dark romance books for way too long now, so reading a book like this was a little different. It got me back to the time where I mostly read these kind of books.

So if you want spice, this is not the book for you. But if you want some tension, banter and a badass (sometimes irritating) heroine, or you just want a little break from your (sub)genre, get this book!

i swear this book has some sort of drug in it. if i didn’t have to work, i could have read this in a day. it’s so fast paced! really enjoyed it

I really enjoyed this book!
It has easy world building and reads away easily.
Some events occurring in the story really got to me (please take note of the trigger warning before reading).
Sometimes the emotions of the FMC were a bit all over the place, but seems fitting for her.
I absolutely love the tension between Alina and Iolas and also adore Rina!
Very curious for the second book!

DNF at 78%.

I love discovering new and upcoming authors and was drawn to this book as I found out the author is Dutch but wrote her duology in English. Unfortunately, this book wasn't it for me.

The plot itself didn't feel very original to me and personally, I found it to be lacking of any elements to draw me in (e.g. interesting magic system, well fleshed out characters, a well-written romance, good worldbuilding). To me it felt like the author took a lot of common fantasy tropes/elements and just stuck them all together. Speaking of worldbuilding, there really wasn't all that much of it and I never thought i'd say this about a book but it was too fast paced. So fast paced that reading it to me felt like we followed our main character along in trying to check off boxes from her to-do list. We just lept from near death experience to near death experience which made it so that none of the events were all that memorable simply for the fact that there was no tangible buildup to them.

As for the characters themselves, I found them to be flat, without much of a personality and lacking a distinctive voice in their narratives which made them extremely forgettable. I didn't get a sense of any genuine connection or tension between Alina and Iolas (at least not in the 78% that I read) and it was just so unclear to me why she was drawn to him at all when he barely spoke for half of the book.

Lots of credit and respect to the author for writing a book in a non-native language to her and putting herself out there. As this is the author's debut novel I am sure her writing will get better and better. Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me.

I don't usually write something when rating a book, but I think it's important for someone who doesn't have a full marketing team or publisher behind her.

The book is nicely paced, and even though it took me some time to get into Alina's reasoning for decisions, it did all feel like what she would do. The story is not too intricate, which makes it easy to read and continue where you left off. Absolutely lovely for someone who's getting the hang of reading again after a reading slump of 5 years.

Does this book have:

* Enemies to lovers to whatever the end is?
Check ✔️
*Chosen family that's cuter than cute?
Check ✔️
*A hot elven/fae prince?
Check ✔️
*An antagonist with a background twist and doesn't have his plans under control for a change?
Check ✔️

Can't wait for the second book to be published!

(Also, it has motivated me even more to follow my dream to write a novel, so thank you so much for that)

Special thanks to BB Salem for sending me her books! 🩷 this story is very exciting and has all the elements for a nice fantasy. There’s a bit too many twists and turns for my liking but the set up and world building were really well done!! Overall really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the second book!!!!

"𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔,"

My heart. I am so pleasantly surprised by this book. I fell in love with the characters after the first few chapters. The pace is good, not too slow, not too fast.

Every time I thought it couldn't get any worse for the characters, I was wrong.

The ending BROKE MY HEART. I needed to grab my emotional support plushie because, damn, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? I cannot WAIT to read the sequel.

I did find Alina, the main character, a bit all over the place at times but considering her life, it makes sense. I loved her relationship with Rina. Alina tends to lash out at others and that put me off a bit because I would cry if she spoke to me like that, so I would get a bit sad with how she treated the people around her.

The writing was good! It reminded me of the great fantasies I read years ago and I haven't gotten that feeling with a lot of books lately. I do feel like sometimes the time jumps were a bit spontaneous and I would get a little bit confused about what and where, but it would often be explained a bit further down.
I did go WHAT THE with certain plot twists. Immaculate. 😤✨

Overall, a great debut novel. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to see how Alina fares and lives with the choices she made.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5.

4,5 ⭐️

Wauw! Wat een reis!

Ik zat er vanaf het begin al helemaal in en heb hem zo snel uitgelezen haha! Dit boek is zelfs de reden dat ik wilde annoteren haha.
Alle emoties kwamen voorbij, niet normaal.

Vond de personages zo goed neergezet. Voelde mee met Alina en haar innerlijke struggelingen.

Magie, knappe elf, een draak, en een goed verhaal? It’s all in this book!

Nu snel naar deel 2, want wil nog echt geen afscheid nemen van iedereen hihi!

Waarom net geen 5? Zaten aardig wat grammatica foutjes in het boek.

A great beginners book to fantasy, it’s fast paced and so much happens within 300+ pages!

Review soon!!!

This book was really good! I would definitely recommend it to all fantasy lovers. It was such a page turner, and the ending was also unexpected wich made the book even better. I love the characters in the book and can’t wait for their story to continue!

Even though I’m not a big fantasy reader, I really enjoyed this book!!
The whole fantasy concept was so unique and so much fun to explore. I love how you’re just as new to the world as Alina so you get to explore the whole world with her. That also made it so that the whole concept wasn’t to hard to understand.

I also really liked the characters. You really get to know them more and more through the book as they all start to open up. Which gives the whole storyline some nice depth. Can’t wait to get to know them even more.

At first I was little confused as to where the storyline was going because at first I thought oooh this is the storyline. And then after 3 chapters they finished what they were doing and were onto the next thing. But after a bit I started to appreciate how fast paced the book was and especially how action packed it was.

But that ending….nahh an open ending like that should officially be considered a crime! The second book is not a want, it’s a NEED

Fear and fire was such a good surprise. I really liked reading it, I was so hooked, I didn't stop when I should have (you know the one last chapter and you continue to read for hours..). The world building was easy to comprehend. It allowed to jump in the actions after only a few chapter. There were lots of actions, fights.. 🔪
It was a emotional roller-coaster, my feelings were not spared at all. It broke my heart several times.
Alina the main character is going through so much suffering, but she kept going. I really appreciate that she suffers and she said things she regretted afterwards, I could feel her.
Her sister Rina brought a balance in Fear and Fire. She was the light of the book, she made me smile several times.

That ending was crazy, I can't wait to read the second book 🔥

I want to start with the fact that I really loved this book! And I was lucky enough to receive an eARC to read and review.

The story really got me hooked from the start. Immediately there was a lot happening and the flow of the story was very good.
The maincharacter of this book felt very real. She made mistakes like any one would and wasn't too perfect. Something I really loved and appreciated to see in a book
I found the other characters very likable as well. I loved her sister in this book! Also the sistery love! This book just had it all.

There is a lot more I would want to say, but spoilers:) Just read the book!:) I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to read a fast paced fantasy book with a lot of actions, different antagonists, love and friendship.

Also... the ending?! I really can't wait for the second book in this duology!!

Fear and fire is a the debut of the author B. B Salem. It's about a girl named Alina as she finds out her true Identity. She quickly gets taken by Elves, this is where the story truly starts.
She meets an elf Iolas , who betrays her and later helps her on the journey as she finds out more about herself and her realm.
As she goes on this journey she meets her birth parents and learns to deal with grief and even with her feelings towards her love interest.

I absolutely loved this book. it's easy to read, the characters are lovable and the story is interesting. Alina was the perfect Main character, she wasn't perfect and we got to discover her world with her.
I gave this book five stars if I could give I would.
It's officially one of my favourite books now.
I'll be looking forward to the books B. B Salem will put out in the future, she can concider me one of her fans!

Where should I begin….

Once upon a time there was a girl named Alina, she was kind and very adventurous. Her life was just like everybody else’s or so she thought. It turns out that she is a magical being who has an interesting ancestry. Alina decides to go on an adventure to seek the answers to her questions. Will she find them? Who knows…. (I do, but I won’t tell you *evil laugh* muhahaha).

Ps: she does find a hottie elfie sooooo ;)))) Oh and a sister who’s mind works the same as ours does *high fives Rina giggling*.

Bo thank you for giving me an arc of your book I really enjoyed it. Oh and when will book 2 be available…. Gndhfjdnfjdjfjdn I need some revenge <3.

Ps ps: It’s okay if you want to smack Alina with a book during some of her scenes, I did too hehehe :)

This book gave me a lot of mixed feelings. It was very easy to get into this fantasy books. The world isn't that hard to understand and that is something I really loved.

It has short chapters so reading the book went really fast. When I started reading this book I couldn't really connect with the main character but when I read the first half of the book I felt the connection. After the first half I also started to like the book a lot more.

What I loved the most in this book was the tension! There isn't a lot of romance but the tension is just amazing. There were also some amazing action scenes and that ending... I need to read the second book!

Fear and Fire, the debut novel by B B Salem, was one of my favorite reads of this year.

The book reads very fast and the story is very enjoyable. The main character Alina is a bit naive and has her flaws, which is understandable once you get her back story, but also makes her a relatable character. The side characters such as her sister Rina and elf royals Esta and Iolas are enjoyable.

The story itself is so much fun to read and I enjoyed every moment of it! Can’t wait to read the second book.

Thank you B B Salem for sending me an early copy of the book! ❤️

What a story! It made me smile multiple times and the other moments I was biting my finger nails with the feeling of knowing more!
The story begins great with the unknown of why these girls are hiding in there room. And from the beginning of the story I wanted to know more, there wasn't a part of it boring. The writer did a good job in telling this story, it feels if you are there with them in the adventure. I don't want to write any spoilers but this is definitely a recommendation for your bookshelf. All is it only for the beautiful cover!

This book in one word? AMAZING.

The story of alina and her struggles is something you don't want to miss!
Embark on an adventure where danger, betrayal and even romance is running high.
Did I also mention.. a little bit of enemies to lovers? (This book has it all!)
I really loved the tension between alina and her LI, a few scenes really got to my feels.
Also the ending has me wanting more!
I am not someone who gives 5 stars easy but this book deserves it because it got me hooked from start to finish.

I absolutely loved this! I haven't read that many fantasy books before but I absolutely loved this! I love Alina so much and my heart just breaks for her. poor baby has been through so much! I am absolutely and positively in love with Iolas! I feel like I'm Rina whenever Iolas as much as breathes hahaha, has me giggling like a girl.

Rina, Maya and I smirking each other whenever Alina an Iolas even look at each other omg hihi

The ending absolutely shocked me and I wanna cry! This cannot be real!
I truly can not wait for the next book cuz I need it more than air!

This became instant one of my favourite reads ever! Not only was it an emotional rollercoaster, it was fast paced and full of exciting adventure. I know how much effort the author put in her books and SHE DELIVERED!! This story has cute pure romance, extensive world building and sisterly love. Especially for those starting with YA reads, this is a BIG recommendation!

X- I wrote this at 1.30 am, so I will probably have to rewrite this review because of my lack of sleep but I was too excited!