I really wanted to love this book, and had a copy preordered. However, I found the writing style to be underdeveloped, blunt, and repetitive. The chapters were long and it took a lot of words to do little in the plot. I dove into this with high expectations after loving Fourth Wing, and was incredibly disappointed.

I lost a lot of interest in the story after the first chapter. It had a weak opening that didn’t jumpstart the story in any way. Nothing about this story really sucked me in and made me want to keep reading. Even at 25% of the way through the book I had no idea what the point of this book could be or the main characters motivation.

I think what’s mainly lacking for me is a compelling plot on top of the romance. It was essentially “insta love”. I personally pick up romantasy because I enjoy a high stakes world with romance, not a romance in a fantasy setting. Even for a romance, there was no tension or build up at all. I left not caring about them or their relationship in the slightest.

The speed at which the main characters fall in love was also too much for me. The FMC decides to drop everything for this man/creature after 1 week together. I also found it slightly weird that she was focusing on sleeping with him when he has no memory of who he is. That amnesia gives Raith this childlike feeling…which just made the sexual parts feel icky and non consensual.

Its totally okay to have a romance with a fantasy setting, or book with no real plot other than sexual scenes. However, the marketing needs to reflect that.

Sadly, I could not continue and push through this book. It felt all over the place and felt very disconnected. The characters did not come across as real and genuine, many scenes were giving me the worst cringe ever experienced, the writing was dismal and embarrassing at times, the world building was severely lacking and dull, and the plot was.....left out entirely?? I'm still wondering if this was written by a elementary school age child. The scenes jumped awkwardly from one to the next and the overall book just didn't flow. I was looking forward to this based on the premise, but it just didn't deliver what it promised. I ended up DNFing about 70% in. Unfortunately this book was not for me.

Oh my god this book was so captivatingly amazing! It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it but once I dove into the deep end of the story I was enthralled with the story unfolding before me. I love the character development of Raith and his discovery of who he is as a person and his romance with Harrow was so adorable that I had a smile on my face the whole time I read it. I love that it has a happily ever after ending and I love that this book deals with heavy themes with thoughts of suicide and death, but it also shows how love can help you get through the darkness. This book was such a good and quick read that I had a hard time putting it down. Plus who doesn’t love a circus with a bit of real magic.

Yall. This book. THIS BOOK. It was steamy and spicy while still being so plot driven that it had me gripped from page one all the way to the end. The characters were so well developed that I cared about them when I first met them. This book had such great vibes. I wish there was a bit more emphasis on the “circus” that was promised, but I didn’t think it needed it. Just misplaced marketing, I’d say. I cannot wait to purchase a finished copy!

Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! Okay. So there aren't any lions, tigers, or bears. But my oh my. There is definitely some heat in Aurora Ascher’s Sanctuary of the Shadow. Okay. A lot of heat.

Aurora is a new to me author, and I had no idea what to expect. I was surprised by so much with this story. At the top of the list was how much I loved it.

Sanctuary of the Shadow is a New Adult Fantasy Romance and the first book in the Elemental Emergence series from Entangled Publishing Red Tower Books. This is a forbidden romance, featuring Harrow, the only remaining Seer, and Raith, an incorporeal who’s stuck in his corporeal form and has no memory of who or what he is or his past. The two have this unexplainable connection that draws them to each other. However, their past, immortal queens, and those who do their bidding stand in the way of Harrow and Raith being together. They must decide just who and what to believe while fighting against those who try to control them. The secondary characters of Malaikah, Salizar, Ouro, Darya, Furie, and The Oracle add humor and intrigue to the story.

As I mentioned, Sanctuary of the Shadow surprised me. From my love of the characters to the unexpected passion between Harrow and Raith, to the connections among the characters, to the ending I just couldn’t ask for more. I will be, hopefully, patiently waiting for the next book in the series.

~ Favorite Quote ~

“A promise given is a promise kept.”

Thank you to Red Tower Books for the free advanced reader copy, I had my physical book on pre-order since it was announced because I am a sucker for sprayed edges.

I wanted to love this book so much, but it was only mediocre for me. The world building is spotty, but the premise sounds really interesting. I wasn't loving Harrow and Raith together, although they were interesting at the beginning. Harrow isn't some twenty year old, she's got some gravitas (mental age might be a little different), but she makes some very odd decisions for someone of her supposed age. Raith is both brand new and yet not, and doesn't have all of his memories, which makes his actions difficult to understand as well.

What I did enjoy were a bunch of the side characters, some of the conversations, the magical system, and the descriptions of the world.

The overall vibes of the book weren't really my thing, but it's alright.

The book is absolutely gorgeous and looks fantastic on my shelf.

3 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This one wasn’t a winner for me, though it has so much potential so perhaps a sequel could improve?
The world and concept are really intriguing, I haven’t read a fantasy before with circus type elements. But other than this the writing and plot development didn’t live up to their promise. Pacing was off, and everything was just underdeveloped such that I couldn’t really grab onto anything and care much about the characters.

As a bit different reading material from what I normally read, I enjoyed reading this book. I started slowly, as a part of a read-along and I liked the pacing, writing style, and the magic...well everything. I did predict one of the things connected to the characters and that even gave me the will to read further to see what will happen next until the last page.

Sanctuary of the Shadow, just like the rest of Red Tower Books, took my breath away. I went into the story completely blind and was not disappointed. The characters are brilliant, and the story is full of unexpected twists.

What I loved:
-Multi POV (not just dual)
-The main relationship (CAN WE SALUTE THIS AUTHOR FOR NOT DOING MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE FOR THE WHOLE BOOK?)
-The MC: she actually thinks outside of just herself, and does whatever she can for the one she loves
-Her bestie: I LOVE THE FEMALE BEST FRIEND. She is so fun and honestly the instant a certain spider character popped up I was hoping that these two would have a sort of romance (REALLY CANT WAIT FOE NEXT
BOOK)
-Obviously Raith
-The world: maybe it’s because I’m still somewhat new to fantasy but I haven’t read about a world like this before and love the concept of all the powers and everything

Unfortunately, I had to DNF, I didn't enjoy the writing style, and the instant love without any in-depth knowledge of the characters. I was so excited when I received an Arc but unfortunately wasn't for me.

Really enjoyed this. Love the cover (ordered a sprayed edges copy for myself and for a tiktok giveaway).
The main characters, the overall vibes, and the spice. I liked the female friendships and I would LOVE to see more of the circus aspects in the next books. Will definitely be continuing the series. Thank you so much for the ARC!

World building and Character development need I say more...

This was talked to be a fantasy trifecta read (world, character, spicy) but it fell flat. I am sorry to say this was not the epic or even just a fun fantasy read that I was hoping it to be. The start is very slow, and then with a flip of a switch the story is rushed. I need to either have amazing world building or character development/ growth for me to stay with a story. Harrow and Raith's relationship felt more teenager than not and it's not my jam anymore.

Unfortunately this book fell extremely flat for me. This was on my 2024 TBR and had preordered- after finishing, I went ahead and cancelled due to lack of interest in the finalized copy.

The premise of the book is so promising- a dark carnival, a magic system set up with elemental magical forces, a mysterious MMC that the FMC is drawn to. However.. the book is extremely shallow. Everything is very surface level. The writing itself is very stilted and very juvenile- expect for the spice scenes. As a result the book is very incohesive in terms of the writing caliber. The plot takes place within a week to a week and a half- this includes an escape heist, falling in love, and a third act break-up. As a result, everything is very insta-love and insta-lust and you don’t form any attachment to any characters. There are queens, century long feuds, hybrids, territories, and elemental magic plot points thrown at you but yet nothing is actually fully fleshed out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for providing me with an eARC of this book.

I really liked the first half of this book and the character development. The world building was also really good however the 2nd half of this book felt extremely rushed to me and didn’t do the story or characters justice. I will read the next book if this series though as I was engaged by the story

Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The overall story arc is endearing and likeable. However, I found myself wanting MORE - more details, more character development, more world building. I think this book could have been a five star read if there was just MORE of everything I mentioned. I would have loved for the author to explore the main characters (Raith & Harrow) more than what was provided, because I feel like I still don't really know them?

this was a one sitting read for me! If you were an Avatar the Last Airbender fan who also shipped Zutara…. then this one’s for YOU.

we’ve got warring kingdoms & tribes, divided by their elementally based magic, all led by a powerful Queen attuned to that specific element, an assortment of unique and lovable animal-human hybrid side-characters (I’m looking at you Mal and Ouro!), and a sweet, HOT shadow/demon MMC. I was in heaven.

Harrow, our Elemental FMC, is the last of her kind — a Seer of the Water. she’s survived the massacre of her people at the hands of the Fire Queen’s assassin’s, and she’s been hiding with the circus ever since. until she meets a mysterious shadow man with no memories of who his or why he can’t remember anything. Harrow defies all logic (and maybe some severe red flags, but I can’t really blame her when RAITH is the reason) and not only befriends him, but vows to help him recover his identity. she senses that her future is tied to him. she’s never been let down by her Element before, and everything is pointing towards Raith. he, on the other hand, wants nothing more than Harrow’s safety. he’s drawn to her just as much as she’s drawn to him, but he knows he’s no good for her, memories or no. I simply loved watching these two become unable to fight this pull! their chemistry was electric & had me blushingggg and giggling!

although we get plenty of moments of tenderness between Harrow and Raith throughout the story, naturally the forces that be can’t let them live in happiness. the history and tensions throughout the kingdom add nuance to their story in such a fun way. there were moments I wasn’t sure who to trust, and a few where I was biting my nails and worried for our couple! and boy was I not expecting these twists, but thankfully this story ends beautifully for our characters.

This was a pretty fun read. It started slow for me but picked up. I was hoping for more involving the circus. The dual pov was okay but sometimes it was hard to distinguish who it was until a few paragraphs in.
Harrow is the last of her kind, a water seer that is keeping it a secret while working for an elemental circus.
Raith is a tall, dark amd mysterious elemental who has no memories and ends up at the circus Harrow works for. She and him have a connection and plan to escape.
Romance, spice and fated mates for Harrow and Raith.

Thank you Red Tower and Netgalley for providing this ARC for me to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is such a stunning, well written book. If you like romantasy this is the book for you. I was intrigued by the characters from the very beginning and the plot, loaded very well. The world building was tremendous and it’s one of those books that you can’t put down once you read. It’s also a book that I will be recommending to everyone I know.

Sanctuary of the Shadow is the latest novel by Aurora Ascher. When Red Tower revealed this book, the synopsis immediately caught my attention, and the stunning cover and edges were the cherry on top.

This book ticked a lot of the boxes for what I love in a story: magic, a mysterious and powerful male protagonist, the uncovering of difficult truths, a painful past, overcoming the odds heartwarming moments and a spicy romance, add to that a circus setting,

The two main characters, Harrow and Raith, face many challenges from the very beginning of the book. Harrow was orphaned when she was only ten years old. She's an Elemental with magical powers - the last Seer alive. To avoid being killed, she hides in a supernatural circus, posing as a human fortune teller. Meanwhile, Raith wakes up in a desert with no memories or knowledge of who or what he is. Everyone he meets (after waking up) seems to fear and hate him, thinking him an abomination. A group of flesh traders capture and sell him to Salizar, the Fiend Collector, and the circus owner. It is here that Raith and Harrow's paths cross, and their journey begins.

Since I don't want to spoil any details. I'll just say I really enjoyed this book. The story doesn't drag anywhere, and it is engaging from start to finish. The struggles of who to trust, what to believe, the process of learning the magic system and the (painful) past of our main characters were what kept me turning pages one after another. We switch between multiple POVs, and besides our main characters, there are interesting side characters as well - hybrids, oracle, enchanter, elemental queens...

IThe romance and chemistry between Harrow and Raith were also great, with all the spicy and heartwarming and heartbreaking parts. (Raith is the newest addition to my list of book boyfriends for sure.)

If you're looking for your next read or want to add a book to your TBR list and enjoy all the elements I listed above, look no further. Sanctuary of the Shadow is the book for you!

Thank you Entangled and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book disappointing. The writing was awkward, stumbling through the story. Despite the main character being 60 in Elemental years, she felt like a teen. The plot seemed secondary to cringe-worthy spice scenes.

It was marketed as "Avatar: The Last Airbender" vibes, which is very misleading - it only shares the Elemental powers concept and lacks all the story. They also raved about a circus theme - that’s also minimal (about 15% of the book).

The MMC, Raith, has amnesia, as mentioned by Harrow, which kind of renders him childlike. Yet they get the insta-love trope and in comes the spice between them and it made me super uncomfortable with the non-con vibes.

Last is the abysmal world-building and character development. Everything considered - this was a miss for me. As you can see in other reviews, some do enjoy it.

Thanks to Red Tower Books and Entangled Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.