A big shout out to Entangled Publishing for hosting a read-along and providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. (The read-along was SO much fun! I highly recommend anyone that has the chance to definitely accept the opportunity to join one!)

I’m pretty sure most of us romantasy/fantasy lovers are keeping an eye out for all books that Red Tower Books is publishing. After their debut release, everyone’s been extremely curious about all their books, and if I’m not wrong Sanctuary of the Shadow was the second book they promoted on their account after their first (or was it the third, after Assistant to the Villain?). Either way, there was lots of buzz and curiosity surrounding it and I have to say I felt no different.

I was extremely excited for the opportunity to join the read-along hosted by the publisher and I can’t think of a more fun way to read a book! The questions were thought-provoking, fun and had me REALLY excited to keep reading. I looked forward to question days so much! Thank you again to Riki who hosted the whole read-along so well!

This is the first book I’d read by Aurora Ascher, so I wasn’t sure at all what to expect going into the story, be it with the writing style or the fairly unique premise. I know the “circus” theme has been making some appearances here and there, but honestly I hadn’t read any as far as I remember so I was excited to dive into my first.

The writing and pace were I think a “reader-favourite” as I like to call it; the writing was easy to get lost into, elevating the pace and making pages go by effortlessly. The only time the pace faltered for me was when there was a build-up to the characters being reunited, which in all honesty it’s likely we’re supposed to feel that way.

But, I do feel the writing felt a little untried. The book had a lot of heart in it, don’t get me wrong, it was just a little young and maybe could’ve gone through a little bit more polishing. It didn’t really disturb me as such or mess with my experience, but it was a surprise as many of the books I read are often published by Entangled and I’ve been conditioned to expect somethings automatically. So maybe this is also more a personal perception born from conditioned expediences?

The world Ascher has created was definitely very unique and I’ve said this before and will say it again: it feels like there’s not much left unexplored in the fantasy department so I’d give kudos to anyone who can come up with something utterly different from anything we’ve seen before. So kudos to the author on creating a completely unique world! The world building I felt was a little choppy, there are portions I got immediately and some I felt were a little glossed over that I just accepted but didn’t fully understand. Fantasy is a very complex genre with regard to bringing the readers in on all the rules and mechanics of the world, I do understand the weight of the responsibility that comes with it. So when a reader loses a little bit of the thread, I think we lose the impact of the book too. But again, it really helped that the book had a lot of heart in it.

Like I’ve mentioned about two times before, all the heart the author brings to the book really shines through the characters. I loved many of the secondary characters! Every one of them brought complexity, emotion, their own pasts and secrets to the story. This makes me think this book is going to be a series with each character having their own book. I’m very hopeful for/curious about the next couple, not gonna lie.

With regard to the primary characters… I do feel there were many elements to their story. There were just so many things happening with them, an instant connection, many dangerous situations, hiding from truths, running from truths, betrayal, pain, longing and then a HEA. I personally felt with everything that was happening, there wasn’t too much time for the characters to really understand, grow to like and then love one another. I’m aware that the way it was written, the plot required a quick connection that’s perhaps not yet deep in anything but emotion and intuition initially before it all grows. There are many lovely moments, but I would’ve loved to see more of the characters learning who they are to themselves and one another before anything else.

The plot I think is more complex than it lets on, I’m very very curious to see where this series is headed, so I can understand fully the foundation that this book has laid. Despite there being a main plot for the book, I do feel that the romance takes precedence at many points, so I wouldn’t suggest you dive into this book if you’re looking for a more balanced equation between the fantasy and romance genre. This is definitely a romantasy.

Three and a half stars. Happy reading. Check trigger warnings please!

Harrow, taken in at 10 into a traveling circus. Hiding the fact she is the last seer, she has been portraying herself as a fortune teller. Once her eyes fall upon the beaten elemental kept under lock and key, she is filled with new light and energy to flee her current life no matter the risks. Just one thing though; he’s her mate.

Yes. The forbidden romance is there. But it fell completely flat for me as soon as the premise of the circus was no more. The spice fell flat for me as well — it was written as if she was trying to dial down the spice, but there really wasn’t any easy/plausible way to do so. It came off a little weird, hard to immerse yourself into and overall a little clunky in terms of flow.

The plot holes came and went and didn’t bother me too much. The world building was dismal to me, for a fantasy novel. I was left confused, and by the end I felt frustrated. This one fell flat for me after the hype and the way it was marketed just did not fit.

Did I enjoy the ride? Absolutely. Would I rather do anything else but read this a second time? Yes. It was cute, but just honestly missed the mark.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing/Red Tower Books, Netgalley and the author for the eARC!

Thank you Red Tower/ Entangled for sending an ARC of this book.

Unfortunately this is a negative review. The writing overall fell flat and the change in POVs had me doing circles. Circus setting was non existent and insta love is not my favorite.

There’s ton of lore that could’ve been dived into. There’s a great story here but possibly another round of editing my help. At this time I cannot recommend this book.

This is a DNF for me. I was really excited for the story, but it wasn’t executed well and while it did pick up in later chapters, I never cared about the characters.

“Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked…” Kind of like Avatar the Last Airbender, but Zuko gets Katara. Star-crossed lovers but they seem to make it work. Harrow, our Katara, is just a girl trying to survive in this harsh world where she’s the only one left of her kind until she meets Raith (Zuko), a cool looking dude with no memory. Don’t worry though, Harrow vows to help him and we all know the importance of a vow. Overall good story with unique creatures. I do wish there was a little bit more world building, getting to know the different Hybrids and Queens. I would love to learn more about the war that was hard and the relationship with Furie and her human. I also want to know if Mail took her home back from the usurpers. I can’t tell from the ending if there will be a second book, it can go either way but definitely hoping there’s more.

If you're looking for a magical book that keeps twisting and turning, look no further and pick up Sanctuary of the Shadow!

Harrow can't let anyone know of her Seer identity, so working for a traveling circus telling people about their future serves as the perfect cover. Until she realizes the owner, Salizar, has purchased and caged new talent. As she gets to know the man within the cage, she knows she must help him escape. And a complicated story of love, destiny, and self-forgiveness ensues.

Every time I was about to put this book down, another unexpected reveal would happen, and I'd have to keep reading! The book has more than just the typical journey of helping someone escape in a fantasy book; there's a lot of exploration of feelings of guilt and the journey to forgiveness as well as navigating moral greyness. It's not what you would expect from the storyline and nor from the characters.

A big thank you to Entangled Publishing/Red Tower for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. The review expresses my own opinions only.

Thank you Net Galley for this Arc.

I enjoyed this Circus with Elementals and Hybirds. It had enough atmospheric world building to feel like you were there among the tents.

Harrow as our FMC was a orphan taken in by the Circus at a young age all while hiding her true heritage. Life was easy until she stumbles upon a captive. Raith is said Captive who has no memory of who he is or where he’s from, and Harrow is the only person he remotely acknowledges. Their connection is so endearing, but the twist…just egh!!! My heart hurts for both of them. Raith definitely needs a cuddle. Also who doesn’t like wings 🙃

I wish this book was longer so there was more time to build the relationship so it didn’t feel so quick, but that’s just me (I love a slow burn)

Fantastic and fun read to close out the end of 2023! Harrow is the last Seer in the elemental world, it's a secret she has been keeping for decades. She has done her best to pass herself off as human and help out with the elemental circus, only trusting her beloved friend, Malaikah. She has repressed memories of the night her entire clan was destroyed by the Fire Queen's deadly assassin but she knows she would never trust such an evil being.
Raith lands in the middle of the desert with no memory of who he is and only a fleeting deja vu feeling of emotions he's experienced before. He's captured and bought by the elemental circus ringmaster, Salizar, who is convinced he is a wraith and will deliver him to the Water Queen for destruction. Raith's only hope is in Harrow, who's been pushed by her water magic to Raith's rescue.
Together, they'll fall head over heels with each other, only to learn hard truths as secrets and past memories return. Can they trust each other? Can they trust those around them? Will their love be strong enough to persevere the worst?
A fast paced, keeping the pages turning read. Wonderful main characters and secondary characters who will leave you wanting more about their story.

This started out a highly anticipated book for me. A girl orphan, the last of her line, a mystery foreboding of something dark coming.

An element with no memories is captured and sold to the circus that Harrow works for. Indigent and abhorred, she feels connected to this person. A being that proclaim himself as “Raith”…

From there it devolved into such quick succession that it borderlines plain and such disconnect.

Insta-love. They run away and make love for like five days while everyone is out hunting for them. She proclaims she loves him but at the first hint of who he really is she dropped him like a sack of potatoes..

Honestly the speed of this story did not endear me to the couple. There wasn’t many actionable portrayal of trust and love. Sure they talk about it a lot but it was either talk or too extreme in action. This felt like a 2000 plot-line that they jammed so much ideas into one novel that it felt meh.

Maybe the author was only given one book to tell her story but each scene felt shallow and one dimensional.

The ending was like a re-try of the beginning..
spice was good but storyline fell short unfortunately.

I really love Red Tower and most of their books that have come out but this is a miss for me. Tragic as the first print is so gorgeous.

Thank you Entangled Romance for an earc for an honest review. This started out a highly anticipated book for me. A girl orphan, the last of her line, a mystery foreboding of something dark coming.

An element with no memories is captured and sold to the circus that Harrow works for. Indigent and abhorred, she feels connected to this person. A being that proclaim himself as “Raith”…

From there it devolved into such quick succession that it borderlines plain and such disconnect.

Insta-love. They run away and make love for like five days while everyone is out hunting for them. She proclaims she loves him but at the first hint of who he really is she dropped him like a sack of potatoes..

Honestly the speed of this story did not endear me to the couple. There wasn’t many actionable portrayal of trust and love. Sure they talk about it a lot but it was either talk or too extreme in action. This felt like a 2000 plot-line that they jammed so much ideas into one novel that it felt meh.

Maybe the author was only given one book to tell her story but each scene felt shallow and one dimensional.

The ending was like a re-try of the beginning..
spice was good but storyline fell short unfortunately.

I really love Red Tower and most of their books that have come out but this is a miss for me. Tragic as the first print is so gorgeous.

Thank you Entangled Romance for an earc for an honest review.

Thanks to Entangled and Netgalley for the eARC!

This was a great debut novel. We are following Harrow, a fortune teller for a circus that doesn't exactly house humans. She herself isn't one either. She is the last surviving member of a seer clan that was executed about fifty years prior. She and her best friend, Malaikah are both top show runners at the circus, which is ran by a mysterious man named Salizar, who no one wants to cross at any given time.

One night, Harrow feels extremely pulled by her element, Water, and is lead to the back of the big tent to find a enchanted cage with an absolutely attractive man, who has no idea who he is. For some reason she feels like she needs to help him,

Raith doesn't know how he has come to be, he just knows that he's caged and being threatened that he doesn't reveal himself willing, it will be more painful later. They keep calling him a wraith, and while he's unsure of who he is, Harrow is certain of one thing. That she is supposed to help him.

This story goes on to show that Harrow has had her trust misguided in more than one way. And to become who she truly is, she needs to embrace what she is to help bring him and the world at large peace.

First off, a huge thank you to NetGalley & Entangled for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sooo, I really wanted to love this book. The cover was BEAUTIFUL and I just knew it would be a new favorite for me. But… the writing style was just not my thing. It felt hard to get through and I I think it could use refinement in several areas. Particularly the dual POV was difficult to follow at times and the spice scenes were cringy.

I really hate leaving negative reviews, but this was a miss for me.

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⚜️ Book Title - Sanctuary of the Shadow
⚜️ Author - Aurora Ascher
⚜️ Rating - ⭐️⭐️
⚜️ Some Genre/Themes/Tropes: Adult Fiction, Romance and Fantasy

I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is my honest review.

Now I’m a big Red Tower book fan. So far the lineup has been fantastic. This one didn’t hit the mark though.

So, I thought this was going to be more of a circus setting as it’s on the cover and appears to be marketed that way… the circus part was over in less than a quarter of the book… So that has left me a little confused on the marketing and cover choice.

The events throughout the book were quite choppy too. Meaning some were fleshed out and some brushed over. The details were in the smut and not much on the everything else. This leads into the next part, the relationship. It is definitely a fast burn and not a slow burn. I’m a slow burn gal for sure. I felt there wasn’t much development before the two main characters fell into bed together. I just wasn’t that connected to them.

On a positive note, it is a great concept and was what kept me reading.

I’m on the fence if I will continue. At this stage, I wouldn’t recommend this book to others.

I want to say thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Note (How I rate): One is DNF. Two is got there but struggled. Three stars is a good, enjoyable read. Four is an excellent read and five is a comfort read that lingers with me for life (very difficult to get but not impossible).

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled for giving me the opportunity to express my honest opinion on Sanctuary of The Shadow.
I loved that this story was not like anything else that I've read. It wasn't a super predictable read either, which is great. I would have loved to see more depth In the main characters. I favored the side characters. In all it was a fun read with room for improvement.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this was about a 3 🌟 story for me.

I was very intrigued by the premise, and this one set itself on the map!
Off the bat jumping into the story, I was intrigued by the characters, the premise and the world. I felt as though the pacing of the novel was steady, except for the smut scenes, which seemed to happen earlier than expected and all at the same time. We did get some additional scenes later on in the novel, in a more truncated format.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one - Harrow, a strong & headstrong, but warm hearted and perceptive water elemental and Raith, our mysterious fire elemental. I love a novel with a strong FMC and a more mysterious MMC. We learned about Harrow early on in the novel, her abilities & the way she’s tied to her element, and discovered more about Raith as we went along. I enjoyed their dynamic and the care they had for each other, though I felt as though their relationship became intense very quickly - which it made it hard to understand and to relate to.

For an adult novel & besides the smut scenes, this read more like a YA novel. It felt simplistic and some conflicts were solved easily without relatable trials and tribulations that couples and MCs would usually go through. That said, this book did have conflict and some (fairly predicable) twists, they were just easily dealt with, and so many of those parts felt rushed. I’m not sure I fully enjoyed the writing in this particular novel, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give another of Aurora Ascher’s book another try. In fact, I think the idea and the beginning of this novel were very compelling, I would’ve just loved to see a more complex, nuanced and fleshed our remainder of our story. Because of this, I also didn’t feel like we got a full view of the world here, and felt the world building was lacking and only giving us the tidbits we needed to know vs the information I need as a reader for the full immersion into the story.

I did enjoy reading this one and as it felt written as a YA novel, it was also a quick read & the smut was fun!

Sanctuary of the Shadow takes place in a world of warring queens, each with a different element affinity. Harrow is a Seer, a water elemental, but has lived the majority of her life hiding her true nature. She starts to have dreams that something big is going to happen, but she would never guess the turn her life's about to take. Her feelings lead her to a male who is imprisoned at the circus, where she works, and she just knows her dreams have been leading her to him. Their story unfolds with more twists, turns and characters then you could ever imagine! Will the past determine who they become, or will they follow their hearts and intuition to a new future?
The book is an easy read and is told from multiple points of view. I appreciated getting the insight from different characters and that the timeline didn't halt while it was happening. The story moves fast and has you wanting to know what happens next. There's a little bit of spice and a whole lot of supernatural drama. Not sure what the future holds but this book ends without a cliffhanger, just some hints at future storylines to come.

This was a pretty great read!

The characters were likeable, the story was great. I do wish there was more about the circus as the synopsis did leave me to believe, but it was hardly touched on. I’m excited to now follow Mal’s story as I feel there is so much more. I do hope to see Harrow and Raith again.

Thank you to @netgalley and @entangled_publishing for an DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled really hard on this book especially as it was one I was looking forward to. Joining a read along made me excited and I finished it because of participating with others.

The world building is clunky and I did not feel anything for the characters, unfortunately. The character building wasn’t really there for me at all. It was a simplified story with insta-love/fated mates but how the world and magic worked really confused me. Unfortunately insta-love usually doesn’t work for me, unless there is good reason. It took the majority of the book for me to even understand hybrids were also elementals. There was a little spice and it was good that it didn’t take over the whole book, I did appreciate that.

Title: Sanctuary of the Shadow
Author: Aurora Ascher
Release date: 1/9/2024
Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed reading this book. The book is set in a world where elemental magic reigns. The book has different Gods of power in water, fire, air etc which I thought was interesting. There are hybrid species that have animal characteristics as well as humans in the story. The book doesn't focus on the world building too much and mostly on MCs, Raith and Harrow. I like the *forbidden romance* of the story between the two and the chemistry and connection they have. The spice was there and didn't feel like it took over the story, just added to the layers of their relationship.
The story also has really interesting side characters in Salizar and Malaikah, and it seems we may get more books set in this world with different character povs.
I do like the entire wrapup of this story, fast paced from the beginning, and not leaving a giant cliffhanger! A great new adult fantasy read!!

Thank you to @entangled_publishing and @netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for a review.

Thank you so much to Brittany at Entangled for sending me the pre-approved widget for Sanctuary of the Shadow's e-arc! I got to join in on the Entangled Insider's Read Along of Sanctuary of the Shadow as well. This review is based off the early digital copy sent to me by Entangled and is fully my own thoughts and opinions!

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Sanctuary of the Shadow is the latest fantasy from Red Tower, with a focus on learning to be yourself, learning to trust yourself, and learning to grow from your mistakes. It's a story of a survivors and second chances.

I'm going to preface this review with a "this book just wasn't it for me, but it might be it for you!"

OVERALL RATING: 3/5🌟
PLOT: 3/5 🌟
WRITING: 2/5 🌟
CHARACTERS: 4/5 🌟
ENJOYMENT: 4/10

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STORY/PLOT: (as spoiler free as possible)

Sanctuary of the Shadow is about a woman Seer who finds herself attached to mysterious male who has completely forgotten his past. When her morals are put at risk, she chooses to act to protect the mysterious male and make a stand for what she believes is right, no matter the cost. It's a story of second chances, not just for Raith, but for our FMC, Harrow, and for other side characters who appear to help/hinder Harrow in her journey.

The world that Ascher has created for this story is beautiful. I love the different species we have—the Elementals, the Hybrids, the Queens, and the humans. The way magic is set up is simplistic and easy to follow, making this a good start for people new to the fantasy genre.

The beginning of the story starts out incredibly promising. I'm fully invested in the world that Ascher brings to life. I love Harrow and her water abilities. I'm intrigued by Raith and his mysterious history. Then Harrow's plan to escape and the lead up to it was nail biting.

Then we spend a massive chunk of the middle part of the book hidden away in a tavern just spicing it up. Everything seemed to come to a screeching halt to focus on sex. Which, is a huge deterrent for me. This is generally a reason for me to DNF. The only reason I didn't DNF, is due to the fact that Harrow's BFF, Mal, becomes somewhat relevant with her own side story of discovering Raith's true identity and her determination to protect Harrow from the local underground hybrid gang.

Then we get a deus ex machina moment, which sets the plot back in motion and then we speed through the rest of the conflicts and find ourselves at the end. The conclusion for me was frankly frustrating. While the epilogue is quite beautiful, the way that all the loose plot points (minus one which I'm guessing is for book 2) were all neatly wrapped up with the annoying "tell not show" method. So all the plot points with the potential for incredibly interesting stories just got nixed.


WRITING:

Ascher's writing was a complete and total miss for me. She has a beautiful easy to read voice with creative and descriptive writing which makes the book reads very MG/YA. This would not be an issue if it wasn't for the fact that out of the blue, the middle of the book is just chapter after chapter of spice between Harrow and Raith. I was shocked when the spice started happening because the writing and language of the book was so young for me that I didn't think there would be spice. It just kinda came out of nowhere for me. Additionally, her pacing was all over the place. The beginning was great, it had good pacing and was incredibly promising. The middle ground to a halt to focus on Raith and Harrowing spicing, then once the plot picks back up, we speed through to the end. It was definitely jarring and rough.

CHARACTERS:
Despite the story and writing being a miss for me, the characters were absolutely not!

Harrow - I loved her! She's stubborn and strong willed. She recognizes her mistakes and owns up to them. She's a great role model of understanding consent, and learning to listen to your instincts.

Raith - MUST PROTECT AT ALL COSTS. He's a cinnamon roll. That is all.

Mal - I need more of her and I need more of her story.

The Oracle - I loved her. She was quirky AF and a breath of fresh air after the plot had stagnated. She 100% existed only to move the plot that had essentially died forward, but she was such a fun read that I didn't mind too much.

The Water Queen - Probably the only character I didn't like but that was strictly because of writing. She suffered from the story's poor plot planning. Her character arc was a line going up, then immediately going down. There was zero build up to her 180 and what could have been an intriguing story was subjected to "tell not show" storytelling.

ENJOYMENT: Over all, it was very mediocre. I absolutely wouldn't read it again, but I wouldn't say no to recommending it. It was a miss for me, but I know many others will love the ever loving pants out of this book. I can absolutely see this being a fantastic read for those who are new to fantasy, or prefer fantasy lite books.

I read this as part of an Entangled readathon to discuss the book as a group over the holiday week. I enjoyed the different magics that showed up throughout the story but struggled with the instalove especially in the face of such heavy and complex trauma. I thought that the premise (magical circus, magic based on elements) was fascinating and wanted more of that contextual setting and background than we actually got. In the end, the book sets up a sequel, and if the author can remedy some of the setting, etc components, the sequel would be a fantastic read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.