I have wanted a Roman story since Andrea's novella. The dark Volhv who sometimes shows up in a variety of silly pajamas from time to time finally gets a story of his own. The Slavic gods are really interesting and getting to see Roman at his home protecting a boy and his dog that showed up asking for sanctuary makes me think he can't be all that evil.

It is time to see what Roman and Chernobog can do when a group of mercenaries come looking for the boy and the only thing separating them is a stretch of land Roman has carefully cultivated. Remember, Roman is beloved by evil things, which means he has some nasties living there along with a plethora of unusual creatures that are only slightly evil sometimes. Roman only seems rivaled by House Harrison in the pet department.

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip through Ilona Andrews ideas for Slavic lore. Going through Nav and learning how a few of the gods interact along with Roman's origin story was just everything I was hoping for. Roman really is soft hearted to belong to a death god but probably brings great balance to that god as well. It is hard being devoted to a god and can definitely mess up your dating life, but maybe Roman has a shot with the character introduced within this story, since she also serves the gods.

***“Those trees in the distance are the Twilight Forest, where wolves of Doubt and Uncertainty prowl. The open ground you see is the Grueling Field, where spirits of the punished plant and plow, but never reap or harvest. It is a place of thankless work, nourished by worries that plagued humankind since farming began. A place where seedlings die from crippling frost and plants are felled by cruel wind. The pines around us are the Evening Forest, where the birds of Regret and Missed Chances shriek and wail. When we pass through it, we will enter the Glades of Remembrance. They will make you relive your most painful memories.”***

As always Ilona Andrews brings creativity and ingenuity into lore that isn't commonly known and creates something magical. My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough...but that is always my complaint when I have to step out of one of the worlds they have created. From the ending, I'm thinking we could possibly get another story with Roman as the MC, we can only cross our fingers and pray to Chernobog or whoever else has blessed Ilona Andrews that happens.

Narration:

They got Chris Brinkley! He is the voice of all the Winston Brother's books by Penny Reid and I have loved his voice since I first heard it in that series and all the spin offs. He is a fantastic pick for our Dark Volhv, his voice is so rich and can do the slight accent I always assumed Roman to have with his Russian heritage. I read this when it was posted on IAs blog but he helped to really bring out the best in the story and made it all the more enjoyable.

For the fans of House Andrews and the fans of Roman, which we all probably are if we are reading this book, this is an excellent addition to the KD world and a very nice start to the Roman part of it.
The writing and characterization aside, coz no bad stuff from the Andrews in that aspect ever, the story itself was so much fun. Getting Roman's history, his family dynamics, from his pov, and how he came about being the Black Volhv , this story clears all of that up so well. The fights against the mercs was magical and messy , The new characters and mythology was very cool, just the way we like it. Fair warning, there is no romance, YET. But we shall hold out hope for that one.

All in all, finished this in one go, smack in the middle of the night. And would do it again. Coz , worth it.

Excellent book.
I won an advanced copy.

Roman just wants to enjoy his holiday (misery) by his lonesome. This is not his favorite time of year. With his critters to keep him company he can enjoy his cookies and eggnog in peace.

Finn is brought to his attention, in a unique way, by Roman’s critters. At first, Finn does not say much, but Roman has a feeling… Finn is running from something, someone. Maybe a few someone’s.

Saying more would give too much away. Epic battles, a plot twist or two, surprises, good and bad, epic plot, and a good ending. Snark too. I do love Roman. Good character.

Very good book.

Ilona Andrews books are the kind of books I read over and over again and the Kate Daniels world the most. So it was a no brainer that when I knew this book was coming out I knew I would need to read it. I may have squealed when my Netgalley wish was granted. I have always loved Ramon and was eager to read more about him and from his perspective. This book did not disappoint. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did an ok job although it wasn’t quite the voice for Ramon I had imagined or hoped for. Ramon isn’t the priest anyone chooses to come to. He serves a dark god, but when he wanders outside and finds a bleeding teenaged boy on his property he is confused. When the boy wakes up only to speak “sanctuary” he’s beyond curious but also the type of dark priest that no one should plan on crossing.

Sanctuary is a story about Roman, the Black Vholv, who provides sanctuary for a boy being hunted by a variety of supernatural bad guys. The narrator is excellent and I’m always happy to get a new story in this wonderful world.

While Roman is one of my favorite secondary characters, this isn’t my favorite of the side stories. There’s a lot of magical fighting and a good bit of interesting explanations of the Russian mythology around the various characters. As a novella, there’s less relationship building or plot outside of the fighting. It’s still very enjoyable, though. There’s some excellent dialogue, new characters, fascinating creatures, and a visit to Nav (a sort of alternate reality underworld.) I think the book works well as an introduction to a new series and the epilogue is great.

Set in the world of Kate Daniels but she doesn’t make an appearance in this story. Roman wakes up to find a teen boy and his puppy asking for sanctuary from a group of mercenaries chasing him he doesn’t refuse to help. Few people would ask a priest of Chernobog for help. This story introduces some new characters and give a wonderful backstory to Roman for fans of the series. A great stepping into point for this series for a new reader and fun for long time fans of the series. The audio book was a lot of fun to listen to and I enjoyed the narrator.