This was just a no for me right from the beginning. The writing is just not good. There's no flow to the story, it's staccato and jumping all over the place. Also, the characters are flat and boring.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lost Lust for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Clinic for Magical Creatures promises whimsy and wonder, but ultimately fell flat for me. From the beginning, I struggled to connect with the story. The first part is heavily focused on detailed descriptions of magical creatures, with little to no plot momentum—almost like watching a children’s TV show where every frame introduces a new fantastical element without anchoring it in a compelling narrative.

This is very much a surface-level, cosy fantasy. There’s no real tension, stakes, or depth to the conflict. The main plot revolves around poachers targeting a unicorn, and the two protagonists—Mia, a human girl, and Asher, a phoenix shifter—teaming up to care for it. It’s a soft, low-conflict premise, and while that can work in a feel-good read, here it just lacked emotional pull.

The romance kicks in late—around the halfway mark—and felt unnecessarily drawn out. The “fated love” trope is used, but without the buildup or chemistry to make it satisfying. There’s a hint of spice, but it clashed awkwardly with the whimsical tone of the book, feeling jarring and out of place.

That said, the book cover is gorgeous, and fans of low-stakes magical settings might enjoy the gentle pacing and fantastical creature cameos. But for me, it never rose above its cosy veneer to offer anything truly engaging.

I was really excited for this book! I love a fast paced, fantasy adventure with some romance. But I ended up DNF'ing at around 60% in.

For the first half of the book, it felt a lot more YA, low-stakes, and cozy vibes. Different from what was advertised but still fun. You get to go around and explore the world and pet baby dragons. And then we hit the the sex scenes and it felt like a complete shift. Because of the YA vibes, I was expecting something closed door but we got much more spicy, smutty scenes. Both YA and smut are completely and totally valid but they just didn't add up together and left me feeling even more confused. I felt like I was spending more time trying to figure out the tone of what I was reading instead of just enjoying what I was reading so I stopped.

I appreciate the chance to read the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for the E-ARC

1 🌟

The plot sounded so amazing but overall it fell flat. I was confused from almost page one with the abrupt start, and i kept thinking this was like the second book in a series and I had missed it somehow. The plot just did not connect, and I could not connect with the characters. I was expecting a mythical fantasy and for me I barely got fantasy vibes (I got the ick as soon as she called the dragon little bean) which it kinda became in the middle of the book only for it to end without really any build up (could be because it's book 1?). I did not get the romance, Asher is clearly into Mia but she can't stand him then all of a sudden she's all for him??

Overall this just did not meet the mark for me, and while maybe it is my reading taste it doesn't agree with, I do think some revisions could make this book better!

I was excited by the description of this book, but I did not enjoy it. It is more YA and didn't hold my interest.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for access to this ARC 📚.

🔥Quick Fire Review

Genre/Themes: 🧝🏻‍♀️🔮🧌🐦‍🔥🧙🏻‍♂️🐸🐨🦄👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻⚔️
Tropes: Set in a Magical Realm, Fae, Mythological Creatures, Non-Human Races, Immortal Beings, Orphan Hero, Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Kidnapping, Nursed Back to Health, Partners in Fighting Crime, Rescue Mission, Grand Battles and Sieges, Prophecies, Sacrifice, Soulmate
Positives ✅ : some decent battle and magic wielding scenes
Room for Improvement 🔎 : completely inappropriate writing style for intended demographic, poor characterisation, poor world-building and scene setting
Rating: 🌕🌖

✍🏻Full Review - RISK OF SPOILERS 🛑

I’m sorry to say it but this was… not good. Very poorly written with the prose honestly feeling like early teen, the characters too, for the vast majority until suddenly there was smut and violence. Thankfully though this was a short and quick read.

Characterisation:
Mia is the main character of the story. Mia is written to be extremely unlikeable because her dialogue varies between childish with limited vocabulary to stilted and unnaturally formal. For example, during a serious conversation with a respected scientist she deems it appropriate to say that the pixies being studied need to ‘shake their collective booties’. She is a human born amongst the Fae, and my god does she like to harp on about it. To the point that she basically tries a #notallmen, saying that she has to work hard not to get offended by comments about ‘her race’ and that ‘not all humans’ are bad. She is combative about basically everything, accusing her love interest of sexism at one point too because he gives advice which she deems unsolicited. It wasn’t, and it was about something that he definitely knew more about because it was about the healing of a magical creature, which he himself is, but Mia and the author love to try and make her sound as oppressed as possible throughout the story for some bizarre and cringeworthy reason. She will pick fights with Asher at any opportunity, just for the drama. The pair have a discussion where they decide to be together, then after walking a few steps - quite literally - she then argues with him and seemingly thinks they’ve broken up. Evidenced by her asking herself if she can ‘pull herself back together and be with Asher again’ a few sentences later. THEY’D BEEN A COUPLE FOR 10 SECONDS OF READING TIME! She then calls it ‘the only fight she’d ever had with Asher’, making it sound like they’d been together for years and it was their one sore spot. No, she literally picked this big fight with him within minutes, and it certainly wasn’t the first time they’d argued. All of it apparently stems from the insecurities she has about being human and not being immortal. You might think it’s the concept of her dying before Asher does, not wanting to cause him pain, that is her worry. Nope. The main reason is because she doesn’t want to ‘lose her looks’ as she becomes elderly and potentially become less appealing to Asher. If that isn’t immature enough you can add in the fact that she chooses not to discuss this with him directly, rather starting a fight and making him feel he had done something wrong first. Once they become intimate she then becomes a horny teenager, wanting it at totally inappropriate times. She goes from being too prude to even kiss him to ‘wanting him inside her’ at the flick of a switch. The attempts to make Mia funny fell flat and instead made her embarrassing and immature. The only time she was likeable was, I’m sorry to say it, when she was dying and reminiscing about her past lives.
Asher is the book’s love interest, introduced during his rebirth as a phoenix which Mia wasn’t supposed to see. He kidnaps her intending to kill her but regularly has conversations with himself to talk himself out of it. Turns out, he goes briefly murderous when he regenerates before going back to normal again. Asher was BORING. I actually wish he’d had a few more murderous phases because at least he’d be interesting. Instead he made the odd innuendo joke and tried to be a hero the rest of the time. Mia calls him ‘annoyingly charming’ regularly, which I just do not get. In fact, he becomes a massive douchebag when he claims Mia ‘friendzoned’ him. Instead of being kind and understanding about it he basically guilts her into changing her mind, even after trying to come across as the ultimate feminist by telling Mia he wasn’t trying to ‘mansplain’ her. Sure, there ended up being context here as Asher has fallen in love with Mia multiple times as she reincarnated and was getting impatient. But at this point we didn’t know that. Multiple times opportunities to develop his character and his relationship with Mia are glossed over. He tells her ‘fascinating stories about his travels’ and ‘they talked’, but at no point are we privy to any of this. I could tell how boring this dude was when he said that Mia was the ‘only woman to have ever blown his mind in three thousand years’ after they have sex. By the sounds of it Mia was the most boring lover ever, he did all the interesting stuff. His standards are LOW. So not only was he boring as all hell, he too acted like a teenager even though he was supposed to be three thousand years old.
Elenya is Mia’s best friend and owns the sanctuary with her. She is half-human, half-elf. She was another lovely dose of immature teenager, making pushy and nosy comments about Mia and Asher’s relationship at every turn. She is sold as the level-headed and organised one of the pair, which is a fair depiction during times of action. But then her character was ruined even further at the literal funeral of her best friend, where she tells Mia ‘godspeed’ and ‘I’ll never forget you, bestie’. Again, she was just dull and one-dimensional. She apparently dedicates herself to learning new magic from the other fae folk we come across, but of course, we never see this process.
Calenion is Elenya’s dad. He is again, non-descript and one-dimensional. He is the wise old elf who uses his magic tree to see visions of the future. Literally the only purpose he served was to provide this prophecy, speaking of the single fig that ripens on his tree that’s supposed to signify huge events, and for his magic. Personality wise, a pointless character.
Other supporting characters were Ñamku the healer, Skorgo the faun, Nessa the dryad and Ophina. By the end of the book I still didn’t know who or what Ophina was, she just appeared. I imagine it was mentioned somewhere but the author has an irritating habit of randomly throwing characters in scenes to provide one sentence and then not having them appear in any significant capacity again. Sometimes even giving them a line was too much effort, they’d just be name-dropped instead. Stella is mentioned at one point. Who on Earth was that? No idea. Mia asks if Asher ‘will just be another Brenan’. WHO IS BRENAN? I swear they were never talked about once. Ñamku was introduced as the most skilled healer in all the land, but instead of being a poignant character who shares her wisdom with the sanctuary girls and forms a friendship with them she just does her healing magic and made occasional gross jokes about being too old and decrepit to have sex. Even though she played a significant role in the plot of the story that was as far as her character went. When she sacrificed herself in the battle at the sanctuary I was flabbergasted. One, because why would she do that for these people she’d known a week or two. And two, because I was shocked that the author expected me to care. Skorgo was an attempt at comic relief, being loyal but grumpy. But I checked out when he said he was going to ‘hit up’ a nymph. Nessa was just a narrative tool as well, acting as the dryad that guards a shortcut between places via her tree. She’s meant to be shy and reserved about who she shows herself to. But that magically disappears for her to make a dumb speech at Mia’s funeral because she says she’s now brave enough to say something for her. No development of this confidence was shown, of course. The funniest, most genuine character in the whole book was the talking Totem pole.

World-Building:
The story is based in the fictional land of Gaelland. Based on the map and the choices of mythological creatures it appears to be a depiction of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Mia and Elenya run a Sanctuary for injured or endangered Fae folk, which is an umbrella term in the book for mythological creatures both humanoid and not. We learn there is also an underwater Merfolk Kingdom on the coast, an island for Unicorns and a patch of land for a market run by Goblins. Now I must stress that at no point in the book was it explained that the modern human world also exists at the same time. That was until the random references to it like The Little Mermaid, Titanic, The Valley of Kings and Victorian England started. A bang was described to be ‘like a car backfire’ and then the author kept weirdly incorporating modern day sexism into the fold. Absolutely none of this made any sense. For a start, what year is this supposed to be based in if all of these things have been and gone? If cars exist but absolutely nobody uses them? If ‘mansplaining’, ‘hit up’ and ‘bestie’ are in Gaelland’s vernacular? If Mia visits a science lab where they conduct tests and experiments on pixies, and Mia performs modern day ecological assessments in the sanctuary? If phones and TVs don’t exist, but Disney’s Ariel is a literal character in the book (she mentions speaking to ‘a Danish storyteller’ but had Ariel’s red hair and seashell bra, none of which was accurate to the original Danish fairytale)? If the modern human world exists why does Mia’s human family live amongst the Fae folk at all? None of it was made clear whatsoever. There is a big storyline surrounding poaching of unicorns, which then leads to them doing a siege on the sanctuary. They’re basically driving tanks and have automatic machine guns. Again, if all of this exists why are the fae folk wandering around on horses? There’s also no backstory to this army of poachers, which even includes some wizards and elves fighting their own. Why? Why have this big group of people and Fae folk committed themselves to harvesting unicorn horn? Who is the leader, the orchestrator of this huge siege? It’s explained that, as a phoenix, Asher’s life and wellbeing has a physical effect on the fae folk. If that’s true, why were all these wizards happy to contribute to his capture, torture and potential murder? I’d also like to point out that the mythological creature, Brownies, were essentially little British/Scottish goblins or gnome-like household creatures. This author thought it would be clever and not at all stupid to make these characters black. ‘Skin the colour of earth’. They seriously did not see the issue with making a creature called a Brownie, black? When they were never depicted as such in folklore? Did this author seriously not consult a sensitivity guide? Asher also describes the Goblins of the goblin market as ‘cheap’ because they won’t buy new clothes until their existing ones are unwearable, or ‘won’t spend to get them cleaned’. He describes them as ‘greedy’ and ‘conniving’, when really they’re all just mythological tradesfolk. Frugal ones. Sexism is bad but classism isn’t in this universe apparently.

Prose\Plot:
As mentioned the prose in this book was painfully inconsistent. For a good 50% I was convinced I’d accidentally requested a middle-grade novel based on the childishness of the writing style. I’m also fairly certain there were random tense and narrative voice changes at times. Then I had smut thrown in my face. Bad smut, too. The sentences ‘lightly kneaded his balls’, ‘I felt a damp heat between my legs’ and ‘felt his tip pressing against my cervix’ were actually written down, read and approved. ‘Damp heat’ actually had me heaving. They manage to have sex while Asher flies too, and manage to orgasm while free-falling from the sky. It just read like horrendously bad fanfiction. Pixies were described as ‘three foot tall stick figures’ at one stage. Because the author likes a bit of completely uncalled for body shaming in there too, supposedly. As already mentioned the dialogue was unnatural and sometimes just plain cringeworthy. Plot wise, the most interesting part was the crystal frogs becoming a ‘nexus’ of magical power. Although at one point it’s said that the first discovered frog had ‘bound itself’ to Elenya so she was the one who needed to nurture its environment to attract its mate. I remember doing a double take because I certainly did not remember this ‘binding’ happening. Offhanded mentions of things were commonplace, for example Calenion knowing about Mia’s visions and dreams when Asher was captive. (A captivity and escape that we didn’t see any of, by the way, and that Asher just came back from and forgot like it was nothing.) We didn’t see her mention those to anyone once, not even when she was right next to Calenion as he channeled his tree. Speaking of his tree, I still do not understand the whole fig thing. The last time the fig had grown, Elenya said was when her father had died. Calenion gave his daughter the fig to try and extend her life. When Mia is then dying Asher considers doing the same but Calenion warns it’s no guarantee she will be revived. So Asher doesn’t feed it to her. He doesn’t do anything with it at all. So then when he finally finds reincarnated 4-year-old Mia, it’s said that the ‘purpose of the fig is clear now’. IS IT? What does that even mean? Nobody ate it, nobody did anything with it at all. The ‘big event’ was Mia’s death but she has died many times before. I have so many questions and no answers about that damned fig. I’d also like to point out as a side note that I was annoyed that the baby dragon contributed nothing to the story. After all the scenes talking about it and trying to find people to look after it, I expected more. There were some redeeming qualities. Scenes of magical power, such as the frogs and Ñamku healing the unicorns, were actually quite good. When things like that were happening, or the battle, the writing became far more adult and readable. But as mentioned earlier the battle and the army had no real context at all. The ‘virtual reality’ with Asher and Mia’s locket was cool, aside from the bad smut, but it’s never used for anything useful which was a missed opportunity. The plot with Asher’s feather was quite clever too. The ‘final boss’ scene with the Koalaraptor was entertaining as well. On the whole whole I’m sure this story could have been half decent with better writing and editing, the published product is not very good in my opinion and I would not seek out a sequel. In fact, I’m not sure the book needs one.

I felt like I was at a vets office…there wasn’t really any plot, or at least wasn’t clear to me. The writing also felt choppy.

Unfortunately this book and I did not get along, and I felt that it was not written to my standards for a fantasy novel.
A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate as the title, as well as the cover, had me going in believing this to be a plot heavy book, but this was much more of a cozy fantasy and not something I particularly enjoy. I did skim through about 60% of this book, through a lot of the slow dialogue, and only REALLY read during the interesting parts.
There was nothing keeping me going and I had no desire to read further during this book. This was definitely a tough read for me as cozy fantasy is not quite fast paced enough.

3.5 I did enjoy this book it gave me the same feeling like when you playing hogwarts legacy and have your animal sanctuary of all your rescued mystical creatures. The love story was sweet but by the end I was just hoping for a bit more. I still highly recommend for any fan of hogwarts legacy and fantastic beasts.

This fantasy book has a very interesting premise but unfortunately fell flat for me. I could never fully connect with the characters and story as it felt a little off and not quite what I went into the story expecting as far as an adult fantasy goes. It felt more young adult, so I'm thinking it just wasn't the right fit for me but I may have enjoyed it more when I was younger.

Unfortunately I have lost interest for this book, about 23% before I DNF. It wasn't bad but just too YA for me. I can see potential for this story. It has interesting ideas but the story line is all over the place. Because it's a story that I would have finished if I was younger, I will give this book a 3 star. This plot is too rushed, story line is everywhere, and it reads young for me.

Her first meeting with Asher was a little wattpad-like. She was afraid that he would kill her when he brought her ALIVE to his place or whatever and fed her and didn’t do anything to harm her and she was still thinking that he wanted to kill her. That could have been written better, he could have actually done something to her to make it seem like he wants to kill her, or her inner-monologue could have been a little different.

There are a lot of characters, I am 18% in the book on my kindle and I can’t keep up with different creatures and their different names, I just read hoping I will understand at some point.

The story overall is interesting, maybe a little dragged. Some things were explained two times or just repeated all over again in the dialogue, when we have already read them. And these were not the important things that were hard to understand.

I am 70% into the book and the whole love story was very badly written, it is like I was reading the first draft of this novel.

It had so much potential, the plot, the story, the magical aspects of this world, the romance, but it all lacked severe editing.

"A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate" is a mixed bag that struggles to find its footing. While the overall premise is intriguing, with its mythical sanctuary, rare creatures, && the inclusion of a phoenix, the execution falls short in several key areas.

Stylistically, the writing feels stilted && overly expository, often "telling" rather than "showing." This approach makes the narrative feel more like a summary than an immersive story, && at times, it reads like a piece of fanfiction rather than a polished, published work. The characterization is a particular weakness, with many characters feeling like placeholders rather than fully realized individuals. Even the protagonists lack memorable traits, emotional depth, && compelling arcs, making it difficult for the reader to connect with them.

The plot is flat && formulaic, with important elements introduced && then inexplicably dropped, giving the impression that the author was trying to cram too many ideas into a single book without taking the time to develop them properly. This results in a disjointed && directionless story that meanders without building towards a meaningful climax.

The pacing also suffers from these issues, as pivotal or emotionally significant moments often fall flat due to the lack of groundwork. The inclusion of a "spice" scene is particularly jarring, as it feels awkward, poorly written, and completely out of sync with the rest of the book. the “spice” felt like it was written by someone who’s never actually had sex, or who’s husband only lets them do missionary writing what they think super hot sex would be.
It would have been better to either omit the explicit scene altogether or rewrite it with more believable emotional and physical tension.

While there is potential in the world the author is trying to build, the book in its current state will struggle to stand out in a genre where readers have plenty of polished alternatives. To reach its full potential, the book would require a thorough revision, with a focus on fleshing out the characters, tightening the plot, and developing a more mature and cohesive approach to storytelling.

I was gifted an ARC from the Author of this book in exchange for an HONEST REVIEW via #NetGalley!

I was really intrigued by the overall premise of the story but reading it was a struggle at points; I felt as if there as little no world building and things were just thrown at the reader with the hope that it stuck. The book was marketed as an adult romantasy, but majority of the time I thought it felt more YA/upper YA but I think with some editing and revision, that could be fixed. Now listen (or read?) I love a good spicy, smutty romance and romantsy book however, the sex scene in this book felt as if it was just added for the sake of being an adult fantasy romance; it felt generic and just... there.

I wanted to enjoy this, but I don't know if I'll be continuing with the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was ok. It didn't pull me in like I hoped it would. I liked the mythical creature mentioned in the book.

**A Sanctuary of Fire and Fate** is a spellbinding blend of fantasy, romance, and high-stakes adventure that captivates from the very first page. Set in a richly imagined sanctuary for mythical creatures, the story introduces us to Mia—a fiercely compassionate caretaker whose bond with her charges is as heartfelt as it is heroic. From injured fauns to mischievous pixies and baby dragons, the world she inhabits is a magical haven that readers will long to visit.

But when unicorns begin turning up brutally wounded, the tension escalates, plunging Mia into a darker, more dangerous reality. The twist comes with the awe-inspiring and terrifying appearance of Asher—a phoenix reborn in flames, bound by an ancient rule that could cost Mia her life. Their unlikely connection defies every instinct and law of his kind, creating a slow-burn romance that is as tender as it is tumultuous.

The chemistry between Mia and Asher sizzles, but it’s their shared determination to protect the sanctuary and its magical creatures that forms the emotional core of the book. The looming threat of the Shadow Guild adds urgency and suspense, making every page turn feel vital.

With lyrical writing, vivid world-building, and a story that pulses with heart and heat, *A Sanctuary of Fire and Fate* is a must-read for fans of mythical creatures, destined love, and stories where bravery comes in many forms. It’s a tale of sacrifice, magic, and the unbreakable ties that bind us—whether forged in flame or found in the quiet moments of hope.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sinclair for an earc in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out June 24.

I didn't like this book. There was 1 or 2 scenes I like but that's it. The world was confusing. The main character I couldn't really understand her feelings and the romance I was eh. the ending, I was shocked but that's it. I won't continue on this series.

This story felt very clunky and awkward, but it may have worked as a manga/comic instead of an actual novel.

For it to work in its current form, I would say the dialogue and characters and plot need to be worked on. I thought this was going to be a dark romantasy, but it ended up feeling way more simplified/childish instead of intriguing and enthralling.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Lost Lust for a copy.

So this one isn’t for me. I ended up about 45% through the book before I had to DNF it. What the synopsis is of the book is definitely not what I feel like you get. It’s an interesting concept - a human works and cares for a mythical creature conservatory and meets a phoenix that decides not to kill her. But it felt like there were so many plot points missing or rushed to the point that there was no build up or character development. The romance felt forced and I didn’t care at all about them. In fact I actually feel like I didn’t really care at all about any of the characters or the story. It felt a bit fever-dreamish but not in a way that made me want to keep reading. Maybe it could be your jam if you like super fast-paced fantasy with almost instant love, but just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sinclair for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is clumsy, both in its writing as well as its story. There is no world, here, just magical creatures randomly thrown together with no thought for how to make it work. It’s messy, but there can be a charm to messy … only, there isn’t, here. It’s flat, lifeless, and generic. The writing is simplistic, easy to read with every emotion and thought laid out in a straightforward manner. For much of the book I thought this was a YA book on the lower end, maybe upper middle grade if it weren’t for the poorly written sex scene.

I’m sorry, but it just wasn’t good. It almost felt like a collection of lines from other sex scenes thrown together with no real direction, like a sex scene for a sex scene’s sake rather than something natural and organic to the story or the characters. Not that there are really characters here, just girl and boy reciting their requisite lines with the same lifelessness with which they did everything else.

This book might have worked for me as a YA fantasy with a romance thrown in, but as a romantasy it’s a dud. I honestly can’t recommend this.

Thak you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.