I wanted to like "A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate," but unfortunately, it didn't deliver on its promise.

My main issue was the pacing—everything felt too convenient, with relationships and plot points developing without the necessary foundation. The emotional whiplash was real! One minute our heroine is all in for the relationship, and literally pages later, she's completely convinced they can't be together. That kind of 180° turn needs proper setup.

The writing style leaned heavily on telling rather than showing. Instead of experiencing the emotions alongside the characters, I was repeatedly told how devastating or thrilling moments were supposed to be. I needed to feel it, not just be informed of it.

As for the spicy scenes (which don't appear until well past halfway through), the three we got felt awkwardly written and sometimes disconnected from the emotional journey of the characters.

The world had interesting elements, but they weren't explored deeply enough to make me care about what happened to it or its inhabitants. By the end, I wasn't invested enough to continue with the series.

There's potential here, but the execution needed more depth and careful development to really land.

I'm going to have to DNF this one. I had trouble reading this since page one. I think it could benefit from a couple more rounds of editing. The ages of the characters and their professions did not seem to match the decisions being made. I'm confused how an experienced co-owner of an accredited/licensed sanctuary for animals and people knows such spotty information about her own employees and charges/patients.

Maybe it will explain it all later in the book, but I have decided this book is not for me and stop at 14%.

Thank you NetGalley and Lost Lust for this opportunity and ARC!

i honestly liked this book until the end. It gave such narnia and harry potter vibes with the talking animals and setting. i wish it was longer and the romance was more drawn out but this book was interesting. i loved the premise and the vibes! the writing is super easy and entertaining. i just wish it was longer and more detailed

Very interesting
I like the romantic relationship between the characters.
I like the ending of the book .

Needs quite a bit more work. The story was interesting and very cozy but the writing did it no favors. It was riddled with unnecessary detail and a tone that leaned far more into YA, think Keeper of the Lost Cities. It made confusing read considering there is open door spice. It wasn't the high stakes adventure it was marketed to be.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the chance to review this arc.

Whilst this reads younger than I expected however it was still an accomplished book. The characters are cute, heart warming and loving. The story is full if all your childhood abd adult legendary animals and its a fresh fascinating take on YA fantasy genre.

This book has so much potential. The overall premise is very good and the story has a lot of really unique and interesting ideas. I loved all the magical creatures and the whole idea of the sanctuary. The writing felt a bit juvenile at the beginning, leading me to believe it was YA, but based on open door content, it definitely is not. While the prose improved towards the end, I felt like there was a lot of information missing and I was confused on several things. The author seemed to spend a lot of time describing mundane things in detail, while rushing or skipping over things that were important to the plot. I feel like, with another couple rounds of editing, this could be an incredible read.

This would be a easy cozy read, originally I thought it would be YA because the language felt quite immature and shallow but then the sex scenes were a complete juxtaposition to that, I feel like the ending of the book was much better written almost as if someone else wrote it or it was written at an older age of the writer

POV: FMC - Mia, a human owner of a sanctuary for mythical creatures.
Tropes: Romance, High-stakes Adventure, Mythical Creatures, Fated Mates, Shifter, Cosy Fantasy

This had all the ingredients for a truly magical read.
Burning romance? Check.
Mythical creatures? Check.
Cosy fantasy vibes? Triple check!
The idea of a warm haven for mythical beings absolutely charmed me at first, especially with all the whimsical, magical touches drawing me in.
However, as the story unfolded, that initial magic started to fade. Some parts of the storyline felt overly drawn out and unnecessary, while oddly lacking crucial elements like emotion, worldbuilding, and meaningful information. This made it even harder to connect with the characters - especially the FMC - who felt somewhat underdeveloped. Because of this, the whirlwind romance didn’t quite hit the emotional notes it needed to.
The ending, I’ll admit, was a surprise. It did manage to stir an emotional connection, which was refreshing—but by then, it felt a little too late.
Overall, while the book has charm and a beautiful concept, it didn’t fully live up to its potential for me. If you're looking for cosy, magical vibes, this might still hold some appeal, but if you’re after strong characters and immersive storytelling, it could leave you wanting more.

Thank you for giving me to opportunity to review this ARC

#lolusinclairlostlust #NetGalley

This book didn’t hold up to my expectations and I was felt quite confused most of the time. The pacing was off, there were lots of plot holes, and the characters fell flat. The dialogue felt quite cheesy, and the romance between Mia and Asher developed weirdly.

The premise of the book is cute though! Just executed poorly and reads like a first draft rather than a novel set to be published.

A fantastic high-stakes fantasy with a dash of romance. Mia sets up a sanctuary for magical creatures and encounters a phoenix’s rebirth and becomes a target for the phoenix! The magic and characters within this story as well as the world-building was delightful, and the surprise (you’ll know when you read it!) was tragic and heartbreaking. A truly wondrous read.

Cozy fantasy with high stakes is how I would describe this book. I had a great time with this book and the last 15 or so pages had me sobbing. The ending was both unexpected and devastating. If you like mythical creatures, fierce advocates of creatures being hunted/poached, friendships that are closer to siblings and a love that could span lifetimes, give this book a read.

This gives vibes of cosy fantasy rather than a romantasy, which is what I was expecting. It tells the story of Mia and her friend who have set up a magical creatures sanctuary. Mia sees a phoenix’s fiery rebirth, which means that the phoenix wants her dead (but only very briefly).

I liked the ideas and reading about the different magical creatures, but there was something about the writing that held me an arms length and I never felt connected to the characters. It definitely reads YA, at times almost middle grade but then the content occasionally reads older, it felt a bit confused. I found it difficult that we learnt more about what's going on through speech rather than description or thought processes. Hopefully other people enjoy this series, personally, I'm not sure I'd carry on, but maybe more suited to a teen audience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc

From the first page, A Sanctuary for Fire and Fate ignites a spark that never dims. This is not just a fantasy novel—it’s an emotional inferno wrapped in lyrical prose, high-stakes magic, and characters that feel like they stepped out of myth and into your heart.

If you’re a fan of slow-burn romance and fantasy that respects your intelligence while still breaking your heart—this is your next obsession. A Sanctuary for Fire and Fate isn’t just a title. It’s a promise. And it keeps it

2.5 ⭐️ I was very disappointed, I really wanted to like this story but i couldnt get into it. The first 50% felt very info dumpy making it difficult to really immerse myself into the world and the romance was incredible unbelievable. It had such an interesting premise and there were moments I was starting to really enjoy but something always came up which took me out of that moment.

The concept behind this book really caught my attention—it felt original and had all the right elements to pull me in. I loved the setting of the sanctuary and the magical touches scattered throughout; it gave off a warm, almost whimsical vibe in the beginning. But then, in the final stretch, things took a sharp turn into darker territory. It was unexpected and a bit jarring, but strangely, I ended up enjoying that shift more than I thought I would.

Where it fell short for me was in the execution of the characters. The main cast, especially Mia, didn’t feel as fleshed out as I’d hoped. I was craving more depth, more internal struggle, more... something. The dialogue also felt a bit surface-level at times, which made it harder to connect emotionally.

The romance, too, felt a bit too fast-tracked. There wasn’t enough buildup or space for it to grow naturally—it just kind of happened, without the emotional investment to back it up.

I really wanted this book to blow me away, and while the plot had promise, the lack of character development made it hard for me to fully fall in love with the story.

2.5 stars

I really wanted to enjoy this book but I couldn't. The premise of it made me excited for it but it didn't pay off in the end. Overall, there were lots of pieces I liked, but they never complemented each other and felt like they were hanging by themselves at the end. The writing was immature in the beginning and started to get better as if it was written over the years, and the first chapters never got attention for editing. I tried to connect with the main and side characters but never got to feel it. The ending was also very disappointing for me because the action started to happen beautifully and then crashed to a point that felt anticlimactic. Unfortunately, I won't be continuing the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The reason I have rated this so highly is because I adore the world and the magical creatures that Lolu Sinclair has created here. I would read an entire book about the sanctuary.

The author made some really brave plot choices, especially with the ending that made this book stand out for me as something different and a series worth following. The only thing I didn’t like was the spice, I found it really out of place in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lolu Sinclair and Lost Lust publishing for the opportunity to review this ARC.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

i gotta breathe for a moment because this book actually had me sobbing in my bed at the ending. it starts off calm, a cute cozy fantasy romance with a santuary for magical creatures and a phoenix who has fallen for one of the owners.

and that's how it felt like for most of the book, with Asher and Mia's bond growing with every time they meet. sure he tried to kill her when they first met before he regained control, but i love how cute they actually are?? from their casual banter (actually flirting) to Asher bringing her places like a a goblin market place, an underwater kingdom and ceremony for faeries to the locket to talk to each other when they're apart..... good god i rooted for them right from the start okay. they are so cute and the way they protect each other.......

i didn't expect that big reveal that Asher has loved Mia in every lifetime since they met. my heart shattered....... a new reincarnation has made an appearance and Asher has Calonion's magic tree fig, ever curious to see what he does with it.

" then let me remind you of the living. the marches, the laughter, the quiet moments. every life you've lived has been beautiful, and i've been blessed to share it with you. "

" i'll find you again. i always do. "

not to discount her bestie Elenya. i love their dynamic with Elenya enabling her with regards to Asher and the way they're each other's support system through everything. her speech during Mia's funeral had me crying so hard.

" goodbye and godspeed, my friend. "

this book deals MAJOR EMOTIONAL DAMAGE guys. read it.

oh right, the plot. the storyline of saving the unicorns from the Shadow Guild was alright but i can tell that's not the focus of the story. i love that they succeeded in their venture and i love unicorns. that's all i will comment.

everyone plspls read this so i can yap about it!!

The overall vibe of this book is good - it’s a short little story about magical creatures and a sanctuary built to protect them from harm and from each other.

However, there is a romance and some spicy scenes too. To be honest, the romance was too fast for me, and it seemed like the characters fell in love so quickly that it didn’t really make sense. Also, the sex scenes felt a tad awkward at times.

The dialogue between characters was unusual at certain points (like in the beginning).

I enjoyed reading the book and finished it fairly quickly, but I wouldn’t rate it more than 2.5 stars. I think if the book was longer and the relationships were more fleshed out, then it would be better as we could really feel like we were invested in the relationships in the book :)