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(Thank you to NetGalley and Sinclair for the ARC!)

I’m going to be honest — this one just wasn’t for me, and I ended up DNF’ing it.

From the blurb, I was expecting shadow guild battles, high stakes, and a slow-burn romance while the world burned around them. What I got (at least in the part I read) was more of a cosy fantasy vibe — which isn’t bad, just not what I was hoping for.

We meet Mia, a human who runs a magical sanctuary, and she happens to witness a phoenix rebirth — which apparently usually ends in death. But for whatever reason, this one (Asher) decides not to kill her. Convenient.

The early chapters are mostly Mia tolerating Asher while Asher is clearly into her. And then suddenly — boom, kiss. Mia’s fully on board, which I think is because they’re fated mates? I didn’t get far enough to find out for sure.

There is some spice sprinkled in, but overall, the story felt a bit too YA-ish or young for me. The tone just didn’t hit the way I wanted it to. That said — if you’re in the mood for a softer, low-stakes, cosy fantasy with a magical sanctuary, a mysterious phoenix boy, and a fated mates vibe, then this might be exactly your kind of read.

Just not mine this time!

In a cozy, high fantasy world (which is built from ley lines from our own), the Sanctuary is a haven/clinic for mythical creatures. While running it, Mia meets a phoenix who intrigues her and they have to save an endangered herd of Unicorns.

The descriptive passages in the book are lovely. Sinclair is great at painting pictures with words and the beauty of the world and the creatures is evident. Unfortunately, this is the only element of the book that I enjoyed. The plot was lacklustre, and the world-building lacking enough depth to fully understand it. I was often confused because there were modern elements (like jeeps and bullets), but characters would rely on birds or magic spells to contact each other. The world was lacking strong parameters which made it challenging to suspend disbelief.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but apart from the last two chapters, I felt like it was trying too hard and constantly falling short. The dialogue was often stilted and cheesy, trying to use tropes, but ending up as mostly derivative. The characters were lacking a strong sense of voice, and it often felt like the author was aiming for wit but just missing the mark. The romantic couple lacked any sense of conflict or resistance, and rather felt like a great dude and a girl who just complained about the fact that he was into her. I struggled to see the draw he had to her until the very end of the book when we finally get some plot twists and surprises, but by that point it felt too late to hook me into the relationship or the plot.

The characters were all irritatingly nice, wholesome and earnest, lacking depth and feeling simplistic. I could understand how a cozy reader might enjoy it, but I struggled to enjoy them without much backstory or context. It often read as if the characters were meant to have an edge to them, but just fell short. Apart from the sex scenes and a couple of f-bombs, it felt like the plot would've been better suited to a children's fantasy novel (not knocking children's fantasy at all) since it was lacking the depth and nuance I've come to expect in adult fantasy.

As a disclaimer, I'm not typically a fan of cozy fantasy, but even then, this book didn't stay within that genre.The first three quarters seem to be intended as a cozy romance, but there was absolutely no tension in the plot and any that was attempted felt disingenuous and contrived. In the last quarter of the book, it turned into a war-type fantasy seemingly out of nowhere, raising the stakes an incredible amount. The last two chapters (which I genuinely enjoyed) intrigued me and made me curious about the future of the characters, however I don''t know if I have the patience to read a sequel.

1.5 ⭐️

I’ve decide to DNF this book. The plot is interesting enough but the writing style is just not for me. I’m so bummed, I really wanted to dive into this book, but after about 20% I could tell I wasn’t going to be as invested as I would like. I ended up pushing myself to 50% of the way through before ultimately putting it away.

I was expecting an enemies to lovers type romance between Mia and Asher with a mystery and adventure filled plot. There’s hardly any tension, the FMC is completely oblivious and self absorbed. We gloss over the world building so I was confused about where we were half the time (are we in a fantasy world or a different realm adjacent to the real world?). The writing seemed very un-cohesive and disjointed. As soon as I read “mansplaining”, I knew it was time to stop.

I want to give it more stars because the idea is there! The plot sounds so interesting and if we could dive more into the world and the characters there really would be something here.

2.5 stars

Writing style was just not it for me, but the premise is really strong! Needs to be fleshed out a bit more

I absolutely loved the look of this book, the cover is gorgeous and the description sounded so interesting and fun! But after reading it I realised it just wasn’t quite my cup of tea.

Credit where credit is due, this world is definitely unique and magical in a way I’ve never read before, but overall the writing style felt a little bit on the YA side. I think the beginning chapters in particular really stunted my enjoyment as they were lacking enough description of characters and place. I didn’t feel instantly in or connected to the world.

I’d say it was enjoyable overall, and an interesting idea, but it needed more character development and a deeper more intriguing plot to keep me hooked from start to finish.

Love withstands the test of time in this novel. That is what it will leave you feeling after finishing it. I was left wanting more for the two main characters.

A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate is about the FMC, Mia, who runs a mythical creature sanctuary. She and her best friend created a place where all kinds of mythical creatures can find a safe haven and medical treatment in a world where they might be in danger from their own kind or other threats. Mia soon stumbles across something she shouldn’t have seen deep in the woods, which in turn puts her life—and the lives of those at the sanctuary—in danger.

Lolu Sinclair describes the world she’s creating with such detail that it feels like watching a movie. She brings every character to life, even the minor ones, making them feel like they’re standing right in front of you. And when she starts to describe the environment around the sanctuary, it makes you want to go visit it yourself.

This novel focuses more on the plot than the love scenes. I believe there were about three scenes in the whole book. So if you’re looking for something very spicy, this one is mild. But if you’re looking for great worldbuilding and a strong plot, this book is for you.

I would definitely recommend this book to people just getting into the romantic fantasy genre. It introduces readers to many mythical creatures that also appear in other fantasy books. It’s a fast read that will make you laugh and cry throughout the whole novel. I can’t wait for the next one!

The cover of this book is stunning but unfortunately, the rest of the book fell flat for me.

Overall, I found the premise of the book intriguing and unique — I enjoyed the variety of characters at the sanctuary and the touches of magic. It started off as a cosy YA read but the final 1/4 of the book took a totally different turn (which was jarring and unexpected but I somehow enjoyed it more). The main characters and overall dialogue felt flat and one-dimensional and I would have appreciated if more time was taken to develop Mia's character and inner monologue.

The romance also felt rushed in my opinion with not enough time and interactions given to allow readers to see the relationship develop organically over time.

I was so excited to read this book and really wanted to love it, but sadly it fell short in terms of character development for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lost Lust for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My feelings were very up and down with this book. I think the author seems like a very creative person. The world she created is magical and intriguing. Unfortunately, I found the characters either immature or kind of two-dimensional. This caused me to lose interest in the story and the romance sometimes.

I did feel like the story got more interesting and the stakes were raised towards the end. I really thought it was turning the book around enough that I would want to continue the series, but then the last couple chapters ended up being disappointing for me. I wasn't a fan of how it ended and I'm not sure how I feel about where this series is going.

The best way I can describe this book is when you wake up and you had a really vivid dream, you remember everything for the first few minutes and then slowly everything fades away…
This book is like 15 minutes after the dream.
The plot jumps, things happen off page, references that don’t get explained but confuse you. I kept researching to make sure this was the first in the series or that it wasn’t apart of a bigger universe.
Also this is an urban fantasy and that was even more confusing!!!! You’ll see what I mean.
Mostly the ending was just blah and also kinda creepy, so yeah 3 stars.
The premise is so interesting but the plot didn’t hold up.

A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate introduces readers to a lush and intriguing world with a strong mythological backbone. Lolu Sinclair clearly has a vivid imagination, and the elemental magic system paired with the political tensions of Faelindraal make for a compelling foundation.

The protagonist has a spark (pun intended) that makes her journey worth following, and there are moments of beautiful prose scattered throughout. The lore is rich, and the stakes feel high, which helps pull the reader in.

That said, the pacing can feel uneven at times, especially in the middle chapters, where world-building sometimes overshadows character development. Some of the secondary characters blur together, and a few plot twists feel a bit rushed or underexplored.

It’s a solid debut with potential, especially for readers who love elemental fantasy with a touch of romance and rebellion. While it didn’t quite set my world on fire, I’m curious to see where the series goes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lost Lust for the ARC!

Ahh this was so magical and lovely!! Such a cozy story about a girl who runs a sanctuary for mythical creatures. The romance was stunning, the adventures were so much fun, and the themes of protecting endangered species and fighting for what's right were beautiful

I’m not sure how to feel about this one.

I thought I was getting a feel-good story about a magical sanctuary owner who falls in love with a phoenix and they live happily ever after. And that is where the story is going for the first 2/3s of the book — until it’s all of a sudden an action packed survival story that barely ends on a high note (although I do recognise that this is the first in a series and the ending might be setting up for book 2).

I really enjoyed the intention behind the majority of the book - exploring magical realms with an immortal hunk and meeting a lot of interesting creatures was pretty fun; but I found myself feeling as if the emotion was removed from the story. I never really felt how Mia was feeling except for when she was angry with Asher. All the more positive emotions didn’t really appear on the page and I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that the beginning key moments in their friendship was sort of glossed over in a montage type thing. The first real friendly interaction they have is about a month into knowing each other and all the foundation work was done.

All in all this one felt like a bit of a rollercoaster and I’m not sure that the ride I signed up for was the one I got.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sinclair for the opportunity to read and review A Sanctuary of Fire & Fate prior to its release.

3.5 ✨

This was a cute and easy fantasy read!

Mia runs a sanctuary for mythological creatures with her friend and unicorns begun showing up wounded at the start of the story. One day Mia stumbles across, Asher, a phoenix who must hide who he is and wants to kill Mia at first. They end up working together to find and rescue the wounded unicorns and the sanctuary.

I loved the premise of the story and all the magical creatures. I found the world building and character development to be a little lacking.

Thank you NetGalley and Lost Lost for this e-ARC!

When I say I want to read an amazing romantasy book. This is what I mean.

This has everything I wanted in a book. Romance, Spice, adventure, villains, and cute creatures.

I need the next book now!!!!

Now I want a baby dragon

Great job Lolu Sinclair and thank you to Netgalley and the pub house for this arc.

This book is about a woman who accidentally sees a Phoenix's rebirth, which is NOT allowed! Yikes! He chances her down and captures her, but thanks to her mystical friends at the Sanctuary she runs she is able to escape! This was such a fun read to see if he would catch her and if he or she could be trusted! Was a little hard getting into, and it felt like the love story was a bit weak, but I definitely did not expect the ending!!! Such a fun read!

I love how it touches on such important topics like fighting for what is right and protecting those who are weak and need help!

This was such a beautiful and immersive book from the very first page to the last. I absolutely loved the writing and how it pulls you straight in to this exquisite world that's been created, the vivid details and descriptions were so clear and easy to understand and I couldn't get enough of this book.

I am so in awe of everything about it and so happy to have found this enchanting story.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this before publication these are my honest thoughts and opinions.

A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate by Lolu Sinclair is a masterpiece of a book. It was so so good reading it. It was a beautiful experience reading it. 5 stars from me.

Cosy fantasy, mythical creatures, slow-burn romance, and a story that lingers in your heart—this book is pure magic ✨

Some books don’t just tell a story—they welcome you home. From the very first page, this book felt like stepping into a world I never wanted to leave.

This breathtakingly beautiful story follows Mia, a human who runs a sanctuary for mythical creatures. From mischievous pixies and orphaned baby dragons to fauns and glowing faerie lanterns, the world is rich with magic and wonder. The Sanctuary is a haven for the injured and endangered, a place of peace, hope, and healing, and a safe space for all. The lush gardens, deep-rooted friendships, and unwavering sense of belonging made my heart ache in the best way.

The romance between Mia and Asher was heart-melting. Their adventures, from rescuing unicorns to exploring the depths of the sea, were filled with so much magic, joy, and laughter. Asher’s willingness to risk everything for Mia was deeply moving, and the deep connection between them was achingly romantic and impossible to resist. Their love was destined to burn forever, and you’ll be rooting for them every step of the way 🐦‍🔥

But this book isn’t just about love—it also tackles important themes like protecting endangered species, confronting prejudice, and fighting for what’s right. The pacing was perfect, the world-building was mesmerizing, and the emotional depth left me absolutely WRECKED by the end. 💔 It’s a story of love and friendship, of laughter and light, and of finding joy even in the darkest moments.

I adored this book. It’s the perfect cosy fantasy, filled with warmth, adventure, and the kind of magic that lingers in your soul. Without a doubt, A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate is my favourite read of the year. Lolu Sinclair has crafted something truly special, and I can’t wait to return to this world!