I loved the religious trauma aspect of this book and I loved our main characters! What I did not care as much for was the magic system or honestly even the romance between the characters.

we start out with two loners who desperately want to be a part of something bigger, but the only big thing they know isn't at all fulfilling them the way they want. maeve is an iconographer for the abbey who's sent to a lonely village to make a new icon of an exiled saint, jude. jude is surly, doesn't trust anyone, doesn't seem to like anyone, and has a secret room full of books where he locks himself away to let his magic out. honestly it took me quite some time to get into it because all the words are christian, but once i realized that it was just a strange choice by the author to not invent new words and christianity wasn't involved at all, i got into it! maeve and jude dance around each other's secrets until everything comes spilling out and the only option is to burn the world they know down and remake something new. they also spend an inordinate amount of time extremely muddy and i just have to say that i would personally hate that very much. we have another angry saint felix, also carrying secrets, we have addlebrained elden who gives off slightly sinister vibes, there's poor terrified brigid who clearly knows something is up but acts out of self-preservation and encourages maeve to do the same, and finally ezra, who though kind (ish?) to maeve, is immediately suspicious af and makes your skin crawl before you can really articulate why specifically. also–gold dust. gold dust on everything.

i'll admit i was left with several of questions: why does having someone's hair make a painting of them magical? how did the three amigos come to join together to decide and bring down the abbey when they were just kids? frankly, why didn't they just kill all three of them after that stunt? how are they enchanting the goddenwood to look idyllic when the people who see it are nowhere near them? and does anyone actually live there? why wouldn't the abbey just erase the saints' memories once they figured out the con? was this happening around the world or was this in a specific little pocket in some rural area? but to be fair, i don't think i would have thought about any of these things that hard if i wasn't planning on reviewing this for an arc, so take all my queries with a grain of how much do you really read into things.

overall, it was a great book about how bad actors use religion as a tool of fear to gain power, and how it just takes people standing up to them to bring it all crashing down. a good read when you're feeling vengeful about *gestures vaguely toward everything*

a few notes i made while reading:
- hell yeah jude 420 blaze it
- damnnnnn— “sometimes, when maeve felt weak and alone, she wondered if she knew herself at all or if she was simply a combination of everything people had told her she ought to be.”
- unclear how the magic happens/manifests and if the acolytes are expected to have it…
- ew don’t say pebbled nipples

This one hits so close to home and I applaud Kalie for it!

In an extremely religious community, you are not always given full truths. Our FMC, Maeve, lives in blissful ignorance as she uses the comfort of the Abbey to her benefit. Being iup for a promotion and seemly having her whole life surrounded by this community, why would anyone leave? Answers to the question come to her in the form of a solitary saint, Jude, who wants nothing to do with Maeve or her problematic religion.

The fog slowly starts lifting when both parties see each other as mutually beneficial, and can accomplish their goals better together than apart. Unfortunately for these reluctant allies, what they uncover might pull them further apart.

Thank you Kalie Reid and Little Brown for this amazing story of trusting yourself and knowing that you are the product of your environment. Who you are surrounded by becomes your identity.

This one's hard for me to review. The yearning is off the charts and I appreciated the exploration of religious trauma. Both of those aspects hit, but my overall experience was hindered by the magic system. I can usually roll with magic systems that are loosely defined, but my issue with this one is there are rules but they don't make sense to me. The magic felt both like it was too defined and like it not explained enough.

Like with the magic, other aspects of the book distracted me from fully enjoying while I read. The magic requires there to be an inner group pulling the strings that knows the whole religion is bullshit. I think what gives religion so much potential for danger in the real world is that the people with that type of power truly believe in what they preach. There is a moment at the end that addresses this briefly, but at that point I had already spent the entire book with my thoughts occupied by this critique.

I also felt like the pacing was all over the place and the ultimate conclusion wrapped up way too quickly when compared to the meandering pace of the meat of the book. Also they fuck in their dirty bathwater after washing off days of filth and ash!!! What!!!!!

Overall I did enjoy plenty of this story, but a lot of it was overshadowed by what I did not enjoy. 2.5.

Reid's debut is an atmospheric, well-crafted romantasy that plays well within the genre but also features some unique/standout elements that readers are sure to enjoy. Both POVs were strong. While I found the overall plot a touch predictable, and wish the worldbuilding had been fleshed out a bit further (particularly in the end where the spice feels a bit tacked-on), the gorgeous visuals (gold dust magic, dreary moors) made for an enjoyable read. This is perfect for those who prefer a yearning MMC. Eager to see what Reid writes next!

I really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting to the characters. It was easy for me to put the book down.

“The Sacred Space Between” by Kalie Reid was sent my way with the promise of a slow burn romance with magic and religious trauma and boy did it deliver. The Sacred Space Between follows Maeve, a devout iconographer, who is sent to paint a new icon of an exiled saint, Jude. While she is at his dark and gloomy cottage, she must also spy and tell the Abbey, what he is doing. The book has all the drama of a fresco as it sends you into an anxious spiral over a religion that is stealing magic from its saints. Reid’s eloquent way with words is on full display in her exploration of pain and fear in a world that should inspire faith. This book has all the tropes- slow burn enemies to lovers, all the yearning, and soft FMC with an even softer MMC. Definitely check this book out for your dark cottage core read when it releases late October!

Thank you Kalie Reid, Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for this ARC.

Kalie Reid's writing is full of gorgeous imagery that makes the whole story flow so well.

Jude turned out to be my favorite character. "He didn't realize how much he missed birdsong until winter stretched its fingers and silenced the world around him."

I liked the enemies to lovers storyline. It kind of reminded me of Wizard's First Rule or Wheel of Time, with less of the endless-series scope but more heart.

Wow. I read this in two days because I NEEDED my questions answered. With this as the author’s debut, I know whatever she writes next will be good.

The romance was an entertaining and genuine slow-burn, which I liked. The plot was equally, if not more intriguing than the relationships. There were so many layers. This book isn’t just a romantasy, it’s a book that explores faith, religion, oppression, and trust.

This writing is almost poetic. The author uses metaphors I’ve never heard, yet they beautifully make sense. However, as pretty as the words sounded, certain descriptions and messages were difficult to understand because of the flowery language. There were times when descriptions also felt too vague, despite the number of words. While reading such parts, it felt like blacking out and waking up without knowing what happened before, but I realized that may have been intentional given the magic system.

The magic was interesting and unlike other systems I’ve read. It involved religious devotion to saints, painted “icons,” memory magic, and more. Though, I didn’t fully grasp the purpose of the magic for its users and the Abbey. I wished the author had fleshed it out more, as it had promise. Similarly, the world-building lacked in this. Throughout the book, I questioned the reach of the Abbey’s power and influence, and if anything lay beyond it. We don’t ever find out. There’s also nothing about the political structure of this world, if such a thing exists, and little about life outside the Abbey.

Also, the HUG. I don’t often read romantasy novels, as I feel the romance is generally forced and more “insta-lust,” but this wasn’t that. The characters disliked each other. Then, they got to know each other. Then, they loved each other.

It did get somewhat dark towards the end, particularly because of abuse (TW).

In a country where religion is essential and the Abbey rules with total control, a devout iconographer and an exiled saint question what it means to be holy. The Sacred Space Between was an enjoyable read about how religion can suppress the power within yourself.

I felt very immersed in the world with how atmospheric the setting was. The premise felt very original with aspects of the saints and iconography being inspired by real religions. The magic system and the links between an icon and their saint were interesting as well and felt as if it was developed well. There were a few aspects of the worldbuilding that I felt weren’t fleshed out fully, and I was curious about the impact of the Abbey on the greater country/world. The story felt very contained to a small region, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but did lower the scope of the novel. I found that the pacing wasn’t the most consistent, as the story slowed down a lot in the middle. However, once I reached about 60%, I couldn’t put the book down!

The dual POV of Maeve and Jude really added to the story, especially since the unreliability of memories plays such an important role. I also enjoyed the tension and longing between Maeve and Jude; their relationship developed naturally and the spice at the end was great!

All in all, The Sacred Space Between was an atmospheric read that I enjoyed a lot, despite the pacing issues.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved the vibes in this book. The feel was Gothic and mysterious. The story was steeped in religion, magic, and an unraveling of memories.

I thought that the dynamic between the main characters, an exiled Saint and an artist who specialized in painting icons of saints, to be different and intriguing. The relationship built between them was beautifully crafted.

The world in this book was fascinating, it was so dark and broody, with beautiful moments of levity and joy as well. I really enjoyed the pacing of the story, it flowed well and created a wonderful crescendo.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Maeve, a religious painter (iconographer) has lived in the Abbey for most her life, painting portraits (icons) of Saints. But when something strange happens while painting, she is quickly sent away to the countryside with a spy mission and painting job for a banished saint, Jude.

Enemies to lovers, magic, religious trauma, finding love and overcoming the past made for a brilliant read.

I can’t believe this is a debut! It was absolutely stunning! This has been compared to A Study in Drowning and I definitely can see why. It has a reminiscent writing style and atmosphere while still being unique and original. The writing is beautifully lush and atmospheric. I loved the gothic-esque setting and its descriptions. From the moors to the decrepit house to the Abbey, I could feel myself in the world Reid has created. At its core, this is a story exploring religious trauma and what happens when two broken people find each other in the darkest of times. Oh boy was it done so well. I really enjoyed Maeve’s perspective the most. She was at war with herself for most of the book and struggled to unlearn the beliefs she had been taught her entire life. Watching Maeve grow from that was bittersweet. I really loved the romantic relationship in this story. Both the FMC and MMC struggle with learning to trust someone again despite the trauma they have experienced. Yet, they are so incredibly smitten with one another. (Even if they are too stubborn to admit it!) The couple worked so well together and had amazing banter. They had a beautiful friendship that grew into a beautiful relationship. The magic system was wonderfully unique. I’ve never personally read a memory based magic system and it worked so well with the story. To potential readers: be sure to look up content/trigger warnings. I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in this book. I found myself constantly getting excited to pick it up again. I am eager to read more from this author!

This book is a slow paced fantasy romance. about a land controlled by a religious Abbey. Saints are highly revered and icons are painted of them for the devout to pray to. When Maeve, a talented iconographer, has an unexpected magical encounter with a saint she is sent away from the Abbey to paint a new icon of an exiled saint named Jude. Jude is prickly, distrusting, isolated and haunted by the unknown, but as the two start to spend more time together they form a bond that threatens everything about the world they know.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3.75⭐️.

I really enjoyed this slow and atmospheric tale of corruption and abuse by a mysterious religion mixed with a relationship built on trust and mutual experiences rather than instalove and lust. The only reason this book isn’t being rated higher is because it felt like so much time was focused on the Abbey and its machinations that the relationship between Jude and Maeve just wasn’t developed as much as it could have been. Also there is an entire subplot about a missing child of one of the evil Abbey members. This was resolved in such a spectacularly predictable way that I was disappointed. If you only have 3-4 characters that are being introduced a missing child isn’t too hand to figure out.

I look forward to posting about this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) closer to its November publication date.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

3.5 stars!

This novel was very compelling! For a debut novel, I think Kalie Reid did a great job balancing interesting plot, a great atmosphere, and a good romance subplot.

This was unlike any fantasy book I have ever read. The plot revolves around saints and religion and holds major themes of hope, self discovery, and perseverance. I found the magic system and the world building to be a tad confusing at times, but I always found myself wanting to continue reading and constantly itching to see where the story was going to go next. There is a lot of deep rooted corruption that the plot revolves around, so seeing the characters come to understand the gravity of their situation and face it head on made for a very engaging story which I really enjoyed! The world is also very atmospheric, which I loved, and I felt like I could picture everything perfectly in my head.

I also really enjoyed the characters we were following. They were both very layered, and they felt quite real. We get both Jude and Maeve's point of view, so I felt a connection to each of them, and I was constantly feeling for them and rooting for them. I also felt like they both grew a lot throughout the story, and I enjoyed seeing them develop and change as they learned more about their situations. I thought the romance was done well, but I do wish it was a little bit more flushed out.

I found Reid's writing easy to read, but there were some points where I felt it could have been developed a little more. Some of the sentences were choppy at times, I felt like there were some details that could have been focused on a little bit more towards the end of the novel. My only other small critique is that I think the pacing could have been improved a little bit. There were some scenes where I felt like we lingered too long, and there were others that I felt were a little rushed.

Overall, I think this was a great debut novel. The overarching messages of healing and overcoming challenges left an impression on me, and I admire the work Reid put into this story. The aspects of religion were presented very well and made me think deeply, and I think this book can be very impactful and help a lot of people. If you are a fan of atmospheric fantasy novels with good depth and unique magic, then I would really recommend picking this up when it publishes in November!

Not my usual genre, but I actually enjoyed it. A gothic enemies-to-lovers slow burn with enough incense and stained glass vibes to make you wonder if you’re catching feelings or joining a cult.

casting this book back out into the void

t dug its own grave with its insanely slow pacing issues. also, I am a world building girlie to my core. if you cannot satisfy that bare minimum standard then I simply cannot go on. unfortunately, while the magic system was a fascinating premise and really quite unique, that and the world were far from fleshed out, almost transparent. I enjoyed the exploration of religious oppression and the originality the author is bringing to the romantasy genre, but this one wasn't for me.

thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the arc in exchange for an honest review

♡ platform: netgalley ebook arc

solid new fantasy!! for a fantasy in 2025 this was pretty unique and kept my interest throughout the entire book!! i stayed up all night reading and already want more from reid, is this a debut??? if not, i’m interested in what else we have in store

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!!

WOW! I am blown away. Everything about this is spectacular- the gothic atmosphere, the yearning, the religious elements- I was captivated! I saw this being marketed for fans of The Knight and the Moth and I 100% agree! The plot is interesting, the characters are relatable and complex, and their slow burn relationship was done very well. I read this in one sitting and am already planning on a reread! I can't wait to see what Kalie Reid does next!

This book is marketed for fans of "Divine Rivals" and "A Study in Drowning", and I couldn't agree more!

There's so much to like about this book. It has a moody setting, dual POV, complex magic system, and an intricate plot. Plus, this book is the author's debut novel! I think reading books from debut authors can be such a rewarding experience. You never know when you'll find a new favorite author!

"The Sacred Space Between" follows Maeve, a talented portrait artist who has devoted her life to her church. Her painting skills are invaluable; she spends her days reading descriptions of saints and painting their icons. One day, Maeve meets a saint in person for a sitting. However, something magical happens, and things unfold from there...

Our other protagonist, Jude, was exiled from the church several years before. He lives a lonely life in a crumbling, half-forgotten house on the moors. But Jude has a bigger problem: he's slowly losing his mind. The same magic that makes him a saint is something the church has been siphoning away... and the cost of the magic is Jude's memories.

Which brings me to my biggest critique of this book. I can tell the author spent a lot of time brainstorming the church and the magic system, but I personally found it difficult to follow. I wish the link between a saint having their icon painted and the church's ability to draw power through it was better explained.

I also struggled with the pacing of this book. The story moves at a slower pace, which made it difficult for me to feel engaged in the plot. And I know what you're going to say: "But Camille, this is an atmospheric read. It's meant to build over time." To that, I would say that I LOVE atmospheric books that slowly build. "One Dark Window" and "An Enchantment of Ravens" are two of my favorite books of all time! I think you can have gothic books with dreamy prose and still have a fast-paced plot.

But I could have overlooked the pacing if it wasn't for this book's spice. It pains me to say this, but the explicit scenes ruined the ending for me. This book is a standalone, and I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the main conflict wraps up by the 90% mark. I was confused how the author planned to extend the story... until Maeve and Jude ended up with a bedroom (and bathtub) to themselves. And again, I want to preface this by saying that I have nothing against spicy scenes. I'm famous in my friend group for reading that chapter from ACOSF in public with a straight face. But in this book's case, I don't feel like the spice was needed. Maeve and Jude had already demonstrated their love, trust, and vulnerabilities to each other—we didn't need a literal showing of it.

Moving back to what I did like, I think the author does a phenomenal job describing the setting! The misty moors, briny sea breezes, and circling crows were fun to read about. It's easy to feel immersed in this story! I think "The Sacred Space Between" would make a great fall read.

I also like that this book blends historical fiction, fantasy, and romance. It's one of my favorite trifectas! I'd love to see more books that have genre-bending elements that are done right. None of the genres in "The Sacred Space Between" outshine the others, which I feel can be difficult to do. Kudos to the author for pulling that off!

Overall, "The Sacred Space Between" is a 3-star read for me. I think this book will appeal to readers who like atmospheric settings, a slower-paced plot, two POVs, and a well-balanced blend of genres. If any of those sound like your kind of read, make sure to get your copy when this book comes out on November 4th!

I received an eARC of this book courtesy of the Little, Brown and Company publicity team; all opinions are my own.