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Elemental Emergence #1
Sanctuary of the Shadow
A Refinery29 Most Anticipated Book of 2024
"Ascher's latest is a fantasy romance that has everything nice—a hot love interest, a relatable main character, female friendship—and plenty of (consensual) spice." ―Booklist
Some follow their destiny.
Others fall for it.
For humans, Salizar’s is a place of mystery and wonder. For Harrow, it’s a place to hide from those who slaughtered her entire clan. A haven where she can disguise both her abilities and who she really is.
Until he arrives.
He has no recollection of who—or even what—he is. He only knows that he’s a monster, with wings and powerful abilities never seen before. But beneath the layers of rage and isolation, one glimpse into those inky black eyes reveals a soul that calls out to the loneliness in Harrow.
And so she chooses him.
She is drawn to the mystery of him, her unquenchable need for his kiss. And as powerful enemies align and conspire against them, Harrow knows their only hope is escape.
Now, with every secret she unlocks from his past, a shadow from her own whispers free—luring enemies who will stop at nothing to get their final revenge on Harrow. And she’s given them the perfect weapon…because her winged beast is not what he seems.
But maybe it’s time they finally learn—neither is she.
"Ascher's latest is a fantasy romance that has everything nice—a hot love interest, a relatable main character, female friendship—and plenty of (consensual) spice." ―Booklist
Some follow their destiny.
Others fall for it.
For humans, Salizar’s is a place of mystery and wonder. For Harrow, it’s a place to hide from those who slaughtered her entire clan. A haven where she can disguise both her abilities and who she really is.
Until he arrives.
He has no recollection of who—or even what—he is. He only knows that he’s a monster, with wings and powerful abilities never seen before. But beneath the layers of rage and isolation, one glimpse into those inky black eyes reveals a soul that calls out to the loneliness in Harrow.
And so she chooses him.
She is drawn to the mystery of him, her unquenchable need for his kiss. And as powerful enemies align and conspire against them, Harrow knows their only hope is escape.
Now, with every secret she unlocks from his past, a shadow from her own whispers free—luring enemies who will stop at nothing to get their final revenge on Harrow. And she’s given them the perfect weapon…because her winged beast is not what he seems.
But maybe it’s time they finally learn—neither is she.
400 pages, ebook
First published January 9, 2024
About the author
Aurora Ascher
8 books449 followersAurora Ascher is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling fantasy & paranormal romance author. She loves misunderstood monsters, redeemable anti-heroes, and epic happily-ever-afters. A woman of many creative pursuits, Aurora is also a professional musician and visual artist. She currently resides in Montreal with her trusty espresso machine and her endlessly patient husband, whom she sometimes doesn’t see for hours until she emerges from her writing cave like a bear in springtime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,990 reviews
November 30, 2023
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I hate hate HATE writing negative reviews. But this book had me so looking forward to it, and now I’m just sad.
Look, when I start a Red Tower book, I know I’m signing up for something that is at least 40% pure vibes. I’m here for a good time, and all the previous books from this imprint have ranged from “mostly enjoyed it” to “new favorite.” Which is why SANCTUARY OF THE SHADOW is just such a heartbreaking disappointment.
I just felt like the book utterly failed to deliver on anything in its (very cool) premise. The book is marketed around a magical circus… and then we barely spend any time with that element at all? It’s supposed to be a richly-developed world with an epic war… and the world-building feels dry and detached, despite some really intriguing ideas that peek through. The romance, too, feels oddly underdeveloped, or perhaps it’s because the MCs have that detached feeling too (other than the steamy scenes, which don’t have great lead-up but definitely have a noticeably higher quality of writing).
Everything just feels so literal and lacking subtlety, and I could not get invested in any of it. I nearly DNF’d within the first chapter when one character sits down and tells another “I had this bad feeling I can’t decipher beyond general dread, but someone needs my help.” This is paraphrasing, but barely - the dialogue and the narration both are super-blunt and, with POV switching a lot, occasionally frustrating to follow.
I wanted to like this, and the general idea is so intriguing, but instead, it’s one of my biggest disappointments in quite some time.
Look, when I start a Red Tower book, I know I’m signing up for something that is at least 40% pure vibes. I’m here for a good time, and all the previous books from this imprint have ranged from “mostly enjoyed it” to “new favorite.” Which is why SANCTUARY OF THE SHADOW is just such a heartbreaking disappointment.
I just felt like the book utterly failed to deliver on anything in its (very cool) premise. The book is marketed around a magical circus… and then we barely spend any time with that element at all? It’s supposed to be a richly-developed world with an epic war… and the world-building feels dry and detached, despite some really intriguing ideas that peek through. The romance, too, feels oddly underdeveloped, or perhaps it’s because the MCs have that detached feeling too (other than the steamy scenes, which don’t have great lead-up but definitely have a noticeably higher quality of writing).
Everything just feels so literal and lacking subtlety, and I could not get invested in any of it. I nearly DNF’d within the first chapter when one character sits down and tells another “I had this bad feeling I can’t decipher beyond general dread, but someone needs my help.” This is paraphrasing, but barely - the dialogue and the narration both are super-blunt and, with POV switching a lot, occasionally frustrating to follow.
I wanted to like this, and the general idea is so intriguing, but instead, it’s one of my biggest disappointments in quite some time.
November 19, 2023
the sudden jump in writing quality/care during the sex scenes was actually hilarious like everything else was just lame window dressing
January 7, 2024
I might be in the minority but you should probably cancel your preorder for this one 🫣
Woof. This book was a complete and total miss for me. The writing was so awkward and felt extremely stunted, not even in an unfinished ARC kind of way, just so poorly written. I felt like the book literally stumbled from point to point. I truly can’t believe this was picked up and traditionally published. 😅
Harrow, our FMC, was 60 in Elemental years, but you could have told me that she was a teen and I would have believed you until you run headfirst into some of the cringiest spice scenes I’ve read in an extremely long time. Honestly, this book was written for spice only and the plot was just an afterthought. Other reviewers have said this and I can echo their sentiment, this book spend so much time telling and not showing except for the spice scenes. There is a noticeable uptick in detail between the regular plot and the spice.
Some other unforgivable moments:
• this book was marketed as having Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes (one of the absolute best tv series of all time please watch!!) and it has NONE of the spark or quality of ATLA. The only comparison is that the world is split into Elements, but that is exactly where it ends.
• my least favorite trope of all time happens at the end of the book
• the cover and blurb promote the circus as being a big part of the book, they spend maybe 20% of the book there
• amnesia makes the MMC, Raith, almost childlike (Harrow mentions it) but then again, they have insta-love and spice quickly - which gives me weird non-consent vibes
• absolutely jarring pacing with complete lack of world-building and character development
I’m sure someone out there will love this (reviews seem to be mixed for the time being), but it definitely wasn’t for me! I’m still so grateful that I was sent this ARC, even if I didn’t enjoy the book. Thank you to Red Tower Books and Entangled Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book releases tomorrow on January 9.
Woof. This book was a complete and total miss for me. The writing was so awkward and felt extremely stunted, not even in an unfinished ARC kind of way, just so poorly written. I felt like the book literally stumbled from point to point. I truly can’t believe this was picked up and traditionally published. 😅
Harrow, our FMC, was 60 in Elemental years, but you could have told me that she was a teen and I would have believed you until you run headfirst into some of the cringiest spice scenes I’ve read in an extremely long time. Honestly, this book was written for spice only and the plot was just an afterthought. Other reviewers have said this and I can echo their sentiment, this book spend so much time telling and not showing except for the spice scenes. There is a noticeable uptick in detail between the regular plot and the spice.
Some other unforgivable moments:
• this book was marketed as having Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes (one of the absolute best tv series of all time please watch!!) and it has NONE of the spark or quality of ATLA. The only comparison is that the world is split into Elements, but that is exactly where it ends.
• my least favorite trope of all time happens at the end of the book
• the cover and blurb promote the circus as being a big part of the book, they spend maybe 20% of the book there
• amnesia makes the MMC, Raith, almost childlike (Harrow mentions it) but then again, they have insta-love and spice quickly - which gives me weird non-consent vibes
• absolutely jarring pacing with complete lack of world-building and character development
I’m sure someone out there will love this (reviews seem to be mixed for the time being), but it definitely wasn’t for me! I’m still so grateful that I was sent this ARC, even if I didn’t enjoy the book. Thank you to Red Tower Books and Entangled Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book releases tomorrow on January 9.
February 6, 2024
now what the hell was this?
January 27, 2024
um okay. so. maybe i just read a book because it appeared on the NYT bestseller list and was interested in why its gr reviews were low. and i certainly have my answer.
so. the winning qualities of sanctuary of a shadow are that it has sprayed edges and is a red tower release. having amassed a shitton of goodwill following the publishing of fourth wing, red tower is the destination for romantasy readers. boy howdy, the girls yearn for romantasy. and so, miraculously, this book hit the NYT bestseller list. that's all it takes nowadays.
the problem with this book isn't the writing or the worldbuilding, though those are major problems. i think it's expectations. if this was an erotica published straight to kindle unlimited with like maybe half the plot cut out, it's rating would be a good 1.5 points higher. but they're trying to repackage it into a more serious romantasy and sell it to fourth wing fans, which... lol
the reason i say this is erotica is because of the nature of the romance. it's not a romance. the two leads do not talk to each other. they feel a primal, inexplicable attraction and then proceed to have a lot of sex. it's the born sexy yesterday trope but objectifying men this time. by the end of the book they're proclaiming their love for each other when realistically they've only really been together for a week. and it's love because well. magic.
every character in this is extremely stupid. sorry. i can't even bother to give examples. it's really frustrating to watch them make decisions that foolish. the worldbuilding is all telling not showing and it doesn't make a lick of sense. information is kept from the main character just for a cheap twist to the audience later. it's weird how the story progresses and the main character strikes up almost casual relationships with immortal deities.
throughout the last 40% of the book, we just hear the same story being told over and over through different povs. and it's still cheap bc it's desperately trying to convince the audience to find injustice in something completely reasonable. if something genocided all of your subjects, wouldn't you try to find a way to kill it even if it brought it great pain? this is framed as the "torture" of an "innocent" being (innocent because he was magically forced into killing them). that's not what innocence is. and more importantly, it's revealed that he did have some degree of control over himself, enough to not follow the entirety of the orders, which just rips a hole in the "forced to" narrative.
there was no plot and the weak words that attempted to fill that space accomplished little. the author desperately wished to conjure a dynamic of a misunderstood monster and the woman who tames him, but all she was willing to work with was raw, primal horniness. the plot was spindled together so they were forced together and apart, from point a to point b, and the characters did not work with it to discover anything meaningful about themselves or another.
anyways. if this book was just serious about what it was, and it marketed itself appropriately, i'm sure it would've had an audience in readers who enjoy that kind of thing. but it is singing to the wrong crowd, in a world of entirely different genre expectations. alas, it attempted to be a proper fantasy with no depth or weight behind the character relationships, no atmospheric setting, a weak magic system, little political knowledge, a very narrow scope, and a nonsensical plot.
so. the winning qualities of sanctuary of a shadow are that it has sprayed edges and is a red tower release. having amassed a shitton of goodwill following the publishing of fourth wing, red tower is the destination for romantasy readers. boy howdy, the girls yearn for romantasy. and so, miraculously, this book hit the NYT bestseller list. that's all it takes nowadays.
the problem with this book isn't the writing or the worldbuilding, though those are major problems. i think it's expectations. if this was an erotica published straight to kindle unlimited with like maybe half the plot cut out, it's rating would be a good 1.5 points higher. but they're trying to repackage it into a more serious romantasy and sell it to fourth wing fans, which... lol
the reason i say this is erotica is because of the nature of the romance. it's not a romance. the two leads do not talk to each other. they feel a primal, inexplicable attraction and then proceed to have a lot of sex. it's the born sexy yesterday trope but objectifying men this time. by the end of the book they're proclaiming their love for each other when realistically they've only really been together for a week. and it's love because well. magic.
every character in this is extremely stupid. sorry. i can't even bother to give examples. it's really frustrating to watch them make decisions that foolish. the worldbuilding is all telling not showing and it doesn't make a lick of sense. information is kept from the main character just for a cheap twist to the audience later. it's weird how the story progresses and the main character strikes up almost casual relationships with immortal deities.
throughout the last 40% of the book, we just hear the same story being told over and over through different povs. and it's still cheap bc it's desperately trying to convince the audience to find injustice in something completely reasonable. if something genocided all of your subjects, wouldn't you try to find a way to kill it even if it brought it great pain? this is framed as the "torture" of an "innocent" being (innocent because he was magically forced into killing them). that's not what innocence is. and more importantly, it's revealed that he did have some degree of control over himself, enough to not follow the entirety of the orders, which just rips a hole in the "forced to" narrative.
there was no plot and the weak words that attempted to fill that space accomplished little. the author desperately wished to conjure a dynamic of a misunderstood monster and the woman who tames him, but all she was willing to work with was raw, primal horniness. the plot was spindled together so they were forced together and apart, from point a to point b, and the characters did not work with it to discover anything meaningful about themselves or another.
anyways. if this book was just serious about what it was, and it marketed itself appropriately, i'm sure it would've had an audience in readers who enjoy that kind of thing. but it is singing to the wrong crowd, in a world of entirely different genre expectations. alas, it attempted to be a proper fantasy with no depth or weight behind the character relationships, no atmospheric setting, a weak magic system, little political knowledge, a very narrow scope, and a nonsensical plot.
Currently reading
May 5, 2024₊˚⊹ ᰔ pre-read: i saw the rating and reviews and thought i should punish myself.
January 15, 2024
I’m going to be honest, I seen the stenciled edges and read the synopsis then immediately pre-ordered. I should have read some early reviews because I could have saved myself $30.
Very rarely do I rate novels one star that I finish reading. Usually there’s a redeeming quality or two to warrant a two star rating. Unfortunately for Sanctuary of the Shadow, there are no redeeming qualities. It’s just bad. From the instalove to the world building, Sanctuary of the Shadow offers readers very little to enjoy.
My biggest issue with Sanctuary of the Shadow is the relationship between Harrow and Raith. Raith wakes up with no memory and is sold to the ringmaster of the circus where Harrow discovers him. She cannot abide with keeping him captive, so she spends her nights with him devising a way for him to escape. Raith says a total of about 40 words to Harrow before she begins contemplating that she’s in love with him. They have zero chemistry. I mean, it’s hard to find chemistry between two characters when one of them doesn’t carry of a conversation. Honestly, it���s lazy writing since there are multiple ways for someone non-verbal to communicate. I know Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover is controversial, but the chemistry is fire hot and a good example of non-verbal communication.
In addition, Raith’s amnesia gives him a childlike vibe so Harrow and Raith’s inevitable coupling was uncomfortable to say the least. Unfortunately for readers, it’s a prolonged exposure to these uncomfortable scenes as it goes on for days/chapters.
While Raith has no personality (and a stupid name), Harrow reads like a teenager. Had it not been explained that she’s 60 years old, I would have assumed she was a teenager. Everything about her reads as young and inexperienced.
The world building is messy, to say the least. The war of the Queens, the magic system, the underground, and Mal’s past and inevitable future isn’t fleshed out enough to make sense. Suddenly, an all-knowing oracle is introduced but is somehow different from the seer powers Harrow has. I found her only purpose was to warn readers of the spoiler below.
I wonder why the publisher decided to center the marketing for this novel around the circus motif when the characters spend all of 5 chapters there and it barely serves a purpose to the larger plot. The cover is nice, I’ll give them that, but why?
Spoiler:
Overall, Sanctuary of the Shadow is a hot mess. From the characters themselves to their relationship to the worldbuilding, Sanctuary of the Shadow feels like the publisher was looking to cash in on the success of the Romantasy genre with the first manuscript that crossed their desk.
Very rarely do I rate novels one star that I finish reading. Usually there’s a redeeming quality or two to warrant a two star rating. Unfortunately for Sanctuary of the Shadow, there are no redeeming qualities. It’s just bad. From the instalove to the world building, Sanctuary of the Shadow offers readers very little to enjoy.
My biggest issue with Sanctuary of the Shadow is the relationship between Harrow and Raith. Raith wakes up with no memory and is sold to the ringmaster of the circus where Harrow discovers him. She cannot abide with keeping him captive, so she spends her nights with him devising a way for him to escape. Raith says a total of about 40 words to Harrow before she begins contemplating that she’s in love with him. They have zero chemistry. I mean, it’s hard to find chemistry between two characters when one of them doesn’t carry of a conversation. Honestly, it���s lazy writing since there are multiple ways for someone non-verbal to communicate. I know Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover is controversial, but the chemistry is fire hot and a good example of non-verbal communication.
In addition, Raith’s amnesia gives him a childlike vibe so Harrow and Raith’s inevitable coupling was uncomfortable to say the least. Unfortunately for readers, it’s a prolonged exposure to these uncomfortable scenes as it goes on for days/chapters.
While Raith has no personality (and a stupid name), Harrow reads like a teenager. Had it not been explained that she’s 60 years old, I would have assumed she was a teenager. Everything about her reads as young and inexperienced.
The world building is messy, to say the least. The war of the Queens, the magic system, the underground, and Mal’s past and inevitable future isn’t fleshed out enough to make sense. Suddenly, an all-knowing oracle is introduced but is somehow different from the seer powers Harrow has. I found her only purpose was to warn readers of the spoiler below.
I wonder why the publisher decided to center the marketing for this novel around the circus motif when the characters spend all of 5 chapters there and it barely serves a purpose to the larger plot. The cover is nice, I’ll give them that, but why?
Spoiler:
Overall, Sanctuary of the Shadow is a hot mess. From the characters themselves to their relationship to the worldbuilding, Sanctuary of the Shadow feels like the publisher was looking to cash in on the success of the Romantasy genre with the first manuscript that crossed their desk.
February 8, 2024
DNF @ 48%
Legit the most awkward, cringy, and drawn sex scenes I've run into lately.
*full body icks*
Legit the most awkward, cringy, and drawn sex scenes I've run into lately.
*full body icks*
February 18, 2024
I need a lobotomy after that
February 28, 2024
my momma always told me if you don’t have nothin nice to say… don’t say anything. sooo🙊🙊
January 2, 2024
I went into this book with high hopes. How could I not? Sanctuary of the Shadow promises a magical circus set in a fantasy world with a forbidden romance. Plus, Red Tower has been releasing great romantasy books! I thought this book would be a slam dunk. Reader, it was anything but.
Where to begin? I noticed the writing style wasn’t for me from the first chapter. The author is a tell-rather-than-show writer with a straightforward/blunt writing style. The writing felt very young for an adult book, and so did the characters. Harrow is supposed to be a mature adult, but she read as a teenager to me. Her character was not fleshed out at all, nor was the romance, which made it hard for me to feel invested in the story. There wasn’t any build-up or depth to the romance between Harrow and Raith. They meet and instantly fall in love. Even Harrow thinks it’s too soon to be in love with Raith.
In addition to the issues above, there was no plot. This book promises the reader a magical circus--and we barely see it. The circus is part of the story for the first 20%, and it’s only the setting. We don’t get to experience the circus or what it’s like to be part of it. I DNFed this book around the halfway mark, and there was no plot to be found. I’m not sure what this book is supposed to be about besides smut. That’s all I read after Harrow and Raith escaped the circus. Don’t get me wrong, I like smut and romance as much as the next person, but I also need plot and character development.
If you’re going into Sanctuary of the Shadow expecting a high-stakes fantasy book about a forbidden romance and a magical circus, this is not that book.
Where to begin? I noticed the writing style wasn’t for me from the first chapter. The author is a tell-rather-than-show writer with a straightforward/blunt writing style. The writing felt very young for an adult book, and so did the characters. Harrow is supposed to be a mature adult, but she read as a teenager to me. Her character was not fleshed out at all, nor was the romance, which made it hard for me to feel invested in the story. There wasn’t any build-up or depth to the romance between Harrow and Raith. They meet and instantly fall in love. Even Harrow thinks it’s too soon to be in love with Raith.
In addition to the issues above, there was no plot. This book promises the reader a magical circus--and we barely see it. The circus is part of the story for the first 20%, and it’s only the setting. We don’t get to experience the circus or what it’s like to be part of it. I DNFed this book around the halfway mark, and there was no plot to be found. I’m not sure what this book is supposed to be about besides smut. That’s all I read after Harrow and Raith escaped the circus. Don’t get me wrong, I like smut and romance as much as the next person, but I also need plot and character development.
If you’re going into Sanctuary of the Shadow expecting a high-stakes fantasy book about a forbidden romance and a magical circus, this is not that book.
January 25, 2024
I didn’t want to believe it was as bad as the reviews made it out to be. It wasn’t! It was worse.
Ever since the imprint Red Tower was announced, I’ve been excited about pretty much all their titles, and Sanctuary of the Shadow was no exception. Romance and a magical circus, what´s not to love?
But it only took a couple of pages before I realized that I was going to have a problem with this book. The writing is, I’m sorry to say, awful. It feels unedited and comes across as fanfiction. There’s so much tell, and zero show. And apart from that, it’s full of repetition and stuttering.
Seemingly from nowhere, those wings had appeared. There’d been no sign of them moments ago.
I also had a problem with the dialogue and the way they talked. We’re in a world that doesn’t have any electricity, but they still talk like this:
“She told me her nipple tassels fell off during her final reveal.”
“Well, that explains it! If she flashed those puppies at me, I’d fall in love too.”
The book consists of dialogue that reads like this:
“Wraith? But I thought he wasn’t…? Honey, I’m so confused right now.”
“Raith with an R.”
“With an R? What?” Poor Mal was barely keeping up.
I’m not keeping up either…
The circus, which were the most intriguing part of the story, is barely explored at all. Instead, all the focus is on the romance, that couldn’t be more rushed if they tried. It’s even in the book that it’s too rushed.
It’s too early, she told herself. No one could fall in love in five days.
The writing during the most part of the story is rushed and feel like hardly any effort went into it, but the sex scenes are…. Oddly detailed. Which feels a bit weird, because several times they mention that Raith is “pure as a child”. That made me a bit uncomfortable reading those scenes. And it didn’t get any better when I came across this:
“So tight.” It had been six months since they were together, after all.
It doesn’t matter how long it has been. Or did he get bad at sex during that time..?
Harrow was also a pain to follow, because she’s really dense. Zero part of this book is enjoyable, I’m sorry to say.
Ever since the imprint Red Tower was announced, I’ve been excited about pretty much all their titles, and Sanctuary of the Shadow was no exception. Romance and a magical circus, what´s not to love?
But it only took a couple of pages before I realized that I was going to have a problem with this book. The writing is, I’m sorry to say, awful. It feels unedited and comes across as fanfiction. There’s so much tell, and zero show. And apart from that, it’s full of repetition and stuttering.
Seemingly from nowhere, those wings had appeared. There’d been no sign of them moments ago.
I also had a problem with the dialogue and the way they talked. We’re in a world that doesn’t have any electricity, but they still talk like this:
“She told me her nipple tassels fell off during her final reveal.”
“Well, that explains it! If she flashed those puppies at me, I’d fall in love too.”
The book consists of dialogue that reads like this:
“Wraith? But I thought he wasn’t…? Honey, I’m so confused right now.”
“Raith with an R.”
“With an R? What?” Poor Mal was barely keeping up.
I’m not keeping up either…
The circus, which were the most intriguing part of the story, is barely explored at all. Instead, all the focus is on the romance, that couldn’t be more rushed if they tried. It’s even in the book that it’s too rushed.
It’s too early, she told herself. No one could fall in love in five days.
The writing during the most part of the story is rushed and feel like hardly any effort went into it, but the sex scenes are…. Oddly detailed. Which feels a bit weird, because several times they mention that Raith is “pure as a child”. That made me a bit uncomfortable reading those scenes. And it didn’t get any better when I came across this:
“So tight.” It had been six months since they were together, after all.
It doesn’t matter how long it has been. Or did he get bad at sex during that time..?
Harrow was also a pain to follow, because she’s really dense. Zero part of this book is enjoyable, I’m sorry to say.
Shelved as 'i-need'
December 4, 2023SANCTUARY OF THE SHADOW, an Elemental Races novel:
The above is not a review. However, I have received a free copy & will have a full review in the future.
Harrow was born during a war between two of the five capricious Elemental Queens. In one grim night, the last of the water Elementals--the Seers--were killed. All but Harrow. Now she lives among the safety of a circus run by a centuries-old Enchanter, hiding her true nature and her gift. But the circus has acquired a new attraction. An Elemental with no recollection of who he is. Now the bond between them will shake the foundations of their world. Every human, every Elemental--and even the five powerful Queens. Harrow's gift has never been wrong. But Raith's true darkness may be deeper than Harrow's light can illuminate. Especially when unspeakable secrets can hide in the shadows.
The above is not a review. However, I have received a free copy & will have a full review in the future.
January 28, 2024
I bought this book because it was gorgeous, and it sounded cool-ish.
It was…a hot mess. I don’t want to be really mean and I didn’t finish so that’s all I’m going to say.
Oh well it’s still pretty and sometimes that’s all you need.
It was…a hot mess. I don’t want to be really mean and I didn’t finish so that’s all I’m going to say.
Oh well it’s still pretty and sometimes that’s all you need.
January 12, 2024
To be honest, I don't know why I even bothered to finish this... it was one of the worst books I have ever read. I don't know how this got picked up by a publisher and how it was allowed to be a beautiful special edition. The outside is stunning, but the inside is hot garbage. I'm pissed that I bought this book for 30 dollars and if I could I would return it.
I could write a 5-page essay on all the things I hated about this book, but I'll stick with 5 bullet points
- for a book that's supposed to take place in a circus, there is very little circus
- next to no world building
- the main character was supposed to be a grown woman, yet acted like a teenager
- there was no build-up or chemistry for the relationship in the slightest
- the characters had NO personalities.
0/10 do not recommend.
I could write a 5-page essay on all the things I hated about this book, but I'll stick with 5 bullet points
- for a book that's supposed to take place in a circus, there is very little circus
- next to no world building
- the main character was supposed to be a grown woman, yet acted like a teenager
- there was no build-up or chemistry for the relationship in the slightest
- the characters had NO personalities.
0/10 do not recommend.
March 12, 2024
2.5 stars
Fitting that the ouroboros is a reoccurring symbol of this story, considering how the book repeats the same 2 conflicts over and over again and never ends. I think that Sanctuary of the Shadow has some potential in its world building, but as is the case with some previous Red Tower releases, based off of all the missteps in the plot and characterization, it's clear that it was rushed out. Some things that stood out to be as especially obnoxious to me are as follows:
-the way in which exposition was delivered
-the dumb naming convention and reveal that Raith is, in fact, a Wraith
-the extreme case of insta love and how devoted the characters are to each other after five days of sex and zero conversation
-how drawn out the ending was
-how this book was marketed as a circus-themed fantasy when it hardly involves the circus
-how repetitive and boring the back and forth conflict as to whether Harrow should trust Raith got
But the worst aspect of this book is the one most people have already commented on. It is the way that Raith is written. He is written like a feral puppy, not a human character you can connect with. He starts the book with an extreme case of amnesia. Additionally, you can tell that the author was trying to do the "he hates everyone but her" trope, except that this, in combination with his bafflement of the world around him, made him come across as incredibly one-dimensional and juvenile (which then made the sex scenes weird to read). When Raith and Harrow meet, she is captivated by his utter confusion of the world. There are scenes of him hissing like an animal, but then eating a cookie and smiling like a child. She even refers to him as someone with "the soul of a child". That's not only boring to read about, but incredibly weird considering they have explicit sex like 50 ages later.
So while this book had some minor potential, and I was hoping to love it considering how pretty the first editions are, it really needed an editor who wasn't going to sugarcoat everything. (I did like Mal though, so that's something)
Fitting that the ouroboros is a reoccurring symbol of this story, considering how the book repeats the same 2 conflicts over and over again and never ends. I think that Sanctuary of the Shadow has some potential in its world building, but as is the case with some previous Red Tower releases, based off of all the missteps in the plot and characterization, it's clear that it was rushed out. Some things that stood out to be as especially obnoxious to me are as follows:
-the way in which exposition was delivered
-the dumb naming convention and reveal that Raith is, in fact, a Wraith
-the extreme case of insta love and how devoted the characters are to each other after five days of sex and zero conversation
-how drawn out the ending was
-how this book was marketed as a circus-themed fantasy when it hardly involves the circus
-how repetitive and boring the back and forth conflict as to whether Harrow should trust Raith got
But the worst aspect of this book is the one most people have already commented on. It is the way that Raith is written. He is written like a feral puppy, not a human character you can connect with. He starts the book with an extreme case of amnesia. Additionally, you can tell that the author was trying to do the "he hates everyone but her" trope, except that this, in combination with his bafflement of the world around him, made him come across as incredibly one-dimensional and juvenile (which then made the sex scenes weird to read). When Raith and Harrow meet, she is captivated by his utter confusion of the world. There are scenes of him hissing like an animal, but then eating a cookie and smiling like a child. She even refers to him as someone with "the soul of a child". That's not only boring to read about, but incredibly weird considering they have explicit sex like 50 ages later.
So while this book had some minor potential, and I was hoping to love it considering how pretty the first editions are, it really needed an editor who wasn't going to sugarcoat everything. (I did like Mal though, so that's something)
February 26, 2024
Sarcasm and negative feedback incoming:
And before you think “it can’t be that bad! Maybe this book doesn’t deserve the average 2.97 stars or whatever it’s at now!” I assure you it deserves it
Perfect for fans of ACOTAR 😍✨🥰 you have the incessant use of the words male/female to describe EVERYONE instead of, I don’t know, using man/woman/person or even ✨making up a word✨ plus!! A WINGED SHADOWDADDY with ✨MAGIC✨and claws 😍
He’s a monster and big and scary 😈 but has a soft spot for her 😇 and she’s SMALL and SPUNKY and UNAFRAID of him 😍
“You’re saying Raith is actually a wraith?” Genius writing 📝
He LOST his memories AGAIN and instead of making up a better name for him you name him RAITH AGAIN
Gotta say tho, the epilogue was the worst thing I’ve ever read 🥰
And before you think “it can’t be that bad! Maybe this book doesn’t deserve the average 2.97 stars or whatever it’s at now!” I assure you it deserves it
Perfect for fans of ACOTAR 😍✨🥰 you have the incessant use of the words male/female to describe EVERYONE instead of, I don’t know, using man/woman/person or even ✨making up a word✨ plus!! A WINGED SHADOWDADDY with ✨MAGIC✨and claws 😍
He’s a monster and big and scary 😈 but has a soft spot for her 😇 and she’s SMALL and SPUNKY and UNAFRAID of him 😍
“You’re saying Raith is actually a wraith?” Genius writing 📝
He LOST his memories AGAIN and instead of making up a better name for him you name him RAITH AGAIN
Gotta say tho, the epilogue was the worst thing I’ve ever read 🥰
Want to read
August 1, 2023This is published by the same company that did Fourth Wing. Looks like they're going to be doing limited run special first editions again as well with sprayed edges. I preordered mine.
January 9, 2024
This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I enjoyed this one! The book started rather slow for me but after a few chapters things picked up. I liked Harrow and Raith. Their instant connection felt very real and I couldn’t wait to see how things would develop. This book was a bit spicer than I expected, which wasn’t a bad thing, just unexpected. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read.
Harrow has spent the last 50 years telling fortunes with the traveling circus, keeping the fact that she is the world’s last Seer a secret. When she sees Raith, she is drawn to him and knows that they need to leave the circus to keep him safe. Raith has no memories of his past but he feels the connection to Harrow and wants to keep her safe. There were a few twists and turns that I could guess pretty early on but that didn’t impact my enjoyment.
I thought that the chemistry between Harrow and Raith was well done. They both felt a connection to each other and I thought that it felt very real. They both go through a lot in this book and I liked that we get quite a bit of excitement before the story wraps up. I thought it was interesting to learn more about each character’s past as we worked our way through this story.
I would recommend this book to others. It wasn’t a perfect story but I found it to be a lot of fun in the end. I liked a few of the secondary characters quite a bit and hope we see more of them in future installments in this series.
I received a review copy of this book from Red Tower Books.
I enjoyed this one! The book started rather slow for me but after a few chapters things picked up. I liked Harrow and Raith. Their instant connection felt very real and I couldn’t wait to see how things would develop. This book was a bit spicer than I expected, which wasn’t a bad thing, just unexpected. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read.
Harrow has spent the last 50 years telling fortunes with the traveling circus, keeping the fact that she is the world’s last Seer a secret. When she sees Raith, she is drawn to him and knows that they need to leave the circus to keep him safe. Raith has no memories of his past but he feels the connection to Harrow and wants to keep her safe. There were a few twists and turns that I could guess pretty early on but that didn’t impact my enjoyment.
I thought that the chemistry between Harrow and Raith was well done. They both felt a connection to each other and I thought that it felt very real. They both go through a lot in this book and I liked that we get quite a bit of excitement before the story wraps up. I thought it was interesting to learn more about each character’s past as we worked our way through this story.
I would recommend this book to others. It wasn’t a perfect story but I found it to be a lot of fun in the end. I liked a few of the secondary characters quite a bit and hope we see more of them in future installments in this series.
I received a review copy of this book from Red Tower Books.
May 11, 2024
i need a shower
January 22, 2024
1/22/24 - upon additional consideration & review, this is going down from a 4⭐️ to 2.5⭐️. I just don't think it's good and I don't even want a physical copy despite the sprayed edges...
2.5 ⭐️
2🌶️
The concept of Sanctuary of the Shadow and the vibes you get from the cover are deceptive. I went into this expecting a romantasy set in and around a circus with whimsical vibes hiding a dangerous secret. Unfortunately only about 25% of the story was loosely set in a circus setting. Our FMC, Harrow, is the last Elemental Seer hiding within a travelling circus since a young age after her whole clan was slaughtered. During a normal stay in a larger city, the circus picked up a man, Raith, a supposed wraith who was to join the circus. Wraiths are incorporeal creatures without emotions and pure danger. The two of them were drawn to each other and escape the circus together while learning more about Raith's and Harrow's intermingled pasts.
Forbidden romance was a major focus along throughout the story as Harrow and Raith were getting to know each other. The spice was thoroughly entertaining, however, you can tell that the romance between Harrow and Raith was the main focus of the book. The plot was secondary and at times felt like an afterthought. The first 50% was amazing, but as soon as we explored the feud between the Queens, the plot fell flat leaving me less than immersed.
I have a few general gripes about this book, but most of them are within the last 50% of this book. The first half was thoroughly enjoyable and if fleshed out, could have been something more.
The dual POV was interesting since Raith was trying to learn more about the world around him, however, it would have been great to distinguish the swap. There were times that the POV swapped, but it took a few paragraphs to realize that it had swapped.
I enjoyed the read, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.
Standalone
Forbidden Romance
Dual POV
Instant Love
"Last of my kind"
Elemental Magic
Memory Loss
Surprise Pregnancy 🙃
HEA
Sanctuary of the Shadow is a New Adult romance with fantasy roots that publishes Jan 9, 2024.
Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Red Tower Books and NetGalley for this digital galley in return for my honest review.
2.5 ⭐️
2🌶️
The concept of Sanctuary of the Shadow and the vibes you get from the cover are deceptive. I went into this expecting a romantasy set in and around a circus with whimsical vibes hiding a dangerous secret. Unfortunately only about 25% of the story was loosely set in a circus setting. Our FMC, Harrow, is the last Elemental Seer hiding within a travelling circus since a young age after her whole clan was slaughtered. During a normal stay in a larger city, the circus picked up a man, Raith, a supposed wraith who was to join the circus. Wraiths are incorporeal creatures without emotions and pure danger. The two of them were drawn to each other and escape the circus together while learning more about Raith's and Harrow's intermingled pasts.
Forbidden romance was a major focus along throughout the story as Harrow and Raith were getting to know each other. The spice was thoroughly entertaining, however, you can tell that the romance between Harrow and Raith was the main focus of the book. The plot was secondary and at times felt like an afterthought. The first 50% was amazing, but as soon as we explored the feud between the Queens, the plot fell flat leaving me less than immersed.
I have a few general gripes about this book, but most of them are within the last 50% of this book. The first half was thoroughly enjoyable and if fleshed out, could have been something more.
The dual POV was interesting since Raith was trying to learn more about the world around him, however, it would have been great to distinguish the swap. There were times that the POV swapped, but it took a few paragraphs to realize that it had swapped.
I enjoyed the read, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.
Standalone
Forbidden Romance
Dual POV
Instant Love
"Last of my kind"
Elemental Magic
Memory Loss
Surprise Pregnancy 🙃
HEA
Sanctuary of the Shadow is a New Adult romance with fantasy roots that publishes Jan 9, 2024.
Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Red Tower Books and NetGalley for this digital galley in return for my honest review.
May 7, 2024
This is a reason we do not judge books sheerly by an attractive cover because the book is beautiful, the writing leaves much to be desired.
I had a tough time getting through this ARC. It’s a Red Tower Release, thus my expectations were just high and not met. It was marketed to fantasy fans as a Circus fantasy. The circus almost had nothing to do with the book and disappeared after about 20%. There could’ve been such great and intriguing world building, and we seem to have missed out as readers as it was not expanded upon. There were little to no explanations of Elementals, their history, their magic, etc.
A big problem I had was the formatting and the multiple POV’s written in third person. This book would have been better written if the POVs weren’t third person and if the POVs were labeled at the chapter’s beginnings, as many characters got jumbled together in my mind, it got confusing and made it hard to pay attention or absorb any information. This would be a more pleasing read if it was better organized and reformatted.
I could not connect with the characters the way this was written. The FMC and MMC had no chemistry, and the writing style made it hard to like either character or enjoy their “forbidden” romance. The FMC, Harrow, was not very likable due to her Instalove and sheer ignorance. The spice almost seemed forced into the book to keep readers interested and was written in a way it did not even blend with the other writing in a the book. There was no chemistry, no tension, no build up—just spice randomly thrown in.
I almost believed this was the author’s first book by how many improvements needed to be made to this work to make it likable enough to publish.
Thank you to Red Tower and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to review.
I had a tough time getting through this ARC. It’s a Red Tower Release, thus my expectations were just high and not met. It was marketed to fantasy fans as a Circus fantasy. The circus almost had nothing to do with the book and disappeared after about 20%. There could’ve been such great and intriguing world building, and we seem to have missed out as readers as it was not expanded upon. There were little to no explanations of Elementals, their history, their magic, etc.
A big problem I had was the formatting and the multiple POV’s written in third person. This book would have been better written if the POVs weren’t third person and if the POVs were labeled at the chapter’s beginnings, as many characters got jumbled together in my mind, it got confusing and made it hard to pay attention or absorb any information. This would be a more pleasing read if it was better organized and reformatted.
I could not connect with the characters the way this was written. The FMC and MMC had no chemistry, and the writing style made it hard to like either character or enjoy their “forbidden” romance. The FMC, Harrow, was not very likable due to her Instalove and sheer ignorance. The spice almost seemed forced into the book to keep readers interested and was written in a way it did not even blend with the other writing in a the book. There was no chemistry, no tension, no build up—just spice randomly thrown in.
I almost believed this was the author’s first book by how many improvements needed to be made to this work to make it likable enough to publish.
Thank you to Red Tower and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to review.
June 24, 2024
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Read if you like:
▫️dual POV
▫️magic
▫️female friendships
▫️anti-hero with a mysterious past
This book sounded right up my alley. A magical circus? Check. An intriguing magic system? Check. And most importantly, the hero is a damaged, winged shadow daddy who gives hardcore “touch her and 💀” vibes? Check, check, check.
This is a romantasy book. If you don’t want your romance front and center and the main focus of the book…then this is not for you.
I love romantasy, so I devoured this book, mostly due to Raith. He is tall, dark, dangerous, and tragic. I loved him, and the chapters from his perspective were my favorite! We also got three very intriguing side characters in Mal, Ouro, and Salizar, and I hope to get books from their perspective in the future.
However, I would have liked more explanation of what Elementals are (the different kinds and what magic or physical traits they have, etc), more about the magical circus, it’s performers, and Salizar, and a more fleshed out history of the war between the queens.
With a little more world building, a deeper explanation of the magic system and Elementals, and more of the crucial action taking place on page instead of off, this could have easily been a 5⭐️ read.
Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Red Tower, NetGalley, and Aurora Ascher for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Read if you like:
▫️dual POV
▫️magic
▫️female friendships
▫️anti-hero with a mysterious past
This book sounded right up my alley. A magical circus? Check. An intriguing magic system? Check. And most importantly, the hero is a damaged, winged shadow daddy who gives hardcore “touch her and 💀” vibes? Check, check, check.
This is a romantasy book. If you don’t want your romance front and center and the main focus of the book…then this is not for you.
I love romantasy, so I devoured this book, mostly due to Raith. He is tall, dark, dangerous, and tragic. I loved him, and the chapters from his perspective were my favorite! We also got three very intriguing side characters in Mal, Ouro, and Salizar, and I hope to get books from their perspective in the future.
However, I would have liked more explanation of what Elementals are (the different kinds and what magic or physical traits they have, etc), more about the magical circus, it’s performers, and Salizar, and a more fleshed out history of the war between the queens.
With a little more world building, a deeper explanation of the magic system and Elementals, and more of the crucial action taking place on page instead of off, this could have easily been a 5⭐️ read.
Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Red Tower, NetGalley, and Aurora Ascher for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 11, 2024
Don't be curious
January 27, 2024
Ironic that, for a fantasy romance, the romance was the most horrendous part.
January 31, 2024
From the first chapter, I knew that this was going to be good! Between the Elementals, hybrids, seers, and wraiths there are many supernatural characters to keep you engaged. Harrow is living with a circus as a seer telling people's fortunes until one night she saw a vision for herself that was dark and a warning. Harrow receives her powers from the water element which led her to find a powerful wraith in danger. Her and this powerful, gorgeous wraith named Raith had an immediate bond that could not be explained, but Harrow knew she needed to save him from enslavement. With the help of her best friend Malaikah, Harrow was able to escape with Raith and fell in love. Although they escaped, they were in danger of being caught by the Ouros gang, the circus leader who enslaved Raith, and Raith's creator. Their adventure had many twists and turns and a great happy ending with what I hope for a glimmer of hope for a second book regarding Harrow's best friend Malaikah.
This book is filled with spice, battles, and adventure!
This book is filled with spice, battles, and adventure!
February 9, 2024
☀️🎪Sanctuary of the Shadow🎪☀️
4/5⭐️
3/5🌶️
The bad reviews based on this book in my opinion is mainly due to peoples expectations by the synopsis being different than the story. The book should have been projected as the focus being on Raith and Harrow the circus being a side aspect. I can understand the complaints about the world building lacking. Perhaps I’m just crazy but I thought this was a mesmerizing heart wrenching love story. I’ve yet to read one similar to this and I’m all for it. The darkness, memory loss aspect, pain and agony was amazing!!! Raith is 100% a great villain and good guy wrapped together. Despite the negative reviews if you’re contemplating reading this I would with the expectations being on the love story and not necessarily the synopsis.
4/5⭐️
3/5🌶️
The bad reviews based on this book in my opinion is mainly due to peoples expectations by the synopsis being different than the story. The book should have been projected as the focus being on Raith and Harrow the circus being a side aspect. I can understand the complaints about the world building lacking. Perhaps I’m just crazy but I thought this was a mesmerizing heart wrenching love story. I’ve yet to read one similar to this and I’m all for it. The darkness, memory loss aspect, pain and agony was amazing!!! Raith is 100% a great villain and good guy wrapped together. Despite the negative reviews if you’re contemplating reading this I would with the expectations being on the love story and not necessarily the synopsis.
January 18, 2024
Insta love, dub con as the MMC has memory loss twice and they won’t stop f*cking, zero fulfillment of the cool circus premise, abysmally lacking world building, and SURPRISE PREGNANCY at the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
what did I just read
here are the notes I took on my phone 😭 was actually going to give this like three stars until we started time jumping
first 200 pages
Saves evil looking guy with no memories from cage
They have sex and fall in love
Guy is remade and has to kill her, then he has to be reunmade
Six month time jump??
NOW SHES PREGNANT
ONE YEAR LATERRRE???
here are the notes I took on my phone 😭 was actually going to give this like three stars until we started time jumping
first 200 pages
Saves evil looking guy with no memories from cage
They have sex and fall in love
Guy is remade and has to kill her, then he has to be reunmade
Six month time jump??
NOW SHES PREGNANT
ONE YEAR LATERRRE???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2024
At least this will look good on my bookshelf lol.
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