Sanctuary of the Shadow

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher
Series: Elemental Emergence #1
Published by Red Tower Books on January 9, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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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.

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.

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