If I could describe this book in one word, it would be amateur. The writing was bare, and the dialogue rote. The main characters, whilst supposedly being long-lived, felt childish and underdeveloped. The lead male character particularly was almost childlike because of his amnesia and the fact that he talks only in grunts and one-word sentences.

The romance was insta-love and unconvincing. The interminable sex scenes were simply icky. It felt like a young teen interpretation of salacious behaviour a' la Mills and Boon wrapped in a fantasy cover.

I was looking forward to being at a circus, but that was just in the beginning and more background than a lush, imaginative setting. Also, the elemental magic wasn't that creative, and the seer and other special abilities functioned more as plot-moving devices than anything else.

I think that there may be a good trope buried somewhere in here, but it missed the mark for me. I won't be backing up for more. ( )

One of the more interesting tales of forgiving someone who you should hate until the end of the world. A wraith, forced to do an evil queen's bidding and the last surviving seer. He has no memory, she only wants to survive, but fate has other plans. Read the book to learn what they are. Plenty of action and steam ensue. ( )

DNF 31% but please give this book a go if you think you might like it. The premise was very interesting and I didn't dislike the characters, but this just isn't what I am looking for right now. To the reviewer who said this book is 'fantasy first, romance second' are you sure we are reading the same book? It focuses very, very heavily on the relationship between Harrow and Raith (which i thought was a bit rushed, but that's sorta beside the point). If you are looking for a romantasy with a morally gray monster love interest, you might really like this one.

This book is fantasy first, romance second. While the overall plot was somewhat predictable it was entertaining. I felt that sometimes the writing was really excellent and other times it was awful, especially when it came to some dialogue in the second half of the book. This is the first in a series but I’m not sure I have interest in the next one. ( )

Sanctuary of the Shadow is the first book in a planned trilogy by Aurora Ascher, a ‘romantasy’ featuring love and magic.

Harrow is the last of her kind, an Elemental seer whose source of power is The Water. She has spent her life in hiding, pretending to be human, afforded the protection of the Enchanter Salizar and his traveling ‘Incredible Elemental Circus’. When dreams of fire and shadows begin to disturb Harrow’s sleep they lead her to the circus’s newest attraction, a dangerous creature thought to be a myth. Raith has no memory of who he is, not his name or his purpose, but Harrow is certain he is her destiny, and she will risk everything to set him free.

I won’t reveal why Harrow and Raith should in fact stay far away from each other, but there is a good reason, just not one either remember. Yet the two are drawn to one other, also it turns out for a good reason. I’m not that keen on the insta-love situation generally but at least it makes sense within the context of the story. It does cause some pacing issues though, especially as they tumble into bed before they’ve had much of a conversation.

There are some really promising elements to this story with the magical world Ascher has created which includes warring sister queens, magic welders, and animal hybrids. Harrow was just ten when her clan was massacred by one of Queen Furie’s legendary assassins, ephemeral creatures made of shadows and fire, her escape from their fate inexplicable. In Harrow’s present, the queens, of whom there are five each representing an Element, have all but withdrawn from the world, the population of their elemental subjects having been devastated as a result of their infighting. Often despised by humans, the circus offers stateless Elementals safety and security. I thought it was a shame that more was not made of the circus spectacle, we get a glimpse of the performances of Harrow’s best friend, Malaikah, a black panther Hybrid who performs on the high wire, but not much else.

While I was interested in elements of Ascher’s imagined world, and some of her characters, unfortunately I was disappointed by the execution of the novel. Even though Sanctuary of the Shadow is 400 pages long, it feels like the editing process was too brutal, stunting both the worldbuilding and the romance. The writing is also disappointing. Despite the explicit sex scenes there is a lack of maturity, and little finesse or lyricism.

While Sanctuary of the Shadow didn’t enchant me in the way I hoped, there is potential here I hope it might be better realised in the second book since the basics of the worldbuilding has been established and the focus will be on another couple. ( )