This book was okay. It took me quite a while to get through it; meaning I wasn’t immediately hooked. The world building could have been better. Also, the spicy scenes seemed to erupt out of nowhere. Overall, the story and writing were a bit poor for my tastes.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this title!

I wanted to love this book so much... but I just couldn't. The characters were great, but I felt as if there was a large build up for such a let down ending. It wasn't terrible. Some parts were interesting, but there were some lines that felt like an ick to me and it just turned me off from the entire book. I wish I could recommend this book, but I almost DNF'ed it.

This novel was one of my favorite reads. I loved the circus setting. I truly felt for the MCs and their struggles. It was a journey trying to guess what was going to happen with all the back and forth between the MCs. I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens!

There is a misconception of this book being solely about a circus, leading some to being frustrated according to Goodreads. While the book does involve a circus, it is so much more. It begins with a circus. The circus is home. The circus introduces danger, safety (yes, I realize that's a contradiction), adventure, love, family, etc. I can't recommend this book enough. Harrow and Raith are the perfect balance of light and darkness. That is all that I will say about that for fear of spoiling the story because I just want to nerd out about 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 really enjoyed this book, the story and character development engaged the reader quickly. The inner thoughts and experiences of both of the main characters aided in understanding the events throughout the book. There was limited world building with the focus more on the characters. I struggled between wanting to understanding more about the Queens’ war and more detail around their world and appreciating the author’s focus on the relationships. I did feel there was a bit of room for more information or world building and I hope further understanding will come from Malaikah’s book/story. Overall, I enjoyed the friends to lovers to enemies to lovers storyline and the different elementals we were introduced to throughout made the story more intriguing. I enjoyed the spice as well, it added to the story and did not take away from the plot. There is no cliffhanger and the story somewhat wraps up knowing there will be more to tell around other characters and hopefully appearances from the two main characters of this book in future stories.

This one fell a little flat for me. Unfortunately will not continue with the series.

It had great promise but went downhill fast. I felt like nothing was really fleshed out and the characters never clicked with me.

I wanted to love this book so badly. The idea was so cool and promising, and while it did have some engaging moments, the book ultimately fell flat for me. So much potential and I will read the author again gut this one was a push through to finish.

DNF @37%

I really liked the idea of this - the dark circus setting is particular was a selling point - however everything about it ended up being disappointing.

The book is marketed with the circus at the forefront but we only spend 25% of the book there. This would have been fine if the marketing didn’t set our expectations to involve a circus.

Aside from the disappointment of the setting, the romance just wasn’t enough to save the book. His fascination with her came out of no where and made no sense. Their first kiss was the same - way too quick and didn’t make sense with the plot.

There was nothing redeeming enough about this book for me to finish reading it and after hearing about the end…I’m really glad I didn’t waste my time.

As much as I wanted to love this book, I just couldn't get into it and ended up DNF it. Despite its promising premise and a lot of hype I saw for it, I struggled to engage with the story. The characters lacked depth, and the plot felt disjointed, making it difficult to connect with the narrative.

This was a DNF for me at 37%. When I go into this type of book, I usually know what I am getting myself into. Usually, it’s fun and mostly vibes. But this was so hard for me to read. The main characters know absolutely nothing about each other and they are both suddenly willing to throw away everything for each other simply because they feel like it. There was no chemistry between them whatsoever and the romance was one hundred percent unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Red Tower, and Aurora Asher for an e-arc of Sanctuary of the Shadows in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What if your past was actually your future?

Harrow has no idea what she was getting herself into when she meets Salizar’s newest addition to his circus, or that it could in fact, force her to confront her past and make her question everything she knows. Unknowingly drawn to him and his mystery, she can only continue to unlock her own memories, and decide what to do with the new knowledge.


Sanctuary of the Shadow introduces us to the Elementals, and their warring queens who created them. Aurora Ascher has created a new world in which Elementals and Hybrids must find a way to survive, even if that means working for the circus. Unfortunately for me, this was a miss. It seems as if the circus is secondary to the rest of the world, even though it is the primary marketing on the jacket. Additionally, the dual POV had harsh transitions, right in the middle of a chapter and the first couple of times the switch was really confusing. I just could not get into the style of writing, and the vibe of the book just got stagnant after a while. I generally love everything from Red Tower and I feel as if the flow of the book was better, the story would have read better. It seems as if huge chunks were missing for some characters, which I hope can be resolved in book two. Some of the writing seems rushed, as if the author suddenly remember these plot holes, with all of them to be dumped on us suddenly at the end. I really wanted to like this, and pushed through, but it just wasn’t for me. The concept seemed exciting, but overall the book missed the mark.

Additionally, the “romance” element seemed really forced and generally icky. Now, I love a good romance but this one just didn’t sit right with me. It also seemed as if these scenes received more attention than the rest of the book, with these seeming the most well written and the rest choppy. Fantasy is hard to right with readers having high expectations, but it came off sometimes as romance with fantasy thrown in. This story truly had a lot of potential, just fell short. Overall, it’s just not something I would read again.

Thank you to Entangled always for the e-arc!

I loved this book, it was a great read. It was also a pretty quick read. It pulls you on from the very start. I found it easy to follow along in the world building. I really enjoyed each character. I would have to give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And as for the spice i give it 🌶️🌶️🌶️ . I can't wait for more.

Sanctuary of the Shadow" whisked me into a realm where magic intertwines with mystery. Harrow, the lone surviving Seer, seeks asylum in Salizar, concealing her true identity. However, when Raith—a winged stranger with no memory—enters her life, everything changes. Their forbidden love ignites, unraveling secrets like ancient scrolls.

What Shined:

World-Building: Salizar's mystical landscapes and concealed sanctuaries felt palpable, immersing me in its magical aura.
Harrow and Raith: Their electric chemistry kept me hooked, with Harrow's vulnerability and Raith's enigmatic past adding depth to their dynamic.
Pacing: The story skillfully balanced action, romance, and revelations, propelling me forward alongside Harrow and Raith in their quest for answers.

Room for Growth:

Character Depth: While I rooted for Harrow and Raith, I longed for deeper insights into their characters, as well as more development for secondary characters.
Predictability: Some plot twists were foreseeable, but I craved surprises that would leave me breathless.
Dialogue: At times, conversations felt rehearsed; I desired more raw, authentic exchanges.

"Sanctuary of the Shadow" may have its imperfections, yet it presents a promising beginning. If you seek forbidden love, concealed destinies, and a touch of magic, venture into Aurora Ascher's captivating world!

It took a few chapters for me to really get into it, but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down. There were more spicy scenes than I was anticipating but that’s never a bad thing to me! Overall, the story was interesting and I’d love to read more in this world.

This is an excellent book!! I would recommend. The book was a little hard for me to get into at first but picked up. I then found it hard to put down and finished ot in 2 days.

Thank you Entangled Publishing for the advance copy of this book!

My thoughts;

This was a 4.25 star read for me! The beginning i was slightly confused and it felt slow, but once it picked up booooy did it pick up. It only took a few chapters and i was officially sitting on the edge of my seat constantly flipping pages ready to see wht happens next. I love the premises of the book and execution. The aspect of a traveling circus is what truly did me in.

Harrow was a great female lead. Shes been with the circus for many many years and this is her home. Except shes keeping a massive secret, shes a Seer but everyone in the circus believes she is just human. One day her water magic tell her something is coming, something big.

Raith, i loved Raith so much. Hes just the mysterious handsome stranger that swoops right in. He has no memories of his past and doesnt know what to do. Harrow wants nothing more than to save him from the torture of his captors.

I saw alot of low reviews on this book and im not sure why. I absolutely loved it. I thought it had a great balance of romance, world building, adventure and spice. The only negative thought i have on this is that it started super slow in my opinion. But that happens with some books. Once i hit a certain chapter i just couldnt stop. I thought this book really brought to life how to accept ones self, show heartbreak and unconditional love. Its definitely not like most romantasys but i loved it. Im also super excited its set up for more books to come into this series. I cant wait to see what Queen is next.

You can also find my reviews on good reads and my instagram https://www.instagram.com/bookishcaitt

I waver between 3.5 and 4 stars. Reasons as follows:


The storyline is fun and fascinating to unfold.
There's some action scenes, some better than others.
The world building was there but not fleshed out as much as i would like.
I did like the Raith and Harrow a lot. I didn't care for the other characters too much.
The smut scenes were well done, moreso than other actual scenes.

Some other thoughts:

-I noticed people said they couldn't follow the change in POV, while it was confusing for a second, i didn't have an issue following along.
-I am not a super fan of insta-love so that put me off a bit
-The ending was super quick and wrapped up in a bow easily so it kind of threw me off
- The circus setting isn't like caraval, it's more like a background information, but that didn't bother me. I just know some people pointed it out.



eARC from entangled in exchange for an honest review. :)

I really wanted to like this but sadly, it’s sitting at maybe a 3 stars for me? I feel like it failed to deliver and although the book is marketed around a circus, why did we hardly get any time with this at all?

The roots of the book were good but I just feel like the world building was very dry, the romance was odd and awkward but tell me why the sudden jump in writing quality happened during the sex scenes??? Like cmon.

This book is so cute! It is a little slow at first, but it helps the character development in a way where you instantly fall in love with them! The plot is great! Super fun read. I love how witty and fun these two characters show with the plot. Must read book!!!!!!!

Such a fun read. I really enjoyed the world building it made this such a good story. I loved the characters, the name made me giggle when he decided his name was “what he was.” I recommend this book to anyone! If I could give 15 out of 5 stars I would.