Ilona Andrews knows we want more in the Kate Daniels world and Sanctuary fits that bill. We get a look into Kate’s cousin Roman, his powers and more into the dark forces around him. No love story in this one but that’s hints of a possibility in the future.

Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews (*****)
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book captured my imagination from the beginning. The main character, Roman, is hilarious (and hilariously narrated) and completely relatable – exactly the right person to be the main character in a hell-fight of arcane magic with some very serious and complicated Slavic gods.
Roman is a dark priest of Chernobog, and all he wants is a couple of days off over the holiday season. It’s like Die Hard – just give the man a peaceful Christmas at home, will you? And so as soon as Roman’s attitude becomes clear, the book becomes very entertaining at every step. As soon as you laugh along with him, you become invested in him – and then the dramatic magical fights to follow are all the better for it.
This is one of the best books I read in 2024, and I’m keen to learn more about this world and its characters in 2025.

This book was not what I was expecting I was hoping for more of a backstory or something. Though it was an action packed little nugget I felt it could have been longer.

Another brilliant and engaging novella from the masterful writing duo Ilona Andrews! love what they do with characters and their emotional arcs and I enjoy wandering back to this universe and reading about old beloved characters again. This story is an engrossing tale with a lot of Slavic mythological flavor.
I look forward to more stories set in this universe.

Another brilliant and engaging novella from the masterful writing duo Ilona Andrews! The Kate Daniels universe is a series rife with mythology, mystery, action, and romance (though not the center point of this novella, love between two gods is still romance). I’ll never not be amazed at what Andrews can do with only a few pages, how they weave ancient mythology into their futuristic dystopian stories in bitesized increments that I want to gobble up like a starving woman.

Truly. wandering back to this universe, reading about old beloved characters again, is a treat I will keep hoping for time and time again for the rest of my life.

I'm a sucker for folklore fantasy and enjoyed the premise of this book but hoped for more character development.

I love Ilona Andrews and have read all her books. That being said, Roman is a favorite. He has been around for a long time and is a big dangerous softy. The book allowed him to come into his own and of course showcased his many talents. I think romance is in his future and I’m here for it!!

Ich bin ein großer Fan von Ilona Andrews! Sie sind Autobuy-Autoren für mich. Was auch immer sie schreiben, ich werde es lesen. Die Kate Daniels-Serie ist eine meiner Lieblingsserien aller Zeiten. Das World Building ist erstklassig und die Art und Weise, wie sie alle Handlungsstränge miteinander verweben, ist unglaublich. Die Nebencharaktere sind immer ausgefeilt und fügen den Büchern viel hinzu. Ich war begeistert, als ich hörte, dass Roman seine eigene Novelle bekommen würde. Er ist jedermanns Lieblings-Black Volhv.
Ich habe den mürrischen Roman und seine tierischen Außenseiter geliebt! Das hat so viel Spaß gemacht zuzuhören, und ich mochte die neuen Charaktere, die vorgestellt wurden. Ich habe die Stimme des Erzählers geliebt und fand, dass er Roman hervorragend gesprochen hat.
Dies ist ein Buch, das Ihnen gefallen wird, auch wenn Sie neu in der Welt von Kate Daniels sind. Ich habe gesehen, dass es eine Fortsetzung geben wird, also kann ich es kaum erwarten, mehr Roman zu hören!

Love love love everything about this. Roman's story is a refreshing departure from the regular kate crew but with the same wit and flow. Roman is also deep! Love it.

Ordinarily I don't choose audiobooks, but I loved this narrator. I've read the entire series this story is placed in, and only just now learned I've been pronouncing Roman incorrectly in my head! Great plot, and interesting characters, I'm so happy to see Roman take the lead in a story. The world building and mythology in every Ilona Andrews book is top notch.

A fun novella that dives back into Kate Daniel's universe. It's interesting to learn more about Roman, and see what he is truly capable of magically. I wish it was longer, and look forward to the next installment.

This review is for the audio book.

It’s no secret I love Ilona Andrews, so I was all-in when I saw Roman was getting a story! This novella does not disappoint.

The book opens with our favorite Dark Volvh in a mood. He’s kind of mad at his god, Chernobog, he’s out of eggnog, and he thinks one of the many strays he’s taken in may have eaten his cookies. And during all of this, some commotion outside catches his attention. A teenage boy is unconscious and cradling a puppy. A couple of more strays to add to his collection.

This book went in a different direction than I expected, and I loved every moment. Not only did I enjoy being back in the Kate Daniels universe, oddly enough, I didn’t miss Kate. I thought for sure I would miss seeing her as his friend. But this book does a great job of focusing on Roman while preserving the feel of the Kate Daniels books.

I really like Roman, and getting so much of his perspective, his backstory, his life, was something I really enjoyed. I look forward to more books in the Roman Chronicles, and I hope that Ilona Andrews has the time to continue on with the series.

I don’t think they could have found a better narrator. This man’s voice is fantastic. He does well with all of the voices, he does well with the pronunciation of Russian words, and he really made this audiobook that much more enjoyable. Chris Brinkley does an an amazing job.

***Audiobook ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley, but I also bought the ebook

I loved this deeper look at one of my favorite characters from the Kate Daniels world. The audio narrator was great, and really made the story come to life. This was a short book, but well-paced, very well written, and enough cannot be said about the narration choice. I really want more stories featuring Roman and Chernobog, please!

The Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews and narrated by Chris Brinkley is a novella featuring Roman set in the Kate Daniels world. Roman is a Volhv wizard who just wants to be left alone. However, when a wounded boy shows up in his yard with his dog, followed shortly thereafter by elite mercenaries, he has to do what he can to provide sanctuary.

This novella was a short glimpse into the world of Roman and what it means to serve Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death. While I love the spark of Kate Daniels and her Beast Lord, I didn't find Roman to have that same pizzazz. I think that was in part because you didn't have the time to develop the character as much and also because he didn't have someone to fight with the same way. Still, the story was awesome as are all of Ilona's books.

If you love the Kate Daniels series as much as I do, this is just another "Must Read" in the series. If you have never read a Kate Daniels book, you will still enjoy this novella and all that is Roman, however you might be missing a bit of the background that is important in a complex world like this.

I enjoyed listening to Chris Brinkley bring Roman to life in this audiobook. He has that sexy, drawl voice that I love listening to and it made this book even more entertaining. The speed and speech was perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for this advance reader copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

It's a very short story. Roman is really interesting as the main character, the slavic mythology is also interesting, but the events developed very quickly. I think it will get better as the series progresses.

Loved the story - I’ve always wanted to know more about Roman, and this was perfect. Audio was great as well!

This was a fun listen, especially if you're already a fan of the Kate Daniels world. The story centers on Roman, a character who's always been a bit of a wildcard, and it's great to see him step into the spotlight. I enjoyed how the novella delves into Roman's role as a priest for the dark god, Chernobog, and explores the balance he maintains between good and evil.

The narration by Chris Brinkley was solid. He did a great job with the Russian words and really brought Roman's character to life. His deep voice suited the dark, mystical tone of the story, though occasionally, some words were a bit hard to catch.

Overall, Sanctuary is a good addition to the series, and I'm excited to see where Roman's story goes next. If you're into mythology and enjoy a mix of action and humor, this one is worth a listen!

Wonderful narrator that brings the character to life. I hope there are more of the Roman chronicles to enjoy. The animals are also a great addition to the story.

I enjoyed Santuary as it focused on a character who was considered a “baddie” of sorts in the Kate Daniels books but has grown as a character and you see his good side. Seeing him as the hero was refreshing as it is too easy to say a person is good or evil. There are nuances. These are demonstrated when Roman explains his role as Chernobog’s priest. It’s all about keeping the balance. I wish it was more than a novella as I would have like to have more info about the dynamic of his convoluted family and why he became the priest. I’m looking forward to reading more of his story.
Thank you for Netgallery for an advance audiobook in exchange of my hones review.

The Kate Daniels series is my favorite book series. I absolutely love Ilona Andrew's writing. There's always action, magic, humor, mystery, and mythology. The Kate Daniels world is where mythology comes to life through magic, and in Sanctuary, we get Slavic folklore. This novella follows Roman, a Black Volhv for the dark god, Chernabog. Roman was introduced in Magic Slays (Kate Daniels 5), and he's always been a fun and interesting side character for me.

I like that Roman is a priest of a dark god in Kate Daniels world because "someone has to do it." This novella shows a little more of Roman's responsibilities and what is involved with being a priest of any religion in the KD world. I like how kind and caring Roman is and how much he cares about the dark creatures that seem to flock to him. Another great thing about this novella is we learn a little more of Roman's backstory of how he came to be the Black Volhv for the Slavic Pagan society in Altanta.

This is definitely the first half of a larger arc, and Ilona Andrews said in their Q&A session that this is likely going to be a duology. I'm looking forward to getting more insight into such a fun character.

Chris Brinkley does a good job narrating Roman (pronounced Ro-mahn), and I think he did a great job with the more difficult-to-pronounce Russian words. He didn't take me out of the story, and it was easy to follow along with the novella as he spoke. Overall, I really liked Sanctuary when it was a serial, and I like the polish it was given as it was published. I look forward to the next Roman Chronicle and, honestly, anything that Ilona Andrews publishes.

Thanks NetGalley and Ilona Andrews for the AudioARC.