For the fans of House Andrews and the fans of Roman, which we all probably are if we are reading this book, this is an excellent addition to the KD world and a very nice start to the Roman part of it.
The writing and characterization aside, coz no bad stuff from the Andrews in that aspect ever, the story itself was so much fun. Getting Roman's history, his family dynamics, from his pov, and how he came about being the Black Volhv , this story clears all of that up so well. The fights against the mercs was magical and messy , The new characters and mythology was very cool, just the way we like it. Fair warning, there is no romance, YET. But we shall hold out hope for that one.

All in all, finished this in one go, smack in the middle of the night. And would do it again. Coz , worth it.

Excellent book.
I won an advanced copy.

Roman just wants to enjoy his holiday (misery) by his lonesome. This is not his favorite time of year. With his critters to keep him company he can enjoy his cookies and eggnog in peace.

Finn is brought to his attention, in a unique way, by Roman’s critters. At first, Finn does not say much, but Roman has a feeling… Finn is running from something, someone. Maybe a few someone’s.

Saying more would give too much away. Epic battles, a plot twist or two, surprises, good and bad, epic plot, and a good ending. Snark too. I do love Roman. Good character.

Very good book.

Ilona Andrews books are the kind of books I read over and over again and the Kate Daniels world the most. So it was a no brainer that when I knew this book was coming out I knew I would need to read it. I may have squealed when my Netgalley wish was granted. I have always loved Ramon and was eager to read more about him and from his perspective. This book did not disappoint. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did an ok job although it wasn’t quite the voice for Ramon I had imagined or hoped for. Ramon isn’t the priest anyone chooses to come to. He serves a dark god, but when he wanders outside and finds a bleeding teenaged boy on his property he is confused. When the boy wakes up only to speak “sanctuary” he’s beyond curious but also the type of dark priest that no one should plan on crossing.

Sanctuary is a story about Roman, the Black Vholv, who provides sanctuary for a boy being hunted by a variety of supernatural bad guys. The narrator is excellent and I’m always happy to get a new story in this wonderful world.

While Roman is one of my favorite secondary characters, this isn’t my favorite of the side stories. There’s a lot of magical fighting and a good bit of interesting explanations of the Russian mythology around the various characters. As a novella, there’s less relationship building or plot outside of the fighting. It’s still very enjoyable, though. There’s some excellent dialogue, new characters, fascinating creatures, and a visit to Nav (a sort of alternate reality underworld.) I think the book works well as an introduction to a new series and the epilogue is great.

Set in the world of Kate Daniels but she doesn’t make an appearance in this story. Roman wakes up to find a teen boy and his puppy asking for sanctuary from a group of mercenaries chasing him he doesn’t refuse to help. Few people would ask a priest of Chernobog for help. This story introduces some new characters and give a wonderful backstory to Roman for fans of the series. A great stepping into point for this series for a new reader and fun for long time fans of the series. The audio book was a lot of fun to listen to and I enjoyed the narrator.