Fans of the Kate Daniels series will recognize Roman, the grumpy volhv who serves Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness, and Death. Roman enjoys having time off in late December and prefers to be left alone. However, when an injured, young teen shows up requesting Sanctuary, Roman realizes he’s not going to have a peaceful holiday.

Sanctuary is an entertaining tale from the world of Kate Daniels. It’s reminiscent of the primary series in storytelling, but it’s completely original in plot. The world is filled with interesting characters and mythology. It’s rich and vivid, soulful and fulfilling. Even if you have no clue who Roman is, you will come to love him by the end of this one. It’s a complete story; however now that Roman’s world has been established I need more. Finn, the young boy who turns to Roman for help is going to be a lot of fun.

I admire Roman’s honest and blunt nature. I love the honest and open talk between Roman and Finn as Roman explains what it means to be a priest of a god and how Finn makes a good candidate. Roman is straightforward but not cruel. He’s a marshmallow under his scary exterior and powerful magic.

At the core of the adventure is Roman’s personal journey of self-forgiveness. His journey has been years in the making and the final trip taken with comrades is absolutely lovely.

I know that the authors are juggling several (amazing) projects; however, I truly hope they find time to revisit Roman soon.

My rating: A-

I have only read books 1-5 in the Kate Daniels series, so I have not yet come to the book where Roman first appears. I wasn't sure if I would feel like I was missing information going into this novella, but since that didn't stop me from completely loving Iron and Magic, I decided to enthusiastically dive in.

Roman's book was genuinely fun to read. There was a lot of information needed to understand his character, but it was all nicely explained without it slowing the pace. I loved Ilona Andrews' take on Slavic mythology and it made me so curious to learn more about it! (They actually have an essay on the topic at the end of the novel too, which was such a treat!)

Since this is a novella, there was a lot to pack in, but there was a perfect balance of history, mystery, and action. I love how Ilona Andrews can write a book about a side character in a well-established series and still make it feel fresh and able to stand on its own. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment of Roman, and hopefully seeing more of Vasilisa.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Purchased. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I always love a new book by Ilona Andrews and am honored to get to read and review, Sanctuary. The story further develops a character in the Kate Daniels world. Roman is part of the Slavic mythology serving Chernobog. As a dark god, you would think he would be evil. But dark and light are just the two sides to the world, keeping a balance, not actually good and evil.

Roman is trying to help keep things in balance, and also works to protect humans and more vulnerable creatures. We find him right before Winter Solstice when he is supposed to have a vacation. But Chernobog has him busy to try to appease his wife, Morena. Roman's family also has some expectations. That's before a child comes to him and says "Sanctuary."

There is much to enjoy here and the layers of stories which make a shorter book even more interesting. First, there's the boy and why he is on the run with his dog. Next, the unusual dissonance between Chernobog and Morena. Most importantly, there is the development of Roman so we know him better and his personal growth as he handles these issues.

As usual, the wordcraft and pacing, along with character development are stellar. I enjoyed reading so much. The subtle undertone of humor is precious. The Slavic themes are interesting to me and their role in this world. I look forward to more of Roman's story!

I loved Roman’s voice in this novel, and I really enjoyed being immersed in the Kate Daniels world again. The neo-pagans magic system gets explored from a different perspective in this short story, whereas Kate’s magic is inherent and blood based (as is Curran’s and Julie/Aurelia’s); Roman’s comes directly from his relationship with his god. It is a very interesting distinction that immediately gets spotlighted, and it added a very interesting new dimension to how Roman solved problems.

I also really enjoyed the nechist that Roman lives with and cares for, and very much enjoyed seeing Roman in his caretaking role in this story. The explanations about Slavic folklore and the basis of these creatures at the end of the short story were also informative, and I loved seeing them incorporated into the world.

The plot in this short story is interesting and picks up immediately, resolving satisfactorily while still leaving very good leads into future works. Without being too specific for spoiler reasons, I’ll simply say that it was great to learn more about Roman’s past, and the factors (both familial and religious) that lead to him becoming the grumpy Eeyore pyjama wearing badass we know him as. There’s still a lot to be explored in any future works though, especially regarding the new characters introduced in this story.

I’d recommend Sanctuary to fans of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid series or Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series. There doesn’t seem to be much to specify a timeline in relation to the Kate Daniels or Kate Daniels World (Aurelia Ryder, Iron and Magic, Wilmington Years etc) so this novella could work to see if new readers liked the tone of the world, and old fans have probably pre-ordered Sanctuary already. I think the novella would appeal to anyone who enjoys folklore based urban fantasy with humour, great world-building and a strong character voice.

For those who waited to read the serial about Roman until it became a book, wait no more. It is everything we wanted and more. A fan favourite, Eeyore pajama wearing Roman receives his original story. His childhood and coming of age is just as depressing and dark as anticipated. I loved it! This is a must read book. There are a few differences between the book and the serial version. They only enhanced the story. Buy this book now.

Roman would like to celebrate Christmas by himself. All he wants is a bit of peace and quiet. The reasons why become apparent as the story unfolds. It does all start with a missing egg nog and adorable little creatures trying to make him feel better. I appreciate the differentiation between dark and evil in this story. I love how winter and death are explained for those who are so set against the season and concept.

This story contains wit, sorrow, regret, groveling apologizes, absolution, and redemption. It is glorious. This story only makes me fall even more in love with Roman. Several new characters are introduced as a supporting cast. I cannot wait to see how they play a bigger part in Roman's series. This is a fantastic start to a secondary character who won the BDH's heart. Highly recommended to all readers, new and existing to Ilona Andrews.

This is an awesome addition to the Kate Daniels world! I love the characters and how nuanced they are. These are people who feel real. Except for the magic, you could meet them and interact with them in the real world. They are what I like to call 3-dimensional characters. They have good days and bad days. They have emotional ups and downs like we all do. In the end, they do what is best for their world and society. I love Roman's philosophy and beliefs; very pragmatic and outward facing. He may want to do the selfish thing but in the end, he does what is best for others and the world around him. He doesn't ignore those needing assistance and doesn't back down from those serving selfish desires.

Ilona Andrews' Sanctuary is a novella featuring Roman, our favorite Volhv wizard who is Priest of a Dark God known as Chernobog. This story takes place in Kate Daniels world. It’s not easy serving the Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death, and end of everything. Especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.

Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy named Finn stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in until Finn's sister is able to come and rescue him. Finn's arrival with what appears to be a wolf pup, also brings an elite group mercenaries to his door step. These mercenaries want Finn, and refuse to take no for an answer. They even bring along a dangerous priest with strange arcane magic.

They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it's a fight to the death, but for him, it's just another day in the neighborhood. Then comes a girl named Vasylisa (Heroine of countless folklore tails, a woman with magic, and secret knowledge) who Roman once knew by another name. A girl who you may or may not have turned into snakes when you were children.

To me, Roman has always been a curious character, especially with his banter with Kate and Curran. Roman's backstory and how he became Chernobog's volhv will definitely appeal to readers, as well as his past with Vasylisa. Romans little menagerie was just the icing on the cake. I do think the ending is very open ended. There are things that likely should have been expanded upon, and the lingering questions left be up in the air about my overall rating.

Amazon claims this is book # 1 of the Roman Chronicles? So, does that confirm there will be more books? Also, what happened to the Aurelia Ryder series and the Iron Covenant series? From the release schedule on the authors web page, it appears yet another series will be releasing in 2026?

Everyone loves Roman!

Actually maybe there isn’t much difference between this story and the 90's sitcom. Roman, like Raymond, has crazy parents always trying to drop by, the jealous brother but Roman has magical critters instead of kids and venison stew instead of lemon chicken

Roman is everyone’s favorite dark volhv from the Kate Daniels series. He serves the Pagen God Chernobog, God of Destruction, Darkness and Death, because someone’s gotta do it.

Roman finds a teenaged boy collapsed on his property and the only thing the kid says is Santuary. Roman takes him in and while the kid won’t tell who he is hiding from, Roman doesn’t have to wait long for mercenaries to show up trying to take the kid away. They made a mistake trying to attack a volhv of Chernobog on his consecrated lands and we have an exciting standoff between mercs and magic.

Roman unfortunately has more problems than just mercenaries at the door. Roman only insists on having three days off each year--from December 23 to 25th--and not so he can partake in holiday festivities but so he can hide away from them. But this year it seems Chernobog and the Mrs have had a fight and Roman keeps finding himself being dragged down to Nav — the Pagen hellscape — so he can drag a fir tree across the frozen landscape. Chernobog is trying to make it up to his wife with a little gift so the Mrs (a/ka/ the Goddess Morena) can decorate a tree for the holidays — it seems every religion enjoys a pretty holiday tree. Roman is not a fan of being dragged into marital spats whether between his parents or his God, but especially not on his promised days off.

THOUGHTS:
I am not kidding about how much fans of the Kate Daniels series love our Dark Volhv Roman. One of my favorite scenes is when Kate and Curran ask Roman to officiate their wedding and how excited he got since no one ever asks him to officiate anything nice. "When some supernatural filth tries to carry off the children, call Roman so he can wade through blood and sewage to rescue them, but when it's something nice like a wedding or a naming, oh no, we can't have Chernobog's volhv involved. It's bad luck. Get Nikolai. When he finds out who I'm going to marry, he'll have an aneurysm. His head will explode. It's good that he's a doctor, maybe he can treat himself." Magic Shifts.

This story was originally released as a free weekly serial (without the ending) and anyone who was reading along each Friday will be  sad and happy to find out that we don't get all the answers to all the questions in the epilogue or the extra bonus scene.  It should be noted that this books is listed as Book 1 of Roman's Chronicles.  YES!!!  That means while we might not have all our answers, Book 1 says there will be more Roman stories. The downside is that Ilona and Gordon have talked about their current full workload so it may be quite awhile before we get back to Roman and Finn.  :(

A whole world contained within a few pages

I used to marvel at those readers of times past, starting in the second half of the nineteenth century, when most books were first published as serials and how they could stand the suspense and excitement of always having to wait for the next instalment. And then I came across Ilona Andrews’ blog where for many years now they published their Innkeeper Chronicles for free and I found myself each Friday/Saturday anxiously waiting for the latest instalment to drop. Although I bought all their stories as soon as they came out in book form, I was never able to contain myself and always read the stories first on their blog.

This year’s serialized story was about Roman, a supporting character from their Kate Daniels world Roman is a Black Volhv, a priest or human conduit for the Slavic deity Chernobog. Roman is kind of a recluse, living alone in the woods, minding his own business and looking forward to a bit of down time over the Christmas holidays. Despite serving the god of Destruction, Darkness and Death, Roman is a big old softie who can’t turn away a creature in need, especially magical critters. So, when a boy and his puppy land on his doorstep asking for sanctuary he can’t say no. Already feeling put upon by his mother laying a guilt trip on him (a hilarious scene) and having his peace disturbed, he turns stubborn when some mercenaries appear, wanting Roman to hand over the boy, thinking he will be easily defeated as he only one man…

I love how Ilona Andrews weave Slavic mythology into their Urban Fantasy and how with only a few sentences they can magically evoke whole worlds, peopled with fantastical, yet relatable characters that step right of the page. And the pacing of the action that propels the story forward is done so deftly and unobtrusively, that it keeps you glued to the pages, wanting to find out what happens next. The story takes some unexpected turns, Roman helps save the boy, gets into the good graces of not only his God and on top of that he also meets his match.

I really hope there will be more Roman stories to come, as this novella has only whetted my appetite.

***Thank you to Netgalley and NYLA for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts here are my own and may not reflect the opinions of others.***

I loved Roman in the KD series and am absolutely thrilled that he got his own spin-off. I have always loved how House Andrews put their own spin on mythology and Book 1 in this series was no exception. We get to know how Roman became the dark, broody, bitter black coffee sipping volhv we all love, and we love him even more now. At least I do :)

Roman is taking his annual well deserved vacation from volhv duties during Koliada, the winter festival, when he finds himself forcefully pulled back into service by god Chernobog as a peace offering to his wife, goddess Morena. Angry with the god, he goes to find eggnog and cookies to improve his mood but instead finds an unconscious kid in his backyard with a black puppy. The kid, Finn, asks for "Sanctuary" when woken up. The plot follows Roman taking Finn under his wing, and protecting him from the threats that were sure to come knocking at his door following the boy. Because as it turns out, Finn is fighting his calling of becoming a volhv and hence dealing with the consequences and Roman helps him navigate this territory. We also get to see a different side of Roman, a soft gooey side, taking care of assorted lonely and pitiful creatures, and of course he had to take them in, because, <quote>"what else was he supposed to do? Toss them into garbage?"<quote>

We also got a new badass lady character Andora, who came to save Roman's ass at the last minute. I loved Dora, and I am shipping her with Roman with everything I have got. He has finally met his match. I hope they get together in the coming books and the lonely volhv gets his well deserved happy ending.

This was altogether a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to the coming books in the series. Apart from those who wanted to see Roman in his own series, people who love mythology, humorous and witty dialogues, and magical duels, will all find this book enjoyable.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211202747-sanctuary" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Sanctuary (Roman’s Chronicles, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1712894133l/211202747._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211202747-sanctuary">Sanctuary</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21748.Ilona_Andrews">Ilona Andrews</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6710362238">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Interested in learning more about Roman and what being a volhv is about? Want a novella where the good guy/servant of a dark god battles the bad guys while wearing Eeyore slippers? Like snark? If so, you'll enjoy this one. Make sure to read the short story that follows it, Kind Regards, which wraps up the current story neatly. <br /><br />Are all the loose ends tied? No. This is book 1 in the series. However, most of them are, so you should feel comfortable reading this as a standalone while waiting for the next one to come out.<br /><br />Thanks to NetGalley and Ilona Andrews for the ARC!
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4458758-corrine">View all my reviews</a>

Roman is a memorable character in the Kate Daniel’s books so it was fun to read something about his life without any other characters taking the focus. The book was written so well and I was bummed when the book finished. The story line is unique and overall it was an amazing read like all of Ilona and Gordon’s work.

I read the free postings of this story when they were published online and enjoyed it. The subtle changes and editing only made the story better. Having more depth for characters is welcome and this provided so much.
Want to have a deeper understanding of Roman? You MUST read this.

This review is my opinion and my opinion only. This is a short story that gives us a seek peak in Roman Tihomirov’s life. He is Chernobog’s priest. Chernobog is the God of Destruction, and Roman is considered the his priest of darkness. We met Roman in the Kate Daniel’s series (which is an awesome series).
This glimpse takes place during Christmas, and Roman is in a dark place in his life and with his god, An injured young man named Finn asked for Sanctuary, WHY, you say??? My answer is to read this story.
This short story left me craving for more of Roman. I would love a spin off series about him. He is a complicated and charismatic character.
The quality of writing of the team of Ilona Andrews is amazing. They know how to get your attention and keep it. It was very hard to put the book down to do my everyday tasks.
I highly recommend this book and I beg for at least one full length novel of Roman.

Roman’s Chronicles!

Roman Tihomirov knew he was supposed to have the next few days off from being the Black Volhv for his God, Chernobog, but that changed when a frozen teenager asked for sanctuary. Now Roman has a teenager in his house being tracked by a bunch of mercenaries that want to take him. Roman wants to find out why they want to take him but now they are pissing him off and he has the wrong god to mess with.

I was thrilled to know more about Roman and his god and find out that hopefully will be more books about Roman’s Chronicles whenever they are written.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so happy to see this novella from Ilona Andrews. Roman is trying to enjoy his few days off at Christmas when a young boy comes to his house, asks for sanctuary, and then passes out. A little while later his house is surrounded by people trying to take the boy. Roman has to use his magic to protect his home and the boy. He also has to find out why this boy is so special.

My only complaint about this book was that it was too short. I wanted more. There was an additional short story at the end of this novella but it was not tied into this story. The novella was filled with action and a little back story. I loved every minute of it and can't wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for this ARC.

For any fans of the Kate Daniels series, a book from Roman's point of view is a great treat. For those not familiar with the world, this book works absolutely fine as a standalone.

Roman is a priest and vessel of Chernabog, God of Darkness, Death and other such fun stuff. Despite living in the middle of heavily-warded woods, an exhausted boy arrives at his house and asks for sanctuary. Offering that sanctuary then brings a whole host of other people, keen to test Roman's defences and patience.

The Kate Daniels world is always great for combining mythology and magic, and this was no exception. This story has a lot of references to Slavic mythology, all of which is well explained. There's also a glossary in the back, which I really should have referred to as it took me a while to get my head round some of the different words.

From a character perspective, Roman was an absolute delight to delve further into. I very much appreciated how thoroughly grumpy he was for most of the book, but that he still took the time to do his duty while sulking.

Thoroughly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mythology-based urban fantasy.

This is a book that blends elements of history and fantasy. This book explores the interplay between past events and speculative futures. It offers rich narratives and thought-provoking themes. The combination of Russian tales with a magical future setting create a unique and immersive experience.

Just buy it and read it – you’ll love it…

Sanctuary opens humorously, with mysteriously missing Christmas cookies and eggnog. Although the protagonist, Roman, explains to us in detail why Santa can’t exist, perhaps he really does, and has made an unexpected visit? (Sadly for St. Nick fans, the explanation is more prosaic…)

Things escalate quickly, however, when a teenage boy, Finn, is found by Roman’s pet critters, the nechist, and asks for sanctuary. Although Roman states at the time that he’s not a Catholic priest, he also notes that asking for sanctuary implies that there is someone chasing you. And sure enough, there are lots of people after Finn, each group nastier than the one before. Luckily, although Roman isn’t a Catholic cleric, he IS the Black Volhv, the priest of Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death. So he’s pretty tough, and it turns out Finn has a bit of power too.

Sanctuary isn’t just about sanctuary, though. There’s the not-so-small matter of the marital tiff between Chernobog and his wife, the goddess Morena. Although they say you never really know what’s going on inside someone else’s marriage, somehow Roman has unwillingly ended up in the middle of that too. His past isn’t a piece of cake either. And then, of course, there’s the fierce and gorgeous Vasylisa…

Technically, Sanctuary, the first in the new Roman’s Chronicles series, is set in the authors’ Kate Daniels world, which is already pretty well developed. But Sanctuary is a very different take on the back-story of that world – much more Slavic/Norse/Pagan than Mesopotamian/Babylonian. So you can easily enjoy Sanctuary even if it has been a long time since you picked up a Kate Daniels book. Or even if you’ve never picked up a Kate Daniels book! There are a few Easter eggs scattered here-and-there for Ilona Andrews aficionados, but nothing that impacts the main story. As always, the authors do a great job of filling in necessary background so subtly that it’s virtually unnoticeable. And if you want even more, there’s a lot of additional info in the back of the book as well.

Finally, I have been amused to find that at some points during Sanctuary, I very much appreciated Timothy Snyder’s Yale web course on Ukrainian history that I watched a while back with my husband. For example, when, towards the end of the book, the authors describe the Vasylisa’s sword as looking like “something that came out of Kievan Russ burial grounds, an artifact from 1,200 years ago, when the Varangian army of Viking mercenaries clashed with Khazars over the control of the fertile Eurasian plains”, I was able to nod my head sagely, and say, “Of course I knew that the Vikings came down the Dnieper river to capture Kiev and establish Kievan Russ. And that they fought more than a battle or two in the process. That was in the sixth lecture…” Which simply highlights the huge amount of effort the author duo of Ilona Andrews put into realistic backgrounds for their stories. Which is something I, for one, really, really appreciate.

Sanctuary is available July 30, and my thanks to the authors, NYLA, and Net Galley for the review copy.

I had the pleasure of reading this book as a serial before it reached this book form, and it didn't change all that much. A bit more was added to tie it all together and an extra chapter and small bonus story was added. DO NOT read them before rereading the rest of the book, though. Their origins were one of the threads that was woven back through the serial.

Ilona Andrews never disappoints.