Rating: 1/5
I thought I’d learnt my lesson. But clearly that hasn’t been the case. Not going to lie, this book may have been a careless purchase. I tend to do that when I let my addictions override my rationality.
I have to say I genuinely believed Yarros’ Fourth Wing would reign supreme as my least favourite. But romantasy author, Aurora Ascher’s Sanctuary of The Shadow (2024) might actually have snapped up that position, introducing a fizzled romance with little to no development, poor pacing and too easily resolved plot points.
Honestly, if you are looking for a story where little happens this would be it.
Now on paper, Ascher’s Sanctuary of The Shadow sounded alluring. A carnival housing despised elementals, who use their gifts to earn a living, whilst avoiding humans scarred by the wars incited by The Elemental Queens. Amongst this travelling troupe is a seer called Hallow whose chance encounter with the carnival’s newest attraction, a trapped wraith called Raith (Yep) unlocks passionate desires. Of course there are forces trying to keep them apart. A standard romance, right?
However, when it comes to the execution, Ascher fails to understand that ‘romance’ cannot be the only ingredient for entertainment.
I know this is supposed to be a romantasy but I’m sure some readers will agree the pairing between these two leads is not a match made in heaven. Like a drunk wedding in Las Vegas, the romance between Hallow and Raith is rushed to the point of being unbelievable. Imagine a child playing house with Barbie dolls. Yep. That is the kind of mentality being expressed by these two, incorporating character clichés that will be obvious to readers but apparently not to Hallow and Raith. I mean he killed your mother but sure all is forgiven in the span of an hour.
I wish I could say there is a silver lining to this but there isn’t. While putting so much effort into the romps of her leads, Ascher neglects the plot and the conflicts they face. Everything is easily resolved, mostly with magic. The time jumps just feel like a cheap solution to reducing the word count. The circumstances the leads face aren’t at all threatening. No one dies. And everyone just seems to resolve things by talking it out. As much as we desire a world without physical conflicts, it doesn’t make a great book. Despite what the synopsis leads you to believe, Sanctuary of The Shadow is sadly one of those books that will get readers skimming the pages and would have been best lost in the shadows.
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