Harrow is a Seer – someone who uses Water magic to search for the truth. She is the last of her kind, as her entire race was eradicated 50 years ago due to the ongoing conflict between the Queen sisters of her land. So she hides her true identity while working as a fortune teller for a traveling circus full of other magical beings like her. Lately, she’s been having troubling visions that imply someone in trouble needs her help. Then one day, the ringleader Salizar brings back his latest attraction – a mysterious, unknown shadowy being. And Harrow can’t help but feel like this is the someone who her magic has been speaking about. Once she meets him, she begins a journey that she can’t walk away from. Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher is a paranormal romance in which Harrow must trust her powers to help the being overcome it’s dark ties to those in power, and frees herself from her own dark past.
In the days after meeting Raith – the name the creature has given himself – Harrow learns that he has no memory of his life before waking up in the desert and then being captured and sold to Salizar. Compelled to help him, Harrow and her best friend Malaikah execute an escape plan. But both women know that Harrow can’t return to the troupe if she goes through with this. Even so, Harrow decides to follow through and escapes with Raith. Unfortunately, Salizar isn’t the only one they have to avoid. Others are looking for Raith, and she might not be able to keep him safe from everyone.
During their time together, Harrow tries to figure out exactly what kind of being Raith is. Based on rumors alone, Raith appears to be what he sounds like – a wraith. Unfortunately, humans and magical creatures alike fear and view wraiths as monstrosities. The Fire Queen used them to commit evil and unspeakable acts in retaliation against her sister – including eradicating the entire Seer population. But Harrow doesn’t believe that Raith could be one of these. After all, the Water would have told her so. And in her quest to help Raith find peace and safety, she inevitably learns the truths of her sensed connection to him. Additionally, they’ve developed strong feelings towards one another – which definitely complicates any possibility of reconciling with what they find.
Ascher gets points for creativity and reader engagement in Sanctuary of the Shadow. She created an interesting fantasy world for readers to dive into, with Elementals, Hybrids, humans, Queens, and more. I also enjoyed the dialogue between characters – the conversations and relationships felt natural. Fair warning to those who care – there’s plenty of spice in the story. Personally, I do not shy away from on-the-page sex scenes. But those who are uncomfortable with the content can skip without missing much of the plot. Those who enjoy, however, will definitely get their fill without it overtaking the point of the story.
That being said, the author could have given us more details about her world. Obviously everything was well-thought out and fleshed, but I felt she could have done more. For example, the cover and chapter art features a circus tent, but it’s presented as a backdrop rather than the main environment of the story. I expected (and wanted) more circus time on the page. Additionally, the connection between Harrow and Raith was pretty obvious early on. Once readers figure it out, we’re left waiting for the predicament between the star-crossed lovers to reveal itself. Even so, I can’t wait for additional works to dive deeper into other characters – Malaikah, Salizar, and the Oracle could have novels of their very own. And I’m here for it.
Aurora Ascher joins the Cantina Book Club podcast to talk about what draws her to paranormal romance and the challenges of alternating POVs. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode and preorder Sanctuary of the Shadow, available January 9.
