Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this Arc.

Please be mindful of the trigger warnings for this book but also, this is a dystopian so expect what you would expect from anything else from this Genre.

Won't be able to review this properly because I'm in such a rush. I wanted to get this review out at least a month before but I genuinely just could not and for that I apologise. This definitely impacted my review and I think it should be noted.

This story centres around a woman named Petra, who enters the Cloistered City to find out what happened to his brother. I really liked this plot but the mystery was explained around 35% of the book and then we basically moved on. Also, without spoiling, immediately after this something shocking and life changing happens but I felt like they didn’t have proper reactions to this. Why was Rand not more angry?

I enjoyed the writing, I think it fit the story very well and set the uncomfortable tone of the place. In terms of actual character development, I expected more. This should be a book series. I want to see more of Petra and Rand.

All in all a good read but should have been longer or part of a bigger series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bree M. Lewandowski for allowing me to read this ARC. This book definitely took a different turn than what I was excepting. I loved how she portrayed two bonded people! This was a great quick read.

Publishing date: 01.09.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookbuzz.net for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: A "premium" cup of coffee, not sure if I like the taste yet
The book left me: In no particular way

Negatives:
Insta-love
Really unlikable protagonist
Very sudden plot switch
Rushed and unsatisfying ending
Calling each other "husband" and "wife"

Positives:
Some cool scenes and scenery

Features:
Small protagonist with a big love interest, insta-love, lots of job and class switches, plot switch about hallway through, kind of fated-mates but more connected-mates, some type of magic

Why did I choose this one?
The blurb I read seemed interesting. I was also craving some romance at the time

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
In-between. A little hard to get into (what was that first chapter??? Trigger warning next time, thanks). After about 30-35% it got a little more interesting. Got a little bored with the brother plot after the main character mentioned him about 5 or 6 times in a single chapter.

What was the vibe and mood?
It is kind of hard to describe exactly what this book feels like. It is full of higher ranking people always looking down on you, a city that feels like a maze, a little bit like the optimal "productivity-society" where everyone works all the time

Final ranking and star rating?
3 stars, C tier. Hmm, my expectations were not present while reading. Even so, I felt like it didn't meet them. The most important part of the book, the romance, is almost the biggest let down. These characters I feel have no chemistry. They fall in love with each other for no reason at all.
Also, we are allowed to use each other's names or just "you" instead of "husband" and "wife" when talking to each other. This is a minor gripe, but gets really annoying.
The world itself is interesting, if a little stressful. Would like to explore the politics here a little more.
Okay book, but not really for me

Romantasy, secrets, vows... Well this book was very good even better than I thought. Petra really was an interesting characters and the romance part with the captain was really interesting

Sanctuary
by Bree M. Lewandowski

Firstly, Thanks NetGalley and the team at Independently Published for the kindle arc 🥰

I picked up Sanctuary looking for something easy to read. This book delivered on that front.

Blurb summarised;
We start the story following Petra Ondise as she manurers her way into the House of Couriers trying to uncover why her brother was killed.

We then meet mysterious Third Shivalry Captain Rand Tsenturian who is introduced as the love interest.
Due to grief (and stupidity) An ancient incantation is said and destiny takes over. Now she is Sacred. He is her Sacrifice, and the walls of the Cloistered City will not be able to hold them.

Now onto my thoughts;
*** Slight spoilers (but not really) ***
we spend the first part of the book following Petra as her sole focus is to uncover the truth surrounding her brothers death. This is the storyline that hooked me and made me want to finish reading it.
Sadly it was uncovered very early on and we are thrown into a completely new storyline that takes centre stage.
We are faced with a potential war and an emperor who seems to want to destroy tradition.
There was so much chopping and changing of plot points with in a short timeframe we lose the importance and impact of key deaths. I feel like some plot points you could see coming as they are often overused.

That being said, it’s an easy read but I don’t think I will be reaching for a sequel of the author continues on in the built world.
📚

I tried to get into the story but the beginning wasn't for me and after that I couldn't get into the story more. Sadly I have to leave this one as dnf.

2🌟

I really wanted to like this book because the premise of it is so interesting….but it fell so so flat for me. I considered DNFing multiple times but since I received an ARC I thought it more dutiful to see the story through to the end for an honest review.

Petra is on a mission to discover the truth of her brother’s death and inadvertently enacts a magical sanction between her and Rand. I don’t understand this “sacrifice” at all. Somehow this magical connection leads to insta-love because I also didn’t understand how the two characters actually found attraction between them. Maybe it’s real, maybe it’s the connection? Either way, I wasn’t invested in them as individuals or as a couple.

The most annoying part of this story was Petra’s inner monologues. Nothing ruins a book quicker for me than an annoying FMC and that just about it did it. This story has many dark descriptive themes to it and I don’t mind that at all but I felt none of it served the story. It certainly grabbed my attention in the very beginning but the story did not unfold at all how I imagined.

I love seeing that others enjoyed this story but I really struggled to get through it. The writing was just not it for me and my tastes and that’s ok! You may love it!

**Reader Disclaimer**
I was provided a free copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an open and honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. Thank you, Net Galley and the author for the honor of reading this book!

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for approving the eARC of this one which I started late, nevertheless I enjoyed every bit of this.

This book deserves a separate ovation for the beautiful writing style. I mean I was swept off by the charm of the words. The prose is so deep and magical that you can feel the aura of the words dissolving right there in your heart.

The book is first to base a romantic arc with an unconventional twist. The narrative takes its inspiration from the fairytale world of Cinderella, and takes us to the world of LOTR where we find battles, ferocious armies and a chivalrous Shivalry Captain Rand Tsenturian. I loved the character development of both the mcs and the sparks of the slow burn.

The ending was nice, but I was yearning for a proper resolution and was looking forward to the life of Petra and Rand as a family. This one is a sweet take on love filled with the magic of the centuries, and some vows which bond people together for eternities.

The premise of this book had a lot of potential - Petra makes her way into the Cloistered City to uncover the truth of her brother's death, putting up with the most brutal of treatment, and by chance meets Rand, an elite military captain, who has secrets of his own. Through a series of misunderstandings, and a curse, a forced proximity romance unravels.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t hit the mark. The characters felt really out of place to the setting, and romance was rushed and felt forced. **Also, maybe I missed it but this book should’ve had a trigger warning for some of the graphic events that happen** Quite a few bad things happen with no resolution and ultimately felt brushed over. I really wanted to enjoy this book because the storyline had a lot of potential but it missed the mark for me to fully enjoy it.

Petra earns her way into servitude in the Cloistered City, run by their emperor, the societies elite, and all-powerful captains called the Shivarly, in order to discover how her brother truly died.

Not believing her brother would take his own life, she finds every opportunity to advance into his previous role, to get to the bottom of what she assumes is his murder. Doing so places her in the path of a Shiv captain who seems less than happy to participate in the overt abuse towards the indentured slaves of the city. In her grief at finding him aware of her brothers death and a dose of ethereal magic, she binds them together for all eternity, much to both of their horror. How will he be able to maintain his vows to his city, as well as the new addition to his life?

*****

This book had so much potential to be a fantastic fantasy series. She laid down an intriguing world, shady characters, a conniving emperor, and wove stories of magic and myths through it. Then she cut it off at the legs.

I was astounded when the book ended where it did. It felt like she was just fleshing out the main characters and their motivations. We were going to see the impact of their time in Mynydd when they returned to the Cloistered City, and get the political fallout, experience the adjustment to life with their own roles and responsibilities, and see their love story develop. Instead, it just ends. I would have loved to see how a character like Rand works to dismantle the oppressive society he lives within, as he so clearly wants to do. How they live with the fourth Shivalry captain meddling about and his horrible ways. How the emperor responds to his plans being foiled and the complex nature of the Sacred/Sacrifice. As well as Petra finding her place in her new role and a society that is loathe to embrace her.

Having this as a standalone makes the lack of continuation in the development of the novel, stunt its overall impact. If this was a first book? I would be thrilled to wait to read a second or third. As this is all we get? It's lacking so so much. Why are there so many loose ends? Why was her brothers death solved so quickly and without any further reprocussions? What about his friends and colleagues? Why do we not get more of the slavery and shady politics that are immersed in her role in the garment house and as a courier? Why do we not get more of the emperor? There's bread crumbs everywhere in the story that elude to grander things and background history, yet none of it is explored in any depth. The magical and sacred garden is just a blip in the storyline, but so much more of the world could have been explained through how and why they have access to the Vale, and what the purpose is.

Due to the gaps, instead of being left satisfied by mystery and intrigue, we've let to discover, I find myself disappointed. Other than that, the book was well written. The voice carried through beautifully, and the pace was quick and exciting. I did find Petra a bit annoying with her jumping to conclusions about who could be involved with her brother and to what extent, and in the end, what seemed to be her driving force just dying off the second she solved how he passed. Other than that, I loved it, and honestly, I hope the author decides to pursue turning this into a trilogy so she can flesh out some of those unanswered questions.


*****

Thank you, NetGalley and Bree M. Lewandowski - for the digital ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to diving into Sanctuary by Bree M. Lewandowski, given its intriguing premise. Unfortunately, this debut fell flat for me.

From the outset, I struggled to connect with Petra, the protagonist. Her introduction into the emperor's service felt forced and lacked the depth I was hoping for. The early chapters were filled with a sense of isolation as Petra barely interacted with anyone. Even her first encounter with the male lead was underwhelming.

While I understand that the book might appeal to others, Sanctuary simply didn't resonate with me. I found myself skimming through pages, waiting for something to spark my interest. Perhaps the story will pick up later on, but based on my experience, I'm afraid I won't be continuing the series.

This was a hard slog of a read. I was unable to empathise with any o f the characters. The world that it was set in seemed based in the Far East. There was no character development and the ending was rather abrupt.

Sanctuary is so good. I loved to read this story. I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic and the story is an example of creativity.

The story follows Petra Ondise, a determined young woman bound by the memory of her deceased brother, a loyal courier to the crown. As she delves into the enigmatic world of the House of Couriers, her quest for truth becomes entwined with destiny, and she discovers secrets that challenge her understanding of love, loyalty, and sacrifice. Lewandowski’s prose is both evocative and immersive, painting vivid landscapes and intricate character dynamics. The backdrop of the royal city, with its rich lore and political machinations, draws readers into a world where every whisper carries weight and every shadow holds secrets. The Festival of the Late Harvest Moon serves as a powerful emotional and thematic anchor, providing a palpable sense of urgency and anticipation throughout the narrative.
Petra's journey from a humble maid to a pivotal figure within the House of Couriers is both inspirational and deeply human. As she uncovers the truth behind her brother's untimely death, her encounters with Third Shivalry Captain Rand Tsenturian shift the narrative into a realm of romantic tension and moral dilemmas. Rand, with his haunting dark red eyes and complex backstory, serves as both a protector and a catalyst for Petra’s transformation, embodying the enigmatic allure of forbidden love.
The themes of sacrifice and destiny are central to the novel, particularly as Petra and Rand navigate their evolving relationship amidst the constraints of their roles. The ancient garden hidden within the emperor’s palace symbolizes a sanctuary not just from the harsh realities of their world but from themselves as well. Here, the incantation that binds them captures the heart of the narrative—the allure of destiny drawing them together while simultaneously threatening to tear them apart.
Overall, I highly recommended read for fans of fantasy and romance alike. This book poses profound questions about loyalty and the sacrifices one must make for those they hold dear. With its rich world-building, complex characters, and an engaging blend of romance and adventure, Lewandowski's debut stands out as a remarkable entry in the fantasy genre.

A promising fantasy romance, it had all the markers of being a potentially good book. I was so bored the first couple chapters that I thumbed through the rest of the pages. This just wasn't the book for me.

Sanctuary swept me away to a world where Petra Ondise, driven by a vow to her late brother, rises from her humble beginnings to join the prestigious House of Couriers. As she tries to find out more about her brother’s mysterious death, she encounters the enigmatic Captain Rand Tsenturian and uncovers a web of secrets entwining them both. The romance and fantasy elements are skillfully woven together, creating a story full of intrigue and emotional depth. y with a compelling love story, making it an immersive and memorable read.

Ready for a fantasy romance that'll sweep you off your feet? ✨ Sanctuary is where magic and passion collide! Follow Petra as she leaves her mundane life behind to uncover the truth about her brother’s death and finds herself entangled with the mysterious Captain Rand Tsenturian. With secrets, ancient spells, and a romance that defies destiny, this book is a total page-turner. If you’re into epic love stories and fantasy adventures, this one’s for you! 💫📚❤️

I wanted to give this book a fair chance, but the reality was I couldn't get past the first chapter. I am sure this has an audience out there, but I am not it. The first chapter was such a turn off that I had no interest in reading the rest of the book.

I was drawn to this book because of the cover. The blurb sounded interesting so thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into the writing style. I am so used to reading books in first person, I really struggled that this wasn't. Also I know the first couple of chapters are scene setting, and the book is about Petra finding out what happened to her brother, but it felt like he was mentioned on every single page.
The premise of the book sounds really interesting, so I'm sure for some readers this is going to turn out to be a great book, it just wasn't for me.