I LOOOVE this book. I love a “why choose” romance. The relationships between Michael, Asmodeous and Lily are absolutely insane and definitely riveting from the beginning of the book bc since when do Archangels and archdemons work together and develop friendships? The Cameos from : Death, War, Gabriel, Uriel, hectate, God and Lilith make this book everything. The banter between death and lily is actually comical. I can’t wait to see how the last 4% of this book to pan out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Luna Kayne for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I sped through the first 100 or so pages. I was hooked, the story was fast paced and picking up in all the right places. We follow our main character Lily, who lost both of her parents at age six. From the moment she watches her parents tragically die, she's attached to a demon who attaches to her in return and ultimately bonds himself to her as she grows older. As the story progresses, we fall into a "why choose?" sort of plot, in a celestial world where angels and demons fall into the mortal world and Lily is navigating her own adventure of choosing between good or evil - or both - while fulfilling her own prophecy amongst archdemons and archangels.

I'll admit, I almost DNF'd at the very beginning when I realized this demon was going from wanting to protect her as a six year old to wanting to get her in the sheets as she grows into her teen and adult years. Not my thing, but I set it aside to give the plot a chance. The plot is racing and I'm following along okay, and then the plot is lost beyond me.

While I loved the characters and mythological/biblical references, there was very little description of these characters and the world they're developing in. This story had so much potential and fell very flat for me. Though I had the room to imagine these characters in my own mind, I would've loved more descriptions of them to really solidify their presence in the book. (If you enjoy the show Lucifer, those characters are kind of what I based the book characters on in my head.) It was hard to keep up with the ever evolving plot as the physical settings seemingly changed in and out so quickly that it felt like I was reading a story that had a preface that I wasn't aware of. Lily became very surface level amongst the other characters. Asmodeus was a beautiful character from the start but the sudden introduction of Michael really started to drive the story into a hole of confusion for me. I think I just expected...more?

This story seemed to be perfect as a YA novel if you take out the smutty scenes. If you love smut, the scenes in this book are very simple. Quick and somewhat sexy, but miss the mark for me. It would've been great even without the smut and with more world building and character building. I feel like there was an attempt to pack an entire series into one book and the plot began to unravel itself in so many directions that it was hard to keep focus.

Overall I was rooting for Lily to only choose Jett (Asmodeus) instead of both him and Michael as Michael didn't have the same build up that Jett did. Finn was a fun character along with the demons, but there just wasn't enough backstory for any of them to really make a connection.

The writing felt a bit juvenile which is totally fine and easy to read but if this novel was meant to be made into a series, I feel like there's a good bit of discrepancies that need addressing and hopefully those will play out in the books to come. There is so much room for more - more world building, character development, plot sorting and connection for the reader. I finished the book feeling a bit overwhelmed, but overall I didn't think it was necessarily 'bad', just okay. I can't explain it, but it reminded me of Lucifer meets Twilight in a way? Asmodeus calling Lily his "little lamb" a thousand times over gave me a creepy vibe in the way that if he hadn't been watching her since the age of six and then banging her any chance he could, maybe I could've bypassed that. Lily was also such a strong character at the beginning and then reverted to being timid as she's learning more about her past. (I get it, but I wanted her to have that same strength and confidence throughout the book.)

Interested to see other readers' opinions on this story!

Thank you to Kayne Publishing and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. The premise was tempting enough to get through but I'm not sure where the plot was going whatsoever. It felt like sheer chaos that I was supposed to accept because it was a fantasy. I'm not completely sure what the author was trying to get at with the angels and demons other than the imagery and the ... aesthetic? I'm not completely sure. I really, really, really tried to be fully engaged in this but all I can say is that I tried my best and maybe this book will find its right audience.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book. I'm sad to say that I had to DNF it at about 65%. The book was too detailed and still it did not answer the simplest plot questions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to net galley and Luna for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a why choose with a mortal girl, angels and demons.

Overall this was a great read. I loved all the lore behind the main plot and found it to be a highly interesting concept. The world building is great and I was left with really vivid imagery of the world in which this story takes place. There was also plenty spice to enjoy. I also enjoyed that it was multi pov for all of the perspectives.

Only downsides for me were that I found myself skim reading in parts as it felt a little repetitive, and I was personally left wanting more from the relationship with Asmodeus. I felt like the relationship with Michael was really amped up in comparison.

This book has vibes for fans of movies like Dogma, Stigmata, and the Netflix series Kaos. I loved the multi POV and being inside the mind of an archdemon and an archangel, who show us they might not be what they seem. I was really enjoying this up until near halfway, then I started to lose interest and become more and more confused. I had a lot of trouble picturing the characters and places due to lack of detailed description. There was a lot going on, a lot of characters, and not enough time to process and understand them all. The entire book led to an epic battle but it was brief with short descriptions, lacking the necessary details and dialogue for immersion, impact, and understanding. I also thought the spice level was a bit too much (this is a why choose), and some of the time describing the spicy scenes could have instead been devoted to character and plot development. Overall, I think this was a very interesting concept, but too much was attempting to be accomplished too quickly, and the execution left much to be desired.

I honestly dont know how i feel about this book. I just didnt enjoy it, but i cant quite put my finger on why? The story is something i absolutely should have enjoyed, the characters were decent. I just thought it was so arduous to read. I dont think ive ever read a book thats felt more like a chore to read.

To start, i suppose i feel the dialogue and «feelings» at times are a littleeee bit cringey. But i get why and im not too against that.
I think my main problem it feels underdeveloped but overdeveloped at the same time? Im not entirely sure, it just feels like the irrelevant parts are spoken about for ages, and then actual key details are glossed over a bit. Not always, but sometimes.

I feel like everything was «explain it to me» and not just show me. I feel like theres a way to SHOW me that a character is in significant pain without just saying «he howled in pain», you know? I really do feel like the writing style treats you like a young/new reading who doesnt understand subtext and cant infer anything, sp the author just tells you everything. Bot really my jig, dod not enjoy that at all

Outside of that i honestly could not tell you why i found this book so difficult to read.

Outside of that, i did really enjoy the story, its just a shame that it was so difficult to get to that.

🛑 SOFT SPOILERS FROM HERE ON 🛑

I LOVED Michaels character development. Honestly i think its the best part of the book. Initially i was really on the fence about him, but he very quickly became my favourite character.

Gabriel was the PERFECT villain. Like, the way he was portrayed was honestly a masterclass, and if the whole book had have been as well written as his arcs were then honestly this would have been rated significantly higher. He is written to make you hate him, and hate him you shall. His defeat brings pure pleasure as you read it!

I loved the unity, the bond all the characters shared was very sweet and nice. There were some twists i also loved, namely, HECATE?! And the final reveal of Michael and Asmodeus actually being irrelevant because it was her parents the whole time. That was really great. I did think that was a great plot twist!

Overall there were parts i enjoyed but mostly im just glad I’ve finished this book, do i regret reading it? Id say yes. HOWEVER, I would also like to add that i dont want to discourage people too much from reading this book because, given that i cant exactly figure out why i didnt really enjoy it, it could be that this just isnt my kind of book. So i would encourage everyone to form their own opinion.

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️

What an absolutely epic story. I was hooked from the very beginning as we entered The Underworld with the stunning imagery Luna created, all the way to the very end as her characters fight to bring this unique world back to rights. I felt such an array of emotions as I made my way through this book. It was funny, spicy and filled with suspense and I could not get enough.

The MFM aspect of this story was really cool. Lily found the two halves to complete her and I loved watching Asmodeus and Michael come to the realization that she needed them both in equal measure. There is something about enemy MMCs coming together for their FMC that hits just right. I absolutely loved watching our archangel find his true family and his happiness. His laugh while in the Celestial Lands was hilarious and so heartwarming.

The friend group was incredible and I need more more more. Without spoilers, I feel like that's all I can say... But I want like 6 more Primordial Lands books, pleaseandthankyou. I never want to leave this world behind.

Wow this was such an interesting take on angels & demons.

Lily was only six years old when she lost her parents to violence. Unknowingly, she found Asmodeus who was there for her & helped her until she left again.

Some twenty years later, she finds her world in an upheaval & everything she thought she knew was a lie. She ends up crossing paths with Asmodeus again & from there they learn of the real reason for Lily’s existence & the roles those around her have played & what hers will be.

She soon learns that not only will she have this connection with Asmodeus but also with Michael, an archangel. With them she learns more about who her parents really were, she learns of who her friend really is, & she meets her grandfather whom she learns a lot from.

Throughout the whole story, albeit the first half was a little slow building, we see how Lily adapts & grows with every new twist & turn her life takes. The last portion of the book is when the real nail biting anxiety moments came to play & I was extremely anxious to see how it all played out. I was obviously very happy to see her win in the end but a part of me would’ve loved to see more of her life afterwards with Asmodeus & Michael.

I will definitely be curious to see if there is anything else after this book with those three but I would also be very interested in anything involving any of their comrades throughout the book.

Absolutely amazing job!

I must say, it’s been a minute since a book has kept me interested from beginning to end.

The plot of Sanctum is absolutely gripping. While the first few chapters are sluggish, it does start to pick up and keeps that pace for a while. I’m not one to stake out books with religious contexts, and I did find myself researching some things, but it’s executed in a way that piqued my interest.

I should first mention that this is an adult spicy fantasy book. And let me tell you the spice is 100% there. Honestly, the book could have worked with or without the spice. The story is interesting enough that I sometimes forgot it’s an adult fantasy.

I am not a reader that pays close attention to tropes, so when I read that this is a “why choose” fantasy, I wanted to know specifically why it’s “why choose” instead of dnf’ing it completely. And after finishing, I’m still not sure why it’s made as a “why choose.”

I am a stickler when it comes to the pacing of books and while it is action packed, there are moments that do slow down. But even in those slowed down moments, it still kept me interested and wanting to know what happens next.

The world building was great, but it could have gone deeper. With a story like this, I want to feel what it’s like to be in those places and worlds. The smells, the atmosphere, the feeling of what it’s like to be there for the characters. Those feelings are there in some moments and places, but it could’ve gone deeper.

Also, there are places I wish could have had more time in the book, but sadly they didn’t. Along with that, we meet some interesting characters and then the next chapter we never see them again, which makes me wonder if they were needed in the first place.

When it comes to the character development, there could have been more, especially for our FMC. The bad ass woman from the first chapters is severely lacking in the rest of the book. The FMC, Lily, is a force to be reckoned with, but she starts to lose momentum as the story develops.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and while there could have been things added, I’m not going to completely write it off.

Thank you to Luna Kayne, NetGalley and Kayne Publishing for the ARC. I am leaving my review voluntarily and I am looking forward to reading more books by Luna Kayne.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately I just couldn't get past about 30% through. Had to DNF this one and I don't ever DNF books. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and found it really weird that Asmodeus was introduced to Lily when she was a child and it turned into what it did. It just felt strange to me. Normally I'm all about the archangel/demon tropes but this one just didn't do it for me. It felt kind of convoluted and all over the place and never really grabbed my attention.

I had to DNF. To much chaos too early in the book. Character description was lacking for me and i had no idea what the demons are supposed to look l like for me to get a menal image of them. Also the rankings among the demons was not explained well either.

I love the concept and the idea but I could not enjoy this book, I really wanted to finish it also. Maybe one day

Thank you for the opportunity to read this books, unfortunately it has taken me this long to try and get through it and I just can’t. So I am going to DNF it, however I will rate it a 2*.

My first read of from this author and I liked it. I am why choose fan and of course I was all in. It has an interesting plot and the fantasy parts were good.

I totally loved everything about this book and author. The worldbuilding was fantastic and creative. The characters were wholly unexpected and unique. I want more books in this world to come out soon.

I want to thank Kayne Publishing for this ARC via Netgalley.

I was so excited to read this book, but sadly it wasn‘t for me. 😭 I did enjoy the fact that there were two worlds where each mc was stuck in and communicated with each other from whilst being apart, but aside from that, everything else felt a bit mediocre... I couldn‘t connect with the characters, they were a bit flat for me and there were too many at first. The writing style also didn‘t quite manage to grip me and keep my attention, I felt myself doing everything but picking this book up so that was a sign that this book just didn‘t do it for me... sadly, I can‘t personally recommend this but I‘m glad I gave it a shot!

The first thing I realized as I looked at this after requesting it is that it’s a why-choose. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of that anymore, so it was a mark against this book, but in no way is it the book’s fault. I went ahead and read it, and I will say it was well-written, interesting, and I liked the premise. We didn’t get to know the characters well enough for my tastes (a problem I have with RH-type books), but the action was almost non-stop. The book could have been pared down a little, too, but I don’t want it to seem this is a bad book. It isn’t; I really liked it, and I think those who like epic fantasy will find this great. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Unfortunately had to DNF this at 20% as I didn’t realize it was a why choose romantasy and that’s not something I like to read about

This book is a why choose, with an interesting plot. I really enjoyed the overall storyline which had a really interesting take on the garden of Eden/Hell & heaven. Sometimes some books can have a bit more spice than plot which I would have preferred there to be a good balance. If you love devils/angels books with a lot of spice this book will be right up your street.

I read this as an ARC! What an incredible story! From start to finish, I was completely captivated. The characters were fantastic, and the world-building was both creative and unforgettable. This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster—blending humor, tension, and just the right amount of spice. I couldn’t put it down!