Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc.

I liked the premise behind this, however felt the execution fell short. The writing came off as very juvenile and first time author. The romance and chemistry was just not there. The dialog was a bit like listening to high schoolers. The world and character building was underdeveloped.

I wanted to really like this but it just fell flat for me.

I liked the premise of this book, unfortunately, many aspects weren’t executed well for me. The writing felt quite juvenile and for the first part of the book, I was convinced this story was for a middle school audience. I started reading it with that notion in mind, so I could, what I thought, rate it accordingly. However, when the relationship turned physical and the descriptions were provided for those scenes, I realized this was meant for an older audience. The intimate scenes felt very out of place with the rest of the novel given the overall vibe of the writing and dialogue between characters.

I also couldn’t truly place the time and space this story was happening in. There were connections to a more modern feel and a possibility that the location was on earth with a magical element. I truly never really felt confident with the setting.

Mia also felt like an unreliable character. Her moods were all over the place, and there were a handful of situations where I rolled my eyes at how she was acting. I was also unconvinced that this was a slow-burn romance. There wasn’t really an explanation as to why Archer would try to kill her in the beginning given the connection to their combined fate that was revealed in the end. Furthermore, the way Archer behaved in the beginning, where he seemed to be fighting with his beast and human forms internally never manifested again, which felt like a large plot hole.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and leave an honest review. I’m sorry I didn’t love this.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was action-packed, fun, steamy and held my interest. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Ever read a book where the idea was everything — but the execution left you wanting more?
Let’s talk about that ↓

📖 Book Review: A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate
⭐ Rating: 2/5
🗓 Release Date: 24 June 2025
📚 Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Romance
📩 NetGalley ARC

Will I recommend this book? Probably not.
Am I thankful for the ARC? Absolutely.

The premise — reincarnation, fated mates, a magical sanctuary, and a tragic love story — had me hooked. But the execution fell short.

Told through Mia’s POV, yet she never felt like the true protagonist. She read like a passive observer — emotionally distant and often immature. I couldn’t connect with her arc.

Asher had a stronger presence, but their romance lacked the chemistry you'd expect from a bond said to span lifetimes. Emotionally, it never hit the mark.

There was too much telling and not enough showing. The prose leaned into info-dumping, which kept me from being immersed in the world or feeling the weight of the magic.

What did stand out:
— Elenya, a side character with actual spark and depth
— The final 10 pages, which finally delivered the emotion the rest of the book missed

This story had all the right ingredients — but the delivery felt rushed and emotionally undercooked.

I created some graphics for use: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLPpfVEvcrF/?img_index=1&igsh=MWwyaGFuZDg0bmk2dA==

Thank you once again for the arc. Author, Publisher and NetGalley. The Amazon site of the book ain’t allowing to review the book rn probably because it isn’t released yet but as soon as it does, I’ll post the review there as well.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I tried to push through, but the writing style was extremely clunky and juvenile. A shame, as it sounded like a fun premise.

“A Sanctuary for Fire and Fate” is the captivating first installment in a new fantasy series that weaves together magic, romance, and adventure. The story follows Mia, a resilient human caretaker who runs a sanctuary for injured and endangered mythical creatures. Her world is upended when she crosses paths with Asher, the last Phoenix, sparking a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance that feels fated—and far older than time itself.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its worldbuilding. Through Mia and Asher’s journey, including their search and help for wounded unicorns, readers are introduced to enchanting locales like the Goblin Market and a mysterious underwater realm. Yet it’s the Sanctuary itself that truly shines, brimming with life and wonder. From healing injured unicorns and fauns, and protecting pixies to encountering a mystical crystal frog, every detail adds depth to this magical haven.
The pacing is deliberate, allowing tension to build gradually before erupting into a thrilling, action-packed climax. The ending leaves just enough unanswered to fuel anticipation for the next book, while still delivering a satisfying conclusion to this chapter of Mia and Asher’s story.
Mia is a compelling protagonist, strong-willed, compassionate, and easy to root for. Her relationships, both with her friends and the creatures under her care, reveal the best of her character. When danger arises, the way her allies, from the Totem to the fierce Koalaraptor, rally around her speaks volumes about the bonds she’s forged.
More than just a fantasy adventure, “A Sanctuary for Fire and Fate” explores profound themes: love and acceptance, loyalty and sacrifice, the corrosive nature of greed, and the power of found family. With its rich mythology, slow-burn romance, and heart-pounding stakes, this book is a must-read for fans of fantasy with emotional depth.

This book was a wonderful whimsical cosy read and I loved all the creatures. Love the premise and the setting.

"A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate" by Lolu Sinclair: A Fiery Romance Forged in a World of Mythical Peril
Lolu Sinclair’s "A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate" ignites the urban fantasy landscape with a compelling blend of heartwarming creature care, burgeoning romance, and high-stakes adventure. This debut novel crafts a vibrant world where the magical and the mundane intertwine, promising readers a captivating journey alongside a human heroine and an enigmatic immortal.

Our protagonist, Mia, is a dedicated human working at a sanctuary devoted to healing and housing injured mystical creatures. Alongside her co-worker and college friend Elena, Mia has brought her lifelong dream to fruition, creating a safe haven where unicorns, dragons, and other fantastical beings can recover. Initially, Mia is fiercely independent, with little interest in romance, a stance that begins to shift with the arrival of the mysterious Asher.

Asher, a magnificent Phoenix and the last of his kind, unexpectedly enters Mia’s world under extraordinary circumstances. Their initial encounter immediately sets them on a unique and intriguing path, challenging Asher's long-held traditions and drawing him inextricably towards Mia.

The narrative skillfully weaves together two central threads: the developing connection between Mia and Asher, and the escalating threat posed by the Shadow Guild. This insidious, centuries-old international crime syndicate, described as "nasty international, and thoroughly insidious," with a network that "runs deep weaving through markets you’ve never even dreamed of feeding a demand for fabled and the forbidden for example like unicorn horns," casts a long, dangerous shadow. Asher’s rare status makes him a prime target, a fact that rightly worries Mia as his presence attracts perilous attention.

Sinclair builds the connection between Mia and Asher with a tender yet undeniable pull. Their interactions, from shared moments at magical markets to thoughtful gestures, reveal a growing mutual affection. The narrative hints at a profound bond forming between them, suggesting a connection that is both powerful and destined.

The world-building is rich and imaginative, introducing readers to the unique nature of Asher's existence and the fascinating ways in which magical beings navigate their world. A special locket allows for a unique form of communication, and the author crafts vivid scenes that transport readers to magical locales, from bustling goblin markets to enchanting underwater towns.

“A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate" expertly blends action, romance, and fantasy elements. The ever-present threat of the Shadow Guild provides a compelling external conflict, while Mia and Asher's evolving relationship forms the emotional core of the story. Readers who enjoy rich world-building, high stakes, and a love story that feels both epic and intimately personal will find themselves thoroughly absorbed in Lolu Sinclair's exciting novel. The story culminates in a dramatic event that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in this promising series.Thank you Lost Lust publishing for the ebook !

I’m afraid that I had to dnf this book. I pushed through and managed to get to 62%, but I just wasn’t enjoying it and the cringeworthy sex scene completely finished me off.

The writing style seemed incredibly juvenile, the dialogue was stilted and unnatural, the relationships felt forced and inauthentic and the plot, which I was really excited about just wasn’t enough to keep my attention.

I do think the underlying story idea, the sanctuary for magical creatures and the poaching was really intriguing, but unfortunately the execution of it just didn’t hit.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC.

this is a really fun concept but at a certain point i just didn’t really care about what was going on…. as another reviewer said this might work better as a comic/ graphic novel like i genuinely think that would be really cool especially for the first 25% of the story. also the first sex scene was so sinister and i just didn’t care much about the romance :/

The book is a great concept, but the execution needs more work. Everything is rushed. I think it would be a lot better if it was longer, since it’s only 200 something pages.

There is no slow burn, he doesn’t like her for 5 days and then it’s insta love for him. The reason she doesn’t want to be with him is just silly, and seems unbelievable.
When she finally decides to give him a chance, she’s instantly in love with him.

And the sex scene is … something

We have no backstory on the FMC, so the human FMC just knows everything about mythological creatures, and how to care for them.
The MMC is much more fleshed out than the FMC, he has a backstory, even if it’s only hinted at.

I know there’s a reason for the above after finishing the book, but still.

I really liked the ending, something I wasn’t expecting at all.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc!

I truly believe that at my age (late 20s) that I am not the intended audience for this book. It took me multiple times of starting and setting aside the story to really commit. I had a challenging time getting engrossed in the story because the writing style and dialogue came across as clunky for lack of a better word. It just wasn’t smooth for me. However, if I was in middle school, I probably would’ve greatly enjoyed the overall idea of the world and story.

I’m struggling on what to write for this review. Firstly, I loved it, completely. I want to read it again and again. I’m in awe of the pacing the vibrant descriptions of the Sanctuary, its inhabitants and the individuals who take care of them. Secondly, I didn’t want to put it down. Mia and Asher….. are perfection. Their story is amazing (this is a no spoiler review) and it felt this joy, wonderment and love Mia felt and the sadness, longing and love Asher felt. This was an ARC I was so excited to get and am so looking forward to more from this author.

Unfortunately a DNF for me. Writing wasn’t very good, boring, not much plot happening. I was expecting this to be faster paced high fantasy but no.

This was just a no for me right from the beginning. The writing is just not good. There's no flow to the story, it's staccato and jumping all over the place. Also, the characters are flat and boring.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lost Lust for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Clinic for Magical Creatures promises whimsy and wonder, but ultimately fell flat for me. From the beginning, I struggled to connect with the story. The first part is heavily focused on detailed descriptions of magical creatures, with little to no plot momentum—almost like watching a children’s TV show where every frame introduces a new fantastical element without anchoring it in a compelling narrative.

This is very much a surface-level, cosy fantasy. There’s no real tension, stakes, or depth to the conflict. The main plot revolves around poachers targeting a unicorn, and the two protagonists—Mia, a human girl, and Asher, a phoenix shifter—teaming up to care for it. It’s a soft, low-conflict premise, and while that can work in a feel-good read, here it just lacked emotional pull.

The romance kicks in late—around the halfway mark—and felt unnecessarily drawn out. The “fated love” trope is used, but without the buildup or chemistry to make it satisfying. There’s a hint of spice, but it clashed awkwardly with the whimsical tone of the book, feeling jarring and out of place.

That said, the book cover is gorgeous, and fans of low-stakes magical settings might enjoy the gentle pacing and fantastical creature cameos. But for me, it never rose above its cosy veneer to offer anything truly engaging.

I was really excited for this book! I love a fast paced, fantasy adventure with some romance. But I ended up DNF'ing at around 60% in.

For the first half of the book, it felt a lot more YA, low-stakes, and cozy vibes. Different from what was advertised but still fun. You get to go around and explore the world and pet baby dragons. And then we hit the the sex scenes and it felt like a complete shift. Because of the YA vibes, I was expecting something closed door but we got much more spicy, smutty scenes. Both YA and smut are completely and totally valid but they just didn't add up together and left me feeling even more confused. I felt like I was spending more time trying to figure out the tone of what I was reading instead of just enjoying what I was reading so I stopped.

I appreciate the chance to read the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for the E-ARC

1 🌟

The plot sounded so amazing but overall it fell flat. I was confused from almost page one with the abrupt start, and i kept thinking this was like the second book in a series and I had missed it somehow. The plot just did not connect, and I could not connect with the characters. I was expecting a mythical fantasy and for me I barely got fantasy vibes (I got the ick as soon as she called the dragon little bean) which it kinda became in the middle of the book only for it to end without really any build up (could be because it's book 1?). I did not get the romance, Asher is clearly into Mia but she can't stand him then all of a sudden she's all for him??

Overall this just did not meet the mark for me, and while maybe it is my reading taste it doesn't agree with, I do think some revisions could make this book better!

I was excited by the description of this book, but I did not enjoy it. It is more YA and didn't hold my interest.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for access to this ARC 📚.

🔥Quick Fire Review

Genre/Themes: 🧝🏻‍♀️🔮🧌🐦‍🔥🧙🏻‍♂️🐸🐨🦄👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻⚔️
Tropes: Set in a Magical Realm, Fae, Mythological Creatures, Non-Human Races, Immortal Beings, Orphan Hero, Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Kidnapping, Nursed Back to Health, Partners in Fighting Crime, Rescue Mission, Grand Battles and Sieges, Prophecies, Sacrifice, Soulmate
Positives ✅ : some decent battle and magic wielding scenes
Room for Improvement 🔎 : completely inappropriate writing style for intended demographic, poor characterisation, poor world-building and scene setting
Rating: 🌕🌖

✍🏻Full Review - RISK OF SPOILERS 🛑

I’m sorry to say it but this was… not good. Very poorly written with the prose honestly feeling like early teen, the characters too, for the vast majority until suddenly there was smut and violence. Thankfully though this was a short and quick read.

Characterisation:
Mia is the main character of the story. Mia is written to be extremely unlikeable because her dialogue varies between childish with limited vocabulary to stilted and unnaturally formal. For example, during a serious conversation with a respected scientist she deems it appropriate to say that the pixies being studied need to ‘shake their collective booties’. She is a human born amongst the Fae, and my god does she like to harp on about it. To the point that she basically tries a #notallmen, saying that she has to work hard not to get offended by comments about ‘her race’ and that ‘not all humans’ are bad. She is combative about basically everything, accusing her love interest of sexism at one point too because he gives advice which she deems unsolicited. It wasn’t, and it was about something that he definitely knew more about because it was about the healing of a magical creature, which he himself is, but Mia and the author love to try and make her sound as oppressed as possible throughout the story for some bizarre and cringeworthy reason. She will pick fights with Asher at any opportunity, just for the drama. The pair have a discussion where they decide to be together, then after walking a few steps - quite literally - she then argues with him and seemingly thinks they’ve broken up. Evidenced by her asking herself if she can ‘pull herself back together and be with Asher again’ a few sentences later. THEY’D BEEN A COUPLE FOR 10 SECONDS OF READING TIME! She then calls it ‘the only fight she’d ever had with Asher’, making it sound like they’d been together for years and it was their one sore spot. No, she literally picked this big fight with him within minutes, and it certainly wasn’t the first time they’d argued. All of it apparently stems from the insecurities she has about being human and not being immortal. You might think it’s the concept of her dying before Asher does, not wanting to cause him pain, that is her worry. Nope. The main reason is because she doesn’t want to ‘lose her looks’ as she becomes elderly and potentially become less appealing to Asher. If that isn’t immature enough you can add in the fact that she chooses not to discuss this with him directly, rather starting a fight and making him feel he had done something wrong first. Once they become intimate she then becomes a horny teenager, wanting it at totally inappropriate times. She goes from being too prude to even kiss him to ‘wanting him inside her’ at the flick of a switch. The attempts to make Mia funny fell flat and instead made her embarrassing and immature. The only time she was likeable was, I’m sorry to say it, when she was dying and reminiscing about her past lives.
Asher is the book’s love interest, introduced during his rebirth as a phoenix which Mia wasn’t supposed to see. He kidnaps her intending to kill her but regularly has conversations with himself to talk himself out of it. Turns out, he goes briefly murderous when he regenerates before going back to normal again. Asher was BORING. I actually wish he’d had a few more murderous phases because at least he’d be interesting. Instead he made the odd innuendo joke and tried to be a hero the rest of the time. Mia calls him ‘annoyingly charming’ regularly, which I just do not get. In fact, he becomes a massive douchebag when he claims Mia ‘friendzoned’ him. Instead of being kind and understanding about it he basically guilts her into changing her mind, even after trying to come across as the ultimate feminist by telling Mia he wasn’t trying to ‘mansplain’ her. Sure, there ended up being context here as Asher has fallen in love with Mia multiple times as she reincarnated and was getting impatient. But at this point we didn’t know that. Multiple times opportunities to develop his character and his relationship with Mia are glossed over. He tells her ‘fascinating stories about his travels’ and ‘they talked’, but at no point are we privy to any of this. I could tell how boring this dude was when he said that Mia was the ‘only woman to have ever blown his mind in three thousand years’ after they have sex. By the sounds of it Mia was the most boring lover ever, he did all the interesting stuff. His standards are LOW. So not only was he boring as all hell, he too acted like a teenager even though he was supposed to be three thousand years old.
Elenya is Mia’s best friend and owns the sanctuary with her. She is half-human, half-elf. She was another lovely dose of immature teenager, making pushy and nosy comments about Mia and Asher’s relationship at every turn. She is sold as the level-headed and organised one of the pair, which is a fair depiction during times of action. But then her character was ruined even further at the literal funeral of her best friend, where she tells Mia ‘godspeed’ and ‘I’ll never forget you, bestie’. Again, she was just dull and one-dimensional. She apparently dedicates herself to learning new magic from the other fae folk we come across, but of course, we never see this process.
Calenion is Elenya’s dad. He is again, non-descript and one-dimensional. He is the wise old elf who uses his magic tree to see visions of the future. Literally the only purpose he served was to provide this prophecy, speaking of the single fig that ripens on his tree that’s supposed to signify huge events, and for his magic. Personality wise, a pointless character.
Other supporting characters were Ñamku the healer, Skorgo the faun, Nessa the dryad and Ophina. By the end of the book I still didn’t know who or what Ophina was, she just appeared. I imagine it was mentioned somewhere but the author has an irritating habit of randomly throwing characters in scenes to provide one sentence and then not having them appear in any significant capacity again. Sometimes even giving them a line was too much effort, they’d just be name-dropped instead. Stella is mentioned at one point. Who on Earth was that? No idea. Mia asks if Asher ‘will just be another Brenan’. WHO IS BRENAN? I swear they were never talked about once. Ñamku was introduced as the most skilled healer in all the land, but instead of being a poignant character who shares her wisdom with the sanctuary girls and forms a friendship with them she just does her healing magic and made occasional gross jokes about being too old and decrepit to have sex. Even though she played a significant role in the plot of the story that was as far as her character went. When she sacrificed herself in the battle at the sanctuary I was flabbergasted. One, because why would she do that for these people she’d known a week or two. And two, because I was shocked that the author expected me to care. Skorgo was an attempt at comic relief, being loyal but grumpy. But I checked out when he said he was going to ‘hit up’ a nymph. Nessa was just a narrative tool as well, acting as the dryad that guards a shortcut between places via her tree. She’s meant to be shy and reserved about who she shows herself to. But that magically disappears for her to make a dumb speech at Mia’s funeral because she says she’s now brave enough to say something for her. No development of this confidence was shown, of course. The funniest, most genuine character in the whole book was the talking Totem pole.

World-Building:
The story is based in the fictional land of Gaelland. Based on the map and the choices of mythological creatures it appears to be a depiction of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Mia and Elenya run a Sanctuary for injured or endangered Fae folk, which is an umbrella term in the book for mythological creatures both humanoid and not. We learn there is also an underwater Merfolk Kingdom on the coast, an island for Unicorns and a patch of land for a market run by Goblins. Now I must stress that at no point in the book was it explained that the modern human world also exists at the same time. That was until the random references to it like The Little Mermaid, Titanic, The Valley of Kings and Victorian England started. A bang was described to be ‘like a car backfire’ and then the author kept weirdly incorporating modern day sexism into the fold. Absolutely none of this made any sense. For a start, what year is this supposed to be based in if all of these things have been and gone? If cars exist but absolutely nobody uses them? If ‘mansplaining’, ‘hit up’ and ‘bestie’ are in Gaelland’s vernacular? If Mia visits a science lab where they conduct tests and experiments on pixies, and Mia performs modern day ecological assessments in the sanctuary? If phones and TVs don’t exist, but Disney’s Ariel is a literal character in the book (she mentions speaking to ‘a Danish storyteller’ but had Ariel’s red hair and seashell bra, none of which was accurate to the original Danish fairytale)? If the modern human world exists why does Mia’s human family live amongst the Fae folk at all? None of it was made clear whatsoever. There is a big storyline surrounding poaching of unicorns, which then leads to them doing a siege on the sanctuary. They’re basically driving tanks and have automatic machine guns. Again, if all of this exists why are the fae folk wandering around on horses? There’s also no backstory to this army of poachers, which even includes some wizards and elves fighting their own. Why? Why have this big group of people and Fae folk committed themselves to harvesting unicorn horn? Who is the leader, the orchestrator of this huge siege? It’s explained that, as a phoenix, Asher’s life and wellbeing has a physical effect on the fae folk. If that’s true, why were all these wizards happy to contribute to his capture, torture and potential murder? I’d also like to point out that the mythological creature, Brownies, were essentially little British/Scottish goblins or gnome-like household creatures. This author thought it would be clever and not at all stupid to make these characters black. ‘Skin the colour of earth’. They seriously did not see the issue with making a creature called a Brownie, black? When they were never depicted as such in folklore? Did this author seriously not consult a sensitivity guide? Asher also describes the Goblins of the goblin market as ‘cheap’ because they won’t buy new clothes until their existing ones are unwearable, or ‘won’t spend to get them cleaned’. He describes them as ‘greedy’ and ‘conniving’, when really they’re all just mythological tradesfolk. Frugal ones. Sexism is bad but classism isn’t in this universe apparently.

Prose\Plot:
As mentioned the prose in this book was painfully inconsistent. For a good 50% I was convinced I’d accidentally requested a middle-grade novel based on the childishness of the writing style. I’m also fairly certain there were random tense and narrative voice changes at times. Then I had smut thrown in my face. Bad smut, too. The sentences ‘lightly kneaded his balls’, ‘I felt a damp heat between my legs’ and ‘felt his tip pressing against my cervix’ were actually written down, read and approved. ‘Damp heat’ actually had me heaving. They manage to have sex while Asher flies too, and manage to orgasm while free-falling from the sky. It just read like horrendously bad fanfiction. Pixies were described as ‘three foot tall stick figures’ at one stage. Because the author likes a bit of completely uncalled for body shaming in there too, supposedly. As already mentioned the dialogue was unnatural and sometimes just plain cringeworthy. Plot wise, the most interesting part was the crystal frogs becoming a ‘nexus’ of magical power. Although at one point it’s said that the first discovered frog had ‘bound itself’ to Elenya so she was the one who needed to nurture its environment to attract its mate. I remember doing a double take because I certainly did not remember this ‘binding’ happening. Offhanded mentions of things were commonplace, for example Calenion knowing about Mia’s visions and dreams when Asher was captive. (A captivity and escape that we didn’t see any of, by the way, and that Asher just came back from and forgot like it was nothing.) We didn’t see her mention those to anyone once, not even when she was right next to Calenion as he channeled his tree. Speaking of his tree, I still do not understand the whole fig thing. The last time the fig had grown, Elenya said was when her father had died. Calenion gave his daughter the fig to try and extend her life. When Mia is then dying Asher considers doing the same but Calenion warns it’s no guarantee she will be revived. So Asher doesn’t feed it to her. He doesn’t do anything with it at all. So then when he finally finds reincarnated 4-year-old Mia, it’s said that the ‘purpose of the fig is clear now’. IS IT? What does that even mean? Nobody ate it, nobody did anything with it at all. The ‘big event’ was Mia’s death but she has died many times before. I have so many questions and no answers about that damned fig. I’d also like to point out as a side note that I was annoyed that the baby dragon contributed nothing to the story. After all the scenes talking about it and trying to find people to look after it, I expected more. There were some redeeming qualities. Scenes of magical power, such as the frogs and Ñamku healing the unicorns, were actually quite good. When things like that were happening, or the battle, the writing became far more adult and readable. But as mentioned earlier the battle and the army had no real context at all. The ‘virtual reality’ with Asher and Mia’s locket was cool, aside from the bad smut, but it’s never used for anything useful which was a missed opportunity. The plot with Asher’s feather was quite clever too. The ‘final boss’ scene with the Koalaraptor was entertaining as well. On the whole whole I’m sure this story could have been half decent with better writing and editing, the published product is not very good in my opinion and I would not seek out a sequel. In fact, I’m not sure the book needs one.