I liked the world development a lot. The sanctuary, in particular, was one of the most compelling aspects for me. I mean, who wouldn't want to run a safe haven for magical creatures of all kinds? Even if they do wreck mischief.

The relationships between the characters also stood out. Their growth was compelling with dynamics that evolved in meaningful ways. There were some sweet moments, some tense ones, and everything in between, I found myself genuinely rooting for them.

Thank you, Lost Lust & NetGalley, for the ARC!


The ending was incredible! It was a unique plot twist that left me emotionally connected to the characters, but sadly, it was for the first time in this book.

At times, the writing felt like two different authors with varying skills wrote it. The opening chapter specifically suffered from telling rather than showing, and was the most significant sign of amateur writing to me. Then, throughout the book, scenes or chapters were written significantly better with the "show, don't tell" technique, making me feel like two authors created this.

The dialogue throughout was stagnant. The character's motivations change frequently without cause or logical reason. The pacing felt rushed. This story takes place over a short period of time, which can be fine, but the info dumping paired with the rapid pace of events and changing priority levels of the characters made it feel unrealistic. Elements were introduced and never mentioned again (like the main threat to the Sanctuary).

Another primary reason I gave it two stars was the use of overly convenient plot devices. As soon as one character needed something, another character randomly forgot to mention they could solve that issue with some random thing they happened to have on them. I can forgive that once or even twice, but this story is riddled with them.

It wasn't until the ending that I realized this is an Urban Fantasy. Throughout reading, it would take me out of the story every time an idiom or modern reference was made because it was unclear that this wasn't a high fantasy story.

About halfway through the book, several spicy scenes are depicted, which were shocking because the writing for the rest of the book felt like it was written for Young Adults/Teens.

Overall, the story's setting and premise are unique and interesting. A cozy mythical creature sanctuary run by two besties! Sign me up! But sadly, I was left wanting more.

If the "show, don't tell" notes are addressed, this idea can potentially be a great cozy fantasy.

There’s a lot to love in this book—it’s bursting with creativity. The magical creatures were fascinating, and the idea of a sanctuary as a central setting really stood out to me. The story has a strong foundation and some truly original elements. That said, the writing style early on felt quite young, which had me thinking it might be YA. But with some open-door scenes later on, the tone shifted in a way that felt a bit mismatched.

I wanted to love this but ultimately just didn't get there. The premise was intriguing and I did enjoy all the different magical creatures. I mean, koalaraptor, sign me up! I also really enjoyed the ending as it wraps up in such a great, unexpected way. But the main character annoyed me through most of it and was a bit of a ""everyone loves her" Mary-Sue type, so that probably led me to not really be invested in the romance. The dialogue was a bit cheesy at times and the book really seem to tell you rather than show you. Overall it was entertaining but not moving.

This was definitely an interesting read, but unfortunately, nothing about this book felt finished. This could use a ton of editing with the writing and story.

One of the severely lacking qualities was the world building. Nothing about the world was explained or described. We were just give random terms and places and then expect to know exactly what was being talked about.

The pacing in the book was also all over the place. It felt weirdly rushed in some scenes, like we had to rush to get to the next plot point. The characters felt very one dimensional and the interactions between them felt undeveloped. There was no depth in anything the characters said to each other. Every conversation felt odd.

The premise of this could make a nice cozy fantasy mystery if it goes through extreme editing before it gets published.

Thank you NetGalley and Lost Lust for providing this ARC in exchange for a reviewl!

I wanted to like "A Sanctuary for Fire & Fate," but unfortunately, it didn't deliver on its promise.

My main issue was the pacing—everything felt too convenient, with relationships and plot points developing without the necessary foundation. The emotional whiplash was real! One minute our heroine is all in for the relationship, and literally pages later, she's completely convinced they can't be together. That kind of 180° turn needs proper setup.

The writing style leaned heavily on telling rather than showing. Instead of experiencing the emotions alongside the characters, I was repeatedly told how devastating or thrilling moments were supposed to be. I needed to feel it, not just be informed of it.

As for the spicy scenes (which don't appear until well past halfway through), the three we got felt awkwardly written and sometimes disconnected from the emotional journey of the characters.

The world had interesting elements, but they weren't explored deeply enough to make me care about what happened to it or its inhabitants. By the end, I wasn't invested enough to continue with the series.

There's potential here, but the execution needed more depth and careful development to really land.

I'm going to have to DNF this one. I had trouble reading this since page one. I think it could benefit from a couple more rounds of editing. The ages of the characters and their professions did not seem to match the decisions being made. I'm confused how an experienced co-owner of an accredited/licensed sanctuary for animals and people knows such spotty information about her own employees and charges/patients.

Maybe it will explain it all later in the book, but I have decided this book is not for me and stop at 14%.

Thank you NetGalley and Lost Lust for this opportunity and ARC!

i honestly liked this book until the end. It gave such narnia and harry potter vibes with the talking animals and setting. i wish it was longer and the romance was more drawn out but this book was interesting. i loved the premise and the vibes! the writing is super easy and entertaining. i just wish it was longer and more detailed

Very interesting
I like the romantic relationship between the characters.
I like the ending of the book .

Needs quite a bit more work. The story was interesting and very cozy but the writing did it no favors. It was riddled with unnecessary detail and a tone that leaned far more into YA, think Keeper of the Lost Cities. It made confusing read considering there is open door spice. It wasn't the high stakes adventure it was marketed to be.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the chance to review this arc.

Whilst this reads younger than I expected however it was still an accomplished book. The characters are cute, heart warming and loving. The story is full if all your childhood abd adult legendary animals and its a fresh fascinating take on YA fantasy genre.

This book has so much potential. The overall premise is very good and the story has a lot of really unique and interesting ideas. I loved all the magical creatures and the whole idea of the sanctuary. The writing felt a bit juvenile at the beginning, leading me to believe it was YA, but based on open door content, it definitely is not. While the prose improved towards the end, I felt like there was a lot of information missing and I was confused on several things. The author seemed to spend a lot of time describing mundane things in detail, while rushing or skipping over things that were important to the plot. I feel like, with another couple rounds of editing, this could be an incredible read.

This would be a easy cozy read, originally I thought it would be YA because the language felt quite immature and shallow but then the sex scenes were a complete juxtaposition to that, I feel like the ending of the book was much better written almost as if someone else wrote it or it was written at an older age of the writer

POV: FMC - Mia, a human owner of a sanctuary for mythical creatures.
Tropes: Romance, High-stakes Adventure, Mythical Creatures, Fated Mates, Shifter, Cosy Fantasy

This had all the ingredients for a truly magical read.
Burning romance? Check.
Mythical creatures? Check.
Cosy fantasy vibes? Triple check!
The idea of a warm haven for mythical beings absolutely charmed me at first, especially with all the whimsical, magical touches drawing me in.
However, as the story unfolded, that initial magic started to fade. Some parts of the storyline felt overly drawn out and unnecessary, while oddly lacking crucial elements like emotion, worldbuilding, and meaningful information. This made it even harder to connect with the characters - especially the FMC - who felt somewhat underdeveloped. Because of this, the whirlwind romance didn’t quite hit the emotional notes it needed to.
The ending, I’ll admit, was a surprise. It did manage to stir an emotional connection, which was refreshing—but by then, it felt a little too late.
Overall, while the book has charm and a beautiful concept, it didn’t fully live up to its potential for me. If you're looking for cosy, magical vibes, this might still hold some appeal, but if you’re after strong characters and immersive storytelling, it could leave you wanting more.

Thank you for giving me to opportunity to review this ARC

#lolusinclairlostlust #NetGalley

This book didn’t hold up to my expectations and I was felt quite confused most of the time. The pacing was off, there were lots of plot holes, and the characters fell flat. The dialogue felt quite cheesy, and the romance between Mia and Asher developed weirdly.

The premise of the book is cute though! Just executed poorly and reads like a first draft rather than a novel set to be published.

A fantastic high-stakes fantasy with a dash of romance. Mia sets up a sanctuary for magical creatures and encounters a phoenix’s rebirth and becomes a target for the phoenix! The magic and characters within this story as well as the world-building was delightful, and the surprise (you’ll know when you read it!) was tragic and heartbreaking. A truly wondrous read.

Cozy fantasy with high stakes is how I would describe this book. I had a great time with this book and the last 15 or so pages had me sobbing. The ending was both unexpected and devastating. If you like mythical creatures, fierce advocates of creatures being hunted/poached, friendships that are closer to siblings and a love that could span lifetimes, give this book a read.

This gives vibes of cosy fantasy rather than a romantasy, which is what I was expecting. It tells the story of Mia and her friend who have set up a magical creatures sanctuary. Mia sees a phoenix’s fiery rebirth, which means that the phoenix wants her dead (but only very briefly).

I liked the ideas and reading about the different magical creatures, but there was something about the writing that held me an arms length and I never felt connected to the characters. It definitely reads YA, at times almost middle grade but then the content occasionally reads older, it felt a bit confused. I found it difficult that we learnt more about what's going on through speech rather than description or thought processes. Hopefully other people enjoy this series, personally, I'm not sure I'd carry on, but maybe more suited to a teen audience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc

From the first page, A Sanctuary for Fire and Fate ignites a spark that never dims. This is not just a fantasy novel—it’s an emotional inferno wrapped in lyrical prose, high-stakes magic, and characters that feel like they stepped out of myth and into your heart.

If you’re a fan of slow-burn romance and fantasy that respects your intelligence while still breaking your heart—this is your next obsession. A Sanctuary for Fire and Fate isn’t just a title. It’s a promise. And it keeps it

2.5 ⭐️ I was very disappointed, I really wanted to like this story but i couldnt get into it. The first 50% felt very info dumpy making it difficult to really immerse myself into the world and the romance was incredible unbelievable. It had such an interesting premise and there were moments I was starting to really enjoy but something always came up which took me out of that moment.