Sanctuary of the Shadow

A woman with the gift of prophecy falls in love with a monster in this choppy romantic fantasy from Ascher (Beauty and the Demon). A fight between rulers leads Queen Furie to unleash her incorporeal wraiths to murder all the Seers in her sister Queen Darya’s territory. Only one Seer child, Harrow, survives the slaughter, finding refuge in a circus run by ringmaster Salizar. When she grows up, she becomes a phony fortune teller for the circus, keeping her true clairvoyant abilities hidden. Then Salizar captures a mysterious winged creature, believing—but unable to prove—that he is one of Furie’s wraiths imprisoned in a mortal form. Harrow is inexplicably drawn to the brooding figure, who adopts the name Raith and has no memories of anything before his capture. Harrow, who sneaks out to visit him every night, fiercely believes that Raith was not involved in the murder of her family and plans to help him escape. Though they do manage to flee the circus, they can’t outrun Raith’s mysterious past—or its potential to destroy their forbidden love. Ascher’s worldbuilding is fascinating but the plot is rushed, with the romance far overshadowing all else and itself suffering from a lack of buildup and minimal character development. Given the current romantasy boom, readers will be better served elsewhere. (Jan.)