Publisher: NYLA
Publish Date: 30 Jul 2024
Reviewed by: E
How I got this book: e-ARC via NetGalley from the publisher
It’s not easy serving the Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.
Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it’s a fight to the death, but for him, it’s just another day in the neighborhood.
This blurb came from Goodreads.
Growing up I loved reading myths and legends. The more varied and from different cultures the better. I always thought it fascinating to see the similarities and differences. I have always suspected some of the similarities were a result of the translators, but enough differences remained to show how what traits or even which animals were thought of as wise, foolish, benevolent, dangerous etc. And when it came to the gods, their representatives, or other magical personages the differences in names, roles, and reputations were even more fascinating. My love for myths and legends still continues through this day as I always enjoy a retelling or even discovering a myth, I am familiar with in an author’s work. One of the best things is when the author expands upon the myth, and I am treated to an entirely new viewpoint. Andrews has done this in Sanctuary, taking a supporting character from the Kate Daniels World and putting him and his relationship with his god, chosen or otherwise, in the spotlight. If you are unfamiliar with the Kate Daniels world, you can still read and enjoy Sanctuary because Roman’s activities in the main series are completely separate.
Roman, as the chosen representative of Chernobog, is hoping to be left in peace for a few days when things go sideways. His “pets”, doing what pets do manage to get into his holiday treats and then a wounded boy requests sanctuary. Even though Roman serves the God of Destruction, Darkness, and Death he still has a heart and feelings, so he takes the boy in. He also really doesn’t like when his few days of peace are disturbed so when a group of men hunting the wounded boy show up and become a nuisance, he tries to get them to understand they really should go away.
As the confrontation becomes more intense, we are treated to glimpses of others in Roman’s life and really start to understand why he so wanted his peace. Like other successful myths and legends, interactions between gods, their representatives and the resulting impact on humans/the world play a significant role in weaving a complete narrative. When dealing with gods, everything has a price or requires a sacrifice of some sort. You just have to decide who pays and how much are you willing to pay?
I found Sanctuary another satisfying chapter in the Kate Daniels World. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about Roman and his worldview. I am also extremely tempted to go back and reread all of his scenes across the original Kate Daniels series with my new perspective and see what other things I pick up on…. I am looking forward to Roman’s next adventure.
I give Sanctuary an A-/B+!