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abidavisf 's review for:
Fragile Sanctuary
by Catherine Cowles
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Imagine my surprise thinking I’d picked up a small town romance and, instead, reading a thriller. Holy smokes, I have been on a JOURNEY with Fragile Sanctuary.
This tale gives us two tortured souls who have loved fiercely and lost even more so. Rho’s uninterruptible optimism in the aftermath of such loss is inspiring. Anson’s bravery to allow his walls to be broken down and to open his heart is gut-wrenching. The juxtaposition of these two characters and the ways in which they dealt with their grief is beautiful. They met in the middle to create a love story that encompassed honesty, fragility and hope.
The thriller aspect of this book was both fun and dark. It was driving me a bit barmy, though, that nobody thought it a strange coincidence thatboth characters were being stalked and tortured. Surely, it’s obvious that there’s only one perpetrator at that point. Perhaps a story set in a big city, full of crime, would have made that more believable, but a town like Sparrow Falls was just not the right setting for that, in my opinion.
I enjoyed (and felt terribly guilty about) consistently questioning every character’s motives as they engaged with Rho. Ultimately, I did guess who The Hangman was beforehand (though I doubted myself) but it didn’t make the reveal any less intriguing.
I’m intrigued to see how the Sparrow Falls series will continue. Will we get a bunch more crime? Or some sweet romances? Maybe both. Who knows? Either way, I’m hooked!
This tale gives us two tortured souls who have loved fiercely and lost even more so. Rho’s uninterruptible optimism in the aftermath of such loss is inspiring. Anson’s bravery to allow his walls to be broken down and to open his heart is gut-wrenching. The juxtaposition of these two characters and the ways in which they dealt with their grief is beautiful. They met in the middle to create a love story that encompassed honesty, fragility and hope.
The thriller aspect of this book was both fun and dark. It was driving me a bit barmy, though, that nobody thought it a strange coincidence that
I enjoyed (and felt terribly guilty about) consistently questioning every character’s motives as they engaged with Rho. Ultimately, I did guess who The Hangman was beforehand (though I doubted myself) but it didn’t make the reveal any less intriguing.
I’m intrigued to see how the Sparrow Falls series will continue. Will we get a bunch more crime? Or some sweet romances? Maybe both. Who knows? Either way, I’m hooked!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Kidnapping, Stalking, Gaslighting