When two fallen angels are cast from Heaven for defying divine law, they awaken in a mortal world already rotting from famine and faith. One becomes silent; the other, hungry.
A century and a half later, Seraphine Vex lives in exile, hiding her celestial scars behind mortal skin and the illusion of normalcy. But when a brutal tether binds her to Kael, a Disciple of Wrath sent to hunt her kind, the past she buried claws its way back-along with the truth of what she really is.
As Heaven tightens its noose and Hell demands her blood, Sera must decide whether salvation is worth the cost of her soul-or if love itself was the most forbidden act of all.
A dark romantasy of obsession, faith, and ruin, Forbidden Sanctuary asks what remains of grace when even the divine has forgotten mercy.
YOU'RE MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!!! Please read and pay close attention to the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. There is some content and scenes in this book that are not suitable for all readers and could be triggering for others. Always remember that your mental health comes first at all times. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for readers 18+.
Tropes: Angels, Demons, Fallen, Exile, Celestial Scars, Mortal Skin, Disciple of Wrath, Heaven, Hell, Salvation, Obsession, Faith, Ruin, Grace, Protective MMC, Strong FMC,
Forbidden Sanctuary is the 1st book in The Fallen Grace Chronicles by Layla Kara.
I found this book to be a compelling dark romantasy that provides the reader this deeply emotional exploration of guilt, obsession, and just how difficult the road to redemption really is. Layla has built up this incredibly sophisticated world that offers us a fresh, elaborate perspective on heaven, hell, angels, and demons fantasy. She gives us a fantastic foundation for a setting that feels dangerous, realistic and yet sacred all at the same time.
I found this book to be enthralling and gripping and refused to let you go. Beneath the mystery and magic there is a deeper story focused on Sera’s journey that is so close to the journey that we all make in our every day lives, one of fear, hope, and how fragile and beautiful the connections Sera makes along the way the same way we do every day of our own lives.
Lyla successfully manages to intertwine both mystery and magic into this narrative that she manages to make feel immensely human. Forbidden Sanctuary feels almost like it’s a character study of these individuals who are all fighting to find their own sanctuary and a place that accepts them in a world that seems to reject them at every turn.
As you are reading you feel as though you are drawn into every small detail of the main characters lives and their journey – you feel like you are living Seraphine’s every fear, hope, and the very fragile beauty of her connections. This book reminds us all that healing from our trauma is never clean or easy and that sometimes we have to make the most out of a bad situation or a bad choice is the only thing that we can do in the end.
There were moments that I loved and hated Sera but it was in only the best of ways. From the moment she was cast out of Heaven she maintained her strength, her courage, her resilience.
Kael was marvelous. He did the job that he was given. But, after meeting Sera he also tried to protect her and when their bond formed, he was even more protective of her. He also had this kind, caring, and compassionate side to him that he tried his best to hide.
Then there was Cassia, Sera’s sister. We don’t get to see a lot of her till around the middle of the story. Once she arrives you can see that despite the fact she hasn’t been around, she really does care about her sister. She also has this mysterious power about her that you want to learn about. She’s quiet but she also has a temper to her, she is also caring, and has a strength about her the belies her intelligence.
There’s also this secondary character in the last 1/3 of the book that you really don’t get to read that much about or really get to know but really piques your curiosity and you immediately fall in love with them. I can’t wait to learn more about them and really learn who they are and what their purpose is.
I found the composition to be consistently poetic and evocative; it led the story a sombre grace. Overall, the story flows remarkably well, it maintains a captivating pace despite an early phase of necessary exposition.
The highlight of the novel is the character themselves: the MMC is intercontinentally phenomenal, and the FMC is complex, strong, and intelligent, and this creates a calculated deliberate love/hate dynamic that serves the story exceedingly well.
Forbidden Sanctuary is a stunningly beautiful read that’s unforgettable that will challenge any reader to confront the hidden corners of their own past. This book has an undeniable emotional weight, combined with its engaging plot, satisfying spice, and all of this combined makes it a powerful read.
I have to recommend this book and I can’t wait to read the next book in The Fallen Grace Chronicles.