Sanctum Warriors: Shadow Havens Book 2

Well, the best thing to be said about reality is that you can escape it whenever you can. Much like God, if the worlds of vampires, monsters, etc., did not exist on their own, we would have to invent them, if only to avoid the world of drudge and fear that exists without them. Fantasy has its purpose, as without it one is left with reality, and who the hell needs that?

Sanctum Warriors is the second book of a proposed trilogy – and I guess that as we are at volume two, we are past the proposition and instead into the full seduction – regarding the wicked, wicked interplay of humans and vampires. To digress for a mo … what actually is the substance of the current obsession with the bloodless undead bent on the domination of evil? Does Mitch McConnell need to give more press conferences?

All kidding aside – assuming there was any kidding above – Sanctum Warriors is an enjoyable piece of writing designed to immerse the reader in a hot bath of fantasy whilst then toweling them off in a soft fabric cloth of romance. To give away much of the plot would be to give away, well, most of the plot, so allow us to share scant details. Arabella D’Court is the wanted (and wanton) meal of one Sebastien Galaurus, occupation: vampire. How in fact Sebastien’s urgings are manipulated and – possibly – overcome against the wishes of the Demesne (read: evil order of vampires) is the guts of this book. And they are very entertaining guts indeed.

I shall not kid you – reading Volume One of this trilogy will be helpful, if not an absolute prerequisite. However, Black’s particular vision of the vampire mythology has a certain layer of conspiratorial politics, dark agendas, and all-out evil plotting to lend this novel a page-turning intrigue. Oh, you will have fun with this, guaranteed.