Monday, July 23, 2018

BOOK REVIEW | Sanctuary by Caryn Lix

Title: Sanctuary
Author: Caryn Lix
Series? I couldn't find any information on a sequel, but there is room for another book. However, if the this could stand alone.
Publication Date: July 24, 2018
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: I received an e-arc of Sanctuary via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. :)


Alien meets Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds in this thrilling debut novel about prison-guard-in-training, Kenzie, who is taken hostage by the superpowered criminal teens of the Sanctuary space station—only to have to band together with them when the station is attacked by mysterious creatures.

Kenzie holds one truth above all: the company is everything.

As a citizen of Omnistellar Concepts, the most powerful corporation in the solar system, Kenzie has trained her entire life for one goal: to become an elite guard on Sanctuary, Omnistellar’s space prison for superpowered teens too dangerous for Earth. As a junior guard, she’s excited to prove herself to her company—and that means sacrificing anything that won’t propel her forward.

But then a routine drill goes sideways and Kenzie is taken hostage by rioting prisoners.

At first, she’s confident her commanding officer—who also happens to be her mother—will stop at nothing to secure her freedom. Yet it soon becomes clear that her mother is more concerned with sticking to Omnistellar protocol than she is with getting Kenzie out safely.

As Kenzie forms her own plan to escape, she doesn’t realize there’s a more sinister threat looming, something ancient and evil that has clawed its way into Sanctuary from the vacuum of space. And Kenzie might have to team up with her captors to survive—all while beginning to suspect there’s a darker side to the Omnistellar she knows.
When I saw Sanctuary available to request on NetGalley, I was convinced to request right away. The synopsis drew me in, and though the book delivered what it promised, I did find the story lackluster at times. 

Sanctuary follows our protagonist, Kenzie, who is a citizen of Omnistellar Concepts. She works on a spaceship with her mother, in hopes of one day becoming a guard. The guards watch over people with superpowers. On Kenzie's ship, all the detainees are teenagers. Soon into the book, Kenzie is taken hostage by the prisoners, and loyalties are tested. Later in the book, another adversary, one much more dangerous for the immediate future, invades the ship.


As other reviews have mentioned on goodreads,  Sanctuary is distinctly separated into two parts. The first is Kenzie's hostage by prisoners. The second is the sinister threat that the synopsis mentions, and has a much different feel than the first half. Personally, I felt as if Sanctuary was two books mashed into one. At 480 pages, I would have liked if Sanctuary was two separate books that took more time to develop the characters and make the world seem more realistic.  

Because the book had two distinct acts, I don't think there was enough page time to develop any of the characters properly. For instance, when Kenzie is taken prisoner and her mom struggles to meet the prisoners demands in exchange for Kenzie's freedom, I wasn't convinced of that betrayal. Not enough time was given to Kenzie and her mother's relationship, so when Kenzie felt betrayed, it didn't resonate with me. The same goes for character deaths. There were a couple characters who died, and it didn't mean anything to me. 

Despite my problem withe lack of character development, I did like the action. There aren't many slow points in Sanctuary, especially int he second act. If I'm being honest, I preferred the second act over the first. There were several twists, and the action scenes were well done. The superpowers could have been utilized a bit more, but I thought they were paced and planned out well. 

If you are looking for romance in the books you read, you're in luck! There is a good bit of romance in Sanctuary. While it wasn't my favorite romance, I thought it was done pretty well. Kenzie and her love interest have an instant connection, and since the book takes place in a day or two, the romance moves fast. However, Caryn Lix acknowledges the quick pace of their relationship. I liked that the characters took time to acknowledge that they had much more to learn about each other and that they moved fast. By having that scene in the book, it shows that Lix is self-aware of the romance and ensures that their relationship doesn't have the insta-love many readers loathe. 

Sanctuary isn't my favorite science fiction book, but it is far from the worst. I wish that the characters were developed a bit more, but the action scenes were done very well, and I liked the romance. After the open ending of the first book, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. 

With that, I give Sanctuary 
3.5 out of 5 Spaceships! 







Have you read Sanctuary? What did you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

18 comments:

  1. This might not be for me because I need a lot of TLC put into my characters. Action is great, but I want to feel things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were a couple moments here and there, but I was never fully convinced of the relationships, unfortunately. Sadly, I would agree that Sanctuary isn't for you! Thank you for visiting Amber Elise. :)

      Delete
  2. Hmm is it awful that I was put off immediately from the first sentence of the blurb (Alien meets...)? I've just never had the greatest luck with books that pitch themselves as a combo of two popular series'. I'm sorry to hear it was a bit lackluster in the reading department. I've experienced the whole 'it's really long but there still isn't great development' in quite a few of my review books and it's just so strangely ironic. Still, I'm glad to hear that the action didn't ever let the book slow down for you!

    Laura @BlueEyeBooks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness, I'm right there with you. Even if the book is amazing, I HATE when a synopsis of a book has "___ meets __" in there. Personally, I feel like the book should stand on its own, and if it is a good enough book, comparisons aren't necessary. I normally see that problem with books that aren't published by huge publishing companies or are self published, simply because the process isn't as intensive, doesn't have as many editors, etc. This was from a bigger publishing house, so I was even more disappointed than usual.

      Thank you so much for visiting Laura!

      Delete
  3. Definitely sounds like a unique concept, I'm sorry the execution didn't work out for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, the concept wasn't as good as the execution. There is a sequel, though, and I'll be reading it. :)

      Delete
  4. I do really enjoy romance in my novels, so maybe this one is for me. It does sound like an interesting concept. I am sorry that it wasn't what you had hoped for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also love romance in books! Whether it be the main plot, sub plot, or just a hint of something, I need it, haha! :D

      Delete
  5. This sounds pretty decent and I may read this one at some point. I've definitely got it on my list, along with Contagion and a few other recent SF's. I do like the idea of the super pwers, although I'm sorry to hear the characterization is a bit thin. Still, it sounds like a decent enough read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have Contagion on my list as well! I've been seeing some wonderful reviews of it, so I have high hopes. I would still recommend it despite the problems I had with characterization!

      Delete
  6. That's kind of a bummer about the lack of character development. Aside from that, it sounds like a pretty solid read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was solid! That's a perfect word to describe Sanctuary. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. Thanks for stopping by Suzanne! :)

      Delete
  7. This actually sounds so well from the premise, such a shame it doesn't quite deliver! But I guess you still liked it in the end :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sanctuary was a little bit of a disappointment, but I did like it in the end. :) I hope that I'll enjoy the sequel more!

      Thanks for visiting Evelina. :)

      Delete
  8. I'm glad there was still a lot to love in this one for you!! I actually tend to avoid really long books and also sci-fi haha so I probably wouldn't rush after this one? But I am intrigued, especially by how it's done in two separate parts! Also that cover is epic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sanctuary is both long and a sci-fi, so this might not be the best book for you, haha! I agree, the cover is epic! Thanks for visiting CG!

      Delete
  9. I really love to enjoy your blog post. But honestly still haven't read the full story. I will read the book later as I already finished an awesome story The darkest minds. A sci-fi novel before watching the darkest minds. The book is adapted for the movie. I am so excited to watch the movie. I already watch Watch The Darkest Minds 2018 Online trailers on YouTube

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you like the movie Deepak! I read the book years ago, and might watch the movie.

      Delete