Sanctuary

Sanctuary is the first book in a trilogy about teenagers with remarkable powers who discover that aliens are threatening Earth. Set on a prison space station where “anomalous” youth are held captive, it follows Kenzie, a young prison guard who believes the corporate line that the anomalies are dangerous and that she is keeping the earth safe from them.

During a prison break attempt, Kenzie is taken hostage by Cage and his friends. Kenzie quickly realizes that the anomalous teens are not the malicious criminals she had expected, and she finds herself sympathizing with their desire to escape. Before the hostage situation is resolved, aliens attack the space station. Kenzie works together with Cage and the other teens to find out what is going on and ultimately to rescue the imprisoned teens from the space station – but then they discover the terrifying truth of the aliens’ plans for them.

Sanctuary is a fast-paced adventure that could easily be turned into a movie. The characters are engaging and well-developed, and their progress from suspicious enemies to reluctant allies to trusted friends holds together a fairly predictable action plot.

Kenzie is convincing as the upright corporate citizen—daughter of prison guards, proud of her job—gradually coming to question everything she has been taught. When her mother, the prison commander, is willing to let her daughter die rather than let the prisoners escape, Kenzie’s sense of betrayal realistically tips her over to the side of the anomalies.

Kenzie’s romance with Cage is less believable and seems included because it is expected rather than because it makes sense. The relationships among the prisoners are more nuanced and genuine and form the heart of the novel.

The imprisoned teens have various interesting powers that prove useful at key moments. The aliens are frightening monsters who hunt by sound, not sight, and so there are lots of suspenseful moments of sneaking around a space station and being suddenly attacked. Realism is not a particular concern of either plot or setting. The word count is high, but the action seldom drags.

There is a fairly high body count, including Kenzie’s mother; the romance is limited to a few kisses.

Sanctuary will appeal to readers who enjoy sci-fi horror like the Alien movies and comic-book-style adventures like the X-Men.