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emilymahar 's review for:
Sanctuary Bay
by Laura J. Burns
Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book for review, and for the opportunity to be on the blog tour!
To see my Q&A with the authors and enter to win a copy of the book, click here: https://bookscleverness.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/review-author-qa-and-giveaway-sanctuary-bay-by-laura-j-burns-and-melinda-metz/
I’ve mentioned before that I have a love for books set at boarding schools. There’s always mystery, intrigue, and thrilling plotlines! Sanctuary Bay did not disappoint on those aspects, and in fact, there’s a completely unexpected element to the story that made me like it even more!
The prologue of the book sets the ball rolling in a flashback scene that is filled with action, and leaves you wondering what the HECK just happened. It’s quite a way to start off a story! With Chapter One, the story flashes forward to the main character, Summer, who is now in foster care after her parents’ murder. She’s on her way to Sanctuary Bay Academy, an isolated and mysterious institution where she’ll stay for the rest of her high school career.
The history and lack of outsider information surrounding the school is enough to creep you out, and definitely created a “something fishy is going on here” vibe straight off the bat. I loved how the location used to be a WWII POW camp, AND THEN the home of a asylum. UM, if that’s not chilling, I don’t know what is! Plus, the fact that the students aren’t allowed to leave the island until after graduation? Yeah, CREEPY x 100!
The majority of the book reads like your typical boarding school mystery. I didn’t want to stop reading it just the way it was. BUT, the big excitement comes with the reveal toward the end. It’s a huge twist that I wasn’t expecting, and I really loved it! It turned the book into a sci-fi-esque read. It did seem to be a bit out of the blue, but I liked how the authors wove the current craziness together with the equally crazy history.
I did have one thing that really irked me: the characters. I liked Summer, but apart from her I just wasn’t a fan of the others. I felt like they weren’t well-developed. Also, the ending seemed to be quite abrupt. It was almost like after the big reveal, there was HUGE information dump. I didn’t get closure AT ALL. Maybe that means a sequel???
Sanctuary Bay was really a fun book! And it’s not your average boarding school read. Fans that love the boarding school setting, but are looking for the typical storyline to be shaken up a bit, Sanctuary Bay is for you!
RATING: 3.5/5 HEARTS
To see my Q&A with the authors and enter to win a copy of the book, click here: https://bookscleverness.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/review-author-qa-and-giveaway-sanctuary-bay-by-laura-j-burns-and-melinda-metz/
I’ve mentioned before that I have a love for books set at boarding schools. There’s always mystery, intrigue, and thrilling plotlines! Sanctuary Bay did not disappoint on those aspects, and in fact, there’s a completely unexpected element to the story that made me like it even more!
The prologue of the book sets the ball rolling in a flashback scene that is filled with action, and leaves you wondering what the HECK just happened. It’s quite a way to start off a story! With Chapter One, the story flashes forward to the main character, Summer, who is now in foster care after her parents’ murder. She’s on her way to Sanctuary Bay Academy, an isolated and mysterious institution where she’ll stay for the rest of her high school career.
The history and lack of outsider information surrounding the school is enough to creep you out, and definitely created a “something fishy is going on here” vibe straight off the bat. I loved how the location used to be a WWII POW camp, AND THEN the home of a asylum. UM, if that’s not chilling, I don’t know what is! Plus, the fact that the students aren’t allowed to leave the island until after graduation? Yeah, CREEPY x 100!
The majority of the book reads like your typical boarding school mystery. I didn’t want to stop reading it just the way it was. BUT, the big excitement comes with the reveal toward the end. It’s a huge twist that I wasn’t expecting, and I really loved it! It turned the book into a sci-fi-esque read. It did seem to be a bit out of the blue, but I liked how the authors wove the current craziness together with the equally crazy history.
I did have one thing that really irked me: the characters. I liked Summer, but apart from her I just wasn’t a fan of the others. I felt like they weren’t well-developed. Also, the ending seemed to be quite abrupt. It was almost like after the big reveal, there was HUGE information dump. I didn’t get closure AT ALL. Maybe that means a sequel???
Sanctuary Bay was really a fun book! And it’s not your average boarding school read. Fans that love the boarding school setting, but are looking for the typical storyline to be shaken up a bit, Sanctuary Bay is for you!
RATING: 3.5/5 HEARTS