Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands) [Kindle Edition]

Sarah Fine (Author)

Book Description

Exclusive pre-order promotion for the sequel to Sanctum: Pre-order the Kindle edition of Fractured (Guards of the Shadowlands #2) any time before the publication date of 10/29/13 and receive the exclusive, never-before-published short story Captive: A Guard’s Tale from Malachi’s Perspective.

"My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple."

A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance – hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone – she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t – the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

Sanctum is Sarah Fine’s first novel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As a modern-day 'Orpheus and Eurydice,' Sanctum will be a hit with urban fantasy readers, who will love its top-notch world-building, page-turning action, and slow-developing romance." ~School Library Journal

"In this well-developed concept of the afterlife, details are well-executed and the setting is described flawlessly. Without a doubt, readers will look forward to the next installment of the Guards of the Shadowlands series." --Library Media Connection

"Many original, interesting ideas create this complex world and creatures lurking through the afterlife. [Readers] will be excited to find this is first of a trilogy." ~VOYA

"This is one of my favorite books of this year! Smart and sexy." ~Reading Teen blog

Review

"Dark, gripping, and impossible to put down. SANCTUM is smart, original, and pulls no punches -- just like Lela, one of the strongest heroines I've ever met." ~Erica O'Rourke, author of TORN

“Theology be damned, though: Lela and Malachi are both likable protagonists, and readers will be happy… this trilogy opener has a lot going for it. " - Kirkus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 679 KB
• Print Length: 450 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1612184421
• Publisher: Skyscape (October 16, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007KOR0Z2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,290 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #72 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Dystopian

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fantasy, sci fi and romance November 23, 2012

By mysteryloverinphoenix

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Just finished Sanctum, and it was AWESOME for any age of reader. I am over 40. I read it in a day in a half. Beautifully written, the characters were well developed, although I would have liked the relationship between Lela and Nadia to have been developed a bit more before Lela's journey. Lela is a high school senior who has a lot of emotional baggage, who loses her best friend, Nadia, to suicide, and while in mourning, accidentally falls off a cliff to her death. She then realizes she is in heaven, but upon learning Nadia has not reached heaven, and is in a part of hell reserved for suicides (which I perceived to be a kind of purgatory), she heads for the dark city in search of her friend.

Lela encounters one of the guards of the city, Malachi, and with his help she embarks on a seemingly impossible quest to locate Nadia and somehow get themselves out of the dark city and into the countryside (heaven). A romance develops between Lela and Malachi along the way, and there are dangerous twists and turns, all culminating in an unexpected ending which left me wanting more. I was relieved to see a second book is coming out next year and I can't wait. The dialogue was smart and believable, and the plot twists clever. Also, the descriptions of the scenery were so well done I could see everything in my mind's eye very clearly. I look forward to reading more from this author and hope the story becomes a movie. I was a huge fan of Hunger Games but I have to say I think Sanctum was better.

49 of 56 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Several hits but one really big miss November 19, 2012

By BookY

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was excited to read this. The premise is unique and interesting -- A girl determined to save her best friend embarks on a rescue mission in a special section of hell reserved for those who commit suicide.

So, you'll notice right away that this book deals with some pretty heavy issues - depression, addiction, abuse and suicide are major themes in the story, and rape is also implied. Yeah, I know - sounds like kind of a downer right? But don't worry, these weighty subject matters are skillfully and delicately dealt with, and are tempered nicely with Lela's frank and witty narration.

The writing is pretty good for the most part, although there were some scenes that felt a little disjointed. I hate it when authors try to ram details down your throat and thankfully, that is not done here. The setting is artfully described and I had a vivid picture of our little corner of hell. The world-building is adequately done, although there's definitely still a lot of things left unexplained but I'm guessing that's being left for the next book.

All that being said, there was an aspect of this book that I really didn't care for, and it happened to be something that is hugely important to me -- the characters. I really liked the main character, Lela - at first. As the story goes on, however, we see that she has a habit of making really STUPID decisions. It was irritating. Look I don't need or want my protagonists to be perfect, but when their character flaw is "dumb idiot", it's kind of a turn off for me. (*mild spoiler - Also, this is just a personal pet peeve of mine so I didn't take away a star for it, but towards the end of the book the author uses one of my most hated cliches: the Misinterpreted Overheard Partial Conversation. Ugh. And of course, it causes Lela to make another one of her stupid decisions)

Then there's the hero, Malachi. Again, I really liked him when he is first introduced. The Captain of the Guards of the Suicide Gates, he is fierce, brutal and driven. But then after just a couple of conversations with Lela, he suddenly loves her and is willing to sacrifice anything for her and he just becomes so...nice. Don't get me wrong, I'm not into the love interest who is a total jerk, but yeah, Malachi was just too nice. He incessantly apologizes to Lela for things that are almost always her own fault. I just didn't get it.

And lastly, the best friend Nadia. The sole driving force behind everything Lela does. For someone who should be a major character, she pretty much spends the entire book being an empty shell of a girl, and I get why, but still, it's hard to care about her. Her character seriously could have used more development, perhaps in the beginning of the book at least.

For the most part, this was an okay book. Despite my issues with it, it was still very readable and I don't regret buying it like I do so many YA books lately. Although I'm not sure if I'll continue on to the sequel when it comes out.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review for Sanctum by Sarah Fine April 21, 2013

By Alyssa

Format:Hardcover

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Sanctum by Sarah Fine
Book One of the Guards of the Shadowlands series
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children's/Amazon Children's Publishing
Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Public Library

Summary (from Goodreads):

"My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple."

A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos's best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance--hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn't just anyone--she's determined to save her best friend's soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she's captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city's endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn't--the dark city isn't the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

What I Liked:

It is SO easy to review books I love. And seriously, I loved this book. I haven't rated a new book with 5 stars in a long time! Nor have I found a new favorite in a long time! This book is definitely a new favorite. There are books that you enjoy, that you really like, or maybe even love, but then, there are those that you absolutely love and know it's one of your favorites.

Well. That's this book. It's no secret that I love fantasy books. I believe this book is considered fantasy, and perhaps paranormal. The world that Fine creates outside of the current, modern-day world is fascinating. Th setting is amazing, and it feels like it could be a real place! I got a feel of its dank, suffocating nature within the first pages of Lela being in the city. The setting is... wow.

The characters are even more amazing. Lela is a fantastic heroine - tough, spunky, and hardened. She is hurt immensely from her past, but she works through her problems as the book goes along. That was something I did not expect. YA heroines rarely have cruel backgrounds, and yet Lela has had a difficult past. Her past makes her strong, and ultimately keeps her alive.

Malachi... oh, Malachi. That guy is TERRIFIC. I can't even begin to express how much I truly like him. He is the Captain of the Guards (hot guy signal number one), and he handles his power with ease and grace (hot guy signal number two), even though he is young (hot guy signal number three). He has a haunted past - and I am NOT kidding when I say haunted (hot guy signal number four). He's a geniunely good guy though (hot guy signal number five). And, well, he's HOT. Physically. Trust me.

The plot of this story is pretty straightforward at first: get Nadia out. But there are so many bumps and twists along the way! I did see some coming, but then others, especially the end, I did not see coming. And while I'm there, the ending is a good one. A little different, but good.

NO LOVE TRIANGLE! EVERYONE, REJOICE! This probably couldn't be one of my favorite books if it had a love triangle. But it doesn't! And I now have a new favorite book! Bliss :D

(And if anyone wanted to know; I waited three days before writing this review - just so the book would sink in, and I could truly assess the book.)

What I Did Not Like:

NOTHING. There was nothing that I did not like about this book. Or at least, that I can think of right now. Don't judge me!

Would I Recommend It:

YES! And believe me, I mean that. It's been so long since I regarded a book as one of my FAVORITES, and thus making the series one of my favorite series. But one thing is for sure: I can't wait to read Fractured!

Rating:

5 stars. I am so happy that I found a new book to love. It's not very day I give a book 5 stars, or call it one of my favorites. It's been too long! I really hope other readers will take a chance with this one.

More About the Author

Sarah Fine was born on the West Coast, raised in the Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched on the East Coast, where she lives with her husband and two children. When she's not writing, she's working as a child psychologist. No, she is not psychoanalyzing you right now.

Website: http://sarahfinebooks.com/
For more information about the Guards of the Shadowlands series, and to read excerpts from Malachi's personal journals, visit www.GuardsOfTheShadowlands.tumblr.com