Reviews

Sanctuary by Abby Sher, Paola Mendoza

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lucysreading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

shksprsis's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

bardo's review against another edition

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5.0

Immigrants are destroying the United States and there must be strong action to stop it. These immigrant criminals bring violence, danger, disease, and death wherever they go; set on destroying order and authority. This is the rhetoric Vali has been hearing her whole life, as an illegal immigrant. California has succeeded and declared itself an immigrant safe zone, can Vali make it there before she is capture? Sanctuary is a raw and honest depiction of the immigrant experience and the human urge to be safe. Mendoza and Sher perfectly render the dangerous journey an immigrant must travel to safety. Vali is a relatable character who wants to keep her mother and younger brother safe even when the government wants to destroy them. She is a force to be reckoned with but has to find her strength continually throughout the journey. Her unwavering love for her brother with pull at readers heartstrings and ache for the two children. Mendoza and Sher do not shy away from the current rhetoric of how immigrants are seen in the US, using this real life issue to fuel the near-future plot of Sanctuary. Right from the first page, the fast paced plot and heart pounding writing will leave readers breathless and tears in their eyes.

An advanced readers copy was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

adnaw06's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Content Warnings

mizchiefmanaged's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

* Whew * does this one hit too close for comfort. Sanctuary is a story about a young sibling duo who are fleeing the Deportation Forces in their pursuit to California, which has been recently walled off from the rest of the country as a sanctuary state for immigrants. The year is 2032, and in this not-so-distant-future, all citizens are implanted with a chip to prove they are citizens. As their president becomes more and more like a dictator, these chips are required beyond that at borders. Deportation Forces are now forcing people to scan their chip everywhere - getting on public transportation, going into school, going into grocery stores, etc - and anyone who either doesn't have a chip or is found to have a counterfeit is shipped off to a <*s> concentration <*/s> labor camp, and they are never seen again. As their home city in Vermont is becoming more and more dangerous, and Vali's mother's counterfeit chip starts to malfunction, they pack up and attempt to make the near-impossible trek to California.

I don't even know what to say about this but that it feels so real . With the way our government feels about immigrants, especially those from Southern/Latin America (which is the primary focus of this novel), this honestly doesn't feel like an impossible scenario. Which is terrifying. As someone who is privileged enough to not have to endure the hardships of being an immigrant or a child to an immigrant family, I can't even begin to imagine how much of Vali's struggles mirror that of the immigrants in America today. Although this is dystopian fiction, it takes inspiration from real issues that are prevalent in our society today, and paints a picture of a dystopian future that really isn't far off if we stay on our current trajectory.

Although devastating, I think this is an important read for anyone and everyone to get a glimpse of the immigrant experience, and what could happen if we give government too much power. Sanctuary is followed by a companion novel, Solis, & I plan on reading that as well.