A review by thereadingtrashqueen
Sanctuary, by V.V. James
4.0
UPDATE: bumping the rating up to 4 stars because a year later this book is still on my mind often. Ironically a year ago I wasn't sure if I liked the anger it provoked, but with everything that has happened I do like it. Of course like isn't the right word, but it's important. This rage is so important. It always has been, but especially now it needs attention. So, upping the rating, and recommending!
Giving this book 3 stars for now, though it might go up as I’m torn on it.
I spent the second half of the book absolutely raging at these characters and saw the ‘big twist’ coming right from the start.
The book conjuring such emotion is of course usually a good thing, but I’m not sure if I liked it. Sanctuary holds up a mirror to today’s bigotry and hatred, and how it can spiral out of control completely (very quickly)- James just used witches. It’s terrifying because I could see this happen today. Just not with witches, of course.
It’s the characters I struggled with, and especially the choices they made, and the melodrama they unnecessarily caused at the beginning. Maggie and Chester might be the only exceptions, while Abigail was the absolutely worst. I understand that all characters believe they are doing the right thing, and that grief can cause people to do all kinds of things, but when someone becomes THIS vile, I have no sympathy.
So I will think on it for a while, let it sit with me, and then reconsider my rating.
Giving this book 3 stars for now, though it might go up as I’m torn on it.
I spent the second half of the book absolutely raging at these characters and saw the ‘big twist’ coming right from the start.
The book conjuring such emotion is of course usually a good thing, but I’m not sure if I liked it. Sanctuary holds up a mirror to today’s bigotry and hatred, and how it can spiral out of control completely (very quickly)- James just used witches. It’s terrifying because I could see this happen today. Just not with witches, of course.
It’s the characters I struggled with, and especially the choices they made, and the melodrama they unnecessarily caused at the beginning. Maggie and Chester might be the only exceptions, while Abigail was the absolutely worst. I understand that all characters believe they are doing the right thing, and that grief can cause people to do all kinds of things, but when someone becomes THIS vile, I have no sympathy.
So I will think on it for a while, let it sit with me, and then reconsider my rating.