Santa Olivia (edition 2009)

This book flumoxed me a bit, I remember having a hard time connecting with the characters and world. ( )

I didn't even know about Santa Olivia until I saw someone else mention it a month or so ago. Maybe that's a good thing, because I was in just the right mood to read Santa Olivia right now. It's not high fantasy, like the Kushiel books: it's speculative fiction, with a bit of flu pandemic apocalypse and an oppressive government. And Loup isn't like Phèdre.

Loup is the daughter of a genetically modified man. She's something like a female Wolverine, if you know your superheroes. She's stronger and faster, and she doesn't know how to feel fear. Her brother gets killed in a boxing accident, after somebody cheats, and she's determined to fight back, and she trains to be a boxer herself. I thought I'd find that aspect boring, but the other characters surrounding her, their motivations and how they begin to change, make even that interesting.

She's also in a relationship with another woman. The attitude toward love isn't like in Kushiel -- "love as thou wilt" -- but thankfully the point isn't belaboured either. It feels closer to realistic than the Kushiel books without hammering home that hey, people aren't comfortable with lesbian relationships. I was worried that this would be brushed off at the end of the book, that the love story aspect would just peter out, but it stays present right to the end, so yay.

Looking forward to seeing more of it, I think. It isn't as amazing as Kushiel, as far as I'm concerned, but I want to see more of the characters. ( )

A departure from Carey's Kushieline universe, this book is a dystopian story of genetic engineering, epidemic, rebellion and dogged determination. The writing is excellent, the plotting tight. I found most of the characters believable, if not fully-fleshed out in all cases. I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Carey's foray out of high fantasy into science fiction is an unqualified success. ( )

After a mysterious illness decimates the population of the US, if not the world, a town on the Mexico/US border finds itself in a literal no man's land, not part of any country but serving as an army outpost for soldiers fighting the mysterious Mexican guerilla, El Segundo. Carmen Garron lives in Outpost, where prospects are non-existent. Still, she meets two nice guys at different times in her life and has a child by each of them.

The second man is not quite...human. He's been part of a genetic experiment and his DNA has been hybridized with that of a wolf. He thought he was sterile, so he's shocked when Carmen turns up pregnant. He has to flee those who would turn him in to the US government for the reward money. He warns Carmen that the child will probably be like him, with superhuman abilities.

And she is. Loup (from loup-garou, French for werewolf), knows no fear and has amazing strength and stamina. Might she be the hope that the citizens of Outpost have been waiting for?

This was not what I expected, but I'm not complaining. I expected more of a science-fictiony werewolf story and that's not really what this is. The nonhuman? superhuman? other-than-human? side of Loup definitely defines a large part of her life, but it's not really what drives the story. Not really.

Loup has a group of friends that call themselves the Santitos, the little saints. They're good kids and they are trying to make a difference in their town. I never really got all of them straight, but a couple did stand out. Mack has such a good heart underneath his tough shell, and he tries so hard to be with Loup. He's there for her in all the ways that really matter. And then there is Pilar. She's a bit generic, but we all do know girls like her. They want a better life and they'll do whatever they have to in order to get it. Pilar's just sideswiped when her heart gets in the way of what her head wants.

I really liked Loup though. I got a good feel for what life is like for her. She just feels a little too solid to everyone who touches her and it freaks them out. She learns to avoid touching people as much as she can. Can you imagine a life where everyone who touches you immediately draws back a little? Because she doesn't know fear, she has to constantly think about things more than other people do. "How would other people react to this? Well, I'd better do that then." The last thing she wants is for the wrong people to find out her heritage. Externally calm and uninvolved, she has passions that go deep. Her loyalty and drive are amazing. When something big happens in her life, she makes up her mind what she wants to do about it and goes after it with single-minded determination. She knows the process of getting where she wants to be will take years, but she takes those first steps in her plan, when a lot of people would have sat at home and thought that it was too hard.

I either didn't realize or I'd forgotten that this is a series. As I was coming up on what I knew had to be the big finale, I got a little nervous. There wasn't much of a page count left on my nook. And then I realized it was a series and I was a little disappointed. What's happened to the standalone novels? Remember those? They're hard to come by these days. This one does wrap up pretty well, with enough left hanging for me to be curious about the next book, but enough resolved that I don't feel like I've been cheated out of an ending.

There is sex here, but I didn't find it to be as graphic as Carey's Kushiel novels. Still, it is mostly older teen sex and that might put some readers off.

I've already added the next book, Saints Astray, to my to-read list. This might not have been what I expected, but I still got a good book, and I'm curious to see where Loup's story goes next. ( )

Yeah, I pretty much read this in one sitting. It's not going to burn down the world with its wild originality or fabulous writing, but it's just a really really good story.

SEQUEL PLEASE.
( )