Laura J. Burns

Last week it rained, and rained. And then, it rained some more. There was flash flooding. And then there were tornadoes. Since I couldn’t get outside to enjoy Spring, I was glad to be diverted by a riveting novel. Once I started reading Sanctuary Bay, I couldn’t put it down. So I settled down in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and kept reading while the rain kept falling.

Sarah Merson is a midwestern teenager whose parents died under mysterious circumstances when she was very young. Since show more then, she has been raised by a series of foster families. She learned to keep her head down and fly under the radar to hopefully survive the foster system. Gifted with a photographic memory, she makes excellent grades, and her junior year she suddenly receives a full scholarship to attend an exclusive boarding school located on an island off the coast of Maine.

Even before she steps foot on Sanctuary Bay, Sarah notices things are a little “off”. She cannot find any mention of Sanctuary Bay on the internet, and the local ferry isn’t allowed to take her all the way to the island. Instead, they drop her off at a wind turbine farm,where a boat from Sanctuary Bay picks her up. She brushes these concerns aside when she meets her new roommates and friends at Sanctuary Bay. For the first time, Sarah feels accepted by the cool kids, and the place is just so nice and state of the art. But as the oddities mount, Sarah must confront her feelings that things are not all right at Sanctuary Bay.

I don’t want to say much more, because I don’t want to give away any spoilers. But, I will say that I couldn’t put this book down. I kept reading until I got to the very end. I *thought* I knew where things were going, but I was wrong. I am delighted when that happens. It’s no fun when I figure things out only one-third or halfway through a book.

There are a couple reasons why I didn’t give this book a straight-up A+. For one, there were a few mysterious things that happened and Sarah would notice them, but then she would never ask anyone about them. She just dropped it. I believe most people would have asked questions. However, I do understand rationalizing away suspicious happenings, especially as a teenager. She was desperate to find acceptance and belonging. We are all often willing to overlook warning signs for that. The second issue I had was with the dialogue. I know I am a 40 something mom, but some of the dialogue seemed forced and contrived. I am not entirely sure teens talk that way.

The ending left things open for a possible sequel. If that is the case, I will definitely read it. I enjoyed this book immensely. If you are attracted to mysteries and YA books, I believe you will enjoy it too. show less

Sarah is an orphan and she's been plagued by that one descriptive word her entire life. Her teachers treat her like a cheater, she lacks friendship, and while she has a foster family she doesn't feel like she belongs. After receiving an unheard of scholarship to Sanctuary Bay, an all-immersive high school, Sarah's social worker convinces her this is her best chance at attaining a successful life. With no access to the outside world, Sarah finds herself surrounded by people she likes, without show more judgement of wealth or privilege. Invited to join a secret society of other students, Sarah finds that the innocent front might have a far more sinister background.

Sarah is a hard to like character, but it works for this book. She's seen a lot of ugly in the world, questions everything, and judges everyone. You would think reading her constant inner monologue of judgement of people would get old, but it really just makes her who she is. I connected with her, with her protective layer over herself and her role as an outcast, even when she no longer was. She isn't the best secret keeper in the world, but she does have the qualities of a great best friend. The saving grace of this book though is Ethan. He's like John Bender from the Breakfast Club, like the criminal with a negative viewpoint, but he makes you think, he brings out the best in Sarah, and he really brings a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle. I really would like to know more about him and see his story line's conclusion. I definitely was surprised by everything in this book, you get the creepy crawlies just knowing Sarah is off to a school that's completely cut off from the outside world, but I didn't expect the twists and turns that did happen. I, for one, wouldn't want anything to do with a school connected to an insane asylum or a POW nazi camp.

I'm not sure if I'm just too caught up in the details, but something was missing in Sanctuary Bay. For all the background we get, I still don't feel like I really understand. The "wolfpack," or secret society, aspect of the story really threw me. I love secret society books, I will read any you give me, but this one confused me. Once you tie in the thing leading the society mind control due to a drug, you'd think this would make sense, but no it's even worse. Was there even a meaning behind it? I certainly couldn't figure it out. On top of that, the secret society is pretty much sex, drugs, and booze, I mean is it supposed to make me think? All I'm thinking is these 16 year olds are too wild for their own good. Sarah's involvement in it is nonsensical, for a girl who thinks everything through you would think this would have a major question mark next to it, instead she's just as willing to make out with someone she doesn't even know. I get that there's something behind the other students, but Sarah follows along like a puppy and with no explanation whatsoever.

I'm really hoping this book is part of a series, because even though I didn't full understand everything I do really want to know what happens to Sarah and Ethan, as well as with the Bromcyan. There are several story lines that didn't reach conclusion, especially Sarah's life and Ethan's family. I could also easily see a prologue, one involving Sarah's parents, being written, because it sounds so interesting. Like I said, I'm a sucker for the details, but overall this book was a good read. Just enough YA/NA mixed with creepy mystery. show less

Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Review:

Sarah Merson has been in the foster system since she was a toddler. She heard her parents die and since then has relived the moment and many other super-shitty moments thanks to her eidetic memory. The only benefit her eidetic memory has ever offered her is the ability to kick ass and take names in school. Because of her academic success, Sarah has been tapped to receive a full scholarship to show more Sanctuary Bay, an elite academy populated by mostly uber-wealthy kids who have more money than sense.

Knowing she hit the foster kid lottery, Sarah goes into Sanctuary Bay with the intention of doing her very best so she will have a chance when she graduates. Her first impression of the Academy is one of wonder and awe as it is a completely isolated island which the students (and faculty) never leave. The classes are easy for Sarah but fitting in with the wealthy kids is a bit harder. With two roommates, one super nice and one a bit scary, Sarah has a sort of instant social circle which she works hard to fit into. Before long, Sarah isn’t just a part of the in-crowd but is also asked to become a member of an exclusive secret society. The group is beyond weird and into some somewhat sketchy stuff but for the first time in her life, Sarah feels like she belongs. And then everything takes a left turn at Albuquerque.

Sarah has done her level best to avoid contact with her roommate’s boyfriend, Ethan. In Sarah’s estimation, Ethan generally has a very bad attitude and underappreciates the opportunities offered to him by the Academy. However, some of his crazy starts to make sense when things with the secret club start going sideways. Ethan has been at the Academy for a lot of years and when Sarah begins asking questions about Sanctuary Bay, the asylum ruins, and the island’s history, Ethan becomes a valuable source of information. When the information starts coming together into a cohesive whole, Sarah finds she needs Ethan more than ever especially if the two of them want to stay alive. Holy Hannah!! What Sarah and Ethan discover about Sanctuary Bay goes beyond even the wildest imaginings of the most ardent conspiracy theorist!!

The Bottom Line: Sanctuary Bay is one wild ride. Just when I wrapped my head around high school kids having near-orgies and classrooms filled with millions of dollars’ worth of tech, and a site so remote not even the teachers leave, the left turn at Albuquerque happens. The turn Sanctuary Bay takes is a pretty wide left turn and may turn some readers off but I found its weirdness to be right in line with everything else about the Academy. Sanctuary Bay isn’t just about a bunch of rich kids at an ultra-exclusive school. Oh, no!! Sanctuary Bay is about a bunch of rich kids (and Sarah!) ant an ultra-exclusive school that has a sordid and nasty history that involves so many levels of deception and deceit as to be nearly implausible. I sort of loved it and the deeper I got into the read the more I enjoyed the crazy. This isn’t your typical high school read and I would caution any reader to go into this with a completely open mind because the turns this one takes will leave you reeling. Now you totally want to read this, don’t you?? My work here is done . . . show less

I am a HUGE fan of the original Oz books and some of the re-tellings that I have read as well. So I absolutely couldn't wait to read this book when I found it on a shelf at our library. This author is not Frank Baum so I didn't expect her to keep to the original story perfectly. I am rating her based on her writing (and my opinion of the book)... not on how well she kept to the original story. They are two different authors and I will be fair and treat her as an individual.

There are some show more parallels in this book with the original story with common characters and places but Ms. Burns took ownership and made this story her own. I really enjoyed the new characters that she introduced. They are young and they act accordingly with crushes and jealously, etc. Unlike other reviewers, I didn't expect young characters to act like adults. These characters have their own skills that they are learning and developing along the way to Glinda the Good's castle. They are also learn that sometimes things are not as they appear and the same goes for people. I literally got lost in this book and read it all in one sitting. I believe that Ms. Burns has earned herself a new fan.

Overall, a great adventure in the land of Oz. Now I just need to get my hands on a copy of the next book... show less