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A review by queserasarah_
Sanctuary by Andi C. Buchanan
3.0
I was pulled into the hallways of Casswell Mansion with the promise of a fantastic story: a neuro-divergent found-family comprised of those both living and deceased. While I did get to know some beautifully unique characters, the overall plot, unfortunately, fell a bit flat towards the end.
But first, the things that I liked! I'm not sure if it was intentional on the author's part, but I appreciated how slowly we got to know the characters - methodically unpacking their various personalities and traits. Neuro-divergent or not, I feel like people have the habit of putting characters in a box based on whatever unique attribute they might display at the beginning of a book. So it was refreshing to get to know them more organically.
Another thing I enjoyed a lot was the parallels and comparisons made between neurodivergency, queerness, race, and ghosts. Morgan, our main character, makes several comments about how ghosts, while on a different plane of existence, are still people and should be treated with the same care and respect as anyone else. The book's overarching theme is that our differences, even those less corporeal, shouldn't give license to being treated differently or unfairly.
As amazing as it was to get to know the characters, the book's actual plot is where it seemed to be lacking. While slow, I'd say the first 60-ish% of the book was enjoyable because it was so heavily character-driven, but once we started to get to the more plot-driven aspects, it took a bit of a nosedive. What was supposed to be the most climactic and exciting scene in the book felt disjointed. The only way I can describe it is that instead of sitting to watch a movie yourself, it feels more like someone else is watching a movie in the next room with the door cracked, and you only get bits and pieces of what's going on. Furthermore, there are breaks in the writing and fragmented sentences that don't at all fit what's happening in the story. I don't know if that was a stylistic choice on the author's part, but the narrative loses a lot of fluidity and gets muddled and confusing.
Overall, I think the story's premise was fascinating and had a lot of potential, but the actual execution was lacking for me.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3!
Thank you, NetGalley and Robot Dinosaur Press, for the ARC!
But first, the things that I liked! I'm not sure if it was intentional on the author's part, but I appreciated how slowly we got to know the characters - methodically unpacking their various personalities and traits. Neuro-divergent or not, I feel like people have the habit of putting characters in a box based on whatever unique attribute they might display at the beginning of a book. So it was refreshing to get to know them more organically.
Another thing I enjoyed a lot was the parallels and comparisons made between neurodivergency, queerness, race, and ghosts. Morgan, our main character, makes several comments about how ghosts, while on a different plane of existence, are still people and should be treated with the same care and respect as anyone else. The book's overarching theme is that our differences, even those less corporeal, shouldn't give license to being treated differently or unfairly.
As amazing as it was to get to know the characters, the book's actual plot is where it seemed to be lacking. While slow, I'd say the first 60-ish% of the book was enjoyable because it was so heavily character-driven, but once we started to get to the more plot-driven aspects, it took a bit of a nosedive. What was supposed to be the most climactic and exciting scene in the book felt disjointed. The only way I can describe it is that instead of sitting to watch a movie yourself, it feels more like someone else is watching a movie in the next room with the door cracked, and you only get bits and pieces of what's going on. Furthermore, there are breaks in the writing and fragmented sentences that don't at all fit what's happening in the story. I don't know if that was a stylistic choice on the author's part, but the narrative loses a lot of fluidity and gets muddled and confusing.
Overall, I think the story's premise was fascinating and had a lot of potential, but the actual execution was lacking for me.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3!
Thank you, NetGalley and Robot Dinosaur Press, for the ARC!