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A review by queerspoons
Sanctuary by Andi C. Buchanan
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
This book had potential. The premise was exciting, and the cast of characters was diverse and endearing, however that’s where things fell flat for me.
To start, the ensemble was so vast that it felt that you didn’t really get to know any of them past their disabilities and challenges operating in a neurotypical, cisgender, heterosexual world. I believe in an attempt to highlight these differences in the characters, they were made one-note.
The novel also had very little in terms of plot. The majority of the writing was focused on the characters, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when you couple it with writing that is blanketed by monotonous descriptions of the characters’ struggles, it leaves something to be desired. Plot points seemed glossed over or quickly described and then we move on.
Third, and perhaps most glaring, was the need for another revision. The writing had typos, potentially misgendered one of the characters more than once (though that could be misunderstanding on my part from unclear writing structures), was repetitive, and relied too heavily on fractured sentences.
I believe this book had promise, but the execution was faulty for me.
This book had potential. The premise was exciting, and the cast of characters was diverse and endearing, however that’s where things fell flat for me.
To start, the ensemble was so vast that it felt that you didn’t really get to know any of them past their disabilities and challenges operating in a neurotypical, cisgender, heterosexual world. I believe in an attempt to highlight these differences in the characters, they were made one-note.
The novel also had very little in terms of plot. The majority of the writing was focused on the characters, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when you couple it with writing that is blanketed by monotonous descriptions of the characters’ struggles, it leaves something to be desired. Plot points seemed glossed over or quickly described and then we move on.
Third, and perhaps most glaring, was the need for another revision. The writing had typos, potentially misgendered one of the characters more than once (though that could be misunderstanding on my part from unclear writing structures), was repetitive, and relied too heavily on fractured sentences.
I believe this book had promise, but the execution was faulty for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death