Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi
Synopsis:
Alien meets Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds in this thrilling debut novel about prison-guard-in-training, Kenzie, who is taken hostage by the superpowered criminal teens of the Sanctuary space station—only to have to band together with them when the station is attacked by mysterious creatures.
Kenzie holds one truth above all: the company is everything.
As a citizen of Omnistellar Concepts, the most powerful corporation in the solar system, Kenzie has trained her entire life for one goal: to become an elite guard on Sanctuary, Omnistellar’s space prison for superpowered teens too dangerous for Earth. As a junior guard, she’s excited to prove herself to her company—and that means sacrificing anything that won’t propel her forward.
But then a routine drill goes sideways and Kenzie is taken hostage by rioting prisoners.
At first, she’s confident her commanding officer—who also happens to be her mother—will stop at nothing to secure her freedom. Yet it soon becomes clear that her mother is more concerned with sticking to Omnistellar protocol than she is with getting Kenzie out safely.
As Kenzie forms her own plan to escape, she doesn’t realize there’s a more sinister threat looming, something ancient and evil that has clawed its way into Sanctuary from the vacuum of space. And Kenzie might have to team up with her captors to survive—all while beginning to suspect there’s a darker side to the Omnistellar she knows.
Kenzie holds one truth above all: the company is everything.
As a citizen of Omnistellar Concepts, the most powerful corporation in the solar system, Kenzie has trained her entire life for one goal: to become an elite guard on Sanctuary, Omnistellar’s space prison for superpowered teens too dangerous for Earth. As a junior guard, she’s excited to prove herself to her company—and that means sacrificing anything that won’t propel her forward.
But then a routine drill goes sideways and Kenzie is taken hostage by rioting prisoners.
At first, she’s confident her commanding officer—who also happens to be her mother—will stop at nothing to secure her freedom. Yet it soon becomes clear that her mother is more concerned with sticking to Omnistellar protocol than she is with getting Kenzie out safely.
As Kenzie forms her own plan to escape, she doesn’t realize there’s a more sinister threat looming, something ancient and evil that has clawed its way into Sanctuary from the vacuum of space. And Kenzie might have to team up with her captors to survive—all while beginning to suspect there’s a darker side to the Omnistellar she knows.
Hello Caryn! We are super excited to talk to you about SANCTUARY and to have you in our FFBC tours.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Favorite Book?
This answer changes on a daily basis. But I really love Howl’s Moving Castle and, more contemporarily, The Kingkiller Chronicles.
Favorite TV show?
This is a toss up between The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Firefly.
Favorite movie?
Guardians of the Galaxy Part One
Favorite Song?
Johnny Cash singing Hurt by NIN
Favorite Food?
Okonomiyaki
Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.
Paradis Island, even with all the Titans.
Asgard.
Hogwarts
What were your favorite books growing up?
I loved so many books growing up. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Anne of Green Gables, and Gordon Korman’s early laugh out loud classics were probably the top of my list.
Favorite Quote?
“Go on and do your work. Do it well. It is all you can do.” -Ursula K. LeGuin from A Wizard of Earthsea
What do you find yourself “fangirling” over?
I can be deeply obsessive about the things I love, so whatever I’m hardcore into I tend to fangirl over hard. Right now it’s Attack On Titan. At one point I went out for dinner with my husband and he stared at me and said, “Do you realize you’re wearing an Attack on Titan T-shirt, an Attack on Titan hoodie, and carrying an Attack on Titan purse? And I can’t swear to it but I’m pretty sure that’s the wings of freedom on your bracelet.” The thing is, I hadn’t even noticed.
Name a recent book you read that you would recommend to our YA fans?
There are fantastic books out there right now, just so many. I recently finished Warcross by Marie Lu and loved it.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about SANCTUARY?
Sanctuary has been described as X-Men meets Alien. It’s about a girl who’s a guard on an orbital prison for superpowered teens. Her life is secure and planned out. She’s a citizen in a powerful corporation with a clear vision of where the future will take her. All of that falls apart over a few days when everything starts going wrong: a prison break, an alien attack, and exactly the kind of boy she never thought she’d fall for!
Can you tell us 3 interesting/random things about Kenzie?
-Kenzie has her own manga obsession. She loves a fictional manga called Robo Mecha Dream Girl 5.
-She has a rebellious streak. Even though she grew up obeying the rules, there are hints in the story that she’s taken a few risks before… and maybe wishes she could take more.
-She has the same drive to succeed I always had when I was young. Like me, Kenzie takes any failure deeply personally. (Sorry, Kenzie – you’re going to have to learn to overcome that if you want to maintain your sanity!)
What are your fave Sci-Fi TV Shows or Movies?
Well, I don’t think it’s a secret to say that the Alien movies and X-Men would rank up there! I’m a huge Marvel geek, have been ever since the sixth grade, so I love all of those movies, too. I’m still a big Firefly fan, and as I mentioned, Attack on Titan is my obsession. I enjoy just about anything set in space, to be honest, from Lost in Space to The Expanse.
What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book series? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of SANCTUARY).
#theHarvestHasBegun #survive #abandonPreconceptions
How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?
I draw inspiration from all kinds of stories. Playing survival horror video games had a huge influence on Sanctuary. I still remember the feeling when I played the first Resident Evil game, the tension and claustrophobia and fear. From there I moved on to Silent Hill and Parasite Eve and all those old classics, and I still play those games today. I think they had a huge influence on the atmosphere throughout the book.
Tell us your favorite quote from SANCTUARY.
“Prison might suck, but it’s better than being eaten by space monsters.” I said that to my critique partner early on in the writing process and she laughed and told me I had to work it into the story. So, I did.
Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which part was the most difficult to get through?
I really enjoyed writing the first encounter with the aliens. The first time Kenzie sees that tail slither around a corner and realizes what she’s known all along deep down – that just flowed out of me!
If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for SANCTUARY– Which one would you pick?
SANCTUARY actually does have a theme song: Help I’m Alive by Metric. During the writing, I jotted down the following lyrics on a sticky note and stuck them on the wall above my writing space:
I tremble
They’re gonna eat me alive
If I stumble
They’re gonna eat me alive
Can you hear my heart
beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer
Help I’m alive
My heart keeps beating like a hammer
Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read SANCTUARY (specific music, snacks…)?
Turn off the lights. Get some freeze dried strawberries, Kenzie’s favorite snack. Huddle someplace safe, and don’t make a sound.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on the sequel to SANCTUARY at the moment. We are in the editing stage, so it should be ready to go soon! And I’m also in the process of moving to Tokyo. So you know, that’s enough to keep me busy for a while!
Thank you so much for everything, Caryn!
Thank you!
I LOVED Johnny Cash's version of HURT-- I also love NIN & it's hard for me to go against a 90's band, buuuut Mr. Cash's version is so unique. Good luck on your big move!!
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This book has been on my TBR since I first found out about it. It promises action, adventure, suspense, danger, mystery and an out of this world setting that I can't wait to dive into.
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