Sanctum by Sarah Fine

Genre: Demons, Horror

Hardcover: 433 Pages

Published: October 16, 2012

Series:Guards of the ShadowLands

           1. Sanctum

           2. Fractured

           3. TBA

Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

            A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance—hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone—she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.

            As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t—the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate

 

My Review

            When I first picked up this book I was skeptical in reading it. I can honestly say when it comes to the subject of demons incorporated with suicide it's not my first choice. However, I can say after reading this book I changed my mind. I was blow away! The author beautifully incorporated a dark vibe with a heavy element of romance. I was surprised at how much romance played a major part in the lives of the two main characters. But being who I am, I can't really complain. The more romance the better! I found it amazing to see how Lela, a smart, strong and stubborn girl pushing herself on Malachi, given her background and childhood, but they make a *serious swoon worthy* couple.

            My favorite, favorite part of this book was the placement of the dark tower and its features. It's a tower smack dab in the middle of the suicide city. This dark and mysterious tower has the ability to bring back any and all of your worst fears and nightmares. When Lela is forced to go through the tower (since there is no other way around) she relives all of her worst memories. This to me as a reader was a very vivid part of the book and it felt like I was reliving her memories. Sarah Fine did an amazing job in this book, I can't wait to read the next two books in this series!