Thursday, November 14, 2013

Book Review Blog Tour and Giveaway: Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden

sanctuary tour banner

sanctuary  Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden “Left Behind for the Hunger Games Generation” In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?  



  Praise for Sanctuary “Pauline Creeden managed to mix more genres into one book than I could possibly imagine. The overall concept, aliens attacking the earth, is straight out of Science Fiction, but then you throw in a few zombies and post-apocalyptic fiction with how the dead/sick humans are acting. Overall, the entire story was charged with the 


adrenaline and thrills of a suspense/thriller novel, but the mood was terrifyingly eerie like a Horror story. There was almost too much sensory information for my primitive human brain to handle. Still, all of these genres combined made for one unique and fascinating story. This kind of book is of the same flavor as The Hunger Games with its originality, which I really appreciated.” - Katelyn Hensel for Readers' Favorite “Sanctuary is a fast-paced Christian fantasy thriller that is original and quite entertaining. The story revolves around Jennie and her family, Pastor Billy and his wife, and two brothers who are polar opposites of each other. Each chapter is presented in the point of view of Jennie, Brad or Hugh (the brothers), which gives Pauline Creeden's Sanctuary, a multidimensional feel. The three different story-lines merge into a full-fledged fantasy/horror novel that never sags or lets up on the action. While there are Christian themes present in Sanctuary, and Jennie's faith is an important part of who she is, I, a non-Christian, did not feel I was being preached to or proselytized. I recommend Pauline Creeden's Sanctuary -- it's well-written and a lot of fun to read.” – Jack Magnus for Readers Favorite  

  Book Trailer   
   


My Thoughts:

This story is told from three main viewpoints – Jennie, Hugh and Brad. Jennie is a college student. Hugh and Brad happen to be brothers and they don’t get along. Brad is a mechanic and a womanizer who likes women that can take care of him. Hugh is a biology teacher at the local high school who has been working on his PhD.

I don’t typically read books about zombies. I mean the walking undead? I love fantasy, but that’s just a little too unreal for me. Well, I found myself caught up in this apocalyptic novel, totally captivated, and suddenly discovered that these poor suffering people that couldn’t die were…. You guessed it. Zombies. I have to admit I have never looked at the quote just before the beginning of Chapter 3 that way before: Revelation 9:6 “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them” (Note: in the book the reference is given as Revelation 9:3).

This was a really scary, gripping book. I enjoyed the way Ms. Creeden told it from the three points of view, bringing the three characters together about half way through the book. It gave the opportunity to see into their characters and lives in a way that we wouldn’t have been able to if the entire story was told from a single POV.

There are spiritual lessons to be found in Ms. Creeden’s book too. At one point in the story, Jennie needs to get help for Hugh, who has been bitten by one of the alien creatures and is unconscious, but she needs to get Mickey her 5 year old brother to a safe place first. She carries Mickey from the mess hall down the street to the chapel past several of the alien beings who either seem not to see her or are uninterested in her – something totally unheard of before. When the pastor asks her how she did it, she says “I just kept thinking, ‘Walk by faith, not by sight,’ and determined to trust God more than the fear of what I saw.”

Mickey, Jennie’s five year old brother was my favourite character. He is such a sweet child, who is so innocent and caring. Even in his innocence he is such a good judge of character. One of the first things he says to Jennie when he meets Brad is, “I don’t like him”, and shortly after meeting Hugh, he tells her that he likes Hugh. Jennie doesn’t understand that because her opinion of the two men is totally opposite.

I also enjoyed the romantic element in this book. There was no kissing or sex or falling in love with someone because they were beautiful or handsome. It was about getting to know the character of a person and learning to love the character of the individual. That’s real life.

This was a gritty, suspenseful apocalyptic novel that will keep you biting your nails all the way through. It was thoroughly enjoyable. I gave it four stars.


I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.


Pauline
  Author Pauline Creeden In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction. One of Pauline's short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.  



Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 11/30/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Why on earth did I write a Christian novel that has both aliens and zombies in it? When I was a teen/young adult and my faith was wavering at best, there were several movies out with the likely design to shake faith even more. End of the world movies were in their hay day. Alien invasion was another big one. And I couldn’t help but wonder. If something like this actually happened, would anyone be able to maintain their faith? And now today, Zombies are on the rise. Could aliens be reconciled with the Bible? Zombies? This is the purpose of Sanctuary. Because of its poetic nature, the book of Revelation lends itself to a plethora of interpretation. I am not saying that my book is the only true possibility, but it could be one. Could not demons be misinterpreted as alien life forms? Might not Satan use this mirage to his advantage to explain the bitter water or the blotting out of the sun, moon, and stars? And then there’s Revelation 9:6 - "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." Zombies? If anyone reading this book at least opens themselves up to the fact that yes, a biblical interpretation could resolve the problems between faith and an apocalyptic reality, then Sanctuary has completed its purpose.

No comments :

Post a Comment