Final Sanctuary
Title: Final Sanctuary
Author: Hope Bates
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Rating: Four Stars!
In 2055, corrupt leaders control the
last of the fresh water aquifers and use their power to oppress the less
fortunate. Governments are separated into sovereign states and are often further
divided into different classes. In Corain, the wealthy and privileged, known as
the Elite, enjoy the finer things in life, while the Workers live in poverty
and deprived conditions.
Seventeen-year-old Brielle has grown
up on the harsh streets of the impoverished Lower Quad in Corain, but as a
child, she recalls a happier childhood as a member of the Elite class, before her
father abandoned them, leaving her and her mother to face abject poverty. As
Workers, only the healthy can make it into service on the mammoth wall that
surrounds their city, which is the only chance a Worker gets to make a better
life for themselves and for their families.
When Brielle finally comes of age
for her assessment test, she is determined to succeed for a chance to return to
her former life, but unbeknownst to her, a plan was set into motion years
before so that she can safely escape to Albejit, a neighboring sovereign with a
fairer political system. Her mother, secretly involved in an underground resistance,
creates a distraction so that Brielle can be whisked away to a new life, where
her father and aunt await her.
Culture shock is the least of
Brielle’s worries as she adapts to a new environment and a ton of new relationships.
Her mother has also gone missing and Brielle has to begin a new job as a
virtual soldier — where some of the people on her team are not as welcoming as
others. As her new life gets underway, danger seems to be lurking in every
corner and as Brielle begins to help a group of outsiders in exchange for
information regarding her missing mother, she inadvertently gets pulled into a
fight that not only threatens her life, but also threatens the very existence
of all the sovereign states.
Final
Sanctuary is an intriguing view into an alternate universe that may be
closer to fact than fiction. It delves into complicated relationships between
estranged family members and explores the depths of love and loyalty. On a
broad scale, the tone and character development are definitely tailored to a teenage
audience, and while the technical aspects of the manuscript can use some
improvement, the storyline, overall, was entertaining.
