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Santa Olivia #2
Saints Astray
Fellow orphans, amateur vigilantes, and members of the Santitos, Loup Garron-the fugitive daughter of a genetically engineered "wolf-man"-and Pilar Ecchevarria spent their entire lives under military occupation in a cordoned off Texas no-man's-land that used to be called Santa Olivia, now known as Outpost 12. But now they're free, and they want to help the rest of the Santitos escape. During a series of escapades, they discover that Miguel Garza, Loup's former sparring partner and reprobrate surrogate brother, has escaped from Outpost 12 and is testifying on behalf of its forgotten citizens-at least until he disappears from protective custody. Driven by a sense of honor, Loup vows to rescue Miguel, even though venturing into the U.S. could mean losing her liberty. Driven by love and loyalty, Pilar promises to help her. It will take a daring and absurd caper to extricate Miguel from the mess he's created, but Loup is prepared to risk everything...and this time she has help.
368 pages, MP3 CD
First published January 1, 2011
71 people are currently reading
2359 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Carey
65 books8,453 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.
Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.
Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 348 reviews
November 30, 2011
My life may end up being long, long and still not long enough or too short the way that I can waste hours playing Angry Birds and still feel it wasn't enough time to try to beat level 3.15. If I persist in reading Saints Astray it will be too long no matter the outcome. I lose no matter what. Sooooo boring. My senses are too dull to come up with more descriptions of how boring. I have butter knives sharper than this! Okay, I lied but see (butter melts in my mouth!)? What I came up with wasn't good. Soooooo bad. I'm on the 15% mark on my Kindle. Pilar and Loup call each other baby constantly. It's like that stereotypes about Canadians who attach "Eh" to everything. "Want some more pizza, eh?" "How about that book review, eh?" Only it'd be "Want some more pizza, baby?" I loved the Loup/Pilar of the first book. Santa Olivia is one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've ever had. It's on my wishitlastedforever and my rubber-ring shelves. That's as favorite as I go on goodreads. What happened? They escape and end up in a fancy hotel and get gratuities from some corporate/governmental type of guys? "Can I get this fancy skirt, baby?" "Let's not go dancing,baby because I'm worried- even though I cannot feel fear in Santa Olivia but Carey decided to add in descriptors of a hollow ache that I now know means fear- but gee whiz this is all so cool. Room service, baby!" And I pretty much had to stop reading when they consider all their job options like babysitting for rich people. Noooooooo! Isn't it so cool we were genetically engineered, baby? Maybe the others will get their own books. Cries. (What a baby.)
Nooooooooooooooooo. Santa Olivia was awesome because it had the orphan kids, their vigilante justice, boxing, real freaking community feeling. Out Post was a place and Santa Olivia meant something to them. I cherished every moment of them. They were real characters and not like a very special episode of a sitcom about the characters going to Hawaii or Disney World. Or a shitty fanfic. That's probably it. It reads like a shitty fanfic written by someone who didn't get why the story was good. Or one of those freebies ebook things (coughs for a low, low price) by an author with a popular series that's nothing more than a sex scene between the two love interests.
Maybe I'm a fool. It's not like I don't see a new sequel for Carey's Kushiel's series (bloated messes. Okay, I only read one. It was enough) every time I step into a real bookstore. The woman loves to write sequels. The whole book of Kushiel's Dart read like a rehash. It isn't enough for me to trot out the character and have them do whatever. I'm really bored. I give up before I forget that I loved Santa Olivia.
And I'm sad 'cause I had looked forward to this. I'm never going to get that 15% back, am I?
Nooooooooooooooooo. Santa Olivia was awesome because it had the orphan kids, their vigilante justice, boxing, real freaking community feeling. Out Post was a place and Santa Olivia meant something to them. I cherished every moment of them. They were real characters and not like a very special episode of a sitcom about the characters going to Hawaii or Disney World. Or a shitty fanfic. That's probably it. It reads like a shitty fanfic written by someone who didn't get why the story was good. Or one of those freebies ebook things (coughs for a low, low price) by an author with a popular series that's nothing more than a sex scene between the two love interests.
Maybe I'm a fool. It's not like I don't see a new sequel for Carey's Kushiel's series (bloated messes. Okay, I only read one. It was enough) every time I step into a real bookstore. The woman loves to write sequels. The whole book of Kushiel's Dart read like a rehash. It isn't enough for me to trot out the character and have them do whatever. I'm really bored. I give up before I forget that I loved Santa Olivia.
And I'm sad 'cause I had looked forward to this. I'm never going to get that 15% back, am I?
April 30, 2022
5 stars - audible version - narrator: Susan Ericksen
Book 2 of the Santa Olivia duology. I read these books many year ago and I think I picked up the first book's audible edition during a sale awhile ago. I finally got around to listening to it recently and I loved the narration so much I bought the second book on audio as well. I am not kidding when I say, Susan Ericksen is an AMAZING narrator. Like, she blew me way with her distinct voices and subtle and not so subtle accents. Every character had their own voice and all the personalities were clear as day. Even with accents with from multiple english characters. Just incredible. Special call out for everytime Pillar calls Loup "Baby" (and she does it A LOT), is chef's kiss. It could have gotten annoying, but instead its just loving and sexy every time.
The story in book two is also a lot bigger, as our leading ladies have managed to escape Outpost 12 (Santa Olivia) and are making their way in the real world. It's fun to discover with them all the things they have been missing out on (how big the world is, the ocean, cell phones, airplanes etc). The joy of Loup finally begin able to really let herself use her incredible gifts freely and meet other like her - like her wild and wonderful cousins in Mexico. The story is a bit out landish but, hey, its scifi/fantasy so just go with it and fall even more in love with Pillar and Loup and enjoy the romp.
Book 2 of the Santa Olivia duology. I read these books many year ago and I think I picked up the first book's audible edition during a sale awhile ago. I finally got around to listening to it recently and I loved the narration so much I bought the second book on audio as well. I am not kidding when I say, Susan Ericksen is an AMAZING narrator. Like, she blew me way with her distinct voices and subtle and not so subtle accents. Every character had their own voice and all the personalities were clear as day. Even with accents with from multiple english characters. Just incredible. Special call out for everytime Pillar calls Loup "Baby" (and she does it A LOT), is chef's kiss. It could have gotten annoying, but instead its just loving and sexy every time.
The story in book two is also a lot bigger, as our leading ladies have managed to escape Outpost 12 (Santa Olivia) and are making their way in the real world. It's fun to discover with them all the things they have been missing out on (how big the world is, the ocean, cell phones, airplanes etc). The joy of Loup finally begin able to really let herself use her incredible gifts freely and meet other like her - like her wild and wonderful cousins in Mexico. The story is a bit out landish but, hey, its scifi/fantasy so just go with it and fall even more in love with Pillar and Loup and enjoy the romp.
February 24, 2018
The further I got into this the less I liked it. Volume 1 had some interesting concepts and characters and conflicts. This one makes Danielle Steel seem like Jorge Luis Borges. Perhaps someone who reads Harlequins can tell us how close this is to one of theirs.
I suppose I should reflect the book by having 20% of this review be "ooh baby I can't wait to ..ahh!" I have problem with having such scenes in the book, but there are way too many, and they're sickly sweet.
Loup shows flickers of being interesting, but ends up as boring. Terry Pratchett's Captain Carrot is just as pure of heart and nearly as capable, but manages to be as interesting as Loup isn't.
Magnus is, of course, The World's Most Interesting Man, right out of the commercial. Feh.
The job with Magnus makes sense. The gig with Kate doesn't, but I guess we had to have some way to set up the Big Scene near the end.
In their constant success at everything, the two leads fail the Mary Sue test. Especially Pilar's shooting.
And there's no real suspense. It's telegraphed pretty early that everything's going to work out Just Fine.
The clothes shopping really did it. Right out of the reality-TV makeover trope. I almost typed "tripe" - which is appropriate.
Oh, this book could have been such a rich chocolate torte. But in the end it was a cheap supermarket cake, with cloying icing and an error in the inscription.
I suppose I should reflect the book by having 20% of this review be "ooh baby I can't wait to ..ahh!" I have problem with having such scenes in the book, but there are way too many, and they're sickly sweet.
Loup shows flickers of being interesting, but ends up as boring. Terry Pratchett's Captain Carrot is just as pure of heart and nearly as capable, but manages to be as interesting as Loup isn't.
Magnus is, of course, The World's Most Interesting Man, right out of the commercial. Feh.
The job with Magnus makes sense. The gig with Kate doesn't, but I guess we had to have some way to set up the Big Scene near the end.
In their constant success at everything, the two leads fail the Mary Sue test. Especially Pilar's shooting.
And there's no real suspense. It's telegraphed pretty early that everything's going to work out Just Fine.
The clothes shopping really did it. Right out of the reality-TV makeover trope. I almost typed "tripe" - which is appropriate.
Oh, this book could have been such a rich chocolate torte. But in the end it was a cheap supermarket cake, with cloying icing and an error in the inscription.
February 26, 2012
"Astray" is the operative word here. Loup Garron is back, but for most of this book she lacks any direction. There's lots going on here, but it's not going anywhere. Having escaped from Gitmo, I mean Outpost, Loup and Pilar have some fun on the beach in Mexico, get recruited for bodyguard training and pack off to Scotland. Then do security for a fashion designer, for a mafia family in Sicily, for the bratty daughter of a Swiss banker in Geneva, and for a Pop band in Australia and Japan.
There's lots of potential for great stuff here, but for some reason it all falls a bit flatter than the first book did. For the most part, there is an incident, our heroines triumph, and then they declare how hot they are for each other and say that they are going to have amazing sex together and the chapter ends. Beforehand, I would not have said that it was possible for me to grow tired of lesbian mutant werewolf sex, but somehow Carey managed to pull that off.
The last third of the book begins to have some direction, when Loup decides to return to America to testify about Gitmo/Outpost, and to rescue her former sparring partner from being held hostage in a swanky Vegas casino called The Hellfire Club. But even this sort of just fizzles, as everything comes much to easily to Loup and Pilar, and this ease short-circuits any real drama that might develop.
I'm not sure what happened here. The book feels like the wrong length. It could have made for a great short story. It could have been really compelling if Carey had put some more work into the situations and made it three or four times as long. As it is, the supporting characters seem kind of thin. Loup and Pilar seem less well developed than they were in the first book, and the way the book is structured left me wanting either less or more.
Having said all that, I still like the characters in this book, and the basic idea. I thought the treatment of the pop band Kate was lots of fun. It was just a step down from the first book.
There's lots of potential for great stuff here, but for some reason it all falls a bit flatter than the first book did. For the most part, there is an incident, our heroines triumph, and then they declare how hot they are for each other and say that they are going to have amazing sex together and the chapter ends. Beforehand, I would not have said that it was possible for me to grow tired of lesbian mutant werewolf sex, but somehow Carey managed to pull that off.
The last third of the book begins to have some direction, when Loup decides to return to America to testify about Gitmo/Outpost, and to rescue her former sparring partner from being held hostage in a swanky Vegas casino called The Hellfire Club. But even this sort of just fizzles, as everything comes much to easily to Loup and Pilar, and this ease short-circuits any real drama that might develop.
I'm not sure what happened here. The book feels like the wrong length. It could have made for a great short story. It could have been really compelling if Carey had put some more work into the situations and made it three or four times as long. As it is, the supporting characters seem kind of thin. Loup and Pilar seem less well developed than they were in the first book, and the way the book is structured left me wanting either less or more.
Having said all that, I still like the characters in this book, and the basic idea. I thought the treatment of the pop band Kate was lots of fun. It was just a step down from the first book.
December 2, 2011
Did you know that Loup and Pilar love each other? Because OMG they tooootally do. Like, so much.
January 9, 2012
Sweet, fun, action-y teenage wish-fulfillment fantasy with a social justice edge. Slow build, fun payoff, would be great beach reading.
This would be great young adult fiction, but for all the swearing and sex. Which is to say it is great young adult fiction, but I don't know that teachers and librarians should go about handing it out that way. I'd recommend it for both boys and girls old enough to appreciate a sensual love story and a principled struggle.
Carey enjoys spoiling the characters she put through so much hardship and heartache in the last book. Pillar and Loup spend the first half of the book luxuriating in new found luxury and sweet, sweet freedom (mostly shopping and sex) and training to be secret agent body guards. By page 250 I was still charmed by their happiness but starting to wonder if plot was going to happen, but I wasn't disappointed. Only a few pages later plot wandered in and gave our heroes an opportunity to fight the good fight.
If you liked the first one, you'll probably like the second one well enough. If you demand fast-paced story-driven action or dark gritty challenging conflict, then this (especially the first half) will frustrate you. If you like happy teenage lesbians making the world a better place, you'll probably love this.
This would be great young adult fiction, but for all the swearing and sex. Which is to say it is great young adult fiction, but I don't know that teachers and librarians should go about handing it out that way. I'd recommend it for both boys and girls old enough to appreciate a sensual love story and a principled struggle.
Carey enjoys spoiling the characters she put through so much hardship and heartache in the last book. Pillar and Loup spend the first half of the book luxuriating in new found luxury and sweet, sweet freedom (mostly shopping and sex) and training to be secret agent body guards. By page 250 I was still charmed by their happiness but starting to wonder if plot was going to happen, but I wasn't disappointed. Only a few pages later plot wandered in and gave our heroes an opportunity to fight the good fight.
If you liked the first one, you'll probably like the second one well enough. If you demand fast-paced story-driven action or dark gritty challenging conflict, then this (especially the first half) will frustrate you. If you like happy teenage lesbians making the world a better place, you'll probably love this.
May 21, 2022
2 stars. Woof. What the hell was this? What happened? I’m genuinely confused as to how this was so bad after the awesomeness of book one.
None of the characters felt like themselves which made this book read like bad fanfiction. The awesome Loup of book one? Gone. She’s so busy humping on Pilar every other chapter (I’m not kidding. These two are horny as hell) and her personality is so lifeless. Pilar calls Loup baby 155 times! That’s not some random number I actually looked up how many times that word is said in this book. My God. I don’t mind pet names but I wanted to strangle Pilar every single time she said it. The romance annoyed me if you couldn’t tell. I hated it so much.
The plot is nonexistent. It’s just Loup being a bodyguard to some snot nosed famous people. Fun. /sarcasm
I took a nap, watched a movie, and talked on the phone with my best friend all because I kept putting my kindle down because the story was so damn boring. Just stick with book one and stop there. This one was super disappointing.
None of the characters felt like themselves which made this book read like bad fanfiction. The awesome Loup of book one? Gone. She’s so busy humping on Pilar every other chapter (I’m not kidding. These two are horny as hell) and her personality is so lifeless. Pilar calls Loup baby 155 times! That’s not some random number I actually looked up how many times that word is said in this book. My God. I don’t mind pet names but I wanted to strangle Pilar every single time she said it. The romance annoyed me if you couldn’t tell. I hated it so much.
The plot is nonexistent. It’s just Loup being a bodyguard to some snot nosed famous people. Fun. /sarcasm
I took a nap, watched a movie, and talked on the phone with my best friend all because I kept putting my kindle down because the story was so damn boring. Just stick with book one and stop there. This one was super disappointing.
July 23, 2014
The conclusion to the charming but limited Santa Olivia takes the duology one step higher because it addresses the main niggles I had with the first volume (limited worldbuilding and way too much boxing); will add a full FBC Rv soon and talk more but a very good book from all points of view this time
The whole world is the canvas and Loup kicks butt all ways
Full FBC Rv:
INTRODUCTION: "Fellow orphans, amateur vigilantes, and members of the Santitos, Loup Garron-the fugitive daughter of a genetically engineered "wolf man"-and Pilar Ecchevarria grew up in the military zone of Outpost 12, formerly known as Santa Olivia....."
Jacqueline Carey is best known for her superb Kushiel Universe novels consisting of three trilogies about which you can read at length in the reviews linked above, while I would only add that they rank quite high on my list of all time favorite books.
In 2009, Ms. Carey published Santa Olivia, the first volume of a near future sf duology that starred Loup Garron, the daughter of a genetically engineered soldier who is raised in Outpost 12, a small town trapped in a buffer zone shielding Texas from pandemic-stricken Mexico.
While the characters of the novel were quite compelling and the writing was the expected superlative one, the book had two issues that prevented me from fully enjoying it - the limited world building and the emphasis on boxing which left me utterly cold.
Saints Astray is the sequel to Santa Olivia and follows the adventures of Loup and her childhood friend and current lover Pillar Ecchevarria after their daring escape from Outpost 12.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Saints Astray opens with Loup and Pillar taking in the possibilities and dangers of the wide world - at least outside the US where Loup is considered a non-person due to the constitutional amendment defining the genetically engineered as "property", while Pillar is of course an escapee of a high security prison which the Outpost was in practice.
But for the enlightened free world outside the US, Loup and Pillar are curiosities and Loup's talents immediately attract the attention of an upscale security outfit that provides bodyguards for VIP's at a price and they make her an offer she cannot refuse once Pillar is included in the deal...
So the adventure starts and the girls train, shop and make love and later deal with protection jobs for various clients that range from the somewhat farcical - a wedding in a mafia connected Italian family where some of the relatives of the bride and groom are like the famous Shakespearean ones - to the deadly serious, where wacko environmentalists plan to murder a (spoiled and well deserving a trashing, but still...) teen to protest her rich father's wicked ways.
When news that Loup's surrogate brother Miguel is in US hands, the girls try and think of an escape plan and well, opportunity in an unexpected guise soon shows up...
As it should be clear from the discussion above, Saints Astray transcends the limitation of the original novel with the whole world as a canvas and with Loup kicking butt in all kinds of ways this time, but the novel is much more.
First Saints Astray is a pure fun page turner, but it is also funny, poignant and even emotional by turns and of course in the second part when it gets "more serious", the big issues of what means to be human, what is freedom, etc are addressed also. As usual in a Jacqueline Carey novel, there is a lot of explicitness - this time mostly dealing with the relationship between the two girls of course -all done in the tasteful manner we are used from the Kushiel and Naamah series.
Overall, Saints Astray (highly recommended) is a lighter and considerably more fun novel than Santa Olivia, but also one which has quite a lot of substance, showing that "fun and serious topics" do not need to be exclusive.
The whole world is the canvas and Loup kicks butt all ways
Full FBC Rv:
INTRODUCTION: "Fellow orphans, amateur vigilantes, and members of the Santitos, Loup Garron-the fugitive daughter of a genetically engineered "wolf man"-and Pilar Ecchevarria grew up in the military zone of Outpost 12, formerly known as Santa Olivia....."
Jacqueline Carey is best known for her superb Kushiel Universe novels consisting of three trilogies about which you can read at length in the reviews linked above, while I would only add that they rank quite high on my list of all time favorite books.
In 2009, Ms. Carey published Santa Olivia, the first volume of a near future sf duology that starred Loup Garron, the daughter of a genetically engineered soldier who is raised in Outpost 12, a small town trapped in a buffer zone shielding Texas from pandemic-stricken Mexico.
While the characters of the novel were quite compelling and the writing was the expected superlative one, the book had two issues that prevented me from fully enjoying it - the limited world building and the emphasis on boxing which left me utterly cold.
Saints Astray is the sequel to Santa Olivia and follows the adventures of Loup and her childhood friend and current lover Pillar Ecchevarria after their daring escape from Outpost 12.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Saints Astray opens with Loup and Pillar taking in the possibilities and dangers of the wide world - at least outside the US where Loup is considered a non-person due to the constitutional amendment defining the genetically engineered as "property", while Pillar is of course an escapee of a high security prison which the Outpost was in practice.
But for the enlightened free world outside the US, Loup and Pillar are curiosities and Loup's talents immediately attract the attention of an upscale security outfit that provides bodyguards for VIP's at a price and they make her an offer she cannot refuse once Pillar is included in the deal...
So the adventure starts and the girls train, shop and make love and later deal with protection jobs for various clients that range from the somewhat farcical - a wedding in a mafia connected Italian family where some of the relatives of the bride and groom are like the famous Shakespearean ones - to the deadly serious, where wacko environmentalists plan to murder a (spoiled and well deserving a trashing, but still...) teen to protest her rich father's wicked ways.
When news that Loup's surrogate brother Miguel is in US hands, the girls try and think of an escape plan and well, opportunity in an unexpected guise soon shows up...
As it should be clear from the discussion above, Saints Astray transcends the limitation of the original novel with the whole world as a canvas and with Loup kicking butt in all kinds of ways this time, but the novel is much more.
First Saints Astray is a pure fun page turner, but it is also funny, poignant and even emotional by turns and of course in the second part when it gets "more serious", the big issues of what means to be human, what is freedom, etc are addressed also. As usual in a Jacqueline Carey novel, there is a lot of explicitness - this time mostly dealing with the relationship between the two girls of course -all done in the tasteful manner we are used from the Kushiel and Naamah series.
Overall, Saints Astray (highly recommended) is a lighter and considerably more fun novel than Santa Olivia, but also one which has quite a lot of substance, showing that "fun and serious topics" do not need to be exclusive.
January 20, 2018
OMG! This was soooooooo good!
I think I would come back later on with more sensible thoughts because I simply can't put into words all my feelings for this book, but I am trying to write something anyway.
This book was really different from the first one and it wasn't at all as I was expecting it. It was strange at some points because while I was reading I was enjoying it immensely, but then you have to close the book (as much as we love to read and do nothing else, there is always the life that has other projects for us, so you can't read the book in a single reading, sadly!) and then I wondered where was the book going with all of it. You simply couldn't see all the ways in which this book is different from the first one. I mean the characters are always them, the world is the same and the story is the continuation of the previous one, but they are so so very different that sometimes they seem two different things altogether.
But it's good in so many ways, and it makes you feel a lot. And this time you feel in a very good way and you have to love this book, because Loup, Pilar, Mig and all the others are not simply characters of a book, they are real people, and they are your friends. So you are there to see their victory, their pains, their story, and the best thing is that their stories are your story, too, because you are there, with them.
And OMG all the feelings!!!!
I think I would come back later on with more sensible thoughts because I simply can't put into words all my feelings for this book, but I am trying to write something anyway.
This book was really different from the first one and it wasn't at all as I was expecting it. It was strange at some points because while I was reading I was enjoying it immensely, but then you have to close the book (as much as we love to read and do nothing else, there is always the life that has other projects for us, so you can't read the book in a single reading, sadly!) and then I wondered where was the book going with all of it. You simply couldn't see all the ways in which this book is different from the first one. I mean the characters are always them, the world is the same and the story is the continuation of the previous one, but they are so so very different that sometimes they seem two different things altogether.
But it's good in so many ways, and it makes you feel a lot. And this time you feel in a very good way and you have to love this book, because Loup, Pilar, Mig and all the others are not simply characters of a book, they are real people, and they are your friends. So you are there to see their victory, their pains, their story, and the best thing is that their stories are your story, too, because you are there, with them.
And OMG all the feelings!!!!
March 5, 2012
I was really looking forward to this book. I loved Santa Olivia; it was so much fun seeing Carey let loose into a modern world, the characters were entertaining and lovable, the tiny, locked-in community of Outpost was interesting and beautifully drawn. So where the hell did this one go wrong?
This sequel is so bad, I almost did myself an ocular mischief thanks to the amount of eye rolling that occurred as I was reading it. Lou and Pilar skip through a series of wish-fulfilling events where they come up against neither believable obstacles, danger, villains, or indeed anything that might be remotely interesting. They buy clothes, eat nice food, have PG-rated sex and end almost every utterance with "baby", "yay", or an exclamation mark (sometimes we get both: yay!). Everyone falls in love with them and even those who don't, see the error of their ways before too long. It's truly awful. I've seen some reviewers liken this novel to fan fic, which I actually think is doing fan fic something of a disservice. If Saints Astray wasn't a sequel and I didn't know who had written it, I'd never in a million years have thought this was Carey's work. Something has gone very very astray with this one.
This sequel is so bad, I almost did myself an ocular mischief thanks to the amount of eye rolling that occurred as I was reading it. Lou and Pilar skip through a series of wish-fulfilling events where they come up against neither believable obstacles, danger, villains, or indeed anything that might be remotely interesting. They buy clothes, eat nice food, have PG-rated sex and end almost every utterance with "baby", "yay", or an exclamation mark (sometimes we get both: yay!). Everyone falls in love with them and even those who don't, see the error of their ways before too long. It's truly awful. I've seen some reviewers liken this novel to fan fic, which I actually think is doing fan fic something of a disservice. If Saints Astray wasn't a sequel and I didn't know who had written it, I'd never in a million years have thought this was Carey's work. Something has gone very very astray with this one.
February 4, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/bkolh3b
Bloody hell. I really only got how awful this was until halfway through, by which point I figured I might as well take it to its end. If only because it's super quick read and to see the characters go back to Outpost again. Yea, sorry if I ruined that for you, but... nah. I'm not. Don't pick this up.
The first book is really pretty good- it has such an interesting premise and Carey takes it in weird directions. This follow-up is the result of Carey's agent saying "all that sexy lesbian stuff, the masses really love that and you didn't give them enough in the last one, so be sure you give it to them in EVERY FRICKIN' chapter this time, okay?" Seriously, I started counting the number of times she ended a chapter with them groping each other. So. Unbelievably. Dull. And. Boring. And not only because she can't write a sex scene to save her life.
Plus, if I hear the phrase "getting your smolder on" ever again, I might either throw up or throw something.
Bloody hell. I really only got how awful this was until halfway through, by which point I figured I might as well take it to its end. If only because it's super quick read and to see the characters go back to Outpost again. Yea, sorry if I ruined that for you, but... nah. I'm not. Don't pick this up.
The first book is really pretty good- it has such an interesting premise and Carey takes it in weird directions. This follow-up is the result of Carey's agent saying "all that sexy lesbian stuff, the masses really love that and you didn't give them enough in the last one, so be sure you give it to them in EVERY FRICKIN' chapter this time, okay?" Seriously, I started counting the number of times she ended a chapter with them groping each other. So. Unbelievably. Dull. And. Boring. And not only because she can't write a sex scene to save her life.
Plus, if I hear the phrase "getting your smolder on" ever again, I might either throw up or throw something.
January 14, 2012
That's it. I'm abandoning this, even though my love for Santa Olivia meant I soldiered past my usual 100-page trial period cutoff. GOD. This book just sucks. There is NO plot tension other than their ridiculously written cliche dyke drama. It reads like a bad beach novel. Every sentence Pilar says to Loup ends in "baby," and all they're doing even halfway through the book is security detail for spoiled celebrities. UGH. Oh, and then they "smolder" in various lavish hotel beds across the globe. After a bunch of, "No, baby. I really DO love you!" "Promise?" "Yeah, promise." ... ... "C'mere, baby." Cue generic bestseller smolder. YAWN. SNOOZE. SO FUCKING BORING. What a disappointment.
August 31, 2016
Huh. That was...really kinda goofy. The big "obstacles" were too easily overcome, I think - there's no real sense of menace (or, oddly for how often they talk about/physically demonstrate it, a sense of love between Pilar and Loup). The emotions in the book came off kind of forced and cutesy.
It reads, as a few of the other reviewers have said, much like stilted YA (with much cussing and sex) or like fanfic, complete with descriptions of shopping trips and clothes (Have you ever noticed how often characters in bad fanfic go shopping? It's the saddest part of the wish fulfillment aspect, for me - "I will have the character buy everything I want but can't have"). But I digress.
"Seriously" moment - Pilar is a super great shot? The first time? For realsies? Come on.
It reads, as a few of the other reviewers have said, much like stilted YA (with much cussing and sex) or like fanfic, complete with descriptions of shopping trips and clothes (Have you ever noticed how often characters in bad fanfic go shopping? It's the saddest part of the wish fulfillment aspect, for me - "I will have the character buy everything I want but can't have"). But I digress.
"Seriously" moment - Pilar is a super great shot? The first time? For realsies? Come on.
December 16, 2011
What a disappointment! I really wanted to like this book but it was not nearly as interesting as the first one (Santa Olivia). I've read Jacqueline Carey quite a bit and so far this is her cheesiest, least convincing book. It is a light read, and it does feature queer women of color, but that's about all I can say for it. However the relationship between the women featured a lot of unnecessary-seeming reassurances that they weren't jealous of each other, and a lot of "I love you baby" type lines. The danger never felt real to me, the dialog was terribly cheesy, and overall it just felt silly. Maybe this would be better as a YA book.
October 30, 2013
Regretably, read like authorial wish fufillment.
The only vaguely positive thing I can say about the book was there were 2 female main characters and it attempted to be positive about same sex relationships.
The somewhat gritty dystopian feel of the original book was completely lost as the 2 leads, went on a shopping spree, went to a Mexican resort, "trained" in becoming secret agents, "guarded" a fashion designer, and culminated with guarding a "superstar pop band" who are becoming edgy. Yawn.
There was no narrative tension, no character growth and should have been no story.
Regretable. I enjoyed Santa Olivia.
The only vaguely positive thing I can say about the book was there were 2 female main characters and it attempted to be positive about same sex relationships.
The somewhat gritty dystopian feel of the original book was completely lost as the 2 leads, went on a shopping spree, went to a Mexican resort, "trained" in becoming secret agents, "guarded" a fashion designer, and culminated with guarding a "superstar pop band" who are becoming edgy. Yawn.
There was no narrative tension, no character growth and should have been no story.
Regretable. I enjoyed Santa Olivia.
December 7, 2011
I find myself wanting to give Saints Astray two different ratings: one for how happy I am for its heroines, Loup Garron and Pilar Ecchevarria, and the other for how well Saints Astray works as a novel. I love the characters and am glad their lives have become easier since the events of Santa Olivia, but the result is a book that does not have enough tension or conflict.
Loup and Pilar have escaped Outpost and travel to Mexico, where they enjoy a brief idyll in the company of Loup’s relatives on her late father’s side, many of them genetically modified organisms (GMOs) like Loup. Then they take jobs with an elite bodyguard service and travel the world in the company of a string of wealthy clients: a fashion designer, a Mafia bride, a businessman, a rock band. Later they return to the States to rescue a friend, and become involved in a political battle for the rights of GMOs. All the while, they are adorably in love.
The problem is that there’s not much grit or real adversity. Even when situations do look dire, they tend to be resolved much more smoothly and easily than expected. The bodyguarding adventures are fun, but they feel episodic rather than connected to the main plot arc — and we’re seldom really worried about our heroines. The novel becomes more moving when the girls return to the US, where Loup is considered “stolen military property” rather than a human being. That too, however, is a less insurmountable problem than it might appear. Favorite characters can start to feel like old friends, so it feels somehow wrong to wish more trouble on Loup and Pilar, but Saints Astray simply doesn’t continue the level of tension established in Santa Olivia.
The best stuff here is character-related. Loup is noble and fierce, but I want to give a special shout-out to Pilar. Jacqueline Carey is great at subverting expected character types. We’ve seen it in the KUSHIEL’S LEGACY and NAAMAH novels with characters like Barquiel L’Envers and Balthasar Shahrizai, who turn out to be nobler than you might guess from their snarky disposition and decadence, respectively. Pilar is a busty, flirty girl who likes pretty clothes and has a sexual history, and in a hundred other books she’d be the mean girl or the comic relief. Instead she’s Loup’s girlfriend and co-heroine, and much braver than she thinks she is. The two girls face the same situations, but unlike Loup, Pilar can feel fear and doesn’t have superpowers. My two favorite passages in Saints Astray both center on Pilar: first, when she struggles in bodyguard boot camp and discovers new strengths within herself; and second, when she takes a courageous stand during the latter events of the book.
Saints Astray is fun but lacks the darkness that made Santa Olivia compelling. With less tension and danger built into the story, the triumphs don’t resonate as strongly this time around. Yet the leads are still lovable and there’s something to be said for savoring their new, less desperate lives.
Loup and Pilar have escaped Outpost and travel to Mexico, where they enjoy a brief idyll in the company of Loup’s relatives on her late father’s side, many of them genetically modified organisms (GMOs) like Loup. Then they take jobs with an elite bodyguard service and travel the world in the company of a string of wealthy clients: a fashion designer, a Mafia bride, a businessman, a rock band. Later they return to the States to rescue a friend, and become involved in a political battle for the rights of GMOs. All the while, they are adorably in love.
The problem is that there’s not much grit or real adversity. Even when situations do look dire, they tend to be resolved much more smoothly and easily than expected. The bodyguarding adventures are fun, but they feel episodic rather than connected to the main plot arc — and we’re seldom really worried about our heroines. The novel becomes more moving when the girls return to the US, where Loup is considered “stolen military property” rather than a human being. That too, however, is a less insurmountable problem than it might appear. Favorite characters can start to feel like old friends, so it feels somehow wrong to wish more trouble on Loup and Pilar, but Saints Astray simply doesn’t continue the level of tension established in Santa Olivia.
The best stuff here is character-related. Loup is noble and fierce, but I want to give a special shout-out to Pilar. Jacqueline Carey is great at subverting expected character types. We’ve seen it in the KUSHIEL’S LEGACY and NAAMAH novels with characters like Barquiel L’Envers and Balthasar Shahrizai, who turn out to be nobler than you might guess from their snarky disposition and decadence, respectively. Pilar is a busty, flirty girl who likes pretty clothes and has a sexual history, and in a hundred other books she’d be the mean girl or the comic relief. Instead she’s Loup’s girlfriend and co-heroine, and much braver than she thinks she is. The two girls face the same situations, but unlike Loup, Pilar can feel fear and doesn’t have superpowers. My two favorite passages in Saints Astray both center on Pilar: first, when she struggles in bodyguard boot camp and discovers new strengths within herself; and second, when she takes a courageous stand during the latter events of the book.
Saints Astray is fun but lacks the darkness that made Santa Olivia compelling. With less tension and danger built into the story, the triumphs don’t resonate as strongly this time around. Yet the leads are still lovable and there’s something to be said for savoring their new, less desperate lives.
February 23, 2012
I took a long time with this one, because honestly, I was a little bit bored with it. I really enjoyed Santa Olivia, but with this one, there hardly seemed to be any conflict at all. Pilar and Loup got along wonderfully, absolutely, completely over the conflict they had in the previous book, completely madly in love. I couldn't have been more bored with the romance in this one, and Jacqueline Carey usually tells a fantastic love story. I think back to Phedre and Joscelin, Imriel and Sidonie, Moirin and Bao, and Moirin and Jehanne, and I just don't understand why she so utterly failed to give Pilar and Loup any challenges at all.
Anybody who disliked the main characters was wrong, disliking them for their own reasons that weren't remotely either of their fault, and they generally got over it. Anybody who had a right to be upset with them about anything was very gracious and forgiving. I felt like in Santa Olivia that the characters were very human and flawed, but not so much in this book. We know they HAVE flaws, but none of those flaws matter. Loup not being able to feel fear should be a pretty big flaw that could get her into a lot of trouble. And that would have been interesting! For instance, I would have LOVED to read a book from Pilar's perspective, in which Loup got herself into more trouble than she could handle, and it's up to Pilar to save Loup, without having any super powers at all. But that is not this book. They did everything right. They got along perfectly. Problems arose, and they were all dealt with effortlessly. The one and only real danger to Loup was one that was entirely out of her hands, where she had to sit around and wait for other people to deal with it.
I'm not sure I'm going to bother if there is another book in this series.
Anybody who disliked the main characters was wrong, disliking them for their own reasons that weren't remotely either of their fault, and they generally got over it. Anybody who had a right to be upset with them about anything was very gracious and forgiving. I felt like in Santa Olivia that the characters were very human and flawed, but not so much in this book. We know they HAVE flaws, but none of those flaws matter. Loup not being able to feel fear should be a pretty big flaw that could get her into a lot of trouble. And that would have been interesting! For instance, I would have LOVED to read a book from Pilar's perspective, in which Loup got herself into more trouble than she could handle, and it's up to Pilar to save Loup, without having any super powers at all. But that is not this book. They did everything right. They got along perfectly. Problems arose, and they were all dealt with effortlessly. The one and only real danger to Loup was one that was entirely out of her hands, where she had to sit around and wait for other people to deal with it.
I'm not sure I'm going to bother if there is another book in this series.
August 25, 2016
Saints Astray is a fun follow-up to Santa Olivia, following Pilar and Loup as they find a way for themselves in the wider world outside their cordoned off district. Refreshingly, after the ups and downs of their relationship in Santa Olivia, the two are devoted to each other and while they do experience moments of doubt, these are quickly put to rest. Maybe the one thing that did bother me was how many people around Loup turned out to be ‘one in a hundred’s — people attracted to her despite the results of her genetic manipulation, which make her feel unattractive or strange to people. All of a sudden, in this book they’re coming out the woodwork!
Still, for the most part it’s just really fun: Loup and Pilar learn to be bodyguards, and Pilar shows that she’s far from just a pretty face — proving herself well worthy of Loup, if her love and loyalty hadn’t already proven that. They make friends and gain supporters in the outside world… and never forget their friends, whether that be Miguel (who has also escaped) or the kids from the orphanage who grew up alongside them.
The least fun part of this book is Loup’s incarceration, but at least this time she’s treated fairly, and her case triumphs in court, winning new freedoms for her and people like her, and shining a light on what was going on in her border town home. There was hope in Santa Olivia, but Saints Astray is more hopeful yet, full of a kind of optimism that love can win. Not a bad read for the present climate, I think.
Originally posted here.
Still, for the most part it’s just really fun: Loup and Pilar learn to be bodyguards, and Pilar shows that she’s far from just a pretty face — proving herself well worthy of Loup, if her love and loyalty hadn’t already proven that. They make friends and gain supporters in the outside world… and never forget their friends, whether that be Miguel (who has also escaped) or the kids from the orphanage who grew up alongside them.
The least fun part of this book is Loup’s incarceration, but at least this time she’s treated fairly, and her case triumphs in court, winning new freedoms for her and people like her, and shining a light on what was going on in her border town home. There was hope in Santa Olivia, but Saints Astray is more hopeful yet, full of a kind of optimism that love can win. Not a bad read for the present climate, I think.
Originally posted here.
October 11, 2018
This is a very different book from Santa Olivia. And that's not entirely bad.
I enjoyed seeing Loup and Pilar running around having adventures and being in love. If that had been the entire book, I would have been completely okay with it. I'm a fan of light-hearted fluff, especially if it means queer girls get to be happy. I didn't even mind the late addition of a little bit of plot, which, while probably overly optimistic about how the U.S. political system actually works, did fit with the wish-fulfillment tone of the rest of the book. Even though this wasn't what I was expecting from the sequel to the dystopian feel of Santa Olivia, I liked it for what it was.
What I didn't like was the constant leering, innuendos, and even groping from basically all of the men Loup and Pilar came into contact with. Seriously, it NEVER STOPPED. And while I wouldn't have been bothered by Pilar flirting, that's not what this was! Pilar barely said anything to most of these guys, much less anything that I would construe as flirtatious. Instead, it was just man after man putting their eyes and hands all over two queer women, and it made me cringe every time. A whole star off just for that.
I enjoyed seeing Loup and Pilar running around having adventures and being in love. If that had been the entire book, I would have been completely okay with it. I'm a fan of light-hearted fluff, especially if it means queer girls get to be happy. I didn't even mind the late addition of a little bit of plot, which, while probably overly optimistic about how the U.S. political system actually works, did fit with the wish-fulfillment tone of the rest of the book. Even though this wasn't what I was expecting from the sequel to the dystopian feel of Santa Olivia, I liked it for what it was.
What I didn't like was the constant leering, innuendos, and even groping from basically all of the men Loup and Pilar came into contact with. Seriously, it NEVER STOPPED. And while I wouldn't have been bothered by Pilar flirting, that's not what this was! Pilar barely said anything to most of these guys, much less anything that I would construe as flirtatious. Instead, it was just man after man putting their eyes and hands all over two queer women, and it made me cringe every time. A whole star off just for that.
December 13, 2011
As indicated by my three stars the book was fine, neither spectacular nor boring. If I had read this book without having read Santa Olivia I would have had no connection with, nor commitment to the characters in the story.
On its own this book is a nice light read with a bit of action, a bit of romance, and a bit of state of the world commentary. All these things make the book an enjoyable light read.
Having read Santa Olivia and become so intimately connected to Loup Garron and the intense depth of story in that book, this sequel was just so-so. It does not contain the same depth of character and emotional sentiment as the first book, but, at the same time it is not unfaithful to the characters from the first story.
Keep up the good work Jaqueline, I look forward to your next series. Please let this one go where it is now.
On its own this book is a nice light read with a bit of action, a bit of romance, and a bit of state of the world commentary. All these things make the book an enjoyable light read.
Having read Santa Olivia and become so intimately connected to Loup Garron and the intense depth of story in that book, this sequel was just so-so. It does not contain the same depth of character and emotional sentiment as the first book, but, at the same time it is not unfaithful to the characters from the first story.
Keep up the good work Jaqueline, I look forward to your next series. Please let this one go where it is now.
March 28, 2018
Definitely not as good of a book as the first one, but a very fun read. The plot was sort of all over the place, it didn't feel tight and neat and everything just sort of... lolled and happened. But then it all happened to a backdrop of Loup and Pilar being happy and falling deeper in love and getting through shit together which I loved.
ETA: Jesus, I can't believe I forgot. One thing that bugged me a LOT about this book was all the predators and how lightly they were treated. Charlie in particular. His penchant for going after teenage girls isn't a quirky character flaw. The other band members needing to check that the girls he brings to his room are all over eighteen isn't a joke. He's a fucking predator and the fact that it's treated as a joke is so weird and gross. There are a lot of underage 'jokes' unfortunately, more in this book than the first one, and it's very ugh.
ETA: Jesus, I can't believe I forgot. One thing that bugged me a LOT about this book was all the predators and how lightly they were treated. Charlie in particular. His penchant for going after teenage girls isn't a quirky character flaw. The other band members needing to check that the girls he brings to his room are all over eighteen isn't a joke. He's a fucking predator and the fact that it's treated as a joke is so weird and gross. There are a lot of underage 'jokes' unfortunately, more in this book than the first one, and it's very ugh.
January 3, 2012
This sequel was good but definitely not as good as it's predecessor. It lagged in some places and I got a bit tired of Loup and Pilar's relationship by the end as it mostly consisted of sex and little else. I wish that there had been a little more thought put into the story line as everything seemed to happen at the end of the story. There were days when I was in the middle of reading this book that I didn't pick it up at all because it just wasn't holding my interest. With that said, I still thought it was decent but it isn't something I'd read again.
January 11, 2016
If I could give this book less than zero I would.
Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Ms. Carey, but this book just fell flat.
Following the first installment 'Santa Olivia' which was quite interesting and innovative, this book just didn't meet the mark.
I was left feeling as if she were trying to write to a younger audience and failing all the way. The kissy face pubescent romance was a sickening distraction and there was no intrigue to speak of.
Epic Fail.
Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Ms. Carey, but this book just fell flat.
Following the first installment 'Santa Olivia' which was quite interesting and innovative, this book just didn't meet the mark.
I was left feeling as if she were trying to write to a younger audience and failing all the way. The kissy face pubescent romance was a sickening distraction and there was no intrigue to speak of.
Epic Fail.
August 18, 2012
I loved the first book and that's why I wanted to read this book. I am SO disappointed in this book, though!
There are a lot of dialogues in the book and they all feel either forced or macho like. The plot isn't that eventful and I never had this "oh-I-want-to-get-back-to-my-book" feeling.
Read the first book (Santa Olivia), but stay away from this one!
There are a lot of dialogues in the book and they all feel either forced or macho like. The plot isn't that eventful and I never had this "oh-I-want-to-get-back-to-my-book" feeling.
Read the first book (Santa Olivia), but stay away from this one!
January 18, 2014
I love Jacqueline Carey. I enjoyed this book. I like the characters a lot, I think Ms. Carey does a wonderful job capturing the intelligent yet naive characters of Pilar and Loup. I like the general plot and found it rather touching and positive, I just found it a bit meandering.
June 20, 2014
Yeah, it wasn't as strong as the first book. And, yeah, the "I love you, baby" stuff gets kinda repetitive and old. But...come on! Such a delicious romp of happy wish fullfilment for our heroines! How can you not love it! That'd be like hating on fuzzy puppies!
October 13, 2013
Lacks the urgency of Santa Olivia.
* Warning: minor spoilers follow! Also, trigger warning for discussions of sexual harassment and assault. *
The follow-up to 2009’s Santa Olivia picks up almost exactly where its predecessor left off. Saints Astray finds Loup and Pilar fleeing into Mexico. Behind them is Outpost 12, known to its residents as Santa Olivia – an occupied military “buffer zone” in Texas that’s long been isolated from the rest of the world; ahead of them: freedom.
After Loup’s escape from a military prison - with the help of John Johnson, a fellow genetically modified organism (GMO), as well as an extended family of GMO cousins living free in Mexico – Loup receives a hero’s welcome in Mexico City. Already overwhelmed by the relative luxury and vastness of their new surroundings, Loup and Pilar are pampered, treated to shopping sprees and rich meals at five-star restaurants. The two women take meetings with Mexican officials; network with Timothy Ballantine, a United States Senator who’s trying to start an inquest into the US Outposts and the military’s conduct there; and receive a job offer from Magnus Lindberg of Global Security, an international firm providing security for obscenely wealthy clients.
With these formalities out of the way, Loup and Pilar travel to Huatulco, Mexico, to (finally) meet her kin. Here Loup finds true freedom. Because of the questionable status of “GMOs” in the United States (not to mention Santa Olivia’s own precarious existence), Loup was forced to hide her powers – superhuman strength, agility, and speed – for most of her life. That is, until the fateful boxing match that ended in Loup’s bittersweet victory – and her subsequent imprisonment and torture. But in Mexico, the existence of GMOs is an open secret, and in the tourist town of Huatulco her “wild” cousins (all boys – curious, that) are allowed open displays of their powers. Her relatives welcome her with open arms; in Loup’s words, her days in Huatulco are “idyllic.”
Happy as she is in Mexico, Loup cannot – will not – let herself be lulled into complacency. Haunted by thoughts of her fellow Santa Olivians - still eking out a meager existence in the shackles of poverty and oppression - Loup vows to make her second chance count. Somewhat reluctantly, she and Pilar accept Lindberg’s proposal. He can offer them fake passports, a steady income, connections, and – perhaps best of all – a hands-on education. The two are whisked away to Scotland, where they’re trained in self-defense, firearms, surveillance, security, research, even manners and poise. A natural (or man-made, if you prefer) fighter, Loup excels at the physical challenges, while Pilar’s social skills lend themselves well to her role as a personal assistant. They work a variety of jobs: concerts, birthday parties, weddings – and are in high demand, owing both to their abilities as well the “novelty” and “prestige” that come with Loup’s GMO status.
Eventually their contract is sold to Kate, an English pop rock trio that hopes to capitalize on Loup’s image. After Loup makes several on-stage appearances to remove unruly fans, she becomes known as the “Mystery Girl”; fan videos of her go viral, and soon concertgoers begin rushing the stage just for the privilege of being manhandled by Loup. Lead singer Randall, who’s trying to push the band’s sound in an edgier, more mature direction, finds inspiration in Loup and Pilar’s life stories. Of course, this only helps to further cultivate interest in Kate’s seemingly superhuman bouncer.
As Loup and Pilar’s careers heat up, so too do the congressional hearings in the United States. Miguel Garza, who received his promised ticket out of Outpost 12 after all, is called to testify – and then is kidnapped and held for ransom by a casino owner. When the US government fails to secure his release, Loup does the unthinkable: she returns to the United States (where she’s considered a fugitive, and possibly not even a human one at that) to rescue him. With a little help from Pilar and Kate, of course.
- end spoiler alert! -
If all of this sounds a little far-fetched, it actually plays out believably enough on the page. (Save for the ending. The US government simply does not work that quickly!) Though Saints Astray is almost as beautifully written as its predecessor, the story lacks the urgency of Santa Olivia. Based on the book’s description, I went into the story with the assumption that Miguel Garza’s kidnapping and rescue would be the driving force of the plot. As it is, this plot line only gains steam in the last third of the book, and is resolved rather quickly; it’s kind of a let-down, really. The bulk of the book concerns Loup and Pilar’s work with Global Security and Kate. Though enjoyable, the tale is nowhere near as captivating as Santa Olivia.
Likewise, the title is a bit misleading, too. “Saints Astray” suggests that Loup and Pilar have lost their way; wandered from a preordained path. Again, this led me to make certain assumptions about the book’s plot: namely, that Loup and Pilar would be seduced into forgetting the other Santitos by their new, glamorous lifestyle outside of Outpost 12. (Only to be rudely yanked back to earth, such as by Miguel’s disappearance.) But this couldn’t be further from the truth: every step Loup takes in her career is with an eye on the greater good.
If it weren’t for certain other problematic aspects, I’d give Saints Astray a solid four stars instead of three. However, Carey allows her characters to engage in some harmful, abusive rape culture behaviors – without suffering any consequences, or even being called out on their actions.
As we saw with Loup and Pilar (and Loup’s parents Carmen and Martin before them) in Santa Olivia, the unusual physical characteristics of “GMOs” complicate their sexual lives. Though most “normal” people are repulsed by intimate physical contact with GMOs, in a small percentage of the population this differing physiology is a turn-on. While this plays out quite beautifully between Loup and Pilar in Santa Olivia – whose childhood friendship slowly grows into a love that burns hot and bright – here it results in some pretty gross interactions between Loup and “GMO fetishists” (for lack of a better word).
Most people, finding themselves immediately and intensely attracted to Loup, simply act like anyone who’s come down with a bad case of puppy love: they stammer, become inexplicably clumsy, and suddenly develop two right feet. Cute and not at all harmful. However, others fetishize, objectify, and sexually harass her. Most notable is Donny, one third of the trio that is Kate.
Throughout the book, Donny propositions Loup, even after she turns him down multiple times. When Loup asserts that she’s in a monogamous relationship with Pilar, Donny asks if he can watch the two of them together, or even join in (groan). He and the other band members ogle the two when they kiss or simply engage in other public displays of affection, and grill Loup and Pilar about their sex life. Donny asks Loup out to dinner and, when she assents - in order to “let him down gently” (like she hasn’t done so a dozen times at this point!) and with the condition that it be as friends – he repays her kindness by “stealing” a kiss at the end of the night. Donny repeatedly begs Loup to sleep with him, just once, so that he can see what being with a GMO is like and perhaps purge the desire from his system. (As though Loup exists to serve his needs.) And so on.
Donny’s continued attempts to obtain “consent” by wearing Loup down represent rape culture, full stop. No means no.
Complicating matters is the fact that Donny is Loup’s employer – making his behavior not just sexual harassment, but workplace sexual harassment, at that.
And given that Loup (definitely) and Pilar (probably) are women of color – and the members of Kate are most likely white – this involves some pretty oppressive racial dynamics as well.
Yet, Donny is never held accountable for his boorish, sexist behavior. In fact, quite the opposite: at least several times, Loup and Pilar talk about what great guys the men of Kate are.
Donny isn’t the only offender, either. On several occasions, Carey alludes to Charlie’s penchant for underage girls. Hiring “hookers” to dress as Catholic schoolgirls and “having sex” with underage groupies (read: statutory rape) – that Charlie, what a peach.
Nor are Donny and Charlie alone in their misogyny. On the home front, some of Loup’s older male cousins harass Pilar: not just inappropriately sexual flirting with their cousin’s girlfriend, but also touching her without her consent – for instance, one “wolf boy” flings Pilar over his shoulder, cave man style, and refuses to let her down until Loup threatens him with physical violence. All this is played off as good (if unruly) fun: boys will be boys, and wild boys will be even wilder.
This is especially disappointing in light of Santa Olivia. Katya’s rape at the hands of a soldier, for example, became the catalyst for Loup’s transformation into the mythical Santa Olivia: protector, avenger, miracle worker. While the story reflected the realities of living in a rape culture, at least some of the characters saw rape for what it is: a gross violation of one’s humanity. Here, sexual harassment, unwanted touching, and statutory rape are treated like charming quirks.
On second thought, I’m downgrading this review to two stars.
In spite of all this, I’d recommend Saints Astray to anyone who enjoyed Santa Olivia – primarily because it resolves the story, but also because it’s lovely to see Loup find herself among her “wolf” kin. Just read it with a critical eye on race, gender, and consent.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2012/12/21/...
* Warning: minor spoilers follow! Also, trigger warning for discussions of sexual harassment and assault. *
The follow-up to 2009’s Santa Olivia picks up almost exactly where its predecessor left off. Saints Astray finds Loup and Pilar fleeing into Mexico. Behind them is Outpost 12, known to its residents as Santa Olivia – an occupied military “buffer zone” in Texas that’s long been isolated from the rest of the world; ahead of them: freedom.
After Loup’s escape from a military prison - with the help of John Johnson, a fellow genetically modified organism (GMO), as well as an extended family of GMO cousins living free in Mexico – Loup receives a hero’s welcome in Mexico City. Already overwhelmed by the relative luxury and vastness of their new surroundings, Loup and Pilar are pampered, treated to shopping sprees and rich meals at five-star restaurants. The two women take meetings with Mexican officials; network with Timothy Ballantine, a United States Senator who’s trying to start an inquest into the US Outposts and the military’s conduct there; and receive a job offer from Magnus Lindberg of Global Security, an international firm providing security for obscenely wealthy clients.
With these formalities out of the way, Loup and Pilar travel to Huatulco, Mexico, to (finally) meet her kin. Here Loup finds true freedom. Because of the questionable status of “GMOs” in the United States (not to mention Santa Olivia’s own precarious existence), Loup was forced to hide her powers – superhuman strength, agility, and speed – for most of her life. That is, until the fateful boxing match that ended in Loup’s bittersweet victory – and her subsequent imprisonment and torture. But in Mexico, the existence of GMOs is an open secret, and in the tourist town of Huatulco her “wild” cousins (all boys – curious, that) are allowed open displays of their powers. Her relatives welcome her with open arms; in Loup’s words, her days in Huatulco are “idyllic.”
Happy as she is in Mexico, Loup cannot – will not – let herself be lulled into complacency. Haunted by thoughts of her fellow Santa Olivians - still eking out a meager existence in the shackles of poverty and oppression - Loup vows to make her second chance count. Somewhat reluctantly, she and Pilar accept Lindberg’s proposal. He can offer them fake passports, a steady income, connections, and – perhaps best of all – a hands-on education. The two are whisked away to Scotland, where they’re trained in self-defense, firearms, surveillance, security, research, even manners and poise. A natural (or man-made, if you prefer) fighter, Loup excels at the physical challenges, while Pilar’s social skills lend themselves well to her role as a personal assistant. They work a variety of jobs: concerts, birthday parties, weddings – and are in high demand, owing both to their abilities as well the “novelty” and “prestige” that come with Loup’s GMO status.
Eventually their contract is sold to Kate, an English pop rock trio that hopes to capitalize on Loup’s image. After Loup makes several on-stage appearances to remove unruly fans, she becomes known as the “Mystery Girl”; fan videos of her go viral, and soon concertgoers begin rushing the stage just for the privilege of being manhandled by Loup. Lead singer Randall, who’s trying to push the band’s sound in an edgier, more mature direction, finds inspiration in Loup and Pilar’s life stories. Of course, this only helps to further cultivate interest in Kate’s seemingly superhuman bouncer.
As Loup and Pilar’s careers heat up, so too do the congressional hearings in the United States. Miguel Garza, who received his promised ticket out of Outpost 12 after all, is called to testify – and then is kidnapped and held for ransom by a casino owner. When the US government fails to secure his release, Loup does the unthinkable: she returns to the United States (where she’s considered a fugitive, and possibly not even a human one at that) to rescue him. With a little help from Pilar and Kate, of course.
- end spoiler alert! -
If all of this sounds a little far-fetched, it actually plays out believably enough on the page. (Save for the ending. The US government simply does not work that quickly!) Though Saints Astray is almost as beautifully written as its predecessor, the story lacks the urgency of Santa Olivia. Based on the book’s description, I went into the story with the assumption that Miguel Garza’s kidnapping and rescue would be the driving force of the plot. As it is, this plot line only gains steam in the last third of the book, and is resolved rather quickly; it’s kind of a let-down, really. The bulk of the book concerns Loup and Pilar’s work with Global Security and Kate. Though enjoyable, the tale is nowhere near as captivating as Santa Olivia.
Likewise, the title is a bit misleading, too. “Saints Astray” suggests that Loup and Pilar have lost their way; wandered from a preordained path. Again, this led me to make certain assumptions about the book’s plot: namely, that Loup and Pilar would be seduced into forgetting the other Santitos by their new, glamorous lifestyle outside of Outpost 12. (Only to be rudely yanked back to earth, such as by Miguel’s disappearance.) But this couldn’t be further from the truth: every step Loup takes in her career is with an eye on the greater good.
If it weren’t for certain other problematic aspects, I’d give Saints Astray a solid four stars instead of three. However, Carey allows her characters to engage in some harmful, abusive rape culture behaviors – without suffering any consequences, or even being called out on their actions.
As we saw with Loup and Pilar (and Loup’s parents Carmen and Martin before them) in Santa Olivia, the unusual physical characteristics of “GMOs” complicate their sexual lives. Though most “normal” people are repulsed by intimate physical contact with GMOs, in a small percentage of the population this differing physiology is a turn-on. While this plays out quite beautifully between Loup and Pilar in Santa Olivia – whose childhood friendship slowly grows into a love that burns hot and bright – here it results in some pretty gross interactions between Loup and “GMO fetishists” (for lack of a better word).
Most people, finding themselves immediately and intensely attracted to Loup, simply act like anyone who’s come down with a bad case of puppy love: they stammer, become inexplicably clumsy, and suddenly develop two right feet. Cute and not at all harmful. However, others fetishize, objectify, and sexually harass her. Most notable is Donny, one third of the trio that is Kate.
Throughout the book, Donny propositions Loup, even after she turns him down multiple times. When Loup asserts that she’s in a monogamous relationship with Pilar, Donny asks if he can watch the two of them together, or even join in (groan). He and the other band members ogle the two when they kiss or simply engage in other public displays of affection, and grill Loup and Pilar about their sex life. Donny asks Loup out to dinner and, when she assents - in order to “let him down gently” (like she hasn’t done so a dozen times at this point!) and with the condition that it be as friends – he repays her kindness by “stealing” a kiss at the end of the night. Donny repeatedly begs Loup to sleep with him, just once, so that he can see what being with a GMO is like and perhaps purge the desire from his system. (As though Loup exists to serve his needs.) And so on.
Donny’s continued attempts to obtain “consent” by wearing Loup down represent rape culture, full stop. No means no.
Complicating matters is the fact that Donny is Loup’s employer – making his behavior not just sexual harassment, but workplace sexual harassment, at that.
And given that Loup (definitely) and Pilar (probably) are women of color – and the members of Kate are most likely white – this involves some pretty oppressive racial dynamics as well.
Yet, Donny is never held accountable for his boorish, sexist behavior. In fact, quite the opposite: at least several times, Loup and Pilar talk about what great guys the men of Kate are.
Donny isn’t the only offender, either. On several occasions, Carey alludes to Charlie’s penchant for underage girls. Hiring “hookers” to dress as Catholic schoolgirls and “having sex” with underage groupies (read: statutory rape) – that Charlie, what a peach.
Nor are Donny and Charlie alone in their misogyny. On the home front, some of Loup’s older male cousins harass Pilar: not just inappropriately sexual flirting with their cousin’s girlfriend, but also touching her without her consent – for instance, one “wolf boy” flings Pilar over his shoulder, cave man style, and refuses to let her down until Loup threatens him with physical violence. All this is played off as good (if unruly) fun: boys will be boys, and wild boys will be even wilder.
This is especially disappointing in light of Santa Olivia. Katya’s rape at the hands of a soldier, for example, became the catalyst for Loup’s transformation into the mythical Santa Olivia: protector, avenger, miracle worker. While the story reflected the realities of living in a rape culture, at least some of the characters saw rape for what it is: a gross violation of one’s humanity. Here, sexual harassment, unwanted touching, and statutory rape are treated like charming quirks.
On second thought, I’m downgrading this review to two stars.
In spite of all this, I’d recommend Saints Astray to anyone who enjoyed Santa Olivia – primarily because it resolves the story, but also because it’s lovely to see Loup find herself among her “wolf” kin. Just read it with a critical eye on race, gender, and consent.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2012/12/21/...
March 28, 2021
*Completely forgot to mark when I actually started reading this*
Man did this book take me forever to read! As random as the first book started out, the same happened here. Everything was just lining up for the characters, with minor setbacks, which I’m not a fan of. Give me suspense! Though I did wonder what happened to the characters, I almost DNFed this about 20 times. It didn’t hold my interest as much, and like I said, things lined up too nicely.
Man did this book take me forever to read! As random as the first book started out, the same happened here. Everything was just lining up for the characters, with minor setbacks, which I’m not a fan of. Give me suspense! Though I did wonder what happened to the characters, I almost DNFed this about 20 times. It didn’t hold my interest as much, and like I said, things lined up too nicely.
July 30, 2018
This was such a disappointing waste of time that I might have to write my first real review in a couple of years when I get home.
July 23, 2019
2.5 star rating
As much as i liked the preceding book in this series, this unfortunately didn't live up. This was unnecessarily long and obviously leading to boredom.
There are moments i liked and truly enjoyed but in general the story was a bore due to its length
As much as i liked the preceding book in this series, this unfortunately didn't live up. This was unnecessarily long and obviously leading to boredom.
There are moments i liked and truly enjoyed but in general the story was a bore due to its length
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