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Santuary
They came to the peaceful, untouched mountain wilderness of Eastern Tennessee seeking an escape from the madness of modern life. But when they built their luxury homes in the heart of virgin forest they did not realize that something was there before them… something ancient and horrible; something that will make them believe that monsters are real.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1991
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166 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 28, 2011
This is a free e-book from the author via Smashwords. The agreement is that I will post a review here on GR and/or on Amazon prior to the end of the month.
For those of you who didn't read yesterday's blog post about how I came to read Sanctuary (tsk, tsk), I'll briefly update you with the chronological turn of events.
I went to the library and picked up a new book (to my library) by Donna Ball.
I entered it onto my Goodreads to-read shelf.
Donna Ball invited me to join her month-long Q&A on Goodreads, and to download (for free) her new eBook Sanctuary. Like all that the offer was made to, I had to agree to read and review the book on Goodreads and/or Amazon by the end of the month.
Okay, onto the book itself! Next time keep up-to-date on these things could ya? Kidding!! (Smiles)
So we start off right away with Laura who's moving from Philadelphia with her 5 yo daughter to the new housing area in Calumit, NC, that she's helping to design. She being Laura, not the 5yo daughter. Though sad to leave hehing her 2 architectural firm partners, Laura needs a fresh start after surviving a violent attack. What Laura doesn't know is that she's not the only one seeking sanctuary in the Smoky Mountains where Calumit is located. Yes, the multiple desires for sanctuary will be a recurring theme, hence the book's title.
Within the 1st few chapters Ball drops you right in the middle of the terror and she doesn't let up on the pace until you screech to a halt at the end.
In the manner of Koontz, she makes you question humanity at its worst and its best. What has more potential for evil, humans or the supernatural? Are we truly superior or even more compassionate than others species? If we're so evolved, why do we ostracize and reject that which we don't know and therefore fear? What behaviors are labeled as survival and what's just a penchance for violence, why decides this anyways? Ball eloquently points the direction, but she leave the reader to come to their own conclusions.
She does all this with a writing style that comes in through your eyeballs, grabs a hold of your brain, and just sucks you right into the story. Eating will be a chore, sleeping will be an ignorable recommendation not a requirement, and breathing will be optional as you'll keep holding it while you slam through the pages.
Want something a little "less dark"? That's okay. Donna has lots of other titles that are in completely different genres for you to choose from, and the writing is just as great!
For those of you who didn't read yesterday's blog post about how I came to read Sanctuary (tsk, tsk), I'll briefly update you with the chronological turn of events.
I went to the library and picked up a new book (to my library) by Donna Ball.
I entered it onto my Goodreads to-read shelf.
Donna Ball invited me to join her month-long Q&A on Goodreads, and to download (for free) her new eBook Sanctuary. Like all that the offer was made to, I had to agree to read and review the book on Goodreads and/or Amazon by the end of the month.
Okay, onto the book itself! Next time keep up-to-date on these things could ya? Kidding!! (Smiles)
So we start off right away with Laura who's moving from Philadelphia with her 5 yo daughter to the new housing area in Calumit, NC, that she's helping to design. She being Laura, not the 5yo daughter. Though sad to leave hehing her 2 architectural firm partners, Laura needs a fresh start after surviving a violent attack. What Laura doesn't know is that she's not the only one seeking sanctuary in the Smoky Mountains where Calumit is located. Yes, the multiple desires for sanctuary will be a recurring theme, hence the book's title.
Within the 1st few chapters Ball drops you right in the middle of the terror and she doesn't let up on the pace until you screech to a halt at the end.
In the manner of Koontz, she makes you question humanity at its worst and its best. What has more potential for evil, humans or the supernatural? Are we truly superior or even more compassionate than others species? If we're so evolved, why do we ostracize and reject that which we don't know and therefore fear? What behaviors are labeled as survival and what's just a penchance for violence, why decides this anyways? Ball eloquently points the direction, but she leave the reader to come to their own conclusions.
She does all this with a writing style that comes in through your eyeballs, grabs a hold of your brain, and just sucks you right into the story. Eating will be a chore, sleeping will be an ignorable recommendation not a requirement, and breathing will be optional as you'll keep holding it while you slam through the pages.
Want something a little "less dark"? That's okay. Donna has lots of other titles that are in completely different genres for you to choose from, and the writing is just as great!
April 17, 2012
I picked this up as a free copy from Amazon for my Kindle through http://ereadernewstoday.com. I can't remember what possessed me to choose this, as I often pass up most of what the website offers for free. However, I did start reading this roughly a week ago and found it difficult to put down.
I expected a variety of potential predictable plot twists, and each one ended up wrong ... which I loved, and made me keep reading. The one and only complaint I had was the burgeoning romance between the male and female protagonists was a bit forced and stereotypical female fantasy writing. Beautiful and strong (yet suitably vulnerable) woman meets big, handsome law enforcement official who is - BONUS - amazing with children. I'm sure that sounds sexist of me, but truth be told, I don't really care what it sounds like.
The good points were many, however. Donna Ball writes with vivid (yet restrained, not overdone) language and gets the most out of her concise sentences. Her style is both easy to read without being childish and easy to visualize without being too graphic or sentimental. I must also say that after many years of reading Stephen King, this is the first story of any author ever to actually give me a nightmare. So kudos to the author for getting so deep into my imagination that way. :-)
The story takes place, if I recall correctly, in the Smoky Mountains where a young, beautiful architect retreats from big city life for peace and quiet. She has not only built her own home in the woods, but designed an entire wealthy subdivision surrounding by forest - all without unduly wrecking the ecosystem, apparently (no bulldozers or concrete trucks required???). The forest is strangely dark, sinister and infinitely huge, and it's hiding a truly deadly creature of some kind - the plot is largely driven by trying to figure out what these creatures are, where they came from, and why they're disemboweling animals and people.
I've never heard of this author before, but I was quite glad for such an accidental discovery. This is horror in the best tradition of the genre: atmospheric, gothic, and hauntingly terrifying without the tired old reliance on sex and gore. Think in terms of "The Mist" by Stephen King (the story, not the film) and "The Others" (the film starring Nicole Kidman).
I expected a variety of potential predictable plot twists, and each one ended up wrong ... which I loved, and made me keep reading. The one and only complaint I had was the burgeoning romance between the male and female protagonists was a bit forced and stereotypical female fantasy writing. Beautiful and strong (yet suitably vulnerable) woman meets big, handsome law enforcement official who is - BONUS - amazing with children. I'm sure that sounds sexist of me, but truth be told, I don't really care what it sounds like.
The good points were many, however. Donna Ball writes with vivid (yet restrained, not overdone) language and gets the most out of her concise sentences. Her style is both easy to read without being childish and easy to visualize without being too graphic or sentimental. I must also say that after many years of reading Stephen King, this is the first story of any author ever to actually give me a nightmare. So kudos to the author for getting so deep into my imagination that way. :-)
The story takes place, if I recall correctly, in the Smoky Mountains where a young, beautiful architect retreats from big city life for peace and quiet. She has not only built her own home in the woods, but designed an entire wealthy subdivision surrounding by forest - all without unduly wrecking the ecosystem, apparently (no bulldozers or concrete trucks required???). The forest is strangely dark, sinister and infinitely huge, and it's hiding a truly deadly creature of some kind - the plot is largely driven by trying to figure out what these creatures are, where they came from, and why they're disemboweling animals and people.
I've never heard of this author before, but I was quite glad for such an accidental discovery. This is horror in the best tradition of the genre: atmospheric, gothic, and hauntingly terrifying without the tired old reliance on sex and gore. Think in terms of "The Mist" by Stephen King (the story, not the film) and "The Others" (the film starring Nicole Kidman).
Read
December 11, 2013In the terrifying tradition of Dean Koontz...
Fleeing the violence and crime of life in the city, architect Laura Kane and her five year old daughter Christy move to an exclusive planned community deep in the untouched mountain wilderness of the Smoky Mountains. Legend has it that their home is built on holy ground. Other legends tell of hideous beasts that roam the mountainside, Yeti-like creatures so terrifying that no one has ever dared disturb their sanctuary… until now.
First there are random acts of vandalism, then small pets begin to disappear, and then men go into the woods and don’t come back. When Christy’s nightmares begin to suggest that she can actually communicate with the creatures who are wreaking such havoc on their small and vulnerable community, Laura is terrified. Because Christy’s dreams tell her that the monsters are coming for her next.
And she is right.
Sanctuary is a suspense-filled tale of love, courage and redemption that will take you in its grip from the first page and leave you breathless by the last. Because sometimes the real monsters are the ones you can’t escape, no matter how far you run.
Fleeing the violence and crime of life in the city, architect Laura Kane and her five year old daughter Christy move to an exclusive planned community deep in the untouched mountain wilderness of the Smoky Mountains. Legend has it that their home is built on holy ground. Other legends tell of hideous beasts that roam the mountainside, Yeti-like creatures so terrifying that no one has ever dared disturb their sanctuary… until now.
First there are random acts of vandalism, then small pets begin to disappear, and then men go into the woods and don’t come back. When Christy’s nightmares begin to suggest that she can actually communicate with the creatures who are wreaking such havoc on their small and vulnerable community, Laura is terrified. Because Christy’s dreams tell her that the monsters are coming for her next.
And she is right.
Sanctuary is a suspense-filled tale of love, courage and redemption that will take you in its grip from the first page and leave you breathless by the last. Because sometimes the real monsters are the ones you can’t escape, no matter how far you run.
October 12, 2017
Excellent horror-suspense!
A quote on the cover says, "In the terrifying tradition of Dean Koontz." and that is accurate.
A single mother with a young daughter moves away from the trials and terrors of city life to live in a new development in the Smoky Mountains. The locals in the town downhill are suspicious, and concerned, as the area cleared for the new homes has long been known to be the habitat of legendary creatures who hunt in the night. It isn't long before their new sanctuary home is infused with uncertainty and horror.
A quote on the cover says, "In the terrifying tradition of Dean Koontz." and that is accurate.
A single mother with a young daughter moves away from the trials and terrors of city life to live in a new development in the Smoky Mountains. The locals in the town downhill are suspicious, and concerned, as the area cleared for the new homes has long been known to be the habitat of legendary creatures who hunt in the night. It isn't long before their new sanctuary home is infused with uncertainty and horror.
Read
May 10, 2021Interesting twist on the "character" in the woods. Grabs the reader from the start.
February 20, 2024
Great book
I couldn't put this book down. Read it in one day. Too bad that the proofreader didn't do a very good job.
I couldn't put this book down. Read it in one day. Too bad that the proofreader didn't do a very good job.
July 9, 2023
Starts off with promise but fizzles out. Laura and her daughter Christy are pretty basic and easy to follow, their new home/move is interesting and builds tension with a feeling of isolation. Around page 80, the story starts to fall apart. The new puppy Corky ends up missing, and is eventually found dead, but so much time is spent over this small puppy that the story loses steam. Sam is another basic character, small town cop, who becomes less and less likeable as the book progresses. The characters do a lot of fumbling around until they finally recognize the threat. A lot of the dialogue past the middle is very repetitive, the characters spend way too much time speculating and trying to explain things- 30 or so pages before the end it is "revealed" (I only quote revealed because the author goes along with this definition of what the creatures are and then refutes it the 2nd to last page, "Best not to question too closely what you don't understand..." SPOILERS I thought once the characters reached the cave the action would pick up, but no gun was fired and they encountered no threatening creatures. There was no climax.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2012
Fantastic tale - I love the subtle change of view of the "monsters" from evil aliens to...well, you'll have to read the book! I'm not going to spoil!
The was pretty much unputdownable...I read myself to sleep rather than put it down! I like Donna Ball's writing and Sanctuary did not disappoint. Some of the lead-up plots were a little unbelievable, but the action and main plot were well crafted.
The was pretty much unputdownable...I read myself to sleep rather than put it down! I like Donna Ball's writing and Sanctuary did not disappoint. Some of the lead-up plots were a little unbelievable, but the action and main plot were well crafted.
October 5, 2012
OMG. This book was not what I had expected. In a good way. There were surprises around every corner. I could not put it down. I carried my Kindle with me everywhere I went so I could keep reading. definately a must read, (but not in the dark)... 4 out of 5 books! Enjoy!
March 25, 2013
Pretty good read.
Humans are the worst kind of animal as we do know better but often still choose ( no matter whatever fashionable excuse we use) to often behave monstrously and try "rationally" to excuse the inexcusable
Humans are the worst kind of animal as we do know better but often still choose ( no matter whatever fashionable excuse we use) to often behave monstrously and try "rationally" to excuse the inexcusable
March 30, 2012
Great read. I liked how everything tied in and sex did not have to make a good read.
Want to read
June 13, 2012Free Kindle book June 13, 2012.
July 15, 2012
Great Read!
September 17, 2012
A solid novel - the storyline well-paced, the tension building nicely, the characters well developed and interesting. Filled with a few chills and surprises to keep me turning those digital pages.
December 28, 2012
This was a very good book full of suspense. Imagine moving into a modern, new housing development and finding ancient monsters that kill dogs and wreck property. Great read.
December 1, 2013
This was so hokey they should make it into a Lifetime original movie.
February 18, 2014
A page turner
Donna Ball did an amazing job with this book as it was hard to put down. It has just enough terror and suspense that it will keep you on your toes until the very end.
Donna Ball did an amazing job with this book as it was hard to put down. It has just enough terror and suspense that it will keep you on your toes until the very end.
February 3, 2017
I enjoyed this book but felt a little cheated at the end.
May 28, 2012
I absolutely loved it. It was a nice summertime read.
August 11, 2012
starts of good and then gets strange !
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews