Sanctify - Lost Paradise

by Godsstation, Fox^^, Zhixin Peng (Illustrator)

Nach Gilberts Tod stürzt sich Lance in die Arbeit, denn eine neue übersinnliche Bedrohung hat bereits elf Opfer gefordert. Doch etwas scheint ihn bei seinen Ermittlungen zu leiten und zu beschützen – könnte es vielleicht sein, dass Gilbert doch noch irgendwie bei ihm ist …?

Genres: Manga, Horror, Romance, LGBT, Paranormal, Demons, Boys Love

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2023

Reviews

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume picks up seamlessly where the third story left off and remains very dark.

Reincarnation
Supernatural
Dark religious themes
Gorgeous art
Gay romance

There are themes of reincarnation, a battle between good and evil, and the art is outstanding. There are FINALLY a few really sweet moments between them, but not enough to satisfy. I’m hoping in the next volume, they will become a team to battle evil. But I also realize that it’s problematic, for reasons.

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 reads: 256/300

in this fourth volume of sanctify, lance is hired to investigate yet another series of murders related to yet another sinister cult. this time, though, gil isn’t with him. not physically, at least…though lance is doing what he can to change that.

i loved getting to see much more of lance’s exorcist side in this volume! he handled this cult so well, even though he was clearly tortured by gil’s absence…and then his presence. when i finished the third volume, i wasn’t sure how a fourth volume would work, but i thought this was a great continuation of the series. i’m looking forward to the next volume!

[Fabienne Däumler · Rating 4 out of 5]

leicht traumatisiert 👀👀

[Mello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ngl this was a good manga but it was depressing & heartbreaking. It also contains dark themes. I would consider this a horror BL so please check those triggers. If I could sum this story up with two words it would be reincarnation & tears. Lance & Gil idk if you’ll ever be free.

[Vivian Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This plot is so unique! The characters and their love is breaking my heart. Omg, love <3

[Ester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Más que un tomo secuela, es un capítulo extra que continúa allí donde terminó el último tomo y nos trasporta a un nuevo caso de posesiones demoníacas dos años después.
Me ha gustado muchísimo, aunque acaba con final abierto, pero se nota que es la antesala de un nuevo giro en su historia, y como dice la dibujante en la entrevista del tomo francés, Lance y Gilbert saldrán en su nueva obra y habrá un giro importante en su historia. OJO.
Solo queda esperar a seguir leyendo más historia dentro del universo Sanctify.

Leer la reseña completa en mi blog:

https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

ugh just say it you dorks

5/10

[tatertot · Rating 5 out of 5]

thú thật khi đọc câu chuyện của gilbert và lucian mình cảm thấy quả tim như nằm trong tay ai rồi bị bóp chặt từng nhịp từng hồi. một chuyện tình đẹp, buồn và vỡ tan. nó bị những dục vọng của con người làm cho móp méo. và mình thầm nghĩ liệu ác quỷ có làm được gì khi mà con người không có những dã tâm đó?

ở vol một đến ba, mình cảm nhận được tình yêu tha thiết của gilbert dành cho người gã yêu. yêu đến hận và dằn vặt bản thân gã. để rồi gã đã gây ra những tội ác mà lucian không muốn thấy nhất. nhưng mình hiểu, mình hiểu vì đâu mà gã trở thành như vậy nên mình cũng yêu cách fox và sinh thiết lạc xây dựng con người và tính cách của nhân vật này.

và ở phần 'lost paradise', tình yêu của lucian trong hình hài lance hiển hiện rõ nét trước mắt mình, mình đã từng tưởng rằng lance đã quên rồi hay thậm chí là đã thất vọng khi thấy "người" anh chờ đợi bấy lâu biến thành như vậy - một con quỷ dữ. nhưng hoá ra anh vẫn yêu thiết tha gilbert, chỉ là gilbert thôi. dù anh vẫn luôn đau đáu một nỗi niềm, nhưng mình nghĩ tình yêu của đôi người này quá lớn để nói lời chia ly.

sau cùng, fox và sinh thiết lạc mở ra một cái kết mà ta không biết gilbert đã đi đâu, ta cũng không biết khi nào họ sẽ lại tìm thấy nhau. nhưng lance đã bảo họ sẽ gặp lại nhau ở mai sau và mình tin điều đó.

về phần tác giả, mình rất yêu thích nét vẽ của sinh thiết lạc và cách xây dựng cốt truyện cũng như nhân vật của fox. mình cực kỳ thoả mãn khi đọc xong ba phần truyện chính và ngoại truyện 'lost paradise' của sanctify, hy vọng trong tương lai sẽ được đọc thêm tác phẩm của godsstation ở dạng sách xuất bản ở nước mình.

[James Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the stand alone add on to the series we find Lance two years after the last time he saw Gilbert. Gilbert seems to be but Lance is left to continue his work as an exorcist.

This time he finds Glynn Fields who lives in a cottage with his wife and son. The night before Lance arrives, there was an appearance outside their house that ended up destroying some branches from a tree, but that is all that happened. However, now, the next day, it turns out that father apparently went to a place where there was supposed to be a meeting to grant people more power and more money. He was offered a contract but first says he walked. It is found however than he did more. He signed but the threw the doll that came with it awa.

So, they end having a battle with the creator of the curse that has evoked. The battle wages on for some time before Lance manages to win. But then Lance has to deal with a visitation from somebody from the past, another battle takes place and then Lance wakes up just in time to go on back home and to continue his apparently never ending job.

Recommended as a completion of the series...and to give us the opportunity to wonder what else might come up in future as this story hints as being a very long one.

[Heather’s Reading Bubble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sanctify as a series had its ups and downs. The final volume left so much unresolved and also left me wanting more. This volume really helped with that. Sanctify at the end of the day is a story about two boys that made a promise to each other a long time ago. Two boys that loved each other more than anything. Even with the cycle of reincarnation and the different paths that Lance and Gil ended up on they were still linked to each other. They will always be linked to each other and that’s why despite everything that has happened Lance was falling apart without Gil. Their reunion although short showed these two will never be free of one another. The ending was very open ended but I feel fit these two characters and their story perfectly. “But I know we’ll meet again.” Indeed I think they will.

[Ayan1909 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It’s hard to leave our past. It always catches up with us. Like quicksand, the more we try to get away from it, the further it draws us down."

It's been two years now since Gilbert disappeared. Lance neglects himself more than ever and unconsciously searches for him everywhere. Sometimes he thinks he sees him, then the mirage evaporates. So when he comes across the trail of a particularly powerful demon, he prepares to fight him with the energy of despair.

I may have liked this spin off better than Sanctify itself but sadly it didn’t add anything to the actual main story. Like in Sanctify main story, there’s the same problems with the passing and the relation between Lance and Gilbert. Their relation, both romantically and s*xually, feels so forced and unnatural, toward the end it finally gets better but it end immediately with Gilbert disappearing again.

(Smash mister Shawn)

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

After how the previous volume ended, I didn’t expect this to be a bag of laughs and I was right. Gil is dead and Lance is haunted by his memory—or maybe by his ghost. He throws himself to work, at least partly to end himself, even though he knows he won’t end up in the same place as Gil, who is in hell.

A childhood promise has warped into a curse. As Lance tries to break it, he gets in trouble and Gil manifests in a physical body. He’s still a denizen of hell, and behaves like one too, after he’s done saving Lance. There’s a childhood promise Lance has to keep as well, even if it was done in his previous life. Heed the trigger warnings if you’re sensitive.

The ending is open and surprisingly hopeful, but I’m not sure there will be more to this story. I’d read it though.

[Choupi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un univers toujours sympathique avec Lance sur une enquête fantastique et aussi désemparé par la perte qui est survenue à la fin du tome 3.

Le dessin est comme d'habitude d'excellente qualité. J'aime l'aspect sombre de l'intrigue, parsemée de créatures, de fantômes et de possessions en tout genre.

Hormis le plaisir de retrouver certains personnages, ce spin-off n'offre rien de fou. On est plus dans une 'introduction' sur des potentielles suites. À réserver aux ultra fan de la série.

[Shaunae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seemed like a little something to tie us over until the next volume. I hope there’s another volume. It’s hard to tell a good supernatural story in just a few pages. I much prefer the longer, more detailed, volumes to this. The spice was there to be there. I will definitely continue this series if there’s more, but I could’ve left this one and been just fine.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
It was an interesting continuation of the main series. Lance continues doing his job of saving people to the best of his ability, but wants to see Gil. I enjoyed the the case Lance was trying to solve, but I'm just not sure how to feel about what Lance feels about Gil and that he keeps thinking about Gil.

[J-Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m gonna go cry because I was hoping for redemption or something! Instead, we have a bunch of sadness sprinkled with a dash of hope. If there are any more additions to this series, one of them better be a TRUE ending without any ambiguous talk of futures or whatnot.

[Rebecca Whaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So awesome! I loved it! It so sad but also surprising. New case and a big one which of course Lance wants to handle himself. Idk if this is the last volume and I hope not because I so want more! These two are crazy together and I love it.

[Kara&Nanouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 rounded up.
This was really disturbing but also good if that makes sense. Probably the most unhinged one out of this series.
I'd recommend starting with the first 3 books (just titled Sanctify) to immerse yourself in the world and learn about the characters backstories.

[Karu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how to story came out. The way the main character fought to save others in the regret of his lover. But at the end, everything just came together for a happy result. Even though the book was short, it was interesting and I will reread it again.

[Magik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the rest of this series this was dark as he'll and spicy. Unlike the rest of the series the spice isn't Gil's fantasy and actually happens (with some dubious consent). The art is gorgeous and I'm sad this is the end (and it is the end. this was an epilogue of sorts)

[Thea 'The Book Niffler' · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨
Gorgeous art, as always.
If it wasn’t implied that he was forced, it would’ve been slightly better. Still, the plot kind of pointed to that happening, and it was justified given the demonic/dark atmosphere.

[Imanewreader ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

obviously : i cried.

[Kev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the og series. The smut felt like it was there for the sake of it. Felt unnecessary as a whole, and didn't like Gil's characterization in this.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series even if it makes me cry (probably because it makes me cry).

[soleil · Rating 4 out of 5]

bro I need them together bbbbaaaaaad

[Eve Healy]

Spoiler-Included Reviews:

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[Fny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5 ⭐️

[Julietta]

RTC

[Marielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted them to be happy together 😭😭

[˳ ℘ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ⸝⸝ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Angel ◞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conjuring but as a bl

“We’ll meet again.” MAN LEAVE ME ALONE IM SOBBING I CAN NEVER BE HAPPY