They may have escaped Sanctuary, but Kenzie and her friends are far from safe.
Ex-Omnistellar prison guard Kenzie and her superpowered friends barely made it off Sanctuary alive. Now they’re stuck in a stolen alien ship with nowhere to go and no one to help them. Kenzie is desperate for a plan, but she doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Everyone has their own dark secrets: Omnistellar, her parents, even Cage. Worse still, she’s haunted by memories of the aliens who nearly tore her to shreds—and forced her to accidentally kill one of the Sanctuary prisoners, Matt.
When Kenzie intercepts a radio communication suggesting that more aliens are on their way, she knows there’s only one choice: They must turn themselves in to Omnistellar and destroy the ship before the aliens follow the signal straight to them. Because if the monstrous creatures who attacked Sanctuary reach Earth, then it’s game over for humanity.
What Kenzie doesn’t know is that the aliens aren’t the only ones on the hunt. Omnistellar has put a bounty on Kenzie’s head—and the question is whether the aliens or Omnistellar get to her first.
They may have escaped Sanctuary, but they are far from free!
Containment, book two in the Sanctuary series is every bit as thrilling and suspenseful as book 1. I give the book five aliens for awesome sci-fi 👽👽👽👽👽 and I don’t usually even like sci-fi. Containment starts up a few weeks after Sanctuary ends, while the group of young people (a.k.a. anomalies) that escaped from Sanctuary on the alien spacecraft are drifting around in space and trying to decide where to go.
They are still wanted by Omnistellar, the largest corporation in the Galaxy. So they are afraid that anywhere they land, even if it isn’t controlled by Omnistellar, that the reward for them will be a huge incentive for whomever is in charge to turn them in. So for the time being they are just drifting.
They are using up what supplies they do have and getting very short with each other due to stress, PTSD and limited space as well as being stuck on the spaceship of the aliens that killed everyone on Sanctuary and tried to kill them. A constant reminder of what they went through.
Kenzie’s anomaly is an affinity for language and and she is able to pick up new written and spoken languages extremely fast. However, the alien language on the ship is another story, in the weeks she has been there she has only picked up bits and pieces, but stress has made it hard to focus. However, when a signal is picked up she is able to focus enough to figure out that more aliens have found the signal being broadcast from their ship and are on the way to find them.
Our team of Heroes knows that they can’t allow the aliens to find the ship. However, Luna, whose anomaly is an affinity for technology, has been unable to locate and turn off the signal. So they know the ship must be destroyed or they will lead the aliens right to themselves and their galaxy.
The story is different than the first in that our team goes on a few different adventures instead of just running from an unknown entity like in the first. Though it is every bit as good as the first book. There is a lot of intrigue as well, involving certain characters and whether they are helping or harming our group of Heroes. There is tension in the romance between Kenzie and Cage, and all sorts of unexpected twists and turns.
Overall It was a book I couldn’t put down, until I absolutely had to go to sleep or miss work. Then I picked it up tonight and finished it as soon as I could. I loved it. It was totally worth the price.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review - thank you!
Absolutely brilliant sequel.
Caryn Lix is genuinely one of the most underappreciated YA sci-fi/horror authors out there. Her books are long and meaty, full of character development, relationship development, plot... you name it.
Also, I massively commend her approach to having diverse characters. Some authors will put them in, and then constantly try to draw attention to their presence, like 'Hello! Here is a diverse character! The only thing interesting about them is their diversity!' Not so with Lix. We have Chinese characters, Egyptian, and Native American (as well as Russian and Irish). Every single one of these people are flawed and real. They didn't just feel like props to show off how 'cultured' the writer was.
This is slightly biased of me, but I especially love the fact that there's a hijabi girl!!! In a mainstream YA novel that's NOT about her coming-of-age, or personal beliefs, or anything! She's just there, a character like any other. It was awesome.
Okay, it's probably time I start to talk about the plot a bit. At the start of the book, Kenzie and the other survivors from Sanctuary are living in the alien ship. But they quickly realise the ship is broadcasting signals back to its home planet, so they need to destroy it pronto before they bring down all the alien race on humankind. They can't do that themselves: instead, they land on the planet Mars, desperately seeking someone with the power to help them, whether that's Omnistellar or another corporation.
Unfortunately, nobody believes them. Just some kids, right? Delinquent criminal kids, at that. It's up to Kenzie and the others to try and find a way to destroy the alien ship, whilst also evading capture by Omnistellar - or anyone else who wants them to hand them over to the corporation.
Kenzie continues to be a brilliant character. She's strong, but not unrealistically so; she suffers PTSD from being trapped on a ship with aliens, plus immense guilt from killing Matt. Yet that doesn't stop her from doing that needs to be done, planning and moving forwards. Her relationship with Cage takes a back seat in this book - there's only the faintest thread of romance - but her interactions with him were satisfying (from a romantic standpoint) nonetheless.
We got to learn more about Cage too, and the past which shaped him into the worryingly ruthless, unflinchingly loyal boy he is now. In fact, we learn more about all the side characters - Mia and Alexei especially - and it was done spectacularly.
I'm a little disappointed that we didn't learn more about the aliens, though. Two hefty books in, and we still don't know where they came from, when, how, are they an old threat or a new one, etc etc.
Still, an incredibly satisfying sci-fi horror read with an ending that's making me DESPERATE for the next one.
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: Drug use
While Containment didn't have the same pull as Sanctuary for me, I really loved certain elements - Kenzie' PTSD experiences, discussion of loyalties, and the different characters struggling to figure out what we do afterwards. The found family trope will always tug at my heart, and Containment is one of those perfect books about family. It's a story about the family that turns their back on us, the family we choose, and the family we are stuck with.
As we are forced to live with what comes afterwards the big battle, the characters in Containment have to figure out where their loyalties lie. As betrayals and characters come back into our lives, our group of misfits and anomalies have to figure out what they will sacrifice for the good of the universe. Forced to think about the grander future brings out not only their selflessness, but the selfishness of humanity. Fighting against greed and power, Kenzie still struggles with PTSD after the alien attack and her journey was really great to read about - how some characters can't just walk away from these large scale attacks.
When I finished Sanctuary I had no idea if there was going to be a sequel or not. So when I saw news of Containment I was super excited! Though I loved Sanctuary it was left very open ended, so I was excited to get the answers that I been waiting for. Containment answered some of those questions but also added more to that list. This book was a 500 page emotional roller coaster that had me laughing, crying and angry all in the span of ten pages.
It isn't often that you see PTSD represented in Science Fiction novels and I really enjoyed seeing that representation in Containment. Some characters go through hell and back and can bounce back, but others can't. Watching Kenzie's actions through out Containment you can see how the events on Sanctuary shaped and changed her. How in certain moments she freezes up or how she had nightmares about Matt's death. I'm intrigued to see where Kenzie's character is going to go in the next book.
Overall I loved Containment and I am eagerly awaiting news of a third book. Containment was action packed and didn't slow down for a moment. With the introduction of knew characters, powers and setting Containment will keep you entertained from the first and until the last page.
Wow I don't think it's meant for me to write this review. I wrote a long rant review right after I finished this book and I thought I had saved it to my notepad. Well evidently I didn't because I have yet to find it. So I was just rewriting a new review and accidentally deleted the entire thing. Why it didn't copy to my clipboard I do not know but if I lose this review for a third time I'm done. It's actually probably a good thing I couldn't find the first review I wrote because I was fuming when I finished this story. Kenzi drove me absolutely insane!! I got extremely tired of listening to her self pity party and constant indecision about whether she should tell the crew the truth about Matt. It was overdone and exhausting to say the least. Some of the same lines were also repeated one too many times throughout the book including Kenzi's fascination with Robo Mecha Dream Girl 5. The only reason I didn't give this two stars was because I really liked all of the other characters within Kenzie's crew and I even liked quite a bit of the plot and the action that came with it. Unfortunately though, Kenzie's insufferable character overshadowed her crew and just detracted from the story as a whole. It's ashame too because I liked her in the first book.
*I received this ARC from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I really wanted to give this four stars because I like most of the characters. I also like the plot with the vicious aliens in hot pursuit of the Anomalies. However, the main character Kenzie almost had me jumping out the airlock to wherever. If I had to read about her biting her lip till it bled or fantasizing about how a comic book character would solve the problem one more time, I would have chucked the book out the window. She is even more annoying than Bella Swan and that is saying something. I will probably read the next book simply because I want to know what happens. If the author is still in the writing process, please do something about Kenzie. Right now she is cringeworthy.
I really enjoyed��Sanctuary when I read it last year. And as it ended on quite the cliffhanger, I was eager to jump into this one! I have to say, props to the author for dropping in bits from Book One where it was necessary. She did it in a way that didn't take me out of the current book, but also refreshed my feeble memory. Thanks!
What I Liked:
•Same action-packed fun as before! Yeah this series does not let up on the adventure. And most of the time that's a good thing! You won't get bored, that is for sure.
•Love the characters, just as in the last book. Kenzie is just really relatable. She's dealing with so much, and all her doubts and insecurities feel really authentic, but then when she is strong and fierce, that too feels authentic. And the secondary cast? They're beyond awesome, so fleshed out that they really enhance the book.
•Gray morality ftw! I just love this sort of book for that very reason. I am not getting into detail about any of them because spoilers, but there are so many decisions that are just flat out hard. Because sometimes there just is no right answer, you know?
•Portrayl of mental health outside contemporary (and it's handled quite well!) Kenzie has some legitimate PTSD from everything that went down on Sanctuary. She watched so many loved ones die, had to kill people herself, that honestly it wasn't a shock that the girl was suffering.
What I Didn't:
•Lie of omission trope, which lead to a fight, which is not my fave. Especially since I didn't even really think the omitters were wrong in this case, and that the mad folks were being a little over the top? Especially in situations like those presented in this series, when every choice you make means life or death. Cut your buddies some slack, yeah? Anyway, I just didn't love the addition of this storyline, I guess.
•I struggled a little in the middle. Ugh guys I know this is unfair, but I just didn't have a lot of motivation for a little while? This might be more a case of a Me Problem™ than a book problem. I think at times, too much going on makes me bleary eyed. Idk, I don't totally blame the book though.
Bottom Line:
A really solid sequel in an overall awesome (so far!) series- can't wait to find out what's next for Kenzie & Company!
Well, this was slightly better than the first book. Although Kenzie was still a pain in the ass to read. She did grow on me throughout the story, but she was still so annoying and almost useless in it.
I did learn a lot about the other prisoners though, and the back story was enlightening to say the least. Omnistellar was still a corporate bitch, acting like corporate bitches do in sci-fi.
The alien presence wasn't as active in this as the first, but they were hella scary when they did show up, and that's all I cared for so kuddos for that.
Time for the third book, so let's see how they get out of this mess.
(This is written a few hours after reading, so it's much more composed.) Also, I was composed enough to use proper punctuation and capitalization - so, happy reading!
characters
new characters
So, as for the new characters, there are a few. Liam, Priya, and the others that I completely forgot about. I think there's one named Hallum? Hallam? I'm sorry - I have a really bad memory. Anyway, the new characters were nice. All of them were pretty mean. OH! And Jasper, more Reed, Imani, (and again, I'm probably forgetting someone - just sorry for all the mistakes). As for more of the good characters, it was great! She (the author) added to the cast, without making it too overwhelming, and I get confused about who was who. So - yay! Success!
old characters
The old characters were stunning - like usual. We got more backstory for everyone, really, and all of it was done well. One thing - the summary was sorta hyping up Cage's 'deep-dark secret'. Not so spoiler alert - there wasn't anything SO surprising . . . Not that big of a deal that I would mark down a star - just was a bit of a let-down. Mia & Alexi's backstory was really well done. (I keep saying well done - sorry for the lack of vocabulary)
plot
with spoilers (we're not doing 'no spoilers' anymore) The best thing about this book was the trauma that happened after . I always find it a bit (very) unrealistic when a bunch of people die, and then the main character just throws a party. Or, just like moves on really quickly. People died! This wasn't at all present in the book, and Kenzie has flashbacks and stuff for the entire book. Hats off to Ms. Lix. Again, the monster thing was a bit excessive. And the death. Why so much death? I mean, it was just like with book #1. This book had me gasping at like every point.
writing
Now, I saw another review somewhere that called the writing 'barebone' (or something like that), and it's stuck with me a bit. I agree a little. For one, the writing is pretty sparse, but if Kenzie started philosophizing about flowers and compared the spaceship to something - I would walk away. This book is the epitome of an action novel. Actually, I don't read a lot of action, so for someone on a steady diet of MG and YA sci-fi/fantasy/historical fiction, this book is very action-y. And the writing style compliments that. If people stop dying on like every page, then maybe I would complain, but for me - it's great.
overall
Well, overall, I loved the book. The first one was great, and this one was just as action-packed and great. I'm not going to say how excited I am for the next one, cause I've already started, and that one's pretty nice, as well, so anyway. If you like:
. . . then this series is for you. But since you're reading the review for book #2, I'm going to assume that you've already started the series, so - hi! Nice meeting you in this fandom!
4.25 stars, same as the first book. Really enjoying this series and I'm glad I got the third book ahead of time! If you like aliens, conspiracy, action and friendship you'll enjoy these books.
*Source* Publisher *Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction *Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Containment, by author Caryn Lix, is the second installment in the authors Sanctuary series. It has been nearly a month since Kenzie Cord and her anomaly allies escaped the prison known as Sanctuary after it was attacked by an unknown alien race that left only several dozen people alive and living aboard a strange alien spaceship. There's a feeling among the crew of not only hurt, but anger, and loss as well. The loss of Matt and Tyler. The loss of Imani's sister while she somehow managed to survive.
decent sequel! i liked the first book better — the mc is a little whiny in this one — but i loved all the side characters and i like how the romance wasn’t the main focus
SPOILERS (for me to remember when the third book comes out) - kenzie’s powers expand so she can use other people’s powers when she’s near them - at the end of the book, they need to escape, so she creates a portal and they end up on an unknown planet - alexei and mia are missing - matt is alive
3.75 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Why isn’t this series more popular? A ragtag group of misfits saving the galaxy? Spaceships? Superpowers? Love? This trilogy is great for space lovers everywhere :)
After reading (and loving!) the first novel in this series, "Sanctuary", I was thrilled when this 2nd novel in the series was available to request.
I love the various personalities and dynamics of the various characters in this novel. They are badass, interesting, and unique in their own way and they are all likeable. I especially enjoy reading about the relationship between Kenzie and Cage, as well as Kenzie and Cage's twin sister Rune. All the characters in this novel have their own special unique powers and it is interesting to read about them and how they use those powers to survive in their strange world. It was enjoyable to read about the character development in all of the characters as they continue on their journey. They are faced with many tough decisions they must make, and they look inside themselves for some of the answers. As they struggle sometimes internally with their decisions, it is very interesting to watch them grow as young adults and try to make their way in this strange world.
I loved the journey this book takes you on, as the characters that survived in the first novel after a strange and deadly alien attack on their Omnistellar ship caused them to fight for their lives. Some made it out alive while others did not, and this novel follows the survivors as they try to escape the alien ship they now find themselves on. They now have new obstacles they must face to survive and we are introduced to many more unique characters in this novel.
Well done Caryn, I loved this novel. I am hoping there is another novel in this series as I would love to follow the characters on their journey and see where it takes them next.
Kenzie and her friends have - barely - escaped the aliens who took down Sanctuary. Now they need a new plan. Because an alien beacon is calling their race to the solar system, and if they gain a foothold, they'll be unstoppable.
It's a while since I read Sanctuary, but there's enough backstory and explanations sprinkled in here that I remembered who everyone was and what the important events were. This is a fast paced story; it gets a little repetitive in the middle, but the ending makes up for it, and I'm excited to see what happens in the third volume. A great read for anyone into sci fi or action/adventure.
More of the creatures must have attacked. They weren’t even bothering with subtlety now. They were literally tearing the ship apart in an effort to destroy every last one of us. And from there—what?
Mars was closest. But Earth was undoubtably next.
I pictured everyone I’d left behind, Anya and my cousins and Jasper’s family, and my blood ran cold.
Well, I think this instalment was much more predictable than the last one, but it was still enjoyable enough. Though the characters seemed a bit too unimaginative(?), I still liked them. The story was not as gripping and fast-paced and Kenzie's thought processes sometimes out of place or not in the flow of the story, but okay. I'm looking forward to the third book nonetheless. Really like the author's writing style.
Very happy with this book I don’t know why it took me so long to finally read it after the first one
I really enjoyed the character development in this , especially in the side characters as well. The world building is one of my favourites - kinda gives me a Guardians of the galaxy vibes except the aliens are the bad guys
Also appreciated how the MC has her own faults and wasn’t the hero the whole time
I really liked Sanctuary, but it worked better as a standalone for me. Everything wasn't resolved, but I guess it was good enough for me. I just can't get sucked into this one, and after reading over a third, I'm done trying.
That was a great ride!!! Loved it better than the first one! Twist and turns on every chapter, there was never a dull moment in this book! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Definitely be keeping an eye on anything she writes.
*I received an e-arc of Containment via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!*
Containment is a wonderfully thrilling sequel to Caryn Lix's prior novel, Sanctuary. Containment picks up shortly where Sanctuary left off, and didn't slow down from there. While the alien threat still lurks, new threats arise, in the forms of setting and new characters. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and my only complaint was that the ending felt a bit abrupt. However, it did leave enough open for a potential sequel, and enough closure to keep you content and thinking about the series long after you've closed the book.
I commend Caryn Lix for having such a diverse cast in her novels, racially and mentally. Science fiction and fantasy novels can be easily white washed, and I appreciate the work Lix put in to ensure that her novel was inclusive.
I give the plot of this sequel 5 stars. Now I know some folks don’t like to give 5 stars out like I do but I read for entertainment. I don’t read to edit or critique. I am no professional. Just a girl who loves books. So, in my book (pun intended) this story was just pure awesome in a 496 pages. Lots of surprises and twists and turns. I did get some I Am Number Four vibes when it came to Kenzie’s power(s). But that’s neither here nor there. I enjoy super powered teenagers so this was just exactly what I wanted. If you’re not into it or are tired of the teen books then this is not the one for you. I enjoy a lot of YA and especially Space Horror. This book has it all. Adventure, Horror, a lil romance and lots of SPACE! And don’t forget the space ships. Human and Alien alike. The ending though. Whoooo! Chile!!!! Book number 3 will be EPIC.
Characters – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The character development is great. Kenzie goes from an obedient guard to fugitive and the journey is wonderful to read. Her arc has been stunning and I cannot wait to see how far she goes in book 3. The cast of characters is diverse, they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and they seem like such a great group of kids to have on your side. These are people I’d like to hang out with in real life. I was engrossed. Screw cleaning the house!
Overall, again, I enjoyed this book and it’s original immensely. Caryn Lix’ works is impeccable. I am actually upset now that I have to wait even longer for the 3rd book int he series. I give it 5 stars. I also gave Sanctuary 5 stars. I hope you will go out and give this book a try. Because her work is great and I’d like to see more from her.
This was probably going to be 4 stars until the last 3rd of the book blew me away! Where the first book jumps right into the thrills and never lets up, Containment has some slower, more reflective moments. It takes a little longer to ramp up, but once it gets going, look out! It had my emotions all over the place! I love this ensemble of characters so much, it hurts to see them hurt and makes me giddy when they are happy. This was everything I loved about the first book and so much more! And after that ending I can't wait to read Salvation!
In case you missed my review for Sanctuary, I absolutely loved the first book! It was gripping, the aliens were chilling, and I loved the dark Alien-esque feel it had going for it. It was a space horror through and through and kept you on the edge of your seat.
This book? Not so much. There was some major Second Book Syndrome going on here. The parts that I loved so much about the first book - namely, the scary aliens - were almost missing from this book. There were things happening but it didn't feel like anything was really happening, if that makes any sense? The first half felt very redundant. It felt like there wasn't much plot except "stop the ship's signal from reaching the aliens." I was actually quite bored for the majority beginning, and the middle really dragged. There was such a buildup in the beginning leading up to the inevitable "aliens receive ship's signal" that it was almost painful. They kept talking about the aliens and what would happen if they got the signal, and I desperately wanted the aliens to come back and spice things up. I missed that from the first book!
Sadly, I didn't get what I wanted until the last third of the book. So it didn't get exciting for me until three hundred pages into the book. That's a lot of pages to not grab my full attention. Like I said, I was pretty bored until the real action started. I didn't really care about what was happening until that point, because it just felt like a bunch of running, getting caught, and escaping (followed by more running) and that was the extent of events leading up to the aliens returning.
Things I didn't like: -Slow pacing despite things happening -Lack of plot or anything interesting happening -Redundancy of events (running, getting caught, escaping) -Lack of connection to characters (as compared to the first book) -The "twist" (see below spoiler)
Things I liked: -ALIENS! -X-Men feel with the characters' powers (especially the compounded powers!) -Um....aliens?
Okay, that looks bad, doesn't it? It's not that I didn't like the book, it's just that I felt massively underwhelmed and disappointed after loving Sanctuary so much. The sequel was definitely missing the magic of the first book. On the bright side, though, it was actually a pretty fast read despite my lack of interest.
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
I have to admit that I made a mistake. In my original review of Sanctuary, I gave it a 2.5 and called it ok. I wasn’t even planning on picking up the next book. But I was bored and was procrastinating from my homework today, and I thought “What the hell, can’t hurt to give the sequel a go.” And I am SO glad I did.
The first book set up an interesting premise, but the world was relatively undeveloped. I am happy to say Containment and Salvation gave me so much more. We finally gain an understanding of not just the superpowers, but the alien race itself. I love the lore that Ms. Lix set up for these series; it is suspenseful, horrific, and an examination of capitalism and government. Each of these books has a unique setting (especially Salvation...) but they work together seamlessly. The author has created a dystopia that I not only want to explore, but also run away from?? Needless to say, I loved it.
I am such a sucker for character growth, and honestly I’d be hard pressed to find someone who has grown as much as the survivors of Sanctuary. The second book does an excellent job discussing PTSD and normalizing it. I feel like characters in YA novels are kind of expected to push past trauma for the sake of moving the plot along, but Ms. Lix takes time to explore the toll of that and show us how the crew deals with it. Between the first and second book, I went from feeling mostly indifferent to these characters to on the brink of tears whenever they got in trouble. I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE OK. Kenzie really grows into her position in the group and discovers her love for this ragtag group of ex-prisoners. I loved following her become more confident and capable. Containment explores a darker side of Cage fleshed out his character so much more. Of course, Mia remains my favorite character because she’s aggressive and impulsive but it makes the moments of vulnerability so much more meaningful.
I have no words for the plot. I can’t even process everything that has happened because I read Containment and Salvation back-to-back today and I am just reeling. And these books are so fricken EMOTIONAL too. I cannot count the number of times I wanted to cry, or scream, or just do something! I guess I would best describe Containment and Salvation as the thrills, twists and horror of Sanctuary times 100,000. I don’t think my heartbeat dipped below 100 bpm this entire time. I accused Sanctuary of being predictable, but Containment and Salvation are the literal opposite of that. Not a single dull moment.
Caryn Lix knows how to write a suspenseful story. I had a whole stack of homework to finish today, and I literally told myself I was just going to read a chapter or two of Containment, and now it's 11pm and I’ve done nothing all day. I just could not tear my eyes away! Each chapter ends on a mini cliffhanger, so be prepared to clear out your day because you won’t be able to stop. GO AND READ THIS NOW. Ok, now that I’m done lauding praise on this series, I’m going to go cry and replay that ending about 1,000 times in my head.
@Ms. Lix, I would 100% percent support another series in this world. Maybe following Anya or Mia? I look forward to reading your future works. Also, I fully plan on throwing you under the bus when my history teacher asks for my homework...
The sequel right after a quite epic but unconventional prison escape, Kenzie over the course of one night abandoned the principles she was taught her whole life, an exemplary form of Stockholm Syndrome mixed with a dose of reality. Now she and all the survivors of the escape that left several dead because of deadly freaky aliens are on an alien ship where they originated, and are trying to figure out their next move. What’s a good planet to hide out on? Kenzie’s mother is dead now but what about her father? She lost communication with him back on the prison, but now that she’s out and he could be accessible, would he be willing to hear her out? But their plans get jumbled when they realize the ship keeping them alive in outer space has a tracker bringing more aliens their way and they have to figure out a way to both destroy it and get somewhere safe. And what’s their backup plan when they land if they get captured? And how will Kenzie ever recover from her guilt? Of all she’s done over the years as an Omnistellar operative and for all who have died under her leadership?
My high hopes for this book came from its predecessor, which was for me a fun prison escape with a Money Heist (or La Casa De Papel) suspenseful standoff feel. I couldn’t wait to explore this world more now that they were off of Sanctuary. I was excited about the chases, and their planning for how they’d take down the establishment that tried to keep them contained. I truly don’t know why there aren’t more prison escape books out there. Yes, the setting is a little cramped when you tell a whole story in there, but its claustrophobia can really add to the tension when done right. And in a good prison escape story, I also equally anticipate post-breakout.
The sad thing is the anger of being locked up, the races away from the police, thoughts on the future…they are there, but so much of the book is spent with Kenzie moping about how every screwup, every wrinkle, every tragedy experienced so far has been her fault and all the more she could’ve done over the years as a soldier. While I can understand that survivor’s-guilt thought process, this thought keeps coming up again and again. Not only that, talk about doing the right thing and not killing guards who are out to try and capture or kill you comes off as cheesy and grounded in a teen’s book trope. And I found it flat-out strange how little it is discussed how in a world dominated by a corporation that has access to different planets and owns many of the markets throughout them, they would need to figure out a way to live their life carefully. Kenzie’s new superpowers, the fear of being a fugitive, a good antagonist to root against…So much of that is so conspicuously sidelined.
By the end of the book, I felt the characters didn’t do nearly enough, the world not nearly enough explored, without the formation of a good antagonist to be frightened of. It’s fast-paced and has some exploration and action, and I enjoyed the time on the Obsidian spaceship, but a lot of my admiration for this series evaporated with Containment. There’s one more book in the series, Salvation. And now it has a lot of responsibility to pick up the slack. I said after finishing the first book that this felt like a story and universe where a trilogy would be the right length to tell it. This sadly isn’t the first time I’ve had to eat those words.
- This review was originally published in 2022 on williammcginn.com -