Review: The Sanctuary Series just keeps getting better!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2012
I love all of the Sanctuary books, but this is my favorite yet. In this installment of the series, assassins have been dispatched to Sanctuary to kill Cyrus Davidon's love interest, Vara. She escapes, but other guild members die in the attack. A search ensues to discover who wants to kill Vara and why. Cyrus and Vara travel under cover to warn Vara's parents, and her mother proves nearly as deadly to Cyrus as the assassins are to Vara.In the meantime, the dark elves are on the march, laying waste to human cities and driving out the inhabitants. Assassins are using the steady stream of refugees as cover as they stalk and kill elves across the land. What is this conspiracy, and will Cyrus and Vara be able to stop it before her family falls victim?Robert J. Crane writes wonderful characters, which make the battle scenes in this book more than just technically superb writing. You will care about these characters and find yourself rooting for them out loud as they defend Vara's home city against the dark elves. (Don't read this in a restaurant like I did - it's embarrassing!) The scenes between Davidon and Vara, as well as between Davidon and Vara's mother, are priceless.The best part of this series is that we start out each book in a ruined Sanctuary in a time labelled "now." Then most of the rest of the book is set as "then" until the very end brings us back into "now." Each book brings us closer to the catastrophe that has ruined Sanctuary and left Cyrus alone. Each book also delves into the back story of one of the characters, enriching our experience of the Sanctuary guild and its members. At the end of this book, Crane gives us a hint as to which character will be explored in the next book, and I can't wait.Write quickly, oh author. I cannot wait for the next installment of the adventures of Cyrus and Sanctuary.