Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden

Alien ships have been hovering above the Earth and something is finally happening. Rumblings are heard and strange animal-like creatures are seen attacking people. Those who are bitten by the Shisa are infected with an unknown agent that causes them to become violent, seeking only to bite as many others as possible before dying.

Nineteen year old Jennie, her five year old brother, and their father are trying to get back home. Having safely made the trip back home from the hospital, they discover someone has broken in and taken all their food. Their father sets out alone to find more. Unfortunately, he is bitten before he can make it back home.In an effort to protect his children, he boards up every window before the infection takes hold and makes him a danger to Jennie and Mickey. The kids are on their own. Their father's last instructions were to get to the church as soon as Jennie was sure he was gone.

When Jennie and Mickey finally reach the church, they find a few other people have already taken refuge there. The plan now is to give everyone a chance to recover from fleeing the Shisa, then try to make it to sanctuary at the military base on the nearby island. The island doesn't stay the safe haven everyone thought it would be. The Shisa have attacked and the race is on to find the answers to their problems.

Creeden has written a plausible story of an alien invasion while focusing on the experiences of just a few main characters, Jennie and her five year old brother, Pastor Billy and his wife, and brothers Hugh and Brad who are complete opposites of each other. Sanctuary is a well written story of mankind's struggle to survive an alien invader with no apparent weaknesses to exploit. On the one hand, I was disappointed that the ending was left open, and the story was unresolved. On the other hand, I am hopeful that this means a sequel may be coming to take us further. We still don't know the reason for the attack.

While not a story I would normally pick up and read, Sanctuary was interesting. If you enjoy end-of-the world books with a touch of faith, this is definitely right up your alley. The writing was strong and the editing was excellent.I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is sold at Amazon.