Santuario confused the heck out of me...but even so, it was beautiful and enjoyable...I felt like I was lost throughout most of the book, just kind of getting what was going on, but not entirely. I tried to understand everything I was reading and was getting frustrated in my efforts. So, when I finally let go of trying to have everything make sense, I started to fully enjoy myself. Oddly, I have the feeling GB Gordon does this on purpose. It sets itself up as this other-worldly fantasy book…motherships, planets, isolated colonies, new languages. But as you read through it, it feels entirely contemporary…as if you’re just in some small village in Mexico reading about how local policia handle a murder case. To fully enjoy it, you can't dwell too much on this shift...that's where I was getting confused and caught. The world-building is subtle (like I said, I sometimes forgot it wasn’t in a completely familiar world). The relationship between the 2 main characters was also subtle: distrust, acquaintances, friendship, frustration, and eventually…more. Everything about the movement of this book was subtle...except the impact. The impact it has is like an itch you can’t quite get to but you’re dying to scratch. I want more. Can’t wait for more. And Alex and Bengt are such interesting and likable characters...you want good things to happen to them! I want MORE OF THEM! :)If this was a stand-alone, one-offer…I don’t know that I would have liked it so much. But, it’s clear (at least I hope so!), that there will be more books to the series. And with that hope, I’d say that Santuario is worth reading.
