Santa Olivia [NOOK Book]

A Great Sci-Fi Ride!

When I first picked up this book, I was thinking that it was another version of a werewolf story. Not exactly, it is more of a sci-fi superhero story. In fact, parts of it reminded me of the tv show, "Dark Angel." In fact, if you look at the cover, her coat is made to look like a cape (and I do love the cover).

This book is such a great read. Even in the slower parts of the book, it builds tension as to what is coming next. You also have great characters in the book, all you either like right away or learn to like as the story goes on. And although there is some vigilante justice, there isn't that much in the book as perhaps you'd like, but it makes sense in the story. Plus, you really root for the Santitos (the orphan's nickname) because of why and how they chose to help the other unfortunate people in the outpost. It's just a fun ride and one that keeps going until the end. Unfortunately, it is the end why I could not give it 5 stars. It lost it's star because of the way it ends. It leaves way too many open questions. I couldn't find out if there was going to be another sequel or if this book is a stand alone. So, if it had given me, say 10 more chapters or guaranteed me a sequel (which I would certainly read), then it would regain it's last star.

I must also say that there is sexual content, some violence and a lot of cussing. So, I wouldn't recommend it to the very young set. Otherwise, I do recommend this book wholeheartedly! It is such a good read. I give it 4 stars!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A Perfect Novel

Jacqueline Carey has long been one of my top three favorite authors and with her latest book, Santa Olivia, the trend continues. Santa Olivia is in and of itself the perfect novel. It is a stand-alone novel written as a different genre than the high fantasy or historical romantic fantasy that the author is known for with her Banewrecker and Kushiel series. Santa Olivia seems to be a combination of heroic fantasy with a dash of comic book science fiction and romance. It is truly a beautiful novel that blends memorable characters with a compelling storyline that will touch all readers (with the possible exception of devout religious folks).

I found myself finishing the novel in two sittings and growing teary-eyed as the story unfolded. It gives readers hope that in a semi-apocalyptic world there will still be people interested in doing what's right to help the less fortunate. It also shows that no matter one's age, everyone has a talent or skill and that working together as a group can accomplish miracles. My only regret is that Santa Olivia has not yet grown into a series!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

New life in an old legend

Stories where humans have animal characteristics are likely as old as storytelling, and the super-soldier bit is nearly as ancient. Here, though, the story takes on a different tenor and is fresh again. Instead of a third rate sci-fi thriller where the wolf hybrid takes out legions of soldiers this story instead explores the instance of disposable people, what happens when a society or government chooses to forget the rights of a portion of their population.

No worries, there's no agonizing morality plays. This is a well told, gripping story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Different Reading

This was the first book I have read by this author. I found myself rereading parts of it to keep the thread of the story. Good book though and one I would recommend.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Unexpectedly powerful

Being a long-time Carey fan I was a little worried when I read the description of the book. Werewolves? Military projects?.. When I read the first chapter I was hooked. Carey is one of the few authors who are able to pick up such an over-used subject and make it not only her own, but humanely touching, believeable. The main character is multi-dimensional, strong, and (despite everything) original. The romance in the novel is different, human and touching. The reader is submersed into the world in a heartbeat, the transition from your living room to Santa Olivia is instant and seamless. Almost every character in the novel is more than what they seem. Carey is a master in making you believe her, no matter how wild the idea is. This is profound, thought-out, excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome action, and great sense of humor.

I really appreciate a "super" hero who is powerful because of the community of people who love her. The character of Loup is physically superior to most people around her, but it is the relationship she has with her brother, the Santitos, and her caretakers at the orphanage that guide her to achieve greatness.
As soon as I finished reading this story, I wanted to begin it again.

Santa Olivia

This is the first book I have ever rippd and thrown away before I finished it. Because I have read other books by this author that I liked, I picked this one up. It did not grab my attention like the others- characters and plot was not interesting but what made me quit reading was the fact that it cursed God badly. This isn't like fantasies where they have ficticious Gods and I won't read a book that so blatantly curses the one true God. I understand stories where people are angry with God about their life, but to curse him so vulgarly was poor writing as far as I am concerned

0 out of 31 people found this review helpful.

Different Carey, Still Fantastic

I was at first apprehensive about this novel since it is so divergent from Carey's other novels, but in the end I was extremely satisfied. Loup Garron is a girl who just wants to know where she fits in and who she is. It is a book of self discovery in a world lost in time.
Unlike her Sundering, Kushiel, and Naamah series, it is a short, easy read that I couldn't put down. I am like a moth to a flame when it comes to Carey, and this one didn't disappoint.

I am a Jacqueline Carey addict!

Anything this author writes I go out immediately and purchase and then stay up way to late to read it! This was one of my most favorite books I read this summer and have passed it around to everyone I know. Such an interesting twist on post-trama/neo punk. Highly recommended-you won't be sorry

Santa Olivia - Jacqueline Carey

Format: Trade Paperback, 341 pages
Publisher: Grand Central
Cover Design: Alan Ayers
Release Date: May 29, 2009
ISBN-10: 0-44619817X
ISBN-13: 978-0446198172

Santa Olivia is an urban, post-apocalyptic novel concerning a small community caught in a battle of borders and subsequently set apart from the rest of America by the military. A plague threatens the U.S. and the border with Mexico is sealed. Santa Olivia, a small Texas town, is isolated between the walls of the two paranoid countries. The tale of the Garron family (and the town itself) is a study of human alienation, the loss of technological amenities, and isolation. But it is also one of strength and survival under the most demanding of situations. Carey's strength is by far the modeling of her characters. They become so real that you'll begin to feel their emotions after only a few pages. The story delves into the raw emotion of abandonment (on many different levels) and confronts the issue in a very unique way.

Loup Garron is the child of an incarcerated mother and an "enhanced" father who shows up in the cordoned off city of Santa Olivia. A stranger and "different from other men," he is befriended and then loved by Loup's mother. As the story unravels we find that Loup's father was a genetically engineered human who has super strength and that fear has been completely engineered out of him. When Loup is born in the town square under the statue of Santa Olivia many take it as a sign of protection. But a few years later Loup's mother dies from the plague and she and her brother are forced to move to the local orphanage. Loup's brother, Tommy, begins working at the local boxing gymnasium and realizes that if he becomes a boxer and beats the favored Army boxer he will win freedom for himself and his sister.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

But Tommy dies in a fixed prizefight when his opponent is switched with a twin that is also "enhanced." Loup picks up the mantle and trains to destroy the man who killed her brother. In the end, she wins the fight but is taken into custody when the military realizes that she too is "enhanced." She is tortured and beaten but, with the help of an improbable ally, eventually escapes to Mexico.

Note: According to legend, Saint Olivia was the beautiful daughter of a noble family. At the age of thirteen she was kidnapped and taken as a slave. Impressed by her virtue and beauty her abductors permitted her to live in a cave as a hermitess. Later, she began to perform miracle cures on the local sick. Consequently she was imprisoned and tortured. She was sentenced to be burnt to death, but the flames would not touch her. She was finally decapitated. Her sainthood is celebrated on June 10th.

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

AWSOME!!!

It was an incredibly incredible read!!! I definatly recomend it!

Surprising

This book is very different from the other works I have read by Mrs. Carey. I found this book wonderful, its writing was very descriptive. And without giving away the book how Mrs. Carey depicts the village and the challenges the main character faces are so well done that it actually has you thinking "Could that really occur . . ." It was very good. I really enjoyed this book and found it a refreshing although I absolutely love The Kushiel Genre of books.

Santa Olivia delivers a solid punch to the post-apocalyptic genre.

Santa Olivia is richly written in line with Jacqueline Carey's other works, this time centered on a dark future just south of the U.S. Mexican border. Outpost 13 is a small town prison for its inhabitants, but gets an early visit from someone from the outside, someone not like the others. His daughter with an Outposter, called Loup, has abilities beyond normal humans. And she is frustrated by the injustices she sees from the occupying army and local mob. Loup takes on the mantle of the local matron saint Santa Olivia and begins to repay those who are taking advantage of teh people of Outpost.
The book itself is vivid in its descriptions, which Carey is known for, and delivers a great story that one can feel the surroundings. Carey's descriptions show compassion for the heroes and villains and show that not everything is what it initially seems. Loup herself is a loveable character with integrity and a stong sense of right and wrong. Carey also blends in the change in Loup as she grows from child to woman, showing how she is different than her friends at the church's orphanage.
I have enjoyed this book very much and look forward to seeing Jacqueline Carey's future works as she continues to branch out into new and bold settings with richly painted characters.

Different, but Very Good

Other than what the back of the book said, I had no idea what this book would be about or how good. Took a chance and loved it. Very touching story. Very original plot too. I am not normally a fan of these alternate universe/ sci-fi novels, but I enjoyed this one very much.
The story sucked me in and I read it in about 36 hours, even getting 2 work shifts in there too!) Writing was good - no complaints. Plot also has some good twists, and I didn't see the ending coming
Looking forward to read more from this author.

A good read

I picked this up because I'm a fan of the Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey. Santa Olivia is definitely different than those books, but very good all the same. It's hard to put down once you start reading! The characters are compelling and realistic (considering the setting, anyway). The few elements of the "supernatural" used in the book are incorporated flawlessly into the narrative. I would recommend it for Carey fans or anyone looking for a quick, intense read.

Hmmmm....

This book is definitely different than I thought it would be which is not a "good" or "bad" thing. I guess I'm still digesting it a little bit. I loved the concept for the novel wich was very original but, I guess for me the book was good but not Great. I would probably suggest it to my friends as an interesting read but I won't be rushing to reread it anytime soon...

This is a terrific romantic sci fi thriller starring a wonderful heroine.

The town of Santa Olivia lies in between the United States and Mexico in a sort of no "flag" zone except the American military owns this isolated wasteland. Santa Olivia sprung up around a military base where human reengineering and other experiments are conducted that would be illegal in both countries.

The goal of the "Wolf Man" is to genetically alter humans to make them Captain America-like super soldiers. One of these Wolf Men impregnated a normal female who gave birth to aptly named Loup Garron. To keep her safe from the scientists, her mom and brother hid her existence, but her father was forced to flee. When her mother dies, she is forced to live with other orphans at the nearby church. Though the other kids are normal humans, they not only know she is a half-breed they go out of their way to help her hide her paternal heritage. The orphans know her secret and help her to conceal it, while they also try to make Santa Olivia a better place to live. However when her brother dies in a camp boxing match, Loup vows to challenge the winner though that will surely expose who she is to the commander.

Using a Dr. Moreau like science fiction background, Jacqueline Carey provides a deep well drawn coming of age character study of a half-breed offspring of an experiment. The exciting story line finds its groove once Loup joins the other orphans, as they accept her as one of them although they recognize she is radically different and protect her secrets from the military who would exploit her. Like her "peers", Loup seeks her mate for life; knowing the danger she places any male in especially a purebred human when the day of reckoning she expects finally comes. This is a terrific romantic sci fi thriller starring a wonderful heroine.

Harriet Klausner

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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