Survivor

Sanctuary #1.5

by Pauline Creeden

*Novella companion to Sanctuary*

What if the Biblical End Times unfolded in a way no one told you about and the rapture didn't happen before the tribulation began...

Aliens have attacked and Rory's mother is missing, but none of that matters much to him. He's safe in his apartment complex, has his friends and his twin sister, Hailey. But as supplies start to dwindle, it becomes obvious that he needs to do something to make sure they all survive...even if it means he has to brave going outside through the Shisa and the zombies people have become. As long as they are safe, that's all that matters, right?

Genres: Science Fiction, Aliens, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Young Adult

ebook

First published March 31, 2015

About the author

Pauline Creeden is an award-winning author, horse trainer, and overall book ninja. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.

Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Gold Award for First Place YA Horror Novel.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 star read.

WTF! NOOOOooooooo ....... it cannot end like that!!!!!!

This was an amazingly interesting read about a group of survivors living in the lobby of their apartment complex after the apocalyptic event of an alien invasion and all that it entails. This was a short novella as a link-in to the author's Survivor series and she included a sneak peak chapter from the follow on book Silence .... so at least I knew that the characters survived for a little bit.

I've knocked a whole star off for a) the formatting, which was REALLY horrible and difficult to read and b) the way it just stopped where it did. Definitely a cliffhanger, which I LOATHE, plus it seemed to be a trap to get you to purchase the next book. In this instance she's chopped off her nose to spite her face because with the HUGE rise in $ for ebooks my budget simply can't accommodate the price of another 3 of her books to get the full story.

I received an ebook copy of this novella from the author via Instafreebie. I have voluntarily chosen to review the book and the gifting in no way influences my review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion.

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 4 out of 5]

INITIAL THOUGHTS
Approaching this book I am quite looking forward to reading it. Even though I did actually break my own rule and read an excerpt I'm hoping that I haven't spoilt my reading experience by doing so. I really enjoyed the excerpt. and was so hooked I went on to read book one, enjoyed that and after the excerpt couldn't wait to read more of this series. So I decided to reread the part I had read during the excerpt and it certainly grabbed my attention once again, so I am looking forward to reading more.

MY REVIEW
I received this e-novella free of charge in exchange for my honest review. The cover shows what we in the UK call a "block of flats", in the USA it would probably called an apartment building. There's a couple broken down, smashed up car in front of the building. This sets the scene for the books setting, how the world has gone to ruin since the Shisa Aliens have invaded. Would the cover make me pick this one up from the book store shelf? I think it would especially if it was in the "post apocalyptic, sci-fi" section.
This book is based on different characters that are stuck together hiding out in their apartment building. The younger people/the teens in the building are tasked with going on every floor, in every flat to gather food, most importantly water and batteries and other supplies. Water has been a problem for some time and after an incident where a fight almost occurs when it is thought water has been "stolen" it is decided the teens need to search further afield and outside the relatively "safety" of the building. Two of the older residents goes out of these search parties with three of the teens. Initially these trips work well so much so, food & water rations are increased. Though they soon fall into the trap of doing more and more trips out into the dangerous "outside". The problem with this is the fact the Shisa seem to be monitoring their trips and are turning up more and more often during the supply runs. It is during one such trip that two members of the team are attacked and bitten by the Shisa. When the remainder of the party return to their building emotions are high as they have been gone the longest time, mush longer than they usually are.
Arguments begin about the risk and sense in going out again for supplies. During this heated discussion one of the older women of the group decides she and her family are going to attempt getting to the railway station that the army is regularly attending to pick up survivors.
This novella has action, drama, bravery,hope and a little greed,loss, with a little self preservation within it's pages too. One character in particular, the apartment security/attendant Mr Black, wants more supplies but is in no way willing to risk himself to acquire them. He actively encourages the teens to take all the risks. Mr Black is also the self appointed leader and decides which group will attempt the journey to the pick up point. He chooses the fittest people, leaving the second group with weaker people, less supplies and the harder journey to take.
I did enjoy reading the rest of the novella. I was originally a little worried that reading the excerpt would put me off. To be totally honest this novella did feel harder to read compared to book one, why? I'm not really sure. . . . was it because I had read the excerpt, or was my head still with the characters I had grown to love in book one? I did feel like I wanted a little glimpse of how the characters of book one were doing. I did eventually end up forming attachments with the new characters, such as Rory and José. These two boys/teens knew that supplies were dwindling rapidly and came up with the notion of venturing away from their apartment building to seek more supplies. They were also courageous enough to carry out the ever more dangerous trips around the neighbourhood for the supplies that were needed for everyone.
I am looking forward to more of this series. In fact I broke my rule once again and read the first chapter of Book Two that is featued at the end of this novella. I really hope book two will tell us about both sets of survivors.
Did I enjoy the novella? Once I got over the fact this novella was about different characters than those featured in book one. Although one character from book one, Hugh, did live in that building prior to the Alien attacks. I did end up enjoying the novella. Would I recommend the novella? Yes I do recommend reading the novella, as it introduces you to new characters and tell's you what else is happening within the same area that the Shisa have invaded.
Would I want to read more of this series? I definitely wanted to read more in this series, especially after reading the first chapter of book two. It seem's like the survivors from book one and some of those from the novella may meet up in book two. Sanctuary End Time's is certainly, firmly on my must read series list.
Would I want to read more titles by this author? Yes, I would like to try some of Pauline Creeden's other titles.

[Becky Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Pauline Creeden delivers a fast-paced tale! This is a fascinating - yet terrifying - story filled with alien creatures and their zombie creations.

I have a love/hate relationship with the aliens, called Shisa. They are so terrifying. But, what I love about Pauline's descriptions of them is that I got a good sense of what they look like, how they move, how they sound, and what they would feel like if I was close enough to one to touch it. I pray that doesn't happen, though. Being that close to one would probably mean I'd end up a zombie. They really creep me out ... but they are so cool that I can't help admiring them!

Three-dimensional characters make the story feel real, despite the fact that we're dealing with an alien invasion. They make decisions - some smart, some really stupid - but that's what it means to be human.

I definitely recommend this novella for zombie fiction fans as well as science fiction fans.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Adam Collings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining novella in the Sanctury series. In this speculative take on the end times, aliens have invaded Earth. Zombies walk the streets, infected by the alien venom.

This novella chronicles a group of survivors under seige in an apartment building. As their supplies of food and water slowly dwindle, they must make some difficult decisions about their future. There are a lot of character moments encased in this rather short package.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Some likable, others of the love-to-hate-them variety.

This novella leads into the next full-length novel in the series, which I am looking forward to.

[ysar · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this novella companion to Sanctuary, teenage siblings Rory and Hailey are holed up in their apartment building with an assortment of neighbors, waiting out the strange events that seem to herald the end of the world. The sun is dimmed, the water is poisoned, and deadly creatures roam the streets, attacking any humans unfortunate enough to cross their paths. But the danger behind closed doors is just as real, as food and bottled water are becoming scarce, and soon they’ll have no choice but to venture out as scavengers and hope they don’t end up like the rest of the broken and infected people aimlessly wandering the eerily quiet streets.

But... While I occasionally like to indulge in a well-written dystopian story, I’m usually not a fan of horror and zombie novels. But when I first heard about a young adult, Christian fiction book featuring alien space ships, monsters, and zombies — a modern take on the Book of Revelation… Well, how could I not read it? And it was awesome! It’s been a year since I first met Jennie and the rest of the characters just trying to survive this strange apocalypse, so while novellas aren't high on my preferred list, I jumped at the opportunity to get more of this unique story. Unfortunately, the faith factor was pretty low in this one, though. Sure, God was mentioned a couple of times, and maybe someone prayed for someone’s safe return (or maybe not — it didn't really stand out), but if not for the synopsis, not even a Christian theology expert would have a clue that anything about it was faith-based. Now, obviously I read a hell of a lot of books that don’t even touch religion, and I’m guessing that most people who know me online would never peg me for a Christian fiction reader…or a church employee…or the woman half the congregation discusses books with. But yeah, I’m a bit disappointed that this element is missing in the story. I know it’s just a snippet of some characters that will play into the next, bigger, full-length novel in the series, but still… I thought this would be a great read for the edgier members of our youth group, and now I’m thinking I should wait and see how the next book turns out. Damn.

The Verdict: I was pretty blown away by Sanctuary, so it should come as no surprise that I snatched up this novella as soon as it went live on Amazon. What I really wanted was more of Jennie and Hugh, but desperate readers can’t be choosers, so I was willing to see what the newly introduced Rory was up to.

Rory and Hailey don’t have a clue what happened to their mother, but they are somewhat safe hiding out at home, a multi-story apartment building with a small group of neighbors who were either at home when the chaos struck or were lucky enough to make it safely back. But being stuck inside with a dwindling food and water supply and increasingly agitated adults is no vacation, and the constant visits by the Shisa (scary as hell monsters that are sniffing out and attacking humans) are making each day a little worse than the one before. It’s clear that before long they’ll have to brave the dangerous outside world, assuming they don’t want to starve to death, and after Rory suffers a devastating loss, he’s reckless enough to volunteer for the job.

Rory, joined by a couple of friends and two adults from the apartment building, heads out to a nearby neighborhood seeking whatever food and water is left in the abandoned homes they find. But the Shisa are changing, their already lethal bodies developing even more ways to attack, and even when they’re nowhere nearby, the boys have to be on the lookout for infected humans. To make matters even worse, it seems the Shisa are more intelligent than your average horror story monsters, learning the habits of the humans they hunt and coming around more and more frequently as Rory and the guys search for what they need to survive.

Survivor is little more than an introduction to new characters and a little bit of background that I suppose will come into play in the next full-length book, but it’s still a great look at the world in the throes of the Apocalypse through the eyes of an average teenager. While the faith bit was noticeably absent, I’m hoping it will return to being a big part of the story in the next book, since that religious foundation is really one of the more fascinating aspects of the plot. Probably wouldn't hurt to get my hands on the next book before another year has passed, too. Do I sound negative? I’m really not. I’m just ridiculously intrigued by this series, dying to find out what happens next, and so impatient it’s not even funny!

Oh, and I should note that this book is probably not appropriate for the youngest teens, at least not the super-sheltered ones. It’s based on the scariest prophecy every recorded, and there’s a good deal of violence when it comes to the Shisa and the zombified humans. I wouldn’t say it’s a bloodbath, but it’s definitely disturbing, as it should be. However, if your kid’s obsessed with The Walking Dead, and you’d rather she paid more attention in church on Sundays, the Sanctuary series could win you some cool mom points.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was disappointed that this would simply be a companion novella. First of all, novellas are just too short! I'm always left wanting more! But also, companion? That usually means that it won't have the same characters, which just isn't fair! Sanctuary left so many questions still unanswered, and I had hopes that a second book would start from there.

Now that I've read Survivor? I take everything back. It was absolutely perfect. It starts off slowly, detailing the way that daily life has changed since the aliens have landed. Now that the Shisa are roaming the streets, the remaining survivors in an apartment complex are dealing with unexpected problems. Fresh water and food are in short supply, and they're beginning to get desperate. And desperate people do desperate things...

Halfway through, the pace picks up, RACES off! All of a sudden, my heart is thudding, and I can't flip the pages fast enough! By the time I was finished, I was fairly sure I wouldn't be sleeping that night, or at least not without some very vivid dreams. The Shisa take the front seat this time around, and I loved getting a closer look at them! Now I'm even more curious about their behavior, and what it will mean for the next book.

While Sanctuary did fit a little more snugly into the Christian Fiction category, I found that Survivor didn't have that same religious insight. That's partly to do with the characters in the novella, and partly the fact that it's a novella, and not nearly long enough to delve into such a deep well at this point. I'm sure that book three will bring it all together, and continue with the revelations revealed at the end of Sanctuary.

Survivor could probably be read as a standalone story, since the characters are so well developed in these few pages, and you're given a pretty good idea about what kind of situation they find themselves in. Having said that, skipping Sanctuary, you won't feel the same foreshadowing, and obviously you won't know the history behind the outbreak. If you haven't read book one yet, I highly recommend it!

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lindy Lu Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really do love the way this story is going, Survivor: A Sanctuary Novella is the second book in the Sanctuary End Times Series. This was a short read but fills in the blanks of what happened to those that were left behind in the building.
Just a quick recap of Sanctuary: The aliens have taken over earth, dimmed the sun and poisoned the water supply. At this point that was the majority of the problem. That is until the aliens started attacking people.... not killing them just infecting them. Infecting them with a virus that turned them into zombies. With the infected walking around and aliens attacking people, this story follows three people and what they go through in this apocalypse/war of the worlds. Until they all end up in one place the little white church, the sanctuary.
Survivor is the story of what life is like in hiding. There is a group of survivors that live in an apartment building. They have barricaded out the aliens and zombies, but are slowly running out of food and water. Eventually desperate people take desperate measures and after one specific tragedy the group decides it’s time to leave and scavenge the area for more supplies. But leaving the safety of the building could be the gravest mistake, what choice do they have? Take the risk of exposure to aliens or zombies or dehydrate and starve?
Pauline Creeden did a wonderful job at bringing you into the story, she was able to bring the characters to life for me so I could connect with them. I love that this story has a religious take , it’s not to heavy just subtle hints and hope that there is light at the end of this scary dark tunnel. I can’t wait to finish this story and see where all these characters end up. I rate it pg it has no cussing. Go check out this book it’s a quick read but it is best to be read after Sanctuary so it’ll make since…

[Camilla Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of horror, zombies, aliens, and very dark stories, in general. I hesitated to read this one, even though it was created as an hypothetical situation of the "Last Days". I did read Survivor by Pauline Creeden, and while there were some very intense (for me) moments within, I am completely reassured that I would read anything Pauline Creeden writes. Even a story in a genre which I normally avoid.

Pauline Creeden's writing is spotless, in my estimation, and her story weaving is impeccable, interesting, and alluring. Her descriptions wreaked havoc on my very active imagination, and I felt that the situations were very real (yikes!).

I wasn't sure how I felt with the creative liberties that the author took in representing the Last Days. Creative liberties aside, though, there was a lasting impression that is true, whatever one may think. URGENCY! Danger!The importance of being prepared... especially in the spiritual sense.

Survivor is not a light read. It is dark. I will have to build up courage to read the next books in the series.

The only legitimate complaint I have is that it is a cliffhanger. Ugh. I would rather dive right in and get through the story all at one time, but, it was not meant to be on this one.

While I have am not a fan of this genre, in particular, I could do no less than give a rating of 4 stars. The author has created a truly interesting, intriguing story.

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Survivor is book two in the Sanctuary - End Times series. This portion focuses on the group of people Mr. Harris left behind at his apartment complex. Rations are getting low, and the teenagers are finding it difficult to find food and water. As you can recall from Sanctuary, the aliens have poisoned the water supply and the Shisa roam the streets in the hunt for people. After thirst overwhelms Rory's twin sister, Hailey and she drinks the tap water causing a tragic outcome. Rory, his best friends, Tion and Jose, along with Mr. Lee and Mr. Conway, begin raiding nearby homes for food and water. At first things are looking up and they finally have enough food and water to stave off dehydration. Then surprisingly the Shisa get smart, and things become more dire than ever before.

This is an unusual end time series with zombies and aliens. I love the description of the aliens, it's truly unique. I enjoyed finding out what happened to the people at the apartment complex. I was curious what had happened to them during Sanctuary, so I'm glad that was the focal point of this novel. There's nonstop action, heart stopping moments and even some really sad moments. Although this is a novella, Pauline Creeden causes a plethora of emotions. I can't wait for the next book in the series. This is a great Christian dystopian science fiction series for all ages!

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a blog tour to give an honest review.
I really enjoyed Sanctuary and if you haven't read it yet then I say get your copy. In book one we are introduced to the aliens that have taken over and people have been turned into zombies. In A Sanctuary we are introduced to Rory and his friends and neighbors. They all live in an apartment complex where when the Shisa come by they have to block all windows and be quiet so they don't see them. While living with others Rory and his friend go through apartments to find food and water. Water is the main thing they need because you can not drink the water out of the taps it has been tainted. When it is decided to go on a run it isn't all easy peasy things are going to happen along the way and it makes you wonder if those in the apartment are going to live, get out and find help or just end up dying there. I did like this book and it is a quick book you can read in one sitting, there is mention of the aliens and zombies but it is mostly about the survival of a group of people and what they need to do to survive in this new world. There is a big cliff hanger in this one so I just hope book three is going to come quickly so we can see who makes it and who doesn'

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars....
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Once again we are faced with the Shisa, the dog/monkey/human alien that has invaded the world, destroyed the sun, poisoned the world's water supply. Here we are in an apartment complex seeing the day to day struggles of a band of people of varying ages, from trying to find enough water and food, to how they deal with the physical aspects of death.

While some of the writing I found was so detailed it did seem to yank the story to a crawl, the author did a spectacular job of keeping the plot moving. The action parts of it were heart-pounding, the emotional parts made me cry. I didn't find this novella to be as overtly Christian as the previous book, it isn't so "This is the end of the world as presented in the Bible", however, with society being as it is, many may not see it from a religious point of view, instead, seeing it as a survival situation. That in itself made it more realistic in my view.
Another wonderful job of writing by the author, and I can't wait to read more from her.

[Teresa Vogt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humans try to survive when Aliens take over the world, can they possibly win?? (Kindle Edition)

This picks up with a different set of refugees then the first book, but many of the same issues. The World is under attack from aliens and they will do what it takes to rid it of humans, and transform it into what they can use. This group suffers losses and experiences triumphs. It isn't as faith based, and at the ending it hasn't yet matched up with the survivors of book 1 but it works well as a stand alone it is a great read for Young adults and even those that Young doesn't apply to.. It touches desperation that leads to death while hoping for a miracle, and the bond that can exist between those that may not be blood family but are friends enough to be considered family. It's a dark time, and a dark theme, what would we do if invaded by a superior race from across the stars? Would we handle it with as much grace and patience, perseverance. The Human race against the alien one. Is That a battle we can possibly win?

[Ash Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this companion novella certainly doesn't repeat everything that happened in Sanctuary, I did find myself wishing that some of the details of the creatures and daily life weren't so over explained. Furthermore, there weren't as many overt beliefs presented as part of the text, but in this one we wind up on the other end of the spectrum in that the main characters aren't as developed and even though we get glimpses of their thoughts and the reason behind certain actions, not much is fully explained. In fact this one ends on a bigger cliff hanger than Sanctuary, with one plot point especially hanging on by a thread, and while I understand that happens in a series, it rubs me the wrong way. Again, others have loved this book, and were pleased to see some of the issues with Sanctuary were non-existent within Survivor's pages, however, this just didn't work for me.
***ARC provided in exchange for honest review.***

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author brings a new twist about Zombies and Aliens. This story is like nothing I have read before and I love that about this story. Rory and his twin sister are barely staying alive with the other people in their apartment building. The water is not fit to drink and the food is almost gone. Outside the apartment building the world has been taken over by the Zombies and Evil Aliens. How will these people live without clean water and when the food they have is gone? During this story, your heart will break from the what these people have to endure. When people start dying, they have to venture out to find food, but it's not easy, and you never know when you will get attacked. So many things happen in this story that you must read it, and you will love it too. The book will have you reading it in one sitting and not wanting to put it down until the last word.

[Fee (Ebook Addicts) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having not read book one in this series, I did feel that I had missed out on a lot of explinatiuons as to what had happend, why the Shisa had arrived and how everyone was being turned into to zombies, not to mention the back story as to what was wrong with the tap water.

That being said I still enjoyed this book, and got a feel for the post-apocalyptic world that the characters were living it. Whilst reading it I kept thinking of The Walking Dead - which I love - and this series I have come to love and want to read more of what happens to this group of survivors.

There are a few tense mooments that had me holding my breath along with the characters, it was great. This is only me second book by Pauline that I have read and so far I am enjoying her books.

I cant wait to see what happens in the next installment.

4 stars

[Antionette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so thrilled to be given the opportunity to do a review for this book. When I finished book one, I always wondered what happened to all the people in that hotel. They were sort of left or stuck depending on how you see it. This book is full of twists and excitement how these people survive in that hotel on what little they have. They suffer death and the decision to leave the hotel for supplies. They are about to run out of water. What will happen when a small group leave.... I really enjoyed this story. Alot of what if it really happened is in this one. How would we survive it all?

[Heather Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written. I liked this book. I didn't like the ending. My favorite character is Rory. I feel bad for him having no family. The poor guy has dealt with a lot of loss. Rory does try to help the people that he has left in his life. Give this book a try.

[Tessa Stockton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cool, engaging YA dystopian sci-fi thriller. The diverse components, well-thought-out and energetically seamed together, made for one intense novella. I didn’t just “read” scenes I “felt” them. Subwoofing aliens - love it!

[Candy Robosky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Survivor is a novella about trying to survive a world under attack by aliens and their humans turned zombies. I thought this book was okay. In the blurb it hints at it being a a faith based story. Maybe I misread it or read too much into the blurb but I found no real faith in these characters. It was an okay story overall. I received a free copy and am leaving my honest review .

[Shannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great novella! Can’t wait to read the next book!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good YA end of the world with aliens! I did enjoy this novella, liked the ideas & characters! I will look for more by this writer!

[Marcie Wegner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a companion book to Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden. If you haven't read Sanctuary, you are really missing out on some information that really will help the story. Although this novella could be read without the first book, it will make so much more sense after having read Sanctuary. It was really nice to see what happened to the people who stayed behind in the apartment complex and she brings the two books together nicely at the end. I cannot wait to see how the story continues with the next book.