"Sanctuary" by Caryn Lix

    Being a security guard for a prison in space that holds Earth’s most dangerous superpowered teenagers runs in the family and Kenzie is finally able to prove her worth after spending her whole life in training. When Kenzie gets caught up in an actual jailbreak, though, she’s on her own because, you know, protocol says no negotiating with prisoners even if they have your daughter. It soon becomes clear that something beyond protocol is threatening the lives of everyone on board Sanctuary and it's up to the teenagers to save the day. Will they save each other and the world?

    I liked this book a lot and sped through most of it. There was a build up in the beginning, that showed normalcy is being crushed, that everything Kenzie believes in is going to change. The transition feels real because she kept going back and forth between Omnistellar Concepts protocol and surviving.

    The action and mystery get phased in. You only get a snapshot of a character’s life before the plot of the book, which really brings you in to how much the characters’ lives have changed, how much they rely on routine. Kenzie’s parents are extremely loyal to Omnistellar Concepts, the corporation that gives them citizenship and they have ingrained those loyalties in Kenzie as well. They stick to Omnistellar’s protocols and rules to keep them all safe because other people have it worse. They want to show how grateful they are to have a life where they are provided for. Even though Omnistellar authorities have a feeling something is going to happen soon because an anniversary is coming up, they are unable to protect their citizens or their prisoners.

    In true monster story fashion, we don’t know what’s going on until the main character is right in the thick of things. Someone manages to get away from the initial attack and is able to vaguely give the characters a glimpse of what they’re dealing with. They then slowly piece together what’s going on, well, they have a guess with the information they are able to gather. Just because it’s a classic plot doesn’t mean its any less disturbing or intriguing. I was drawn in once Kenzie entered the prison. The AI runs things, not necessarily the human security guards, so its like venturing into the great unknown. It’s not the setting that draws you in, it's the characters because you don’t know what they are capable of, you don’t know what they’re up to while the security guards are in the command center. The AI takes care of it, which is concerning because if there’s anything we’ve learned from science fiction and a few dystopian novels, its that AIs can go bad, even with the best intentions and programming. Don’t you worry, though, the AI isn’t the big problem in this one!