When the bells of Sanctuary Seven begin to ring during Sovereign Lyra’s coronation, it wasn’t in celebration. It was in warning. The mountain Sanctuary was under attack by the Ruun, creatures who had survived outside one of the fortified Sanctuaries since the time of the First Age. As the Sanctuary falls to the creatures, Guardian, a man with no name, sworn to protect the Sovereign from harm and if necessary, to protect the Sanctuary from the Sovereign, spirits Lyra out of her Sanctuary using an ancient road and some machines left by the people of the First Age. They flee to Sanctuary Eight, hoping that they can provide shelter to the survivors of Seven and aid against the Ruun. At Eight, Lyra encounters obstacles both from their council and from her own people who accuse her of abandoning them in their hour of need, all while she tries to solve the dual mysteries of the ancient road and water system that the First Age builders intertwined, and the disappearance of her elder brother, Cal, who was always meant to lead.
I really enjoyed this first in series book. I got caught up in the plot quickly and cared about the fates of the people of Seven. I am definitely interested in seeing where book two takes them.
What stopped this from being a 5-star read for me was that most of the characters have the same wry sense of humor. It made them feel a little interchangeable, and that sometimes drew me out of the story.
But overall, this was a very enjoyable read and a great series opener. I will definitely be following Chris Adams from now on.