Name: Santa Olivia
ISBN: 9780446198172

Jacqueline Carey

"A SF/fantasy novel set in the near future and featuring a young woman with special genetically engineered 'wolf-like' powers"--Provided by publisher.

Santa Olivia

Christian Huss

Santa Olivia tells the story of Loup Garron, the daughter of a man that was genetically engineered by the government to possess special abilities. Loup lives in Santa Olivia, a place cut off from the rest of the world. For as long as Loup can remember, the town has been occupied by the American government and no one on the outside knows of their existence. Escape from the Outpost is also impossible. The story was great and it was interesting to follow the challenges and tragedies that Loup faced in the Outpost. Her story was sad, yet touching, uplifting, and definitely full of twists and turns.

Carol Bailey

Let me quickly state that this is not a typical “werewolf” story. I certainly can’t claim to know the author’s intent for latching onto that claim other than to provide some context for Loup’s extraordinary abilities. Having said that; the story is very well written and was a pleasure to read. It starts a little slow introducing the reader to “Outpost 12”, which is a military zone that acts as a buffer between the United States and Mexico following the outbreak of an epidemic in Mexico. The people of Outpost 12 are no longer considered US citizens and are completely isolated. 

As the reader I found myself cheering for Loup and the other orphans as they take what little action they can to provide justice for one of their own and unwittingly provide hope for the town in the vestige of ghostly miracles. The Santitos (the orphans) are a wonderful cast of characters who all add value and insight into the main character and again I couldn’t help but like them all.

Prior to this story I had not read anything by Jacqueline Carey, but I was thrilled to find out that there is another book that continues Loup’s story.

Judy Hudgins

While the storyline is interesting but what is really scary is the setting for the book. A wall built to keep out invaders from Mexico!