I loved this book. It’s dystopian but just barely. The genius is in just how not far out in the future it feels. People who are not born in America being marked and tracked, forced to try to get to California for Sanctuary. It so clearly connects you to the main characters and you root  for everyone. It breaks your heart over and over again. But it’s so important. I wish I could make everyone read it. Especially my students from conservative households. The empathy is essential. 

Wow.  This book was a hard read.  Not in the difficulty of the writing but in the subject matter.  The main character's journey is one of pain and suffering.  It is not a world that is too hard to imagine, though I hope it never comes to pass.  The political messages in the book are clear and present.  This book could serve as a warning for what could happen should Americans choose to turn a blind eye to immigration, climate change, and rhetoric rather than working to help and solve problems in a peaceful and inviting way.  

Sanctuary was such a different book than I expected it to be. Being tagged as a dystopia, I thought it would be more like a classical YA dystopia. Instead, it was a much more contemporary book talking about the struggles of so-called illegal immigrants. In this aspect, the book was good, but the writing itself was lacking at some points, so I couldn’t give more than three stars. 

The general dystopian setting had so much potential, but this potential was barely used. Vali, her mother, and her brother live in a future America where so-called illegal immigrants like themselves are being persecuted. This setting was so creepy since it was not too unrealistic, just like the escalation of the situation which forces Vali and her family to flee. While trying to escape, their mom gets caught by the deportation unit and Vali and her brother are on their own. 

Around 80% of the novel thus just consists of them fleeing from their home and trying to find their way to California. Most of this was just so depressing, hopeless, and probably depicted the struggles of immigrants quite well. Besides this, Vali’s feelings are portrayed so well. Some parts were a bit over the top with the bad guys and also

Vali fell in love with Malakas way too fast

. At least,

they arrive at their destination in the end. It would’ve been so depressing if they died while trying

. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing itself. At many points throughout the novel, there’s just too much telling, like about Vali’s past or the ending. Additionally, there were not many descriptions, so it wasn’t very vivid. 

Like I’ve said, I see what kind of story Sanctuary was trying to tell and I appreciate the authentic insight into the topic. Nevertheless, if the storytelling had been better, I would’ve given a better rating as well. 

This book was so incredible! Mendoza and Sher's world building is incredible. When Vali was describing trekking through the desert, I felt like I was right there with her. I found myself reaching for my water over and over. It had the level of cringe that naturally comes with a young adult book, but that could be overlooked by how entrancing the story was. Would recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the U.S's history with immigration, but doesn't want to start with heavy non-fiction.

This storyline basically followed the concept of Trump reaching levels of full on dictatorship. I didn't find this dystopian world totally unbelievable (except they'd probably use phones rather than an actual microchip).  In fact, it was neat how they took this concept and made it into something creative. It reminded me a lot of how people own fake IDs and the like. I also enjoyed the diversity of characters and how that was used-especially because I enjoy Hispanic culture.
My real issue with the plot was that at times it was unrealistic...not because of the premise, but the way that the main character was able to survive. One example was when she

received $10,000 from Sister Lottie for the coyote...

. I hate to say it, but why would she give so much to a total stranger? Especially with everyone else there at that. Maybe if the mother was close friends with her, but still. Even in general, while there are a lot of undocumented immigrants, it seemed unrealistic that there would be SO many living just in their town...I mean her best friend, the store owner, the soccer coach, and them? That's a big group of people. I feel like it would've been more interesting had it been more rare or secretive.  
The plot at times was corny, if not predictable. The

deaths of many of the characters

was predictable, maybe because of the scenario but also it just seemed set up to happen. The

love story with Malakas and Val

was an example of this. It took place over MAYBE a week or two, and honestly if I was starving and that close to death I wouldn't even be thinking of that. Maybe when they got to their destination, but not still travelling. 
I think this book was great, but it had a lot more potential to be greater.