Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

The Sandcastle Empire is a debut YA novel set in the year 2049 when the Earth has figuratively tipped over due to climate change, coastal flooding and overpopulation. It’s a story we know well but the details are important. I love that it addressed the fact that the oceans were rising due to that climate change but not only that, there was another issue that the world was too overpopulated and that is obviously adding to the pollution, deforestation and more. It’s all fascinating to read in a young adult novel and I wish, deeply, that it had focused more on the climate change side of the issue because I don’t read a lot of that in mainstream YA and it has potential to reach out to young readers.

I say that because while the reason humanity has changed so much is definitely spurned on by climate change but on the outer layer of this book it’s all about a very large group of people who call themselves the “Wolfpack” who planned to rise up and take control of the whole world by all banding together and turning society over in a surprise attack. Simply put, it’s like if a bunch of entitled a**holes on a Reddit page decided they were sick of being the underappreciated employees of the world and wanted their thrones. Surprisingly, this actually works because they did have powerful connections in their vast group and the world was changed for the worse. They hid right in plain sight on hashtags and symbols that people passed without a second glance until they attacked and even if I think they’re pathetic I can say that would be interesting to read about.

Our main character, Eden, is not a fan of the Wolfpack. Her family was killed by them, she was imprisoned by them and every day she lives is under their strict routine and rations of anyone who doesn’t have their mark. Luckily, before her father was murdered for refusing to help them he wrote out a survival guide of sorts and it made its way back to Eden. She’s studied the book and found the coordinates to a place called Sanctuary Island where she will find neutral ground and finally be okay but this isn’t a fairytale. She actually makes it there with a small group of girls but when they arrive strange, unexplainable things happen, traps are everywhere and people start to go missing.

I feel like The Sandcastle Empire was three different books stuffed into the one and I’m not really sure that they all connect in this book. Of course, the decline of the environment and resources caused the rising tensions between people and being the year 2049 their technology is plenty more advanced than ours but I just don’t think all three things should have been so prominent. The brilliant technology and the climate change issue would have made a fantastic, fast-paced novel itself while this brutal, human takeover would have been a scary thriller but all together the outcome is a tad disappointing. I think it was all just too glossed over for me to feel fulfilled by the end of the book and I also started to really lose interest in the story partway when the plot started to weaken. There was plenty of great ideas in this story and it had potential but ultimately I don’t think it was executed well enough.

Really enjoyed this one! My expectations were blown away as soon as I started reading and got immediately swept away by the gripping story. Olson really knows how to grip a reader and I'll definitely be checking out her future work.

The Sandcastle Empire was a solid debut by Olson with twists and turns and plenty of mystery.

We follow Eden as she makes her escape along with several other girls. They make for Sanctuary, an island that is supposed to be the last neutral is a war torn world. But once they get there, Eden and the others find that not all is as it seems. Finnley disappears and it becomes clear the island, their last hope is not giving up its secrets willingly.

The prose is dynamic and emotive and Olson nails the unsettling feeling of mysteries. Whilst it wasn't necessarily my kind of book, the talent is clear. If you love mysteries, with twists and turns that keep you guessing this is a book for you!