Very interesting and fast paced read that feels like you’re reading a classic book like practical magic, with a dark mystery at the center and witches and witchcraft all about. I liked the setting of sanctuary, and how it was written and described by the author. I can see why people would want to live here. I also like the use of the witch hunt metaphor literally and figuratively in the story, it really helps move the plot along and gives us a fun tale to follow.

“A suspenseful debut that twists Big Little Lies with Practical Magic in a dark mystery of four women, a wicked secret--and an investigation that shakes their Connecticut town to the core.”

In all honesty, I never would have guessed that this was a debut novel. James has written a book that immediately hooked me. She gave so many characters such a distinct voice, and as a reader I was truly invested in their wellbeing. I really enjoyed this modern day witch-hunt, and I am excited to see what James will do next.

(Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review this title)

I went into this book thinking this was going to be not another modern day "witch" story, that it would be different and give me that historical feel. I didn't get that in this story. Although the book is not bad and there is a great twist at the end, it just was not what I hoped it would be. That is on me, and as I said I don't think it was bad, just a little too cheesy modern day witch trope that I don't enjoy.

Witchy, twisty and a bit much for my mind.
Masterfully written, just not my cup of tea. It kept me reading, so I know the writing was on point, however the story itself was far-fetched and a bit to "beyond" for my liking.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, V.V. James and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Thank you to Net Galley for the digital advance reader copy of Sanctuary. James writes a great mystery. Many twists keep the reader guessing how the star athlete died. The witch aspect of the book was a little unbelievable, but it was still a great story. 4 stars

What a roller coaster of emotions in this book. Witchcraft is real and regulated, friendships are tested between 4 women and the cruelty of some towards others. This book is terrifying in the fact that people can turn on each other the way they do in this book. Full of fascinating characters, some that are completely despicable, lies and fear, the investigation of a star quarterback's death spirals out of control. Was it an accident, murder or was he killed by witchcraft?

AT the beginning this was a bit slow and confusing with too many characters at once, but it didn't take long for it to pick up for me. It was interesting how the author created a world where magic is real, but governed. In the end, I was ready for another book set in this world.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

The plot sounded interesting to me...modern day witches', suburbia, I'm all in! The book fell short of my expectations. There were to many view points. However, I enjoyed the ending.

I needed time to absorb and dissect this book. Sanctuary by V.V. James is a VERY BIG BOOK. And I am not talking about page or word count…

It would have been so much easier if I could pigenhole this book into ‘small town mentality goes mad’… But…

It’s not as much a small town and its mentality with all its stereotypes piled up, it is human mentality. It is that and human weakneses and wickedness.

Town of Sanctuary turns on its ihabitants. It turns on the very people that helped, advised, saved. Well, witches can be tolerated when they are needed. But when they are not… Or worse, when they are to blame or to be made a scapegoat…

V.V. James has chosen witches as scapegoats for the town. However, anyone could have been in their place. It could have been people of colour or different nationalities, homosexual or single mothers, or even single fathers… ‘If you are not like us, you are against us’…

Sanctuary was a roller-coaster trip down the rabbit hole of human cruelty to abandon, selfishness to destruction and smallmindedness to point of no return.

When town turns on two women, mother is doing her best and worst to protect her child from the madness of people they used to call friends. When a mother loses her child she turns into a monster trying to cling on to unreal and find anyone to blame.

V.V. James has done an amazing job with this thriller. Only when you think this is it, this is the worst of it, you’d get another twist and hits you even worse than anything before that.

I kept turning ther E-Reader off as I could not believe people are capable of what they were doing and saying. Most of the characters in the book hit point of no return, a point where all the plugs were pulled, where religion became a weapon of destruction, where parents love became carte blanche for despicable acts..

It all… No, you have to read it for yourself. Seemingly easy to digest story of an accident at teenagers’ party turns out into something that will make you look over your shoulder and hug your kids just a bit more and hope for the best in your relationships with other people…

Definitely 5 stars.

Heading into this book, I was a bit apprehensive. There are two definitive sides -- you either love it or hate it; is the hype worth it or just the work of an aggressive advertising team? For me, it was well-hyped and well worth reading. I am a person who likes to figure things out early, and when there was a subtle sentence in the first third of the book, I knew that I had found the zinger. That one thing that would put the end, whatever it may be, into perspective. Well, I was wrong, and the ending caught me by surprise. Well played, Mr. James.

Nothing like mass hysteria and a modern-day witch hunt to get the juices flowing. Witches are now a protected group in the United States; and when much loved high school football star Daniel Whitman falls from a balcony at a party house, which later catches fire, the town goes into hysterics after a video showing Harper, a non-magical and daughter of the local witch Sarah, placing what appears to be a curse on Daniel before he fell.

Told from many perspectives, the stories, and secrets of Sanctuary, Connecticut, come out. It appears that everyone has something to hide and, at one point or other, have used Sarah’s help when dealing with everything from the mundane to the extraordinary. And the biggest secret of all is what happened six years prior when Det. Maggie Knight met all the actors for the first time which set this tribunal in action.

A fascinating grab you from the beginning book. At first, I was concerned with all the characters thrown at me, but soon V. V. James slowed the pace a bit and let each tell their own story. There are a couple that remains in the periphery which only makes you wonder about them more. But don’t underestimate. Each one has their place by the time you reach the final chapter.

Sanctuary is filled with twists and turns, but it's the characters that make it. The cast is diverse, and everyone is complex, filled with a drive to do what they think is right. The author is great at showing us people whose actions we disagree with, people we loathe, people we think are utterly wrong, and making us see why they do it.

A small, peaceful community can unravel in a matter of days...and James takes it all the way to the terrifying end.

As usual, nothing is black and nothing is white. Most of these people are grey, and I believe we're all grey, and the author is a master at portraying that emotional baggage we carry with us. Those mistakes we've all made, and how they sometimes haunt us.

From mass hysteria to mob mentality and vigilante justice, this book has it all.

I really enjoyed this one. It was Little Fires Everywhere meets The Crucible. I thought it was startlingly accurate depiction of what contemporary America, even the most progressive, tolerant portions of it, would look like if witchcraft were a recognized, legally-defined thing--and nonmagical people had to contend with it, and make a shaky, easily cast-aside peace with it. Very satisfying.

I closed the book, and the first thought that popped into my head was "hell yeah."

I loved every creepy page of this novel. A Halloween triumph indeed. I’ve always enjoyed books that involve small towns and witches, and this was absorbing and so very entertaining. Not to mention, the twisty ending, which I thought was fantastic. Happy to talk up the title like mad!

This is a very different kind of friendship book. This group of women live in an era where witchcraft is real and legal if heavily regulated. Their coven consists of one skillful witch and her three support friends, those that supply her with energy and support during her spelling. The women are also best friends, their families socialize and their children attend the same schools. Remember the saying...too much of anything is still too much....that is true in this book too.

An incident involving their children threatens the whole town. It brings with it reminders of an incident when the children were much younger and will cause each woman to question her friends while trying desperately to protect their child. The unique addition of witchcraft to this mix leaves us scrambling to figure out where these families will end and the twists that will not come together in the end.

Suspense, Magic and even what could be akin to dystopian. All my favorite things in a book!
In a world where witchcraft is real and recognized by society, a football star, Dan falls to his death! Harper Fenn, the daughter of the resident witch and former girlfriend of Dan is accused of the crime. She was across the room at the time of his fall and it is wildly known that she does not possess magic like her mother. This doesn’t stop the town from turning against her especially after her accusation against Dan gives her motive. What lengths will Sarah go to save her daughter? Would she reveal the secrets of the town and those she has helped? Is she willing to sacrifice herself by revealing a secret that would ruin her life?
Great book! Loved the characters and flow and how all of the elements of the story fit together! Highly Recommend!
Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

V.V. James' Sanctuary is one of my favorite books this year. In the modern-day United States created in this book, witches are accepted as part of society. Your grandma probably visits the local witch's booth to cure her ailments. The witches don't do spells that harm, only help. They are just another alternative to Western medicine.

But what if you visited the local witch and asked her to do something illegal and she refused?

That's what happens in Sanctuary, Massachusetts, a small town with a Salem-era history of killing and persecuting witches. Sarah, the local witch, has three best non-magical friends - Abigail, Bridget, and Julia - who are part of her coven. Their children have grown up together and are about to embark on college adventures and futures. But when Abigail's son Daniel suddenly dies, this mother's grief is strong. So strong that she asks Sarah to use her magic to bring Daniel back. Sarah refuses because it's illegal, but Abigail reminds her that she's done it before.

And thus begins the breakdown of Abigail, Sarah and Abigail's friendship, and the sanity of the town of Sanctuary. Angry that Sarah won't help, Abigail wages a war on witches, and Sarah's non-magical daughter Harper is accused of killing Daniel - with magic. Abigail convinces the town that Sarah has bewitched them, but really it's Abigail's lies that have the town under a spell.

What is at the truth of all these lies? What is the truth behind how Daniel died? Detective Maggie Knight is dispatched to investigate, and the presence of magic in the accusations makes her job that much harder. If Harper is found guilty of murder, she will immediately be executed because she's a witch.

I loved the twists and turns that this book took, but heed my warning: this book will haunt you! Once you get about halfway through, you better just lock yourself in a room and turn off your phone so you can finish the whole thing without stopping. I was so invested in these characters and so hurt by the way people were acting (a bunch of people afraid of something different than them - sound familiar?) that I often had lingering feelings of unease after finishing a chapter.

You might figure out the ending. I didn't. It was quite a surprise. And because of that, this is one of my favorite books of 2020!

If your book club needs a new book to read, then definitely choose this one. A Reading Group Guide and author Q & A in the back will be especially helpful to foster discussion.

Sanctuary is published by Gollancz and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free e-ARC to review.

Received email- "If you liked Big Little Lies, You'll love Sanctuary"
I liked Big Little Lies, so I read this book ... I loved Sanctuary!!!

Every town has its secrets, Sanctuary is built on them.
I became a member of this town.

I could not stop reading!

When the quarterback of the local football team meets his end falling down a flight of stairs, Maggie is brought in as detective to piece together the puzzle of what happened. She discovers a local witch, a coven torn apart, and a town that is fighting to burn the witch at the steak. At the time this is going on, there is an illness going around that has killed people and the witch's daughter is thought to be the cause of all the strife. As the case unravels, things are definitely not what they seem and there are lot of people with grudges to bear and secret powers and agendas. I love that this book goes back and forth between different characters to get their perspective throughout. I am definitely sure that this is not a great book, but it was an overall solid read and will be popular with Halloween coming up. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

After looking at other reviews I know I’m in the minority here, but I found Sanctuary just so so. It started off interestingly enough with 4 close friends celebrating their children’s senior end of year, the same night one of their kids, Dan , died at a huge party in a fire. Accident was the initial verdict until someone pointed the finger at witchcraft. Yes, there are modern witches in this tale seemingly accepted and admired, until you peel the layer back and prejudices against witches are exposed. There were a few good surprises of how Dan died, who killed him, and the character of the woman detective was good, but overall it did not hold my attention and I skimmed through the rest of the book.