The Turning Point by Julia Ash - "Author Julia Ash creates a dark fantasy world where The Maze Runner meets Van Helsing meets Underworld."

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"JULIA ASH writes dark-fantasy and paranormal thrillers. The ELI Chronicles is a three-book series: The One and Only (April 2018), The Tether (April 2019), and The Turning Point (June 2020).

As a realist with a passion for the fantastical, Ash enjoys reading and writing fresh twists involving monsters in literature (zombies, vampires, ghosts, and shifters).

She lives with her husband Rick and two Brittany bird-dogs on Maryland's Eastern Shore." ~Amazon





Instagram: @julia.ash.books



The BookLife Prize: The Tether

Interview by Miranda Reads and Laura D. Child

Synopsis: “'Underworld (the movie series) meets James Patterson’s ZOO in this dark fantasy thriller.'”

"Animals have their own language.

A language, Ruby Spencer doesn’t understand. Because if she did, she’d know that unrest festers.

The natural order on Earth and Athanasia is about to shift. Animals are tired of being underdogs to humans and vampires. And wolves are more than happy to lead a rebellion.

Without an alpha who can speak to their hearts, find middle ground, and quell the uprising, the animals will be unstoppable. The universe will encounter an inescapable turning point.

Ruby is the one and only Tether who can connect the animals with their rightful king.

If only she could be found." ~Amazon


***Spoilers Possible***

Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing

"Author Julia Ash creates a dark fantasy world where The Maze Runner meets Van Helsing meets Underworld."

Each book in this series takes on its own life. Author Julia Ash introduces us to a new world and a set of memorable characters in this dark fantasy series that will appeal to readers who love The Maze Runner, Van Helsing, and Underworld - just to name a few. (Apparently, we can't get away from movies starring Kate Beckinsale.)

This series has been a roller-coaster ride into the land of fantasy. Striking a bit too close to home in The One and Only with the terror and reign of a virus which has turned a huge percentage of the world's population into zombies, our main character is betrayed by her best friend and creepy scientist, Emory Bradshaw, soon before we're introduced to Book Two. The Tether takes us into Ruby Spencer's new normal as a vampire and her struggle to save the world from the King of Darkness. Yet, once that war has been won, there's always one more battle to fight. The Turning Point gives us that next confrontation.

When we begin, Ruby is attending to the current President's wife while her husband, Clay, and daughter, Gabby, are dealing with the construction of the new, family home. Unfortunately, things start to take a turn for the worst when animals begin attacking humans around the world, and Ruby is taken hostage by an old foe. A new plot unfurls before us as we walk into a world where the animals not only have their own language, but they're waiting for the chance to take over the world.

Ash's characters never fail to disappoint. The multiple points of view help drive the story forward and present new challenges and resolutions. As we progress, our heroine gets help from an unlikely source. We, also, see Ruby making new friends, Clay becoming a hero with a more prominent piece to the story puzzle, and Gabby coming into her own special gifts. It was lovely to see the story from so many points of view, deal with new culprits, and see karma get back at some old bad guys. Another part of our characters that pleased me was the extension of connection, understanding, and willingness to help between the worlds we've been introduced to since Book One. There was a general desire to protect and serve amongst our favorite characters as well as some surprising new roles from previous people.

The writing was solid in terms of flow, foreshadowing, red-herrings, character development, and main events. The theme of animal rights permeated the whole plot. We see a rise in conflict over the story's telling. Ruby fights against old foes, as well as new, with their decision to take genetic manipulation one step further. In the mix is a new enemy - one who has been pushed around for far too long and wants justice. Our protagonist continues to have inner turmoil on how to save her family but not at the expense of others. Within this conflict, they have to strike a deal with the animals, and they can only do this with the help of the Book of Life discovered among the King of Darkness's possessions during Book Two's escapades. Finding and interpreting it is another mission on their to-do list.

Here we find a well-developed storyline full of the hubris of enemies, vivid and poignant moods that set the scene, an inspired setting amongst three worlds, and an acute suspense that leads to a tragedy no one expects. The author does an amazing job of building upon her former stories without drowning the reader in repeated and stale archetypes. The imagery is easy to picture and gives us vibrant locations to compliment the characters. If there was only one point I wasn't keen on, it would have been some of the language used (certain curse words). 

This was a perfect end to a breathtaking and astonishing series. The content keeps you hooked from beginning to end, and I couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes horror, fantasy, or dystopian reads as well as anyone who enjoys a story containing other worlds, fierce heroines, and a series that keeps delivering with each and every book.

In conclusion, I felt this was a high note to end on for the series, and Julia Ash conveys a steadfast and trustworthy development across three novels. From writing style to character evolution to hooks, The Turning Point builds upon expectation and love of the protagonists. With this in mind, and only a few personal discomforts in terms of language and plot twists, I would rate this story a 5/5 rating, a "it was amazing" review.


Kudos, Author Julia Ash. You've created another magnificent revelation of work. Thank you!


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Thank you for your time, and as always, Happy Reading!! :)
~Rebecca Reddell

Comments

  1. Julia AshOctober 19, 2020 at 8:44 AM

    What an AMAZING review, Rebecca!!! Thank you so much!!! It warms my heart that you enjoyed my series and took the time to write such great reviews on each :) You have made my day!!!

    ReplyDelete

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