One of One Review Tour

Blurb:

A young Nigerian telepath faces a crisis. After Somadina’s sister is forced into a frightening marriage, Somadina cannot find her sibling or even her thoughts. She seeks another telepath to help.

What she finds is Lola, a busy Texan scientist who has ignored the disturbing phenomenon in her mind for decades, and has no intention of embracing this nonsense now. Yet these two have more in common than they know, and a powerful link will be forged.

Once Somadina discovers her sister is a pawn in a dangerous political game, the stakes rise for everyone, including an ancient organization of telepaths compelled to intervene. Both women are stronger than they realize, and they have ignited the wrath of a fanatic willing to kill anyone to alter his nation’s future.

Excerpt:

On Wednesday Lola decided to sleep in late, then spend a few hours by the pool relaxing before the nineteen-hour trip home. Sleep came and went that night, with nothing upsetting. It wasn't until morning that she felt the sense of turmoil.

You're leaving? You just got here. You can't go! It was an unmistakable thought, as clear as if it had come from a distraught lover, needy parent, or clingy friend. There was anger and disappointment. Even a bit of panic. Who the hell cared if she stayed in Nigeria?

Impatiently, she got out of bed, began to gather together her toiletries. Leave me alone, she thought with vehemence. I do not want to hear from you. Whoever you are. Get out of my head.

Then to herself. Stop thinking this is real. It is not. You have a thirteen-year-old daughter and two other kids counting on you and this is absolutely no time in your life to have mental issues. You are fine. Get a grip. Act like a normal person.

She took a moment and sat in the uncomfortable easy chair and forced herself to use the mental imagery she had learned in Lamaze classes so long ago. Instead of picturing a beautiful lake at sunset like they had taught her to do in order to relax, she pictured the giant steel doors to a vault, glimmering in a cold artificial light, clanking closed in her head. The doors seemed to work. She got out of the chair feeling better. As she finished packing and headed poolside for lunch, she felt fine, although strangely alone.

My Review:
4 stars

I have to admit, it was odd reading this book. You see, I previously reviewed the final book in the 46 Ascending series, which featured numerous characters from this book. Coming to the beginning of the series after seeing where everything ended definitely provided a different perspective. So, with that in mind, here are my likes and dislikes.

I love the amount of research this author puts into her books. This time, it was regarding Nigerian culture and socio-political history, which really added to the story. The author even included links to allow the reader to go and learn more if they so desired. I also enjoyed the ethics exploration regarding telepathy. I always love exploring ethical angles like this, so to see it delved into in a well-thought-out manner was great.

On the downside, the pacing was problematic. There was slow build-up, followed by details flying, followed by dumps of science information trying to explain how telepathy is possible, etc. There was a lot going on, which made it hard to focus on all the different plot points at times. Also, some of the plot twists were a bit out there, but again, having read the end of the series, this didn’t bother me as much as it would have had I read this book first.

All in all, this is an interesting series, and having read how the series begins and ends, I would recommend giving this book a try if you’re looking for something different (and are a sci-fi fan).

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

Sherrie Roth grew up in Western Kansas thinking there was no place in the universe more fascinating than outer space. After her mother vetoed astronaut as a career ambition, she went on to study journalism and physics in hopes of becoming a science writer.

She published her first science fiction short story long ago, and then waited a lot of tables while she looked for inspiration for the next story. When it finally came, it declared to her it had to be a whole book, nothing less. One night, while digesting this disturbing piece of news, she drank way too many shots of ouzo with her boyfriend. She woke up thirty-one years later demanding to know what was going on.

The boyfriend, who she had apparently long since married, asked her to calm down and explained how, in a fit of practicality, she had gone back to school and gotten a degree in geophysics and spent the last 28 years interpreting seismic data in the oil industry. The good news, according to Mr. Cronin, was that she had found it to be entertaining and ridiculously well-paying. The bad news was the two of them had still managed to spend almost all of the money.

Apparently she was now Mrs. Cronin, and further good news was that they had produced three wonderful children whom they loved, even though, to be honest, that was where a lot of the money had gone. Even better news was that Mr. Cronin turned out to be a warm-hearted, encouraging sort who was happy to see her awake and ready to write. "It's about time," were his exact words.

Sherrie Cronin discovered that over the ensuing decades Sally Ride had already managed to become the first woman in space and apparently had done a fine job of it. No one, however, had written the book that had been in Sherrie's head for decades. The only problem was, the book informed her it had now grown into a six book collection. Sherrie decided she better start writing it before it got any longer. She's been wide awake ever since, and writing away.

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46 Ascending

Face Painting for World Peace

Fire Dancing for Fun and Profit

Treasure Hunting for a Good Time

Leaving the Nest to Touch the Sky 

Touching the Sky to Save the World