Craving a Stronger Connection

I'm a little disappointed in No Turning Back by Sharon T. Rose due to the drawn out nature of the important issues in this novel. I understand that everything was sequential and B couldn't take place without A happening.

However, I found myself wanting more about the characters themselves. I wanted to see what they were like, not be told in a conversation using a mere five sentences. If the details would have shown me the information instead of telling me, I feel like I would have had stronger connections with the characters. Thus, I would have liked the book better.

The connection between the reader and the main character is built towards the end of the novel. This is in part good because it's a series and in order to care about the next book, the readers have to be concerned about the main character in the first book. They have to want to know how the story ends.

But this is also in part bad because the connection formed is a weak one. If Rose would have formed the connection earlier in the novel then I would probably feel more compelled to read the second book.

The plot was wonderful though. A chaotic war between the Ancients and the Descendants on a faraway planet, Alluvia. The discoveries made throughout the reading of this novel were fantastic and highly creative, as if I were one of the Descendants fighting along side the others. If you like Science Fiction/Fantasy and want an easy light novel, I would recommend this one. If you decide to read it then let me know if you enjoyed it. :)

No Turning Back on Amazon

The Trouble with Trust

In the world of Science Fiction, Sharon T. Rose does a fantastic job of capturing the reader's attention and transporting us to planet Alluvia in the midst of a war. But forming connections to the reader haven't been a primary target. The story line is intriguing with surprises hiding in the wind. However, the characters haven't been easy to relate to, which is one of the things I try to focus on when reading. And a main point I try to keep for The Coffee Pot. 

Connection is everything. If we, as readers, are going to care about the characters then we must have some sort of attachment to them. 

75% finished with No Turning Back and I can finally say that I am feeling a connection with Syleen. Growing up on the streets, using rags as clothing, and digging through dumpsters to find food have all forced independence onto the main character of this novel. This independence came with the price of losing all trust in humanity. And perhaps, we as readers vs. characters haven't ever made it to that extreme, but we all know what it's like to lost trust in someone. A dear friend, a lover, a relative. The moment when you realize that depending on them is worse than toughing it out alone. 

As Syleen struggles with these trust issues, I can see the human emotion coming through and I can feel the attachment to her. A little late in the book for the establishment of this connection, but I'm glad that Sharon T. Rose focused on how we, as the reader, want to feel toward the main character. 

The Fate of a Planet

Syleen, a newly awakened descendant, must hunt to satisfy the being inside of her. A being created by the Ancients to kill the Sukkers and keep planet Alluvia at peace, in Sharon T. Rose's No Turning Back, has taken Syleen as its host. The only problem is: the Drones, humans controlled by Sukkers, have begun to correlate their attacks, something they've never done before.

Mass attacks have begun to occur targeting politicians, the poor, and families with no apparent connection. The Descendants have to protect the people of Alluvia, but they're highly outnumbered by the Drones. With war flourishing, Syleen and the Hunter inside of her seem to be the only way they can win.

Syleen can sense Drones. She can force them out of hiding. Force them to surrender to the Hunter.

As Syleen leaves the Temple with the knowledge of what she truly is and a purpose, she promises to feed the being inside of her. But can she survive the Drone attacks without other Descendants there to help her? Will she trust the Descendants to assist her in her strikes? As the stakes rise in this game of survival, a young girl holds the fate of the planet in her hands.

A World of Awakenings

"We're born Descendants; we're born to protect our people, to protect Alluvia." - No Turning Back by Sharon T. Rose

Syleen has a Hunter inside of her, controlling her body and her actions. When the Hunter allows Syleen to come forward she is covered in blood holding human bones in her hands. The dust from chewed femurs settling in her mouth. Nearly starved and clothed only in rags, Alleathon rescues the little girl from the battle being fought around her and takes her to the Temple.

Alleathon is a Descendant. An awakened human created by the Ancients to fight against the Sukkers in the war on planet Alluvia. When the war began, the Sukkers began turning humans into Drones to take over the planet. Descendants combat the Drones but before they can kill them, the Sukker energy within the human jumps to a new host. A new Drone and a new enemy. Descendants use energy balls to contain the Sukker energy, but Syleen may have a new way.

The Hunter, within Syleen, can contain the Sukker energy in the human host's bones. By forcing her to eat the bones - the Sukker energy is killed.

With their planet sheathed in the chaos of war, the Descendants try to protect the Alluvian people and Syleen just may be the answer to end the war. This first Science Fiction/ Fantasy novel for The Coffee Pot, No Turning Back by Sharon T. Rose, promises a world of awakenings.