THE TURNING POINT is the newest installation into Julia Ash’s ELI Chronicles, continuing the tale of Ruby Spencer. Though it is the third entry of the series, the author assures that it is a story that can be enjoyed as a standalone. Newcomers are quickly introduced to a complex world, complete with three planets, each hosting one or more of the three races: human, animal, and vampire. Returning fans will be reunited with Ruby, a protagonist who is clearly experienced in saving the world as she continues her duties as “The Tether” to “help bring safety to every living thing in the world and universe”. In this new step of her story, the dynamic between the three races are soon to be shaken as the animals, led by the wolves, prepare to rebel against their long unjust treatment by the humans and vampires.

The novel’s opening scene acts as a projection of the unique blend of fantastical elements and real world institutions in THE TURNING POINT. Ruby Spencer is waiting for answers from the President of the United States, Will Unger, on his wife’s sudden recovery from stage four ovarian cancer and why she has since locked herself away in the bathroom. Evidently, Irene, the first lady had been spliced with the genome of a naked mole rat. While it rid her of cancer, it also had the unfortunate side effect of painfully turning her into a mutated hybrid of human and mole rat. Ruby, herself is a human-turned-vampire, is unable to help Irene as even her singular healing blood cannot rewind the first lady’s genetic changes. Instead, she puts Irene out of her suffering. Blaming Ruby for not extending his wife’s life earlier due to Ruby’s belief that death is natural, Will Unger’s revenge is one of many threads in this multi-sided story that will unfold into a rebellion that threatens the very status quo of the three races.

The mixture of numerous components such as aliens, vampires, animal-hybrids, magic, mystical languages, and a protagonist with powers ranging from healing blood, to material manipulation, to teleportation, can make things a bit bizarre to digest—though returning readers may find it refreshing for those elements to be picked up and continued from past novels without too much rehashing. On the other hand, there are some instances of recapping of past events or inserting character histories that can be distracting. While Ruby’s POV comes alive with sensory details and descriptions of her perceptions on material and life, there are moments when the POVs of other characters could have been enriched further by such physicality, especially as many of them are not human. However, the characters are quite distinctive and the dry humor that shows up in their narration, particularly from Filtiarn, is effective in both garnering a laugh and world building.

THE TURNING POINT ambitiously utilizes tropes from fantasy and sci-fi that aren’t often seen in one setting. There is a lot of information to keep track of, but its consistency assures the reader that the characters understand the world they live in. The frequent use of chemical and physical compositions when explaining magical procedures gives Ruby’s powers a sense of gravity and goes a long way to make the non-human societies feel grounded with history. The social arrangement between the races and the animal’s rebellion has some real world implications about animal rights. All in all, THE TURNING POINT’s plot comes forth from all sides of the expansive world with new developments brewing around every corner.

Julia Ash’s THE TURNING POINT boasts a seasoned protagonist and an impressively populated fantasy world whose status quo is about to be upheaved.

~Yi Zou for IndieReader