c3 Book Review

***This review contains SOME spoilers from the beginning of the story

C3 is the forth novel in a series of 6 written by Sherrie Cronin that can be read independently or in order about the Zeitman family whom each discovers that they possess unique abilities. The unique thing about this book is that it can be interactive should you chose to use the links on the pages (typed in blue font, but not at all necessary to enjoy the story). This is 16 year-old Teddie’s story. When first reading about Teddie, you discover that one night after thinking her older brother Zane was in trouble, a frightened 4 year-old Teddie appears in her brothers bathroom overlooking him retching into the toilet. Looking over at the doorway, she notices a green string of sorts, pulls it and “pops” instantly back into her own room safely secured under her blankets. Fast forward 9 years, we again encounter 13 year-old Teddie. This time at an underaged drinking party where she awakens to see herself looking down not only on a hatching nest of birds, but also her lifeless body being raped by a friends older brother. She had no idea how she was able to “detach” herself from her own body again, but eventually was able to forgive herself for allowing herself to blank out. As a twist if fate might have it, 15 year-old Teddie gets accepted to a foreign exchange program to Darjeeling, India along with her good friend, Michelle. This is a chance to have a fresh start at a prestigious boarding school at the foot of the Himalayas. There, they meet Haley, another American teen who is training to scale a local mountain and Usha, an Indian teen sent to boarding school to escape the torments of having to repay her uncle for her deceased fathers medical bills. At the same time in the story, we follow the tale of two twins, separated when their mother was brutally murdered. Jampa is eventually dropped of at a monastery and Vanida is sold, raised and trained in the sex slave trade industry. Both twins discover that they can communicate with each other by mind teleportation. All of these characters have separate back stories, but eventually mingle together when Usha disappears and Teddies best friend, Michelle, is kidnapped in broad daylight. The plot is not too complicated given that there was a lot going on but the author keeps it rolling without the story becoming long or stalling out. Everything comes together flawlessly & the story was an unexpected good read. I also like the fact that I can pick up any of the other stories in the series in any order. This is not my typical type of book that I usually read but I can honestly say that I enjoyed it and will read the others in the series called “46. Ascending”.
*I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST OPINION. I DO NOT PROFIT FROM MY REVIEW IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.

c3 Synopsis:

Teddie’s life as a sixteen year old hasn’t always been easy, but nothing has prepared her for the unexpected dangers she encounters as an exchange student in Darjeeling. A frightening world in which young girls are bartered and sold stretches its icy fingers into the beautiful resort town and touches her friends one by one.

Terrified, Teddie finds that her own mind develops a unique ability for locating her friends and that an ancient group of mind travelers is willing to train her to use her new skill to save these girls. It will require trust in ideas she barely believes, and more courage than has ever been expected of her. When it becomes clear that the alternative is her friends’ deaths and the unchecked growth of an evil crime lord’s empire, Teddie accepts the challenge and shows those guilty of unspeakable crimes just how powerful a young woman can be.

Purchase links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

About the 46. Ascending:
c3 is part of 46. Ascending, a collection of loosely interrelated novels about five very different family members who each discover that they can do the extraordinary when circumstances require it. These books are designed to be read as stand alone stories or in any order.

If you enjoy c3, consider z2, the tale of Teddie’s father as he learns to use his ability to warp time to protect Teddie and her friends against a threat from a violent white supremacy movement at Teddie’s high school. You may also enjoy y1, the story of Teddie’s brother Zane as he develops an odd ability to alter his appearance, and x0, the story of Teddie’s telepathic mother as she finds herself the unlikely hero in a rescue mission in Nigeria.

c3 became available on Kindle January 31, 2014. It will be out in paperback and in other electronic bookstores early this summer. The other books in the collection can be purchased now in all formats.
Watch for d4, the story of Teddie’s older sister, in late 2014.

Meet the Author

Sherrie Roth grew up in Western Kansas thinking that 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 pretty easily, and then waited a lot of tables while she looked for inspiration for the next story. When it finally came, it declared to her that it had to be 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 that in a fit of practicality she had gone back to school and gotten a degree in geophysics and had 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 at least mildly entertaining and ridiculously well-paying The bad news was that the two of them had still managed to spend almost all of the money.

Apparently she was now Mrs. Cronin, and the further good news was that they had produced three wonderful children whom they loved dearly, even though to be honest that is 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 sternly that it had now grown into a six book series. Sherrie decided that she better start writing it before it got any longer. She’s been wide awake ever since, and writing away.

Author Social Media Links
Twitter: @cinnabar01
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Number46Ascending
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q
Blogs:
x0: http://tothepowerofzero.org/
y1: http://ytothepowerof1.org/
z2: http://zsquaredblog.org/
c3: http://ctothepowerofthree.org/