Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for BEYOND THE RED! I have a great tens list by the author to share with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, check out the schedule at the end of the post.
Beyond the Red
Author: Ava Jae
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Formats: Hardcover; eBook
360 pages
Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
Description:
Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother to take the throne. Despite assassination attempts, a mounting uprising of nomadic human rebels, and pressure to find a mate to help her rule, she’s determined to protect her people from her brother’s would-be tyrannical rule.
Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.
When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide.
Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.
When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide.
Top 10 Favorite Books
I love talking about books—books I’m excited for, books that I’ve loved, books we need more of, etc. Trying to choose just ten books off my favorites list, however, is a serious challenge—so many books to choose from! But for now, at least, here are my picks, sorted by age group:
The Artemis Fowl series is hands down my favorite MG series ever—after all, how could you *not* love stories about an evil mastermind kid? Every book in the series has an incredibly smart plot, with fantastic twists, ridiculous laugh-out-loud humor and characters that have stayed with me years after reading the series. Highly highly recommended for both adults and kids.
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The False Prince is a great example of a really fantastic and twisty narrative voice. The plot is full of action from the first page, the characters are great, and I loved the twists throughout that kept me guessing. Even better—the rest of the trilogy was equally entertaining. I’ve recommended this one to a ton of people and yet to have a single person not enjoy it immensely. :)
Half Bad by Sally Green
This is where the list evolves into YA. The Half Bad series reminds me of a much darker Harry Potter minus the boarding school—and with a less monolithic cast, which I really love. I honestly haven’t loved a depiction of witches this much since Harry Potter and I am absolutely dying to find out how the trilogy ends at the end of March!
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I picked up Illuminae this past New Years Eve after finishing my last read of 2015 and thought “well, I’ll read twenty pages or so, then go do something else.”
200 pages later…
I absolutely loved reading this. It’s told in a found materials format, which I’ve never read before and it was soooo cool. There are loads of twists that I legitimately didn’t see coming, and it was eerie and exciting and unique in so many ways. Absolutely lives up to every ounce of hype.
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read. I’m not typically an emotional reader but man, this had me feeling so emotional so many times. I loved Noah and Jude’s story and the way their POVs wove together even with the time lapse between the two, and this isn’t a book I’ll easily forget.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Okay, so the whole Harry Potter series is on my favorites list, but Order of the Phoenix is my favorite of the series, despite the worst thing ever happening at the end involving my favorite character. But of the series, this one really stuck with me the most—from the intense feels to Umbridge, who I honestly think is a more nefarious and memorable villain than Voldemort is.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The whole Grisha series is also on my list, but I’m listing this one because this is where the series begins. As you can tell by this list so far, I am a huge YA Fantasy fan, and the Grisha series (including the most recent Six of Crows) has earned its place in my forever favorites list. From the incredibly amazing love square (yes, square) to one of my favorite villains ever (shout out to the Darkling!), this is a series I continue to recommend to just about everyone.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Mafi’s prose definitely falls into the love it or hate it category, but I am firmly in the love it category. Mafi’s writing is super poetic, and mixed with her action-packed superhero-like stories, it’s a pretty memorable combination. The whole trilogy has some of the most nuanced and impressive character development I’ve ever read and bonus: they all have gorgeous covers, too!
Hushed by Kelley York
So this is where the list ages up to New Adult books, which I also really enjoy (though as far as NA content goes, this one is pretty tame). Hushed was a really interesting read to me, because I’d only read one other Thriller told from the perspective of the serial killer/vigilante, and I really liked it. Obviously, this book is super dark, but I really enjoyed seeing an m/m couple in a New Adult Thriller, and the relationship dynamics involved kept me turning the pages.
Focus On Me by Megan Erickson
Megan Erickson writes some of my favorite romances, and her m/m In Focus series is absolutely wonderful. I especially loved Focus on Me because not only did it more than deliver in terms of a feelsy romance, but it tackled mental illness in a really powerful way that has stuck with me since I read it last summer.
So while there are many others on my always-growing favorites list, these definitely deserve their place in my top ten. What are some of yours?
(10) winners will receive a finished copy of BEYOND THE RED - US Only!
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
2/22/2016- Take Me Away To A Great Read- Interview
2/23/2016- Twinning for Books- Review
2/24/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Guest Post
2/25/2016- Avid Reader- Review
2/26/2016- Moonlight Gleam Reviews- Interview
Week Two:
2/29/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
3/1/2016- Jessabella Reads- Review
3/2/2016- Taking It One Book at a Time- Review
3/3/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book- Interview
3/4/2016- Literary Meanderings - Review
The cover is so beautiful! The synopsis promises secrets and adventure and so much at stake for these characters. Sounds so exciting!
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