REVIEW: Beyond the Red by Ava Jae

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.

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

MY THOUGHTS
"Aliens" is a code word to me. If I see the word "aliens" in a synopsis, I'm going to want to read it. This book did not disappoint me! I thought this was a fantastic sci-fi!

Kora is queen of an alien territory, the first female ruler of her territory in awhile. Many of her people are rioting, seeing as unfit to rule, demanding her brother to be on her throne. But her brother is violent and cruel, Kora will never let her brother be on the throne.
Eros is a half-blood, half human and half alien. For all his life he's lived in the deserts, with rebel humans. He's alienated because of his blood, but when alien soldiers raze his camp, he defends it. Only to be taken captive. Now he will either be killed or he will be turned into a bodyguard. But there's knowledge that even he didn't know about his blood that must be kept secret.

This book is from the point of view of both Kora and Eros. I liked seeing everything from both their perspectives and environments, the book wouldn't have worked otherwise. I liked both the characters. Both of them are strong, as their situations demand it, but in their own ways. I also liked how the seemed to grow and change as the book went, as all the crazy was going on.

The world-building in this book was fantastic. I felt like we got to know the culture on the planet, of both the humans and the aliens, though we got to see more of the alien life. I've read a lot of sci-fi books, but this book is different. As far as plot and pacing, this book was very fast-paced and action-packed!

My only main problem with this book is the ending. I felt like the ending was about abrupt and I hope there's a sequel.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! It had fantastic characters, world-building, plot, and ALIENS! I do kind of wish the ending was more resolved, so I hope there's a sequel in the future.

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: It was amazing!

REVIEW: It's a Wonderful Death by Sarah J. Schmitt

Seventeen-year-old RJ always gets what she wants. So when her soul is accidentally collected by a distracted Grim Reaper, somebody in the afterlife better figure out a way to send her back from the dead or heads will roll. But in her quest for mortality, she becomes a pawn in a power struggle between an overzealous archangel and Death Himself. The tribunal presents her with two options: she can remain in the lobby, where souls wait to be processed, until her original lifeline expires, or she can replay three moments in her life in an effort to make choices that will result in a future deemed worthy of being saved. It sounds like a no-brainer. She’ll take a walk down memory lane. How hard can changing her future be?

But with each changing moment, RJ’s life begins to unravel, until this self-proclaimed queen bee is a social pariah. She begins to wonder if walking among the living is worth it if she has to spend the next sixty years as an outcast. Too quickly, RJ finds herself back in limbo, her time on Earth once again up for debate.

RJ is a snarky, unapologetic, almost unredeemable, very real girl. Her story is funny and moving, and teens will easily connect with her plight. Prepare to meet the Grim Reaper, who’s cuter than you’d expect; Hawaiian shirt–wearing Death Himself; Saint Peter (who likes to play Cornhole); and Al, the handler for the three-headed hound that guards the gates of Hell. This cast of characters accompanies RJ through her time in the afterlife and will do their best to gently shove her in the right direction. 

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I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS
RJ has just been told that she's to have a long life when she dies. It's a complete accident. The Grim Reaper wasn't even supposed to collect her, but now she's on her way to the afterlife. She tells everyone there how she's supposed to be alive, but everyone says it's just not worth it to send her back. It's eventually decided that she can go back if she goes through three trials. She will be taken back to three defining moments of her life and if she makes the 'right' decision this time, she will get her life back.

I love books dealing with any aspect of the afterlife. The afterlife is something that none of us can possibly know what it's like, so I find it very interesting seeing different author's takes on it. I really liked seeing this afterlife. While some of the subject and plot are serious, the afterlife is portrayed in such a oddly humorous manner that I can't help but enjoy!

The afterlife takes up the gist of this book, but this book is about RJ. RJ is the kind of character that you just don't particularly like, at least in the beginning. RJ is a mean girl and she has that personality. I sympathized with her because she was taken early and mistakenly, but she did annoy me. She did bad things in her life and made bad choices, yet she didn't seem to realize. That is what this book was about, because it was known that RJ could've had a different life. The reason why she was that way was because of her choices and mainly how she didn't stand up to her so-called friends. Throughout this book, she went through an incredible amount of change. I loved seeing how she changed in this book. I thought it was beautiful.

As for romance, there is none! This surprised me because I always expect that in YA, but I think it made the book so much better! Otherwise, we would have been distracted from the plot.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was oddly fun at times, but with the serious-ness of a coming-of-age tale in death. This was a great read and it's yet another afterlife book that I can recommend to people!

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: It was amazing!