Beyond the Red
-
- $9.99
Publisher 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set on an unforgiving desert planet, Jae's debut starts from a familiar premise as a "half-blood," Eros is both distrusted by humans and considered an abomination by the ruling Sepharon species. Meanwhile, the Sepharon queen, Kora, struggles to rule a territory where many would prefer her brother take the throne. When Eros becomes Kora's personal slave and bodyguard, a forbidden attraction develops between them an attraction that's hard to believe, considering that Kora is responsible for the death of Eros's family. Despite the clich d setup, Jae's smooth worldbuilding and solid pacing make this a highly readable SF romance. Furthermore, Kora and Eros, though opposites in background, share a fierce loyalty to their respective peoples and to each other. As the court intrigue ramps up and the stakes get higher, Jae engages with the brutality of her setting and doesn't spare the central characters, who suffer terrible losses. Many mysteries remain unresolved by the ending, and the future of the Kora's and Eros's romance is unclear as Jae sets up a potential sequel. Ages 14 up.
