Beyond the Red

Ava Jae

Mas 2016 · Kuthengiswe ngu-Simon and Schuster

Mayelana nale ebook

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.

Mayelana nomlobi

Ava Jae is a Latinx tomboy who writes YA speculative fiction featuring marginalized characters grappling with identity. When they aren’t working on their next book, completing freelance editorial work, or buried under their TBR pile, you’ll likely find them on Twitter at @Ava_Jae, where they talk about the importance of representation and throw book recommendations at anyone who will listen. They are also the author of the upcoming Into the Black, the second book in the Beyond the Red trilogy. They reside in Boston, MA.