Blog Tour: Into The Black By Ava Jae – Review+Giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: INTO THE BLACK (Beyond The Red #2)
Author: Ava Jae
Pub. Date: November 14, 2017
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Young-Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopia, Aliens.
Pages: 360
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Synopsis: The world ruler is dead, technology foundational to their society destroyed, and Safara is on the brink of collapse. Half-human, half-alien Eros is the rightful heir to the world throne, but before he can return to the capital, he’s abducted by a rebel group of humans who call themselves The Remnant–and won’t release him until he swears to help them overthrow the very government he’s inheriting. With Eros missing, ex-queen Kora is determined to stave off mad grabs for the throne. But as royalty from across the territories flock to the capital, and a new charismatic candidate takes the spotlight, Kora sets off into the desert with a skilled prince-turned-bounty hunter to find Eros before it’s too late for both the future king and his kingdom.

Find it: Amazon, B&N, TBD, Goodreads

This book was totally amazing! It’s been more than a year since I finished Beyond The Red but my anticipation for its sequel has never dwindled. I’m pretty excited for being the part of this tour. After a long wait, I finally got to read the sequel which turns out to be even more better than the first book. This book was an emotional rollercoaster for me and there are so many twists in this book that I never saw coming. It was also quite a diverse read. I’m so glad to meet Kora and Eros once again. I also enjoyed Deimos! He’s not the main character but he definitely plays a major role in this book. The only issue that I had with this book was that there is not much action in it as much as I hoped. However, I still found myself enjoying the story because it was so addictive. The below review contains spoilers for the first book, but if you want you can check out my review for Beyond The Red at here.

After the destruction of Nanites technology, the human race is saved from becoming extinct, but it left the whole Safara in the brink of Collapse. With the world ruler Roma’s death, half human half-Alien Eros is the only legitimate candidate to ascend the empty throne, but the Sepharons don’t want to accept Eros, an half blood as their next Sira(ruler). While on his way to Capital, Eros and his brother Mal gets captured by the rebel humans who wants him to take the throne and help them overthrow the government. Eros has no interest in taking the throne but to survive,  it might be the only choice he has left. On the other hand, Kora stays in  Asheron and becomes Eros representative even though her homeland Elja is in Chaos.  She tries her best to make sure Eros claims the throne and she fights with the Emergency council who are trying to make a full sepharon as the next sira. With no appearance of Eros, Kora sets on a journey with an alluring bounty hunter to find him before it’s too late. After the betrayal in first book, things hasn’t been the same between Kora and Eros but they had to work together because Eros is the only last hope to bring the peace between the two races.

I loved Eros and Kora in the first book but I love them even more in this book! I enjoyed their character development and how they grew even more strong and mature. Eros is definitely my favorite character in this series and he’s actually a bi. I was a bit surprised with this new revelation and It made me love him even more. After the events in book 1 especially his torture session with Jarek and Dima, Eros has developed a PTSD. Despite struggling inside, he always stood strong and fought hard. Kora is very determined, brave, and strong character. She has failed  her people as an avra(Queen) but she’s very determined to make Eros as the next Sira. Deimos is quite a fun and charming character! Whenever Eros loses hope, he is always there for him to lift up his spirits. I also enjoyed the bi tension between Eros and Deimos. Mal, Eros little brother is an adorable character! I liked the brotherly relationship between them and how they care for each other. A new character was introduced at the end of the book and I would love to know more about him. As for the romance, I don’t want to say anything about it because its a bit spoiler-ish and I don’t want to spoil the story for you.

The plot was interesting and engaging! It was a well written plot filled with lots of twists and turns. The pacing was good and the story was totally unpredictable. It made me go through so many emotions especially the relationship between Eros and Kora. I wish I could say more about them but It would be a huge spoiler. Although, I liked the political intrigue in this book, I wish there was more action because most of the story was focused on Eros fighting for his place on throne. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining read and I was hooked to the story until the very last page. The writing was captivating throughout. I enjoyed reading the story from Eros and Kora’s first person POV. The world building was fantastic! With her Vivid description, Ava transports us back into this alien world that has two suns and four moons. I liked the language, the people, the culture and the technology. At the beginning I struggled a bit with the names and some terms because it’s been a year since I read the first book, but as the story progressed everything became easier for me.

Overall, I loved this book! It’s an entertaining read filled with adventure, political intrigue, romance, and some action. It’s definitely a great sequel to the first book.  The ending was totally shocking! It wasn’t a huge cliffhanger but it still left me desperate for the next book. I can’t wait to read The Rising Gold! I hope it’s even more better and more action packed.

Recommend it?

I highly recommend this series to everyone who loves YA sci-fi dystopia, aliens, and diverse reads.

MY RATING:[4/5 Stars]

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Optional Info:

Title: BEYOND THE RED
Author: Ava Jae
Pub. Date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Pages: 360
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Synopsis: 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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About Ava:

Ava Jae is a writer, an Assistant Editor at Entangled Publishing, and is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. Her YA Sci-Fi debut, BEYOND THE RED, is releasing March 2016 from Sky Pony Press. When she’s not writing about kissing, superpowers, explosions, and aliens, you can find her with her nose buried in a book, nerding out over the latest X-Men news, or hanging out on her blog, Twitter, Facebook, tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram, or YouTube channel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr | YouTube | Instagram

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of INTO THE BLACK, US Only.

Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2665/

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

11/6/2017- YA Books Central– Interview

11/7/2017- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

11/8/2017- Wandering Bark Books– Guest Post

11/9/2017- Dreamy Addictions– Review

11/10/2017- The Cover Contessa– Interview

Week Two:

11/13/2017- Literary Meanderings– Review

11/14/2017- Emily Reads Everything– Review

11/15/2017- Seeing Double In Neverland– Review

11/16/2017- Two Chicks on Books– Interview