A review by looseleafellie
Beyond the Red by Gabe Cole Novoa

4.0

I got this book because it's supposedly recommended for Star Wars fans, and I can now say that the rumors are true. If you love Star Wars, you'll eat this story up.

Reading Beyond the Red was like reading a checklist of all my favorite things to put in a book. Awesome technology? Check. Well-developed alien society? Check. Twisty-turny plot that keeps you guessing? Check. It's one of those books that your thoughts keep drifting back to while you're trying to focus on something else. "If I can just finish doing the dishes, I'll be able to read more of this book!"

The one thing I wasn't so keen on was some aspects of the romance. It seemed to me that Eros only liked Kora for her body, and not her personality. He kept going on and on about her figure, but he barely mentioned anything else about her. I generally got the feeling that Serek loved her more for who she was. This made me feel kind of conflicted -- I felt like the book wanted me to root for Eros, but I actually found myself wanting Kora to go ahead and marry Serek (though I understand why that couldn't happen ... but spoilers).

Despite this, Beyond the Red is still a wonderful and thrilling read. It's well-crafted, it's unpredictable, and it gave me FEELS. Basically, I need the sequel, stat.