The Book Voyagers

Title: Beyond The Red
Author: Ava Jae
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Publishing: March 1st, 2016
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Goodreads 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.
Silvana's Review

Beyond The Red is one you need to keep your eye out when it comes out. What drew me in probably was the royalty aspect the book has. We have an alien queen and she is hated by her people  because they think a woman cannot rule. They want her brother to rule. I'm laughing at these people who live in her city because girls are deadly when you least expect it and I love that Kora is ruthless and sweet at the same time. She is one of my favorite characters and I wish to read more about her because she has so much story to give.

I loved the world Ava Jae drew us. It's space and it's a planet that it's filled to the neck with red sand. The clothes the characters wear, the costums, the relationships and the way the system of this world works, was fascinating to me to read about. It is action-packed (I don't think there was a moment were there was no intense scenes or running from something or political intrigue in this book). The story flows through the pages easily and you get captured by the hands of a really good plotline.  

If you are into sci-fi, well developed world, political intrigue in the royal court, forbidden romance, a badass hero and a powerful queen, Beyond The Red is for you and you got to pick it up because I desperately need a sequel. 

Mana's Review

Beyond the Red surprised me. It was fast-paced, gritty, full of twists and turns, and of course, swoon worthy. The setting and the politics were so out of this world (haha if you're reading this, please laugh) and I don't think there was a moment where the plot slackened. It was always moving. There are so many things I loved about this book and honestly one of them was the opener. Because hello! Eros is quite the guy and he makes me laugh.  

Jae has a knack for writing humor in desperate times. It's shown in Kora, but it's especially shown through Eros. I loved the characters individually and together. I loved how Kora stuck with her ideals and her morals so ardently throughout the whole book. The way the side characters tried to tear her down for being a woman (and a queen for that matter) but of course Kora won't take any of that.She is fantastic, that's all I need. I definitely need to talk about these when they are together. Some of  them were the best scenes and I was so floored on how much sexual tension these two exuded.  There was definitely a point where I was thinking, "WHEN WILL THESE TWO JUST GET IT OUT OF THEIR SYSTEM ALREADY?" Suffice to say, they were hot.  

This book honestly has it all from aliens to royalty. Read this book and then cry with us because that ending is such a killer.



I'm Ava Jae. 

I write. I read. I Photoshop. Then I tweet/blog/tumbl/post/vlog/instagram about it and some pretty awesome people like and read and watch it. I'm also an Assistant Editor at Entangled, and I'm represented by the wonderful Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. 

 I write YA and NA paranormal, Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels because I love writing about self-discovery and the complicated worlds of young people. Then I like to take their emotionally-ridden lives, rip them apart and set them on fire. My debut novel BEYOND THE RED will be published in hardcover and e-book by Sky Pony Press in March 2016. It has aliens and kissing and explosions and you can add it to your Goodreads shelf here. 

 I also have an addiction to movies, but that's another matter entirely.

Twitter
Blog
Facebook
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
4 comments
I (Silvana) have just finished The Abyss Surrounds Us recently. I fell in love with this book really hard, and really fast. After finishing the book I didn't know what to do because I wanted so badly to have the second book *cough* but to feel the story again,  I went on a search for my fancasts for Cas, Swift and Santa Elena and did something really fun to tell the world I'm such a fan of these characters and this story. I posted it here 

So the next day we had this idea to interview the author of TASU, Emily Skrutskie. We really wanted to do it SO BADLY, so we asked her. We want everyone (*in the whole world*) to know about the badass main character, Cas Leung; the epic adventures on top of the pirate ship; and the moments between these two girls that want everything but can do nothing. So enjoy the interview and hopefully (YOU HAVE TO) you will add TASU to your tbr!

Title: The Abyss Surrounds Us
Author: Emily Skrutskie
Publisher: Flux
Publishing: February 8th, 2016
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Goodreads synopsis:
For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water. 

There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.

But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop.
TBV:  Hi, Emily! So great to have you here with us. Let's start off with you telling us three words that best describe your book!
Emily: Hi guys! I’m gonna have to go with…Word 1: Awesome. Word 2: Complex. Word 3: PIRATES!!!!

TBV: Tell us about the inspiration behind The Abyss Surrounds Us.  
Emily: So The Abyss Surrounds Us started when I combined two things I’ve been passionate about since I was a kid. The first was science fiction—I saw Star Wars at eleven and it slowly turned me into a story-obsessed aspiring filmmaker. The second was marine biology, which I believed I was ~destined for~ between the ages of nine and thirteen. This was one of those stories where the world came first—by pairing those two ideas, I got to the concept of Reckoners, massive genetically-engineered sea monsters that escort and protect their companion ships. World in hand, I went looking for a story, and I found Cas Leung.

TBV:   Like Silvana told you before she would really want a giant turtle as her pet! If you could choose to have an giant animal as a pet, which animal would it be? (note: It doesn't have to be only the creatures in your book!) 
Emily: I don’t think it’s any secret that I really love the idea of giant turtles. My editor actually suggested changing one of the turtles in the book to some other kind of creature, and I rejected it outright because I loved my turtles too much. But if I had to pick any other giant animal, it’d probably have to be an elephant. When I was a little kiddo, the first job I ever wanted was to be a zookeeper that worked with elephants, and the notion is still rattling around in my head.

TBV:   Cas Leung aka the most badass girl you don't want to be enemies with. We wanted to know something: Which song would she choose to be - like - her Boxer Entrance Song? 
Emily: Cas Leung would absolutely enter the ring to Fall Out Boy’s My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark. The chorus of “Light ‘em up” is particularly fitting, given her weapon of choice. ;)

TBV: Onto the pirates *eeeep* Pirates are so cool and there aren't a lot pirate stories in YA these days. If you could have any trait of a pirate (of your pirates or movie, TV pirates, etc.), which one would you choose?
Emily: My own Santa Elena is a villainous twist on everything I dream of being, so it’s no wonder the pirate trait I’d choose is her theatricality. She doesn’t just put on a show—she is the show. I wanna be the show.

TBV:    Santa Elena is such a symbol. She emits this deadly energy of command in the ship. But then again, we think she would like Captain Jack Sparrow really well and they would hit it off and go drink in some floating city. How would you describe Santa Elena? And if she was to be in a Hogwart's House, which one would she be in?
Emily: Santa Elena is one of my favorite characters to write. My first concept of her was as “the Beyoncé of the sea”—someone who bled confidence and theatrical flair. She’s a criminal and a leader, a mother and a mentor, a force of nature in her own right. And she’s maybe a little less villainous and a little more noble than she seems at first blush. Hogwarts house-wise, she’s a Gryffindor. Daring and Nerve could be her middle names. Chivalry… well maybe she’ll work on it.

TBV: Swift is another character that has so much to say in this book. We think she catches you by surprise. Was there a time you wanted to write something for her and you didn't because it didn't fit her personality/character? 
Emily: Swift is definitely the kind of character who catches you by surprise—she caught me by surprise while I was writing her. She started out as a counterpoint to the “Tattooed Bad Boy YA Love Interest With Secret Soft Center” that we all know and love, but she moved past being simply that and became this character who was really complex and engaging to work with. I never wanted to write something and then realized it wouldn’t work for her character, but I had the opposite experience, where little things surfaced that I realized were a part of her character—like “Oh hey, so this pirate girl is actually a big nerd about Greek mythology? Who knew?”

TBV:  And one of my (Sil) many favorite moments is definitely the romance. It's so cute and it kind of broke me apart - as it will also break you guys when you read it. Why do you think these two characters fit together so well?
Emily: I think my favorite thing about Cas and Swift is how they challenge each other. They come from two radically different worlds—Swift from piracy, Cas from an industry dedicated to combating piracy. When they end up stuck together as prisoner and guard, they naturally conflict, but they also naturally start working towards a middle ground where they can both survive. They’re two people with very strong wills and very strong convictions, and in some ways they’re two sides of the same coin.

We decided to turn one of our questions into a "game" and decided to make it look like a pinterest board [ahem, there might be a real one in the future and we may possibly pin more if Emily allows it] but for now:

TBV: Ok. So we're going to play a game *yay!* This is what we're going to do: We're going to give you three quotes from TASU and you will have to share with us one picture for each quote that represents best what you feel the quote embodies. 

the quotes: [in order]
  • "I'm a pirate queen. I don't make promises."
  • "Come back alive and victorious, or don't come back at all."
  • "But here the monsters we made our Reckoners to fight have faces and smiles and souls, and that makes them even worse."
Emily: 


TBV: Thank you so much Emily for doing this interview with us! We cannot wait for The Abyss Surrounds Us to come out ∩(︶▽︶)∩
Emily: Me neither! Thank you so much for having me!



Emily Skrutskie is six feet tall. She was born in Massachusetts, raised in Virginia, and forged in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado. She holds a B.A. in Performing and Media Arts from Cornell University, where she studied an outrageous and demanding combination of film, computer science, and game design. 

Her short fiction has been published by HarperTeen, and her debut novel, THE ABYSS SURROUNDS US, will be published by Flux on February 8th, 2016!



TWITTER - WEBSITE

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Hi, The Book Voyagers here! This is the third list of book recommendations of a certain theme/trope. For today we're going to attempt to put up a list of books with couples that started hating each other but eventually falling in love throughout the story! Eri from Airy Reads really motivated us to create this list and we're so happy to do it.

With help from Maria from The Sounds of YA Books, we were able to come up with this for you:

We are opened to any requests for more Book Recommendations. If you want to see more of the same trope/theme you like on books but can't find any, you can totally asks us to come up with more books for you!

Do you see any books you love, like? Do you want to start any of these just by reading the What To Expect? Leave us a message telling us!
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments

Title: The Girl From Everywhere
Series: The Girl From Everywhere #1
Author: Heidi Heilig
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publishing: February 16th, 2016
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Goodreads synopsis:
Heidi Heilig’s debut teen fantasy sweeps from modern-day New York City to nineteenth-century Hawaii to places of myth and legend. Sixteen-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman.

Nix’s life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.

In The Girl from Everywhere, Heidi Heilig blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility with witty, fast-paced dialogue, breathless adventure, and enchanting romance.
Silvana's Review

Heidi Heilig's writing transports you to the open sea. With the crew of The Temptation, this ship that can time-travel, you can go anywhere. From just knowing this, I was already captivated by the essence of this story; I wanted it to have adventures and epic findings, great relationship dynamics between the characters and wonderful stories that could be told.

Nix is a characters that really intrigued me from the start. Her relationship with her father, Slate, is the center of the story to be honest. Slate has always wanted to find this map that could go back to a time when Nix's mother was alive. But Nix feels nervous and she really doesn't know what will happen if she goes back also when a time before she was born. Slate and Nix have this relationship that although they understand each other in their ways, they also have their goals and dreams on top of their heads. They want to achieve something that is good to them. We see the development throughout the story of these two and the choices they choose to take to achieve these goals. 

There's also Kash, the Persian thief. Kash is the funny, flirty crewmate on The Temptation. Nix and Kash have this bond that can't be easily broken. Aside that they are so frigging cute together, bunnies and rainbows come out of them, they also get each other. They know how they function, what they like and how to make them smile. It's so great to see them together and interacting, they just feel me with completely joy. 

I'm so happy to say this book - most part of it - happens in Hawaii. I'm a bit tired that everything fantasy/dystopia/time-traveling has to happen in the US and if not in the US, a future-ish US.  *cough* It's not only the country of the world!!! *cough* And seeing Hawaii from Nix's eyes - and Heidi's - was so amazing and it felt like magic. This book has history and it mentions events that have happened before. And I'm #1 fan of books that have history in them. Heidi Heilig enchanted me with Honolulu and one day I wish I can go because you, Heidi, have achieve to make me crave this place.

Mana's Review

One of the most captivating summaries I've read, I was intrigued and obsessed already. Sometimes, when that happens, the book somehow falls flat and it's not so great anymore, but that is the exact opposite of The Girl From Everywhere. The hype around this book isn't false, but real and true.

There's many factors that play in this book: politics, romance, familial relationships. All explored in a unique and fascinating way. Nix, the wonderful protag, and her father, Slate, are at odds.She wants to leave, but somehow can't stop staying and he won't understand if something is important until it goes away. The push and pull between these two characters are my favorite, as there is a fine line between love and hate, these two exemplify that concept.

The best part of this whole book was the characters. Every single one of them brought a certain uniqueness to the table, so it's no secret or surprise that Kash was my favorite out of the whole Temptation crew. He's witty, funny, and swoon worthy. The perfect fictional boyfriend. Enough said. 

The twists and turns make you not want to miss even a single word in the book. It's mesmorizing and once you finish, you want more. I know Heilig will conclude this series with the grace as she did with the beginning. 


Heidi grew up in Hawaii where she rode horses and raised peacocks, and then she moved to New York City and grew up some more, as one tends to do. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Ko'olau Valley, and huddled in a tent in Africa while lions roared in the dark.

She holds an MBA from New York University in Musical Theatre Writing, of all things, and she's written books and lyrics for shows including The Time Travelers Convention, Under Construction, and The Hole. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their pet snake, whose wings will likely grow in any day now.
                                                  TWITTER - WEBSITE
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments
It's a new year but greater, it's a new year FOR MORE BOOKS TO COME. Mana and I created this blog just two months ago and we can't believe the quantity of nice and cool people we have met, the fun we're having drafting posts and the excitement we share in Whatapp convos about our new ideas for more posts. We seriously are very grateful to all of the people who have talked to us and told us how great our posts are or anything to be honest. We wish you all the best in this new year and for you guys to read books that are just as amazing as you deserve!

We decided to do a wrap-up for the month of december. So here it comes (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧

  • Beyond The Red by Ava Jae - I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. It's so good and it's filled with  magic you will want to have. It has aliens, political intrigue, explosions, royalty, lots of red sand and a super nice OTP. 
  • Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs - My Christmas' wish was more Latina characters as the protagonists of books. So yes, Future Shock has a Latina - Elena Martinez - as the MC and she's just pure badass! + It's a time-traveling book, so many shenanigans happen and you will grab the pace of the story quickly. 
  • On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis - This book broke me apart, I have no doubt. Corinne gave us an apocalyptic, diverse, intriguing book. I adored every single moment I spent reading On the Edge of Gone that's for sure.
  • Prophecy by Ellen Oh - With a diverse cast, Prophecy gives a lot. The world building is magical and magnificent. Kira is a badass demon slayer who is hated by the whole city and she is the only bodyguard of the heir to the throne. 
  • With Every Breath by Lia Riley - Mountains, sexy times inside a tent, funny moments between characters. With Every Breath made me feel happy and time passed really quickly while reading it. 
  • Stealing the Bachelor by Sonya Weiss - Eric has always loved Ann but because of some misunderstandings, they never really told each other their feelings. Not a lot of romance in it, there's definitely cute moments and the whole development between these two from "I think he hates me" to "wow you're the love of my life." 

  • Winter by Marissa Meyer - Ehm... what more can I say than I adored hard hard this book? It was the perfect ending to this series. It has action, friendship goals, a revolution and a princess who wants to take back her throne. 
  • See How They Run by Ally Carter - SUCH A GOOD SEQUEL. It's been known Carter is so good at sequels and she didn't disappoint. Grace is still trying to figure out the world she is at the Embassy Row and finally, she learns some secrets that she couldn't even begin to think of. 
  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - I know what you're thinking: she read this NOW? I know sorry. I was pretty closed off since Grisha wasn't my favorite but wow, heist + 6 incredibly morally grey characters? I liked it, a lot. 
  • If You Could be Mine by Sarah Farizan - So good. So so so so sad, but so good. About a girl who is tired of hiding her relationship with a girl (and best friend), she goes to extreme measures. 


  • Arrows by Melissa Gorzelanczyk - I was so excited to read this and to think I thought it would be a nice fluffy read. It wasn't - it was super heartbreaking, but it was still so cute. Aaryn and Karma are such cuties, I LOVE THEM.
  • More than Fashion by Elizabeth Briggs - I binged this whole series, but I loved this one so much. Julie and Gavin [kind of] hate each other, given they are competing and have some history but that sexual tension is always a killer isn't it?
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Pages

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • REVIEWS
  • FAVORITE TITLES
  • 2018 BOOK LISTS
  • SUPPORT LATINX + CARIBBEAN AUTHORS

Silvana [The Book Voyagers]'s bookshelf: read

Heart of the Steal
it was amazing
Heart of the Steal
by Avon Gale
The Infamous Miss Rodriguez
it was amazing
The Infamous Miss Rodriguez
by Lydia San Andres
No Strings Attached
really liked it
No Strings Attached
by Mina V. Esguerra

goodreads.com

Follow Us

BOOK MATCH

  • Find your book match

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2019 (4)
    • ▼  October 2019 (1)
      • BLOG TOUR: TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SK...
    • ►  August 2019 (2)
    • ►  July 2019 (1)
  • ►  2018 (20)
    • ►  November 2018 (1)
    • ►  September 2018 (1)
    • ►  August 2018 (3)
    • ►  July 2018 (1)
    • ►  May 2018 (2)
    • ►  April 2018 (3)
    • ►  March 2018 (6)
    • ►  February 2018 (1)
    • ►  January 2018 (2)
  • ►  2017 (55)
    • ►  November 2017 (1)
    • ►  October 2017 (3)
    • ►  September 2017 (4)
    • ►  August 2017 (3)
    • ►  July 2017 (7)
    • ►  June 2017 (5)
    • ►  May 2017 (3)
    • ►  April 2017 (8)
    • ►  March 2017 (5)
    • ►  February 2017 (7)
    • ►  January 2017 (9)
  • ►  2016 (127)
    • ►  December 2016 (5)
    • ►  November 2016 (4)
    • ►  October 2016 (6)
    • ►  September 2016 (11)
    • ►  August 2016 (10)
    • ►  July 2016 (16)
    • ►  June 2016 (13)
    • ►  May 2016 (11)
    • ►  April 2016 (15)
    • ►  March 2016 (6)
    • ►  February 2016 (14)
    • ►  January 2016 (16)
  • ►  2015 (20)
    • ►  December 2015 (10)
    • ►  November 2015 (10)
Powered by Blogger.

Popular

  • A Small List of Diverse Romance Books
    A Small List of Diverse Romance Books
    Hello voyagers, travelers of the book world! Today I bring you another rec list because who are we kidding they are so much fun and I love ...
  • Single Parents in Romance Books
    Single Parents in Romance Books
    Hello voyagers! I know I haven't been writing many posts before, I'm on a slump to be honest. I can't come up with anything c...
  • 30 Books with Latinxs as MCs [in YA/NA/Adult Fiction]
    30 Books with Latinxs as MCs [in YA/NA/Adult Fiction]
    Hello, voyagers! I bring you today a special post for me. If you don't know, I'm Mexican, I live in Mexico. I love to see Latinxs in...
  • Foodie Romances // A Small List
    Foodie Romances // A Small List
    Hi beautiful people! I'm back for you only. I decided to create and compile a small list of foodie romances. All that I know of and h...
  • NBA Finals? Check out these 5 basketball romance books!
    NBA Finals? Check out these 5 basketball romance books!
    Hello, voyagers! If you don't know the NBA Finals are happening right now. It might be over tonight but it might not??? It is so go...

Created with by ThemeXpose | Distributed By Gooyaabi Templates