Beyond the Red by Ava Jae

This book seriously hooked me right from the summary.
  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.
This book has two of my favorite things. One: teenage monarchs!!! Aaah Kora is my favorite type of young queen, tormented and conflicted, and trying to help her country when her people don’t even want her. Perfect. Two: Twin brothers!!!! Wow I love twin brother-twin sister relationships and the dynamics. In this case, Dima is trying to overthrow Kora, but I’m willing to forgive that, because TWIN BROTHERS! On a serious note, though, this book was well built. The way that the action slowly amped up made it a thrilling read. It’s one of those stories that I can’t summarize quickly because so many little things add up to the big things at the end. The story was interesting and led to lots of moral conflict and exciting adventures. This story was exciting, and a very enjoyable read. It was such a suspenseful story and I finished most of it in one sitting. This book was also a classic blend of science-fiction, dystopian, and fantasy, my favorite genre. Also, this book didn’t really sugarcoat things. There’s torture. There’s death—so much death. It was a grim and realistic approach to the story. When people are angry and power-hungry, they make bad decisions. People died in this book. It was sad, and I wish they’d been saved, but it would be grossly unrealistic to save them all. I appreciate that, and it really added to the depth of the story. I think that this makes the characters more willing to forgive, because they understand that life is short. And that is what I learned from this book too. But there’s still lighter moments, in all the darkness. This story never felt tragic or heavy. It was an adventure story through and through, and I loved it. Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher for reviewing.