Red Death Tour -- Book Review & More!

Disclosure: Jeff Altabef & Novel Publicity sent me a copy of this book free of charge in return for an honest review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

I am very excited to bring you a review of Jeff Altabef's latest novel!! Now you may remember The Chosen Series ( Wind Catcher, Brink of Dawn & Second Chances and now Scorched Souls) that I have reviewed written by Jeff and his daughter Erynn Altabef. Red Death is the first installment of a new series Jeff is writing in the young adult/adult dystopia science fiction genre. And the blog tour started yesterday and includes a giveaway (scroll down for giveaway).

Below is the summary of the book and information about Jeff Altabef both provided by Novel Publicity.

About the Book

What happens when everything you believed turns out to be a lie?

Every child of Eden fears the Red Death. All those afflicted with the plague die young, their souls stripped away as punishment for ancient sins long forgotten. For centuries, Guardians have protected Eden from the Red Death by killing outsiders who stray too close.

Seventeen-year-old Aaliss is a highly-trained Guardian, but when her rather odd thirteen-year-old brother, Wilky, discovers a cure to the plague, her world turns upside down. Branded as traitors by the corrupt High Priest, Aaliss and Wilky are forced to seek refuge in the last place Aaliss thought she'd ever go—beyond the boundaries of Eden and into the land of the Soulless. Here they must navigate a medieval world filled with witches, magic, and warrior kingdoms run by Elders only a few years older than her.

Aaliss yearns to return home, but when her heart tugs her deeper into the world of the Soulless, she questions everything she once believed. Has her soul been taken? Will she and Wilky fall victim to the Red Death, or might they die sooner in the center of a battle that threatens to tear apart the Soulless world? Or... might Aaliss finally find, against all odds, what her heart has yearned for all along?

About the Author

Jeff Altabef is an award-winning author who lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. After years of being accused of “telling stories,” he thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres.

In the Young Adult genre, Jeff co-authored the Chosen Trilogy with his teenaged daughter, Erynn. The Chosen Series has won multiple awards including the 2015 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for Best Coming of Age Novel, the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award for Best YA Fiction, and a Mom's Choice Award.

As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those who like telling stories.

You can connect with Jeff on his website, Facebook, Twitter & Newsletter.

My Review

Just like the Chosen Series, this book is a page turner. The beginning of the book was a bit confusing as each of the many characters and tribes are introduced. The back of the book provides a cast of characters for help in keeping them all straight. The character development is amazing. The reader begins to question the life in Eden as Aaliss and Piers do. I relate many of the happenings to current days as well. Questioning our own beliefs and political ways. It even delves into a bit of religion, but not in any insulting or pushy way. By the end of the book I could not wait to find out what happens. It is suspenseful and one of those books you do not want to put down. I cannot wait to read the next one and see the next chapter in this great adventure. 

The characters are from different groups or tribes. Eden is the hidden place that is safe from red death. They refer to anyone outside the walls of Eden as soulless. However the tribes outside of Eden have their own beliefs and ways. There are trading routes, exchanges and wars. Centuries have passed since red death affected the human race and the world is completely changed by the great number of deaths. Red death affects the older people and people often only live into their early 30s. Therefore teenagers are having children outside of Eden and there is no elderly except for the witches whom most fear. As I read this book I think about how a teenager would take it. The world is so different and very different from ours. I would hope the teenage reader would see how lucky we are to live in this time and this world even for the problems we have. This book could inspire many interesting conversations in a classroom or reading group setting. Overall I have to say I enjoyed this book and imagine teenagers would as well. I hope you will check it out.

Now for the giveaway!! You can enter to win:

• 6 month Kindle Unlimited subscription
• signed paperback
• red apple necklace

 just by following the instructions in the Rafflecopter below. This giveaway is for the entire Blog Tour!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway