More poignant than Romeo and Juliet

If I could, I would give this an even higher rating. This touched me on a very deep level. I actually cried. It’s always hard for me to cry, but this book made it impossible not to. It is just that good. More poignant than Romeo and Juliet, this book will have you wanting to listen/read it all at once. A magical tale of love, loss, and healing, Beyond the Rising Tide will have you needing to know what is next, and cheering for Kai and Avery. There are no words to describe how excellent this love story is.

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Worth the Credit!

Wow! Just wow! This was such an amazing book! I originally picked it basically because I love Zachary Webber. But both narrations are great! The story is so well written and pulls you in from the beginning and holds you tight until the end! Even though the characters were late teens the emotions and the plot were so intense and felt like my own emotions. Having had a teen love like this and losing them to death. I could relate to this. The HEA was just so good! I’m so glad they got to have one! 10/10, five stars would highly recommend!

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Not even death can stop love!!!

I purchased this book because Zachary Webber was the narrator and neither it, nor he, let me down! Such a beautiful tale of the power of love!!! Kai saves the life of a drowning girl (Avery) and in doing so he drowns. Avery is traumatized. She can't get over the pain and guilt she feels for this boy. She isn't living, but slowly dying more and more each day. Kai, a spirit being, watches over her and falls in love with her. He saved her from dying and now he knows he has to do something to save her emotionally. Sacrificing everything he finds a way to come back physically and knows he only has a short time to get her to live again. I loved every aspect of this story! I love stories that tell of the power of love and this one definitely does that. Nothing can hold back the power of love, not even death ❤️

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Beautiful!

A beautifully told story of young love. While at the heart this is a coming of age story of first love it has such ingenius twists of fantasy that set it a part from the many other such tales.
Excellent narration by two consummate professionals.
It is not often you come upon true originality but this is one such time.

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Sweet YA Romace with a Twist

If you follow my segment here on Highlighted Author, you know that I rarely do Reviews. Between my own writing career, Highlighted Author duties, and marketing, I have to choose my reads wisely. They really need to strike me as a great book to dive into using my limited time. Beyond the Rising Time was one such book...

It's YA paranormal romance that takes us from Kai's heroic death to his sneaky return to Earth as (sorta) human, and to the spirit realm and back. I wrote an extensive review on Audible, but now as I look for it, it's gone. So, I'll sum it up here...

Any YA looking for a sweet romance filled with obstacles set against young love should love this book. The audio book version has two narrators, a man and a woman, who switch off as points of view change between Kai and his love interest, Avery. The author tells the story with rich prose throughout. Sometimes the female narrator seemed to get overcomed by the beauty of the descriptions and sounded like she went doey-eyed. I didn't re-listen to the chapters like this when I lost track of what happened during them, but caught the overall goings on.

Overall, an enjoyable story with a big twist. Give it a try!

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Exceeded my expectations

I debated getting this book because I don't normally read this genre. I liked this author's last book so I thought I would give it a whirl to break up 40+ hour-long space opera or dystopian books I've been reading.

Good stuff. Enjoyed the characters and their emotional viewpoints. The dual readers really helped with this. Also liked the theme that rules will not stop love. Because-- screw the rules.

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Amazing.

Kai died to save Avery. Since that day, he has been watching her and watching her life unravel because she blames his death on herself. She can't get over the fact that a stranger died to save her. She tried to find him but her memories of that day are hazy. All Kai wants to do now is help her move on but since she can't see him, he can't help. That is until his mentor shows him a ring that can make him corporal. What follows is a story filled with heartache, unconditional love and redemption.

This was such a surprising read! I tend to stay well away from teen romances because I find them either to eye rollingly sappy or they are filled with love triangles or insta love. This one though, was just....... gorgeous! So. Many. Emotions!!!

Kai is such an amazing character. He is just a genuinely nice guy. He saw Avery drowning and didn't think twice about saving her. Even though he died, he still felt compelled to keep track of her and make sure she is OK.

Avery was a daredevil before the accident but since she nearly drowned, she has become more introverted. She can't help but feel responsible for the boys death. and she doesn't even know his name! But when a stranger, who doesn't feel like a stranger, comes into her life, he changes everything. Just who is Kai, and why does he feel so safe and familiar?

This whole book was effortless to read. I think I experienced nearly every emotion while reading and didn't want it to end. It's a sweet romance but also so much more!! It's a gripping, heartbreaking, story dealing with loss, grief, redemption, love but overall, hope. A must read!

I think I loved this so much because, not only was the writing stunning, but the narrators made the story pop. I adored the fact we had both a male and female narrator as it really brought the whole feel of the book alive. Both of them gave their all and absolutely nailed it! Amazing!!!

I received this as part of the blog tour. This in no way affected my thoughts.

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3 people found this helpful

Not my usual genre

What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be for me! I don’t usual go for romantic books, much less ones with a sprinkle of fantasy, but there was such beauty to the characters and purity to their love and motivations, I couldn’t help but enjoy the story. Very well done!

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good ya book

Sarah Beard has written a great young adult romance here. She takes you through the various elements of loss and how that can impact the mind and soul. There were times that the book was predictable but mostly I could not put this story down. I am not big on YA anymore and this one was able to hold my attention, wondering where the story would go and how these two young people could get an HEA when one is dead and the other is very much in the breathing world.

The narrator did a good job of giving each character personality and kept my attention without a lot of the annoyances I often get with audio books.

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1 person found this helpful

So good!

This was an excellent book to read, and I couldn't help but be worried that the audiobook would let me down. However, I'm happy to report that that readers were fantastic! They added to the wonderful, heart wrenching story instead of detracting.

I love all the heart in this story! There are some deep issues, and though they are a big part, it's not a depressing story. It's very hopeful and has a happy ending.

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