Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle Book 1)

Five stars, FIVE stars, and FIVE MORE STARS. This was so, so much fun. I haven't been able to break out of the 4-star range (in fiction) for some time now but this one knocked my socks off in every department. First off, if you can't handle lots of characters handled from multiple POV's, don't bother because this baby has SEVEN of them. I don't seem to have trouble with this and found it to be a perfect way to enhance the story and plot. I loved getting inside the minds of our troupe of anti-heroes, lol, and my goodness, was it a good time. I was really surprised by how much I liked this one simply because I have this tendency to love space-related stuff in TV/movie form, but when it comes to books and trying to read about it, it just doesn't ever seem to work out. But I think because this book is so character-driven and full of action and sassy, hilarious dialogue, it just pulls you along and you can't help but keep diving in. It was so hard to come up for air EVERY TIME I needed to - like, cranky-toddler-throwing-a-tantrum, hard. Did NOT want to put this book down, lol. I'm not going to bother breaking down each of the characters since so many reviews have already done that. I just want to say that I think they did a fantastic job of creating one of the most fun, diverse, appealing cast of characters I think I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. Like other reviewers, I'm definitely interested in learning more backstory of many of them. This book didn't have much time to flesh everyone out and that's OK! We've got two more books on the way so I'm sure we're in good hands here. I loved all the sci-fi elements that were present and how they were handled (I don't want to talk too much about them for spoilers in case anyone decides they want to read this), and as I said, the pacing of this was fantastic as well. I think that's what you get when you have so much going on and so many characters to choose from, and yet at no time did it feel confusing or jumbled or erratic. Just fantastically put together. I definitely have to give 5 stars alone for the dialogue. Some people are a bit huffy about all the innuendo, but ummm, it's a group of TEENAGERS, lol?? If you're reading a book filled with teenage-characters and there ISN'T a truckload of innuendo then reality is NOT being represented at all, lol. And I never found a word of it offensive. It was hilarious and well-timed and honestly fit the characters, so I give it 2 thumbs up. And lastly, I want a Kal. I want one of my very own. Really looking forward to continuing this series!

I hadn’t really thought much about Aurora Rising until I looked at a list of upcoming May releases back in April and saw that this book was written by Kaufman and Kristoff. Since I’m a massive fan of the Illuminae files, I figured that trying another series written by the fantastic author duo wouldn’t be too bad an idea. And I wasn’t wrong! Aurora Rising was the stellar YA sci-fi I needed in my life right now. Kaufman and Kristoff deliver once more with a wild ride of a sci-fi helmed by a ragtag band of space cadets who just kind of find themselves in a huge situation reaching galactic proportions. This book is action-packed from the very first edge-of-your-seat opening sequence. And we are kept further entertained by the characters and their hilarious banter with one another. The world-building is done quite well, though it gets a bit lost under the characters and the mystery surrounding their impromptu mission to save the galaxy. The story is told through multiple POVs (seven to be exact, eight including Magellan, the AI), and these varied narratives give the plot a multidimensional property, keeping the story from feeling too unoriginal. However, the downside of having so many POVs is that not all characters may be fully fleshed out. And to be truthful, there was only one character whose POV felt fully realized and it was not Aurora. Tyler is a regular Captain Kirk with golden looks, perfect grades, and excessive luck. His sister Scarlett is a six-foot, smooth-talking beauty that can flirt her way out of and into any situation. Kal is an elfin-like alien with a conflicting sense of duty, impressive combat skills, and a soft side. Zila is an incredibly clever scientist who lacks the ability to connect on a social or intimate level (and who might be autistic or sociopathic, though this is not made clear which of these conditions might be correct). Cat is an extremely skilled pilot and is best friends with both Scarlett and Tyler. Auri is the girl out of time who holds a great power within her (The Chosen One). And then there is Fin, the most well-developed member in the group, mostly because he seems to carry the most personality and personal story out of all the crew. And not only that, he is the most diverse character, not counting his being an alien. He is both bisexual and disabled but his profile is not reduced to those two aspects of his self. He is also intelligent, sarcastic, quick-witted, humorous, obnoxious, guarded, filled with jokes, and a plethora of other quirks and qualities that make him an easy favorite. Besides Fin, the narratives of each character are fairly limited. Their backstory is hardly given much attention and their stories barely go beyond their talents and the roles that they serve within their crew. Because of this, the romantic subplots appear superfluous. One relationship, in particular, did not work for me at all, and it was unfortunate that their connection played such a large part in the overall plot. I honestly couldn’t care less for their romantic squabbles and frustrations. Why can’t friends just be friends? Also, even though there is some bi representation, the authors somehow managed to set up only heterosexual pairings despite the possibilities. And they have every right to do so, but still, it’s a disappointment to see the potential for a more robust and inclusive story only to have it return to something far more familiar but also a bit old and tired. I know it sounds like I’m complaining about several things, but these are just elements that I noticed that appeared weaker than the rest of the parts that make up this story. Despite my qualms, I can’t say that I didn’t love this book. It’s a fun, thrilling adventure that is a mixture of YA tropes and sci-fi plotlines such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Voltron, Annihilation, and so many others that are familiar and consistently enjoyable even after all these years. There is room for improvement in the character department, but the action and humor and heart is there. And the non-stop action is a definite plus. So there is much to look forward to in the next installment!

WOW. That’s it, that’s my whole review. Mostly kidding, but also, how am I to be expected to review this masterpiece? Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are the greatest duo to ever duo and I hope we are blessed with 50 more books from the two of them. They did such a fabulous job with The Illuminae Files I never imagined they could top those books, but Aurora Rising just might take the cake in Sci-Fi for me and I have no regrets that I’ve purchased roughly 5 copies of this beautiful book, including the coveted Goldsboro edition 😜 “But to reject my darker side only strengthens it. To lock it in a cage, to deny it is part of me … I cannot stop being what I am.” Let’s jump right into the characters of Aurora Rising because I felt this was a very character driven book and they are so impressive to me I don’t know how not to just flail around about all these babies and what they have to go through. First up is Tyler, the Alpha of Squad 312 who sports a killer set of dimples. Tyler is so brazenly heroic I almost couldn’t help but laugh, he wants nothing more than to be the top Alpha to ever grace Aurora Academy but then he manages to get himself stuck leading this rag tag group of misfits and all hell breaks loose. Aurora is the mystery girl that could potentially be the trigger for a war that’s been brewing for a million years, you know, just an average day no big thing 🤷‍♀️ she is so lost and confused and I just want her to find all the answers she needs. Fin is the SASSIEST member of the team, holy cats did he have me cackling while I was reading. Every word that comes out of his mouth is so clearly a defense mechanism and honestly I lived for it. I think I loved reading his chapters most of all, I enjoyed seeing him develop as a character and seeing the struggles he goes through. There are so many more characters of this rag tag group: Kal, Scarlett, Cat, Zila.. I could talk about them for days but my review would be incredibly long at that point, and if that’s the case you might as well just read the book! As a group they all go through such a huge character arc, they learn so much about themselves and it was wonderful being able to see them change and grow throughout the story. Characters learning from their mistakes, and applying that new knowledge to future choices is such an important thing to see in a book that is so strongly based on its characters. The last third of the book or so took a turn I was NOT expecting and damn, was it crazy. I expected something wild to happen though because that was how The Illuminae Files were, and honestly I was hoping for something like this. I don’t want to spoil what happens so I’m going to leave out any details but like, it gets a little creepy actually. The way I felt reading Illuminae and being absolutely terrified at what was happening/what could happen some day, that’s exactly the feeling I had reading Aurora Rising. Amie and Jay are so good at their craft, they truly know how to bring out the right emotions in you to force you to keep reading, to find out what happens. “But I believe of all the places I have not fit, I fit here a little better.” Whether you like Science Fiction books or not I think Aurora Rising is worth giving a chance to. It is so much more than just about space and Sci-Fi, it’s about friendship and the bonds it takes to make or break it. It’s about family and what you will and won’t do for them. It’s about finding yourself and finding your place in this world.

If you are wholly unfamiliar with Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman as a Sci-fi writing duo, you are missing out! They are the writers of The Illuminae Files one of the series responsible for pulling me back into the book community a few years ago. Their work has a really special place in my heart for so many reasons. They were also some of the first authors I ever met in person at my local book shop! They inspire me to keep reading, and they are also super fans of my painted books which is awesome. So enough about how amazing they are! Here are a few of the major reason I am obsessed with this new YA Science Fiction series. Awesome Aliens!!! One thing that didn’t play a major role in Illuminae is aliens, but that is not the case in Aurora Rising. Kaufman & Kristoff introduce several alien species in Aurora, which understandably leads to some amazing Star Trek level inter-species cooperation…and disagreement. One of my favorite things about Science Fiction is the formation of found family groups that need to solve big problems together. This book delivers on that kind of problem solving in a big way, and I loved seeing how the crew worked together and leaned on each other when necessary. For any fans of Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, some of the same ideas about alien society are explored in Aurora. There is a species call the Betraskan’s who live in large family groups, similar to the Aandrisk race in Chambers’ series. I loved comparing and contrasting these 2 races while reading. I highly recommend Aurora to any Wayfarers fans. Aurora Herself! I am happy to report that Kaufman & Kristoff have once again created a cast full of characters I love to love. Aurora is such a delight for me. She has a fair amount of damage, she is not good at everything she tries, and she’s forced to acclimate to lots of dangerous and intense situations. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed the design and personality of Aurora. If you feel like you’ve been reading about the same main character over and over again, you will not feel like that here. The other characters in the crew are equally amazing. There are a couple that fit more comfortably into familiar boxes. They’re smart, attractive, highly skilled space farers but trust me they use their powers for good and are a delight to watch in action. Scary Space Sickness!!! If you know my reading preferences, you know that I love a good plague storyline. While Aurora doesn’t contain a plague necessarily, there is another scary space illness introduced similar to the Phobos virus in Illuminae. I feel like there’s still a lot to learn about the origins of this new illness, and I cannot wait for future books to reveal more. The scare factor in Aurora is not quite as high as book 1 of Illuminae, for anyone who might be put off by lots of horror elements. It is certainly thrilling and contains a lot of suspense, but it’s not quite as straight up scary as Kady Grant’s trek through a Phobos infected space craft. What More could you Want!? Aurora has a lot more to offer like cool Sci-Fi technology, different worlds, evil government entities, deep conspiracies, and plenty of inter-crew romantic tension. I’m looking forward to seeing Aurora in person, and I can’t wait to see where this series goes. I feel blessed to live in this time when Kaufman & Kristoff are writing together. Their work will live long on my reread shelf.

AURORA RISING (The Aurora Cycle #1) is a blend of Science-Fiction, fantasy, and thriller genres, by authors Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Although I have previously read a series by Kristoff, this was my first introduction to Amie Kaufman's writing. I have to admit, I read the first half of this novel in a single sitting, and already had a strong feeling that it would be a solid five-star read for me. "Just because you're not saying it doesn't mean you're not thinking it." Due to a last minute--unexpected--rescue mission, the Aurora Academy's top Alpha (leader), Tyler Jones, missed his chance to draft his "dream team". Aside from his twin sister, Scarlett, and their best friend (coincidentally the Academy's best pilot), Cat--who refused other offers--Tyler is left with the loners that nobody else wanted. Together, these six (well, seven counting a "stowaway") are stuck together for a mission that NONE of them signed up for. "Us outsiders gotta stick together." This novel was simply amazing! From the individual personalities of the characters, the constant sarcasm-laced banter, and the non-stop action--both physical and mental--I can't think of a single "slow" part in the entire book. ". . . Sorry, but . . . do I look normal to you?" The "mission" we learn as we go along--as do our characters. The best thing about this, in my opinion, is that I didn't stop to even try to guess or make predictions about what would happen next. When I just let the authors/characters take me on the journey the entire way, I find it to be the most satisfying type of read. Kaufman and Kristoff were phenomenal at this. "Nothing is impossible. But something is very, very wrong." As for the way the novel is told, I am a huge fan of sarcasm and dark humor infused throughout. Each character had this to some extent, and that's why the dynamics played out so well between them. For those that were more "serious", it worked just as well, against them. ". . . Maybe so she can channel any extra brainpower she has into her masterplan for taking over the galaxy." Even though Science-Fiction isn't a genre I read often, I didn't feel "lost" at any point. Everything was sufficiently explained to carry the plot along, and again, the action never seems to let up. ". . . Who wants to be normal when you can be interesting instead?" Overall, this novel hit all the right notes for me. From the action-packed "mission", to the complex and individual characters, there wasn't anything that I didn't appreciate here. Kaufman and Kristoff make a dynamic writing duo. In addition to the next book in this series, I've already purchased another of their joined works. "They're not the heroes we wanted. They're just the ones we could find." Highly recommended.

I laughed. I cried. It was better than cats! This was a breath of fresh air for me. I was desperately searching for something to read and had given up hope on finding a series that I hadn’t already read that would rekindle my faith in YA authors everywhere and luckily, I did! There were only a few things that kept this from being 5 stars. I hate all the reviews that complain of overused tropes because in reality, there are only a few tropes and it is up to the authors unique perspective and story elements that makes a tale as old as time, new and fresh for readers. That being said, there was a little insta-love going on with Kal and Auri. Did Auri, like many young women in real life when approached by a guy they don’t have real feelings for, feel any pressure at all to reciprocate Karl’s feelings after he unloaded both barrels of obsession on her? And knowing that if she doesn’t reciprocate, horrible things will happen inside Karl’s heart and mind for the rest of his long life? How could that not affect a kind 16 or 17 year old girl who is alone in the world? It was still not a big deal because Kal was obviously smart, hit and freakishly protective of her danger-magnet self, so Auri could’ve done worse than go along with the insta-love flow. On the other hand, the unrequited love story between Cat and Tyler felt so real and true that it compensated for the weird Kal/Auri sitch. I thought the numerous character perspectives was fun and it fleshed each character out and made them more real. Inner dialogue sure helps a reader get to know a character! The writing and dialogue between character was seamless. I REALLY notice when dialogue is clunky and not authentic feeling and Aurora Rising was free of all that! What makes me love a book is when the characters have relation with each other and relation with the reader. Aurora Rising did that. Even though it wasn’t a huge plot point, the characters were all ALONE in one way or another. Most people that I know have felt alone or fear being/feeling alone and this book highlighted all that psychobabble stuff super platably (not a real word, I know). It was super relatable (characters to each other and characters to us as the reader). The hive mind trope is fascinating and I had never thought of a character succumbing to a hive mind doing so because it felt GOOD. Loved that little detail. I wanted this to be an epic novel. I wanted all the answers and all the background for all the characters and worlds and, and, and! I wanted the references to LOTR to extend to an epic story of LOTR proportions. Because I loved this little slice of reading heaven THAT MUCH. Soooo...because I’m petulant and I didn’t get to be immersed for a week instead of a couple of days, AND for the semi-unsatisfying and weird Kal/Auri thing I give this book four stars. But reader, you won’t be disappointed. Unless you’re a spoiled, book snob weirdo and in that case, I want your reading/book list.

~This review first appeared on the bookish blog Literary Weaponry~ 3.5/5 We’ve all seen this book plastered all over the place recently, yes? Kristoff and Kaufman have both become well known entities in the SFF world and their newest endeavor not only has a good plot premise but was low key blessed by the cover gods. How often do we see purple book covers? Not often, but this one is really eye catching. That being said, I have had my ups and downs with Kristoff books so I went into this one with few expectations. I always enjoy the premise of his books but the writing sometimes just doesn’t click with me. This time I am happy to say that the writing was not one of my issues. ~The Good~ -I enjoyed the cast of characters. Sometimes when you read a young adult book you get the sense that the characters aren’t behaving as young adults would. This crew certainly did. They made good decisions for the most part but many of them were impulsive and hormones certainly played their part. -The pacing was pretty much spot on. At no point did I feel like the story was at a lull. I know I sometimes read books where the story just drags for ages with nothing interesting or new happening and it is difficult to keep my attention on it. That was not the case here. There was almost constantly action and adventure and that is certainly something I enjoy. -Our Big Bad in this book is nowhere near what I thought it was going to be and that really had me excited. And Big Bad’s army? GASP! They have a definite creepy factor and I love it. ~The Bad~ -At the beginning, the group trying to save this girl out of time (Aurora)…well, I was just not on board with their reasons for saving her. It felt very forced. As the story progressed, Squad 312 started to feel more organic and believable as far as helping Aurora but when they first do it? Just felt like a convenient plot point to force the story to progress in the direction the authors wanted it to. -The book is written in alternating perspectives which can sometimes be a lot of fun, but not in this case. Only one perspective, Kal’s, was easily recognizable. For the others I had to keep flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to see who was narrating that section because it was not at all obvious. This was even more irritating for Cat’s chapters because she is painted as this feisty, clever woman but her perspective didn’t convey that very well. Overall this was a good SFF book and I enjoyed it enough to want to read more of the series. The story ends on quite an emotional punch to the face and I am very much looking forward to seeing what Squad 312 gets up to in the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Aurora Rising was arguably my most anticipated 2019 release. I absolutely loved Kaufman and Kristoff’s Illuminae Files, which I finished over this past Christmas holiday. The two series are not set in the same world, and Aurora Rising is told in a more traditional format. Similar to Illuminae Files, however, Aurora Rising has a fun cast of characters and an adventurous story in space. Plus, this time there’s aliens. Aurora Rising has a large cast of characters and is told in all of their POVs at some point in the story. The main cast makes up the newly formed Squad 312 out of Aurora Academy. If you haven’t met them yet, I highly recommend reading the character bios on Get Underlined‘s website and the official book trailer. Seriously, they’re an interesting bunch. A squad is typically made up of six legionnaires all with different roles, and Squad 312 consists of the twins Tyler (Alpha) and Scarlett (Face), their best friend Cat (Ace), the smart-ass Fin (Gearhead), the hot-headed Alien warrior Kal (Tank), and a trigger happy scientist Zila (Brain). Squad 312 also has a stowaway, the mysterious girl from earth Auri. Tyler was expecting to get an elite squad in the draft as the golden boy of the academy; however, he ended up with a group of misfits, and they’re quite the squad. Aurora Rising was a thrilling ride. I enjoyed watching all of the characters evolve and learn to work together as a team. Each character has personal struggles they’re trying to overcome in the story. The choice to have the story told from multiple POVs was interesting and worked well for Aurora Rising. Personally, I think Kaufman and Kristoff did well making each of the POVs unique. I’m excited to see each of the character’s growth as the series continues. The plot itself was full of twists. While I could predict who the bad guys were and had gut feelings that certain decisions would go south, Kaufman and Kristoff kept me on my toes the entire time. They shocked me with their plot twists and emotionally wrecked me with the ending. Whoever said authors were not kind people were right. Kaufman and Kristoff gutted me with that ending, and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive them. We’ll see how things continue when book 2 is ever released. If you’re someone that enjoys science fiction or any of Kaufman and Kristoff’s prior books, I highly recommend reading Aurora Rising. I know I’m going to push this book on all of my friends. It’s a page turner from the start, with a cast of misfits I couldn’t help but fall in love with. I hope everyone gives it a chance.