Aurora Rising

Title: Aurora Rising
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Source: Purchased

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.


Let me just get this out of the way first: The Illuminae Files is a series that I have a deep love for and consider one of my favourite series of all time. I loved the format of it, it made for such a unique reading experience and wasn't something I had seen a lot or read for myself. My expectations going in to Aurora Rising were definitely high because it was coming from the duo that brought me one of my favourite series. Once again I was getting a sci-fi trilogy with a whole host of characters and stretching across galaxies and I was excited, I was also worried that it would not measure up. Try as you might to not compare a book to an authors other work, you inevitably do. Did I enjoy Aurora Rising? Yes, very much so. Is it as good as or better than Illuminae? In my opinion, no. Should you go read it as soon as possible in preparation to book two? Most definitely yes, I've read book two and you will not be disappointed.

What I Liked:

Characters: I am always here to read about a group of people having to join up to become just the unlikely team you need to take down an evil force. I loved this group of characters a lot but I'm also excited for the next book because I can't wait to find out more about characters that kind of took a back seat. The main cast of characters gel together so well and I loved their back and forth during this book.

Tyler Jones: Tyler is the leader of Squad 312, top of his class at the Aurora Academy and about to get first pick for his dream squad before doing his first mission for the Academy. That is until he decided to take a quick, relaxing trip into Fold entry to clear his head as he can't sleep. Instead what he gets is an SOS from the Hadfield, a ship that disappeared in the Fold over 200 years ago, losing over 10,000 people. Tyler answers the SOS and finds only one survivor who has been frozen the entire time. This kicks of our epic space adventure and also gives us a great introduction to Tyler.

Aurora O'Malley: Aurora is the seventeen year old human who was expecting to wake up from her cyrosleep to find herself on Octavia III and reunited with her father. What she gets instead is to wake up 220 years later to realise that every single person she loves and cares for is now dead, and that they died never knowing what happened to her. She begins getting strange visions and then slowly discovering that she can now do things she could never have imagined and she doesn't know why. I love Aurora and she's a character you really empathise with and feel for throughout this book.

Cat Brannock: Cat is the star pilot in her year of the Aurora Legion, she's been best friends with Tyler since they were kids but she definitely wants them to be more than that. She's also cynical and not a fan of Aurora or the situation saving her has got them all in.

Scarlett Jones: Scarlett is the twin sister of Tyler, she's also the diplomat at the group who has an almost sixth sense about how others are feeling and thinking. She's a total heartbreaker, who has never had a long lasting relationship but does have a long list of hearts she has broken. Scarlett is incredibly sarcastic and I love that about her.

Kaliis Gilwraeth: Kal is a Syldrathis, which explains his violet eyes, silver hair and pointed ear. He was a member of the Syldrathi Warbreed cabal but chose to join the Aurora Legion. Kal is the typical brooding character who also has a habit of solving his issues with violence, an urge he calls the Enemy Within. He's an interesting character but again, he isn't my favourite.

Finian de Seel: Finian is a Betrasken and also the Gearhead of Squad 312, he wears an exosuit to help with nerve damage, muscle weakness and impaired mobility caused by an illness he had at a young age. He is also hilariously funny and has a quick, witty comment ready for any occasion. I also love all of his attempts to flirt with Scarlett. I adore him and yes, he is definitely a favourite and I want much more of him in the next book.

Zila Madran: Zila is the most intelligent of the group, she is also the quietest. She keeps to herself a lot but when she does speak it is with rationality, she doesn't really take into consideration what her observations and comments will mean to other people and their feelings, she is very blunt and to the point. She's the character I most want to know more about in the next book as we really don't know much about her or why she acts the way she does. 

Banter: I should have known that I'd love the interactions between the characters here. These two authors already proved with the Illuminae series that they are great at dialogue, they can make you laugh during even the most tense scenes where characters lives are literally at stake. I really couldn't get enough of the dialogue here.

Found Family: Who doesn't love the found family trope! Honestly, this book really reminds me of Six of Crows but in space. Some also compare it to Guardians of the Galaxy, which also makes total sense but I must admit I was the only person who didn't really love the film all that much. I'll take Squad 312 over the Guardians any day. I love watching the characters get to know one another and get close over the course of this book.

Space Adventure: I think it is also easy to compare this to Illuminae because both are sci-fi trilogies with a host of different characters, that span across galaxies and involve sketchy galactic governing bodies that you can't really trust. I loved that aspect of it, the traversing across space and the different planets they need to visit. 

What I Didn't Like:

Pacing: I feel one of the only things that stopped this book becoming a new favouite for me was the pacing. This can be a problem with first books in a series, as they often have to spend time introducing the characters, the world, the different races of aliens and other information you need to know. It is laying the groundwork for what is to come and it is fascinating, but it also slows the plot down. At times the plot is slow and it feels like you are just plodding a long, then it will suddenly speed up and rush through a piece of action. It is also one of those books where most of the action and excitement happens right near the end and then leaves you craving the next book. I also think I should have loved the Six of Crows style heist that happens in this book but I didn't, it felt forced, weird and a little out of place for some reason.

Romance: The other thing I am not a fan of in this book is the romance, I was not a fan of it at all. Quite honestly I would love to see the end of mates being used in YA fiction. I HATE IT! It just feels like an easy way to rush your romance and try to excuse insta love. I'm completely done with mates in my books, that plot device needs to be thrown away and never used again. I feel if they had a more organic and realistic romance than I could actually have got behind it and liked it more. Instead it just feels rushed and the mates aspect is just a way to excuse the fact they don't actually build a relationship between the two.

Aurora Rising is a fun and enjoyable read overall. It has a great cast of characters, an interesting story that keeps you guessing and keeps you reading. There are some great action sequences, as well as quieter moments where we just get to be with the characters. I do feel the romance here is weak and lacking and that the pacing is off at times, but the book is still a lot of fun. This book leaves you wanting more and was a great story, it just doesn't feel s original or as good as Illuminae. I highly recommend you still pick this up and read it though, especially since I have read book 2 and it is 5/5 perfection and you don't want to miss it.

4/5

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