A sci-fi adventure I couldn’t put down. Fun, a little campy and a lot of heart (friend-wise and romance-wise).

I’m so impressed with the world the author’s created - there’s so many details to sink into and enjoy. I’m here for a misfit crew any day of the week!

“Do moons choose the planets they orbit? Do planets choose their stars? Who am I to deny gravity, Aurora? When you shine brighter than an constellation in the sky?”


Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ebook for review. As always, that does not effect my opinions or review.

Jay & Amie did it again! If you've read Illuminae you will adore this book. And if you haven't read their first series you will still love this book. Although the characters were the strong point (i would die for Finian) the plot was fantastic and full of twisty sci-fi fun!

Word Building 9/10
Enjoyment 9/10
Plot 8/10
Pace 8/10
Intelligibility & Writing Style 9/10
Characters 10/10
Diversity 8/10

5⭐
8.7/10

I have tried and tried to read this book for a couple years now. I get as far as about 30% in before putting it aside and forgetting about it. It's time to admit that this one isn't for me. I can see lots of people loving it. Who knows maybe in a few years I'll try reading this again and be able to finish it.

3.5/5

An ambitious book that sometimes buckles under its own weight, Aurora Rising is the start of a sci-fi adventure from Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, returning to co-author another YA sci-fi series.

It's got everything, from found family to multiple POVs to enough worldbuilding to knock you out. It's a weird juggling act of having too many characters and too much worldbuilding all at once, leading to them jockeying for page-time in a way that leaves both underwhelming. Coupled with the fact that the characters all have a certain level of sass that you find in every Jay Kristoff novel (I haven't read Kaufman's solo work before, but I have read my fair share of Kristoff's), it's difficult to distinguish character voices.

That being said, the plot keeps moving fast and it keeps you turning pages. If you stop and think too hard, sure, the worldbuilding gets a bit much, but if you just roll with it, it's a fun ride. While I couldn't get fully connected to the cast, the action and adventure kept me engaged as we zipped from one conflict to another. The climax of the book is an absolute riot. I'm definitely interested in the next book to see what else this gang of misfits gets up to.

Aurora Rising is like a mix between Guardians of the Galaxy and Valerian. A group of military misfits and a girl out of time are thrown together to uncover a secret mission that went awry over 200 years ago. As the sole survivor of a colony resettlement ship, Aurora is awoken 200 years into the future. She doesn’t understand why or how she survived or why the planet she was supposed to settle on has no records of ever being a colony. Strange things happen to Aurora when she or her new friends are put in danger and you learn there is more to Aurora than meets the eye. As the story progresses, you learn there is definitely a conspiracy going on in the story’s government/military.

The story is told in 6 different POVs, which makes it interesting and fun. The dialogue is funny and you can’t help but like the characters as a team. Each character has a very distinct personality. There is some light romance between Aurora and one of the male team mates. I think it will be developed more in book 2. If you like Science Fiction/Fantasy, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, or Valerian, then you will probably enjoy this one.

It was a little difficult to keep up with all the characters, so unfortunately I didn't finish it. The story was compelling, there were just so many characters.

I greatly adored this book. I love all the characters and that is very rare when it comes to books with more than 2 POVs. This is a fantastic series if you are looking for a book to get you started in the YA Sci-Fi world, or just sci-fi world in general.

This is a fun and enjoyable sci-fi book! While it doesn't live up to the co-authors' first series ILLUMINAE, it is likely to be enjoyed by teen readers widely.

Welcome Back!

It’s Wednesday! This week has been going by fast! I finally had some time to try out a new game I picked up a little while ago on the Switch (Cozy Grove) and I have really been enjoying it! I am still playing Animal Crossing and enjoying that as well but while playing both of these games, I was able to finally listen to the audio book for Aurora Rising! So when Aurora Rising was first announced I immediately pre-ordered the book, I read all of the Illuminae books, and honestly those books hold a super special place in my heart and on my book shelves. So I knew that I very much wanted to read Aurora Rising. I received my copy of the first book (and it is gorgeous in my favorite color purple) but I was so busy at the time that I just did not pick it up! Flash forward to now, I put a hold on the audio book with my Libby and decided to see if I would be able to listen to the book (I read each book in the Illuminae files but I know the format of those books and this series are different). I wanted to try listening to this first book in the series (if all else failed, I could grab my copy and go read it psychically)!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Tyler is ready to have the best career ever. However, things quickly take a turn when he is stuck with a ragtag crew that literally no one else wants, oh and this person he found out in space that is 200 years old. Tyler rescued Aurora, and now they are flying around space with his rag tag crew. But everyone, not just Tyler, feels like there is something more with Aurora! I mean she has been in a cryo sleep in space for 200 years, but where did she come from? Why did no one look for her? What happened to her family? Is anyone looking for her?

I really enjoyed the audio book for this first book in this series (I may try the audio book for the second book in the series as well). The audio book was a full cast, audio book and it really helped to differentiate each of the characters in the book. Additionally, whenever the computer or AI would come into play, they had a separate noise and voice and I absolutely loved it! In regards to the story itself, I think I had expectations that I would love it as much as I love the Illuminae books and in reality that is a super hard act to follow. I did enjoy this first book and it was a fun space adventure but I am not sure it’s a new favorite (but it might become one after I finish the series, I definitely want to give it time and finish the other two books)! If you have read this first book I would love to know your thoughts down below!

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

The Illuminae Files is one of my favorite sci-fi series so I was looking forward to Kaufman and Kristoff's new collaboration. Unfortunately, the voice did not appeal to my tastes.
However, I can see why many readers, especially teens, would enjoy Aurora Rising. Even though it wasn't for me, I will definitely recommend it to readers looking for science fiction with a ragtag group of characters and wry humor.

The writing is great! Amie and Jay are a powerhouse duo, and always write amazing books. I can definitely see this appealing to teens who love high stakes sci-fi. It wasn't a personal favorite of mine (the ending took things in a bit of an odd, farfetched direction for me), but that's ok. I was definitely interested and intrigued, I just don't believe I will be continuing with the series.

***Note: Deciding not to review this book since I am no longer interested in books by either author in light of recent events, and I just need to get this book off my feedback list.***

Thinking about purchasing. Science fiction is not a huge appeal for my demographic. Two authors are better than one.

The ending is phenomenal. It is a young young adult, which I found that I couldn’t connect with as well. However this book is meant for teenagers, so they will love it.

I absolutely loved this book! I'm not normally a big sci-fi reader, but this made me want to read more. It's action packed from the beginning, the characters are all unique and well written, and the story just blew me away. There were a couple twists in there that really got me, and that's hard to do. I typically know how a story is going to go, but this one kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing throughout. I could not stop reading and had to immediately get the next book! Definitely in my top favorites for 2020.

There were a lot of criticisms raised when the cover of this book dropped, and I think I have to land more on their side. I was excited for this book after loving Illuminae, but the magic of that book just wasn't here, like it wasn't there in Obsidio. I think I'm done reading books by these authors.

Aurora Rising is excellent fun, and a good start to a new series by dream team Kristoff and Kaufman. If you liked The Illuminae Files, you definitely want to be reading this series as well, which has the same quality of writing, humor, plotting, and world building as the prior series. That said, it's not quiiiiiite as good as Illuminae, but it's pretty great and I have high hopes for the following books in the series.

WHAT I LIKED
The pacing is excellent, and I flew through this book as a result. Kristoff and Kaufman make a great team because the plot's always solid (Kristoff has massive skills here) but the pace tends to be faster than his solo works. From the very first mission, shit doesn't stop hitting the fan.

Obviously I'm a huge fan of misfit space crews, so like hello this fits the bill. Admittedly, considering that Tyler supposedly got stuck with the dregs for three of his crew members, everyone on the teams seems like absolute first round draft picks, but to be fair I don't know what the other options were like. And it does fit with this being the best of the best at Aurora Academy.

The whole cast is charming and bantery, minus the "sociopath scientist" of the description who doesn't talk enough for me to have a real sense of who she is yet, though obvs I'm hopeful. Their interactions are fun, and I suspect I'll ultimately come to love them a great deal. So far, I don't love them but I do like them a lot.

WHAT I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT
The romances so far have potential and are interesting in some ways, but I don't ship them? It's tough. What worked for me about the romance was that the story doesn't go in the hackneyed direction of having Tyler and Aurora be the ship, even though he was the one who discovered her. HALLELUJAH.

Aurora and Kal (aka hot alien elf?) are the ship I'm most interested in atm. They've got a sort of fated thing going on but in a potentially super shippy way rather than an instalove way. Like, Kal's got the ponfar for her, and that could be my jam, but again I'm not in the feels on this yet.

Meanwhile, the romance between Tyler and Cat absolutely is not working for me at all. It all hinges on them having hooked up once, but because of their working relationship Tyler hit the brakes, so she's mad and he's sorry and they're both super in love but denying it. Listen, I get the appeal of this trope, but it's just not my trope. And, honestly, I don't feel the chemistry between these two at all? So I'd love to see them move on to other people, but we'll see.

Also, I'm really feeling the bi energy to the cast so far, especially from Finian! However, I'm concerned because there has been no sign of an actual romance that's not m/f. So I hope that changes? Fin's definitely hooked up with guys, and there's a fakeout make out between guys, so it's not like it's not there, but I still wouldn't mind a non m/f ship. JUST SAYING.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
There are a lot of flashback scenes in italics, particularly at the start, and they're the only things that killed the pacing a tiny bit. Flashbacks are tricky, and I didn't think this method worked. The opening few chapters especially were choppy because it kept switching back and forth between current timeline and flashbacks. I think the back story could have been conveyed more effectively than it was.

Too many POVs. Ultimately, this might be a plus in the series, but so far the POVs sound too similar and, aside from Tyler and Aurora, they don't get enough screen time for me to really get to know the characters any better than if I'd only read them in Tyler and Aurora's POVs. Zila's POV especially seems pointless since she has less than a page at a time and adds nothing but commentary. I get that this is done as a joke, but it really doesn't seem worth it from a narrative perspective. The myriad similar POVs are why I think this book didn't pull me in emotionally the way Illuminae did with its more focused cast. That method used by The Illuminae Files and The Lunar Chronicles of slowly adding POVs might have been more effective here. Then again, Aurora and Tyler are the blandest of the bunch, so maybe that's why we didn't start with just their POVs.

TO SUM UP
Really super fun even if a couple of elements made the book a bit more distancing than their prior work. The plotting and pacing are excellent, and the cast of characters shows serious promise. I'll absolutely be on board for book two.

Aurora Rising
by Amie Kaufman; Jay Kristoff
Read an Excerpt
Random House Children's
You Are Auto-Approved
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Teens & YA
Pub Date 07 May 2019 | Archive Date 31 Jan 2021

I read this book to see if we should purchase it for our young adults.
Thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the ARC.

4 star

To get it out there first thing: Aurora Rising is something completely new and different from Illuminae. The series aren't connected aside from a few tiny interweaving details (like the lysergia plague). Aurora is an all-new story with an all-new cast so if you have not read the Illuminae Files, that's okay! Aurora is something you can definitely read! And if you weren't a fan of the funky formatting in Illuminae, I promise that Aurora is a much more typical book with the story told in regular prose with minimal formatting in a few interstitials between chapters. If you've read These Broken Stars, it's like the interview sections between chapters there. But mostly the book is regular text. But if you ARE an Illuminae fan, have no fear! This book, while not in the same format, DOES contain the same kind of high-adrenaline space adventure with elements of horror and wtfuckery with a lovable cast of weirdos and misfits told in that classic cheeky style we all love Amie & Jay for.

I think Amie & Jay are really good at coming up with wild stories that include familiar elements from stories we know and love but twisting them into something wholly unique and new. If I had to comp this series, I'd call it Guardians of the Galaxy meets Breakfast Club meets Star Wars meets Ocean's Eleven meets Jurassic Park meets The Ruins meets Lost in Space. There's a little bit of everything for every kind of reader. It probably shouldn't work.... but it does. And even though there are intentional nods or unintentional similarities to these franchises, Aurora Rising manages to be wholly unique.

It's pretty cool to have a book that seems like a straightforward action space adventure romp switch the plot literally in the middle of the book and turn into a heist. With a dinosaur. As a mood reader, things like this can really keep me hooked on a story. There are a lot of really cool, interesting books in existence, but I don't know of another book that hits all of my interests quite so neatly. I think this duo has an immense talent for wild, wacky, literally out of this world creativity.

Something I mentioned in my review for Obsidio remains true here: one of Amie and Jay's greatest strengths as a writing duo is how much they make me care about their characters. I adore this ragtag group of misfits, and I am ALL IN on them. Although most of the Illuminae Files was comprised of documents and not straight up prose, the series was still a full, what, 2000 pages? that we got to know that crew. In contrast, Aurora Rising tops out under 500 pages, but I'm still invested. I want to know more about literally all of our kids (especially Zila, who has short but important chapters), and I just want them to be safe and happy, dangit! And I can't think of a single combination of characters that doesn't end in some sort of hilarious or heartwarming conversation. I love when you have an ensemble cast that mixes really well.

This series is absolutely amazing and devastating. I actually have read Aurora Burning this year, and HOO BOY, y'all are in for a good time, but also may I suggest a fluffy pillow and some tissues, maybe? The entire Aurora Cycle is one heck of a ride, and I'm loving every minute. Well.... most minutes. This series is exactly the fun, irreverent space romp I wanted it to be. I have no idea how we're all going to wait until book 3, but I have no doubt it will be just as worth it as the first two. Highly recommend!

I’ve finished. I want more.

I’m not going to give anything away here. I just want to say, Amie and Jay are masters of this craft. They create squads in space with a flow and ease that we mortals do not deserve.

If you liked Illuminae Files, you will love this. Witty banter, amazing characters, brilliant world, twists and turns, mystery, laughs, tears, FEELINGS. All of it.


Thank you to the publisher for providing me this arc.