Damn. What do you even say after a book like that?

When it comes to sci-fi, books practically sells themselves in my case. I'm such space-trash (wait, not THAT kind of space trash--whatever, you know what I mean). But then I read Aurora Rising, and it is SO MUCH BETTER THAN I EVEN EXPECTED. Prepare yourselves for an incredible ride.

The story is set in 2380. The Milky Way Galaxy is home to, of course, humans, and hundreds of alien species. Star pupil Tyler Jones has just graduated from the Aurora Academy and is ready to be assigned his first mission, with top pick of the drafts for his crew. But when his own heroism gets him stuck with a rag-tag group of misfits, Tyler finds himself running--or rather, flying--through space for his life, and the lives of his crew. A crew he might not be so opposed to being stuck with after all.

The characters are fantastic. I'm not typically a huge fan of jumping POV's, and when I saw this book had seven I was a tad worried. It's probably just a problem with my own brain since I forget halfway through the chapter whose perspective I'm supposed to be in. But with this book, I adored it. I loved seeing each situation through the eyes and emotions of each crew member of Squad 312 because they had something new to offer. There's not a character I didn't come away from half-way in love with (and one or two I'm already head over heals for).

I'm giving Aurora Rising a full five star review. I was completely immersed in the story, the characters, the slow-burn romance (of which might have just made its way into my top five OTP), the endless Lord of the Rings references (who doesn't love a LoTR reference, come on?), the incredible cover by Charlie Bowater (I CALL FOR MORE BOWATER COVER ART), and that ending (even if it completely wrecked me). Aurora Rising, you are my Be'shmai.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Knopf Books for the eARC.

4.5 stars! This book was so fun and action packed! Amie and Jay did it again with the memorable characters and amazing world building.
Squad 312 was full of every type of character that we all love. I think my favorite was Finian. He was so sassy. But really, I loved how different they all were but made the perfect squad. Everyone’s weakness was someone else’s strength.
I love how many things happened, but it didn’t ever feel forced or like some minor plot line was randomly put in or not needed. Everything flowed together and kept me interested through the whole thing.
I have a love hate relationship with the cliffhanger at the end. It was such a good place to end the book but I need to know what happens!

Now that was a wild ride.

I'll be honest: sci-fi is generally not my thing. Space, aliens, future technology, etc. I just tend to zone out and lose interest pretty quickly. And it wasn't the authors that pulled me in as I've never read anything else by Jay Kristoff or Amie Kaufman (which is something I definitely need to fix). It was the cover that really caught my attention but it was the summary that truly sold me on that book - and I am so glad I gave it a shot because it was such a fun read.

Meet our crew of misfits from Squad 312:

Tyler - Alpha, leader, Goldenboy with killer dimples, and all around sweetheart.
Scarlett - Face, (older) twin to Tyler, sarcasm is a second language for her.
Cat - Ace, Zero (as in never misses a shot), best friend to Tyler and Scarlett, and in love with one of them.
Finian - MY FAVORITE! Gearhead, alien with more family members than you can count, angry at the world and everyone in it, and a bisexual flirt.
Zila - Brains, shoot first ask questions later.
Kaliis - Tank, Pixieboy, alien warrior with perfect hair, beautiful eyes, and does not want to be touched.
Aurora - Auri, a girl out of time, confused 90% of the time but determined to figure out what's happening to her.

There is plenty of sarcastic, hilarious banter between this little rag-tag team not to mention dangerous missions, creepy aliens, government cover-ups, and believing in the impossible. Sometimes the banter felt a little forced at certain times but overall I enjoyed it. Sometimes I even found myself laughing out loud at work or my apartment as I read. AND THAT ENDING! I won't spoil anything there but it was creepy. I was actually shocked by the way the story ended but it made me eager to get my hands on book two (oh god I just realized how long a wait it's going to be).

So why the 4 star instead of a solid 5? Personally, I was not a fan of the romance in this book. It's not there much thankfully until closer to the end but when it was there it felt... misplaced. Their lives are in danger; time is of the essence but let's take time to talk about romantic feelings. It felt too forced - almost an excuse to do insta-love (which I have never been a fan of). I like build up; I like subtle hints; I like reading chemistry between characters and eventually wanting them together for myself - not because they are "meant to be". It was too predictable and I do hope the next book will surprise me with any future romance between the characters. Everything else was so unpredictable to me that the romance was just disappointing and lackluster.

The only other complaint I have isn't a real complaint (and did not affect my star rating) and I will admit it happened less often as the book continued but it started to drive me nuts when Scarlett continuously called Tyler "baby brother" or "dear brother". I didn't notice it too much as first but after it happened within a couple pages 3 times it started getting tedious.

All in all, I loved this book and struggled to take my time with it because I just wanted to know what happened next. There was so much about this book that I did not predict which made it even better. I actually enjoyed it so much that I preordered a physical copy of the book for my shelves at home.

One last thing: LET MAGELLAN SPEAK 2K19

Getting the opportunity to read an ARC of this book legit made my YEAR - it was the number one I cannot human because I have this book title and whooooo boy it did not disappoint. I was a tiny bit nervous when I got started, because the back and forth in time was a bit hard to follow because of the shifty little transitions. Had they continued throughout the book I might have had a hard time with it as the plot got more complex. That being said, it didn't last long and it did end up making sense and fitting with the story, so all was right in the world. Other than that tiny bit of difficulty, I LOVED this book. It's funny and touching and off beat and so so different - it's hard to describe beyond saying that you need this book in your life. #squad312 for life y'all!!! As I'm writing this, it's smacking me upside the head that since this book doesn't release for a couple months, that's even LONGER that I have to wait to find out what the heck this merry band of misfits will get up to next, and that is possibly the most distressing reality of my day. If you like space, misfits, and weird telekinetic happenings, this book is THE number one book you need in your life.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book early. Kaufman and Kristoff have done it again! They have a knack for weaving together unique and diverse characters. The story was riveting and pulled you in from the start. The wit was on point and had me laughing throughout. I have already pre-ordered a copy for myself and for the library.

This book was so so so so good! The drama, the action, the witty comments, I loved every moment of it. The ending was so emotional. I cannot want for the next one!

Wow. What an incredible ride that was. Aurora Rising is an action packed page-turner from beginning to end. This is by far the best YA sci-fi that I have ever read. I iced everything about this: the multiple first person POVs, the mission to protect Aurora, the slow burn romances, the high speed chases, the humor and sarcasm.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Knopf Books for the eARC.

I will edit to include my full review closer to publication day.

I WASN'T READY I WASN'T READY I WASN'T READY

I’m still not over it!! I swear when I started to read it I really didn’t know a lot about it. There were only three things I knew and I had absolutely no idea how it would work out for me.

1.) It’s a sci-fi series.
2.) It's by the best YA duo to grace our planet!
3.) The hype around it

Well, enough reasons to pick up the book and to give it a try, right? If only I would have known what I was signing up for. Nothing, really NOTHING prepared me for the things that were about to come. I was totally swept away by this book and its events and yet… yet there were many typical tropes I already read about a thousand times.

BUT tell you what?! It worked!!! And damn did it work!!! I dunno how Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufmann did it but this was so, so, SO GOOD!!! The suspense was killing me and whenever I had to stop to read all I wanted to do was to continue. I mean a Six of Crows like plotline… My first reaction was “Been there, done that, got the freaking t-shirt”, but WOW once you dive into the story, it’s almost like you’re actually there, like you’re fighting alongside this crew of characters. You have Cat, Finian, Aurora, Tyler, Kell, Zila, and Scarlett. MY NEW CHILDREN.

The protagonists are utterly engaging, and wholly realized. The enormous tension between them is neither overwrought or contrived - it's exactly what it needs to be. And the ending is awesome. It's a hard trick to pull off a properly foreshadowed surprise ending. These authors did it. A fun, engrossing novel, and I'm excited to see where this story goes.

First off, no the formatting is not the same as the Illuminae Files. Each chapter is from the POV of one our 7 characters. At the end of some chapters, there is a “page” from some kind of manual (training manual perhaps?) that explains people/places/terms used in the chapter.

Wow, oh wow. The Illuminae Files are fantastic. They’re pretty close to perfection for me. I’ve been looking forward to Aurora Rising since I finished Obsidio last year. I was cautiously optimistic. Could Amie and Jay really write YA space odyssey that’s truly epic AGAIN? The answer is a resounding YES.

Epic space-ness is in full force with the story from page one. Botched space missions, Space academy, heist during a party underwater on a SPACESHIP, Government conspiracies, and so much sassy banter. UGH. Perfection. The story kept me on the edge of my seat and I truly hated to have to put the book down.

The characters had perfectly defined voices. You never had to wonder whose chapter you were reading. The ease of the diversity of the character was fabulous. It’s set several hundred years in the future. Of course, we’ve met aliens. Making part of the crew alien was a smart choice. I loved getting a bit of a glimpse of alien races. Finian (Betraskan) is bone white, long boned, and has a really complicated family tree. Kal (Syldrathi) is an olive skinned, violet eyed, member of a Warrior race. There’s never an info dump session. You simply get glimpses through conversation and how others view them.

Squad 312 worked together beautifully. Their camaraderie and annoyances with each other felt very natural. There’s some romantic tension but it really doesn’t get in the way. I’m actually pretty pleased with one of the pairings. It’s not who I would have put together but it works.

The bottom line? Another amazingly, epic space journey that’s a sure start to a new favorite series.

{Review will be posted to alisoninbookland.wordpress.com on May 7th. Will cross post to Goodreads, Amazon, & B&N]

I think my main problem with this one was so many POVs in first person! I really wish it would have been in third! The authors obviously know how to write sci-fi but I was just hoping for more.

What the hell just happened? Jay and Amie strike again! Squad 312 is officially among some of my favorite squads. I loved that each person had a unique personality that both added and challenged the team. I only had one character that took me a bit to warm up to but I did eventually get there. The banter between the squad was pure gold with some seriously funny, laugh out loud moments.. On the other hand, there were also tears and moments my still beating heart from ripped from my chest. It is weird I loved every minute of it? The ending was so intense, I am already dying for the next book.

My only critique would be that there were times that felt like the information was being said over and over again, but the world and story was interesting enough to overlook it. I did also keep wanting them to let the AI speak! I am hoping it has more of a roll in the next edition. I love my crazy AI.

Overall, this was another bloody fantastic space adventure from my favorite SciFi duo. It reminded me of some of my favorite things about Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy. Definitely recommend this book. Pre-order it now! Full review on my blog close to publication.

This book was simply amazing. I'm a huge fan of anything either Amie Kaufman or Jay Kristoff writes. and Aurora Rising completely exceeded my expectations. I love the way these coauthors blend their voices together to create such wonderful, witty prose. The characters all stole my heart; they were all so dynamic and so much fun to read about. I liked how not all of the characters had a romantic subplot, and the romances that existed didn't dominate the greater situation. It would have been so easy to pair the squad into couples, but that wasn't what happened, and I really liked that departure from the norm. I did really enjoy the potential relationships between several of the characters, and I liked that the pairings weren't what I was expecting.
The plot itself was so exciting and action-packing as well as majorly creepy at times. I loved the dynamics among all the people in the squad.

Title: Aurora Rising
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Publication Date: May 7th, 2019
Rating: 5 stars

I received a digital copy from Penguin Random House through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

->Click for Synopsis<-

These authors have become near and dear to my heart after I fell in love with The Illuminae Files that they also wrote together. I recommend that series to everyone because it is amazing! When it was announced they were writing another book together I was so excited! This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and even though it is getting closer to release, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read this early. It reached above and beyond my expectations!

Welcome to Squad 312! Where the good times keep on rollin', sarcasm is always welcomed and the banter never ends. This squad consists of Tyler, Scarlett, Cat, Kal, Finian, and Zila. Tyler may have received some recruits that were the bottom of the barrel but he will learn that they may have a lot to offer when shit hits the fan and they find themselves on a wild ride with a girl named Aurora.

One thing that I loved about the characters is that they each have a different personality and background. It is easy to relate to one or more for different reasons and even if you can't relate they have personalities that reel you in! They make it so easy to feel like you are a part of the squad!

When it comes to relationships, there are a couple times that you think certain ones in the squad will get together and then you realize nothing is as it seems. I am not going to say anymore than that because I don't want to give anything away. I will say that I have a new book boyfriend and his name is Kal. I am here for him, okay!

There are great references to Middle-Earth and a character Jrr Tolkien created that everyone loves. It was a surprise and a fantastic one at that! So, if you aren't really a fan of sci-fi but you love elves you should definitely pick this book up and be introduced to space elves because they will have you dreaming about them.

Kaufman and Kristoff never disappoint when it comes to their writing. They bring their characters and worlds to life and as a reader I find myself being swept away with ease into these worlds they create!

I absolutely loved this book and if you are a fan of the authors or want a book with a daring heist, a group of hilarious misfits, and crazy twists that will make you have an emotional hangover than this book is for you! Check it out and go preorder!

I am so happy I had the chance to read this book as an ARC, it's my first "mainstream" book I've ever received an arc for and I just feel so honored. 

This book was so action packed with spunky characters and I honestly loved every single minute of it. 

The way it was written, it wasn't at all like Illuminae so I could read more of each of the author's writing styles and compare them as I read and it was honestly so much fun. At times, I could tell which author was writing which characters, but other times, it was really tough. lol. 

The characters were so much fun, I love the big group of misfits and how they all come together to fight for what they believe in, not really caring about what happens to them as long as they are able to complete their mission. 

There was so much action and it was really well written and it really kept you gripped through. There was never really any break and I liked that, things continued to happen and it was consistent with that which was just fantastic.

13/10 would recommend to EVERYONE!

I just loved this so much, thank you for letting me read this as an arc.

Wow. I loved this book. A great start to a new series. The characters are awesome, the world is very interesting, the action was great, and the humor? Laugh out loud. It could have been a dark and heavy story but the humor kept everything light. It was well-balanced. I can't wait for the next book and this one hasn't even come out yet!
I enjoyed the Illuminae Files but I think I like the Aurora Cycle more. It was written as first person so it felt more intimate.

I'm also definitely going to purchase a physical copy of this book when it comes out. The cover art is gorgeous and I think this will be one of my favorites series.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Penguin Random House, Jay Kristoff, and Amie Kaufman for providing me with an e-ARC via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review; this in no way affects my rating.

With that being said, let's begin this NON-SPOILERY review! Any specific facts mentioned were pulled from the official synopsis available on Goodreads.

Aurora rising starts off with a BANG. There is action from the very first page until the last. We first meet Aurora, a girl out of time who has just awoken from two centuries in cryo-sleep after being rescued by the Aurora Academy's star pupil, Tyler. Due to this rescue, Tyler misses a draft and gets stuck with a group of misfits that no one wanted.

*from the synopsis*
"A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates 
A smart-ass tech whiz 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"

This space adventure is a YA SCIFI lovers dream! You can tell that the science behind the writing was well researched. The diversity within the book is natural, I love the interaction between the characters - the banter is HILARIOUS. Each character has their own personality and style and you can tell who is talking without reading chapter headers. I was unsure about how I would feel after being set up with the genius that is the Illuminae Files and the Starbound trilogy, but this was perfection. It's 100% unique, the galaxy is completely new, and I found myself so invested in this story that during the last few chapters, I don't think I took a single breath! I am ready for the Aurora Cycle #2!

Do yourself a favor and pre-order this book right now! You will not regret it!

This review is also located on my blog (https://rqdreads.wordpress.com/2019/03/14/squad312-forever-aurora-rising-review/)

Well. This had all the makings for everything that I love about space opera odysseys.

1. A rag-tag group of unlikely (although phenomenally intelligent capable) space heroes that you absolutely can get behind and root for in a ride-or-die kind go way.
2. War! Conflict! Drama! Adventure!
3. Science things that don't feel so sciencey.
4. Astral projection. And other space super powers.
5. Inter-species space love. Oh ... I (space)ship it so hard ...
6. Super complex space treasure thievery.
7. Threat of bio-contagions. Who doesn't love the potential for a space zombie?
8. A cryogenically frozen space goddess as the chosen one.
9. Cool faux-swear swear words (I think my new favorite one is "mothercustard" so gross and so epic at the same time)
10. Multi-viewpoint storytelling.

I just loved everything about this and I can't want to shop the LIFE out of this new series to the teens at my library. Hello, Space Themed Summer Reading 2019 ... I can't wait to put this in the hands of my readers. *all the excitement*

Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman – Random House Children’s Books (Josh)
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Holy. Mother. Custard. This book was absolutely incredible! I fell in love with these two authors when I read the Illuminae Files for the first time, so when I heard they were writing another series together, I knew it wouldn’t disappoint! This book is full of crazy, badass characters that were all just so amazing that I really felt like a part of Squad 312. The plot was incredible, and I was hooked from page one. It had me like “WTF is going on?!” from the first line and I basically didn’t stop reading it from then on. This book could be described as Six of Crows in space with a sassy alien that doesn’t stop telling dirty jokes; a badass tattooed pilot that takes no shit from anyone; a hot blond squad leader; a mysterious and sweet stowaway, who’s SUPER old; a badass girl who has fiery red hair that matches her personality; a brutal, alien Legolas, who’s hot af and blushes with his ears; and a cute, shy, crazy smart girl who is addicted to her stun gun. This book has some serious friendship goals and some swoon-worthy scenes. This book doesn’t come out for over a month and now I realize I have to wait OVER A YEAR FOR THE NEXT BOOK. I give this book 5/5 stars!

Kaufman and Kristoff just *get* me. It's like they know EXACTLY which types of books I want to read, and then they write them. In this case, I wanted to read a sassy, secret-laden misfit team space opera with notes of <i>Annihilation</i> thrown in, and that is exactly what they wrote.

There are so many rad things about this book, I could go on and on, but Imma do my best to keep this short and sweet. So, here's what I loved:

*the cast. These guys are like a twitchier, more dysfunctional version of the Guardians of the Galaxy. They each have a *thing* that sets them apart as Other, but that's part of what bands them together in the first place. But they're all scary awesome in their own way, and I'm SO looking forward to learning more about them. Except the one I didn't really care for anyway, so there's that. (Although then I remember that Jay Kristoff is half of this writing team, and he's got a twisted way of bringing thrice-dead characters back for a fourth turn, so there's always a chance...)
*the plot. As twisty as it is, it's not really hard to follow. But it does keep moving forward at lightspeed, so hold on to your butts. The action moves from place to place as our "heroes" get kicked from crisis to crisis, and at each point, the characters learn and grow. They learn about themselves and each other and about what they've gotten themselves into (but did they really get *themselves* into it? Debatable.), and they grow closer and stronger as a squad.
*the setting. Part of the brilliance that is a Kaufman/Kristoff novel is the intricate and sophisticated world building. They overlook nothing, and leave nothing to chance. Everything is thought out and accounted for, from the inner workings of an exosuit right down to the fitting of Aurora Academy-issued undies. And in between there are full cultures, extensive histories, AI tech, distinct alien physiologies, and ball gowns. It's amazing.

I read this book in two sittings, and am almost angry with myself that I didn't make it last longer. And it's definitely going to be a long wait until Episode II.

5 stars to this fast-paced, fun, heisty, sci-fi, adventure with the best squad in the Milky Way! The amazing duo, that is Jay and Amie, managed to pull it off again! You are pulled into the dramatics of this story right from page 1 and begin to wonder, what in the universe is going on here? I was immediately intrigued by Auri and wanted to unravel her story to find out more. If you put a group of ragtag misfits together and make them learn to work as a team, I am here for it! There was so much snark, sass and sarcasm, but also some beautiful moments among the squad members. Also, in true Jay and Amie fashion, they will undoubtedly rip your heart to pieces. You’ve been warned. I highly, highly recommend this daring, space opera to anyone looking for an exciting read that is out of this world! Go pre-order it NOW!