I wanted to love this book but unfortunately, that didn't end up happening.

It wasn't a horrible book but it's a book that I just couldn't connect with no matter how hard I tried. And I feel like a huge part of that reason was because even though I liked the characters, I never really connected with them. At first I thought it was because they were one-dimensional but then as I kept reading the authors do give them depth and a background story but still, I couldn't really connect with them. I liked them but in a distant sort of way. I didn't really care about what happened to them or even what they were going through in that moment. I think out of all of them I was most interested in Aurora, Kal and Zila. Aurora and Kal fortunately gets some chapter POV's but Zila barely gets any POV chapters and when she does they legit are only like one sentence chapters. No lie. A single sentence.

The plot is fast-paced which was great because something was always happening but once again, I didn't really care for the story. I would read and complain to myself that I wanted more details of this world and what it looked like but then they'd do that and my eyes would glaze over and I'd wish for more character moments, etc. Not even the romance was that great (though I was mildly interested in Aurora's romance with a certain someone). I really and truly feel like this is a case of it just being me because everyone and their mother is in love with this book and I can't even adequately explain why this didn't work for me. It just didn't.

I don't know if I'll continue this series. At the moment, I don't really care enough about the characters or the story to want to know what happens. I'm giving this 3 stars because at times I did find myself into the book and I did like the banter between them all. But unfortunately the rest of this fell pretty flat for me.

Likes
I haven't read any of Jay and Amie's books before so this was a first for me! I generally like sci-fi and this book sounded really riveting. I have to say from the first page, I was definitely hooked into finding out what was going to happen to the squad, especially to the Aurora whom Ty rescues. I feel like that was the strongest part for me with her whole storyline. I wanted to know why she was cryofrozen, what happened to her entire race and what was going to happen to her now. I was more invested when her POV came around and wanted to know more about her and her story. Other than Jie-Lyn, I thought that Tyler was a great squad leader. This definitely gave me Skyward vibes in a way because of the band of 'misfits' working together to save the planet. I thought every character brought something unique to the table and that is what made it an interesting bunch for sure. I felt like I was more interested in learning about the squad than the secondary storyline at times. I loved seeing how they worked together as well as their unique humor and personalities working with one another. I'd also like to mention how gorgeous the cover of this is! it fits so well with the book and I appreciate amazing cover art.
Dislikes
I didn't love this book but I certainly didn't hate it either! It was an actual 3.5 stars for me, so that means the book was okay but not great on my scale. Multiple POVs are something that I'm not always a fan of but I feel like Tyler and Jie-Lyn's POVs really needed to both be in this book. It was interesting to see them both discover things differently and truly become allies. I thought at times it was unique when a chapter or part left off on a word and the next part picked up with that word; it was something I noticed right away. The storyline was interesting and the last 50 pages I couldn't put down and absolutely had to finish to know what was going to happen! I feel like I didn't get as attached to other characters as I got to Jie-Lyn and that's okay but my heart was really concerned for her and what was going to happen as she continued to make discoveries about herself. It was certainly a heart-pounder at times for sure and I would recommend this book to fans of sci-fi as well as the Illuminae series!

Aurora Rising was like The Breakfast Club meets Stranger Things meets Star Trek. You’ll notice how Tyler and Kal were a bit like Kirk and Spock: Spock volunteering himself and Kirk denying his request, etc. Kal's basically a fae alien (think Rowan from Throne of Glass - you’ll get it once you read the book). And I mentioned Stranger Things because there had been a character in this book who had frequent nosebleeds and incidents of telekinesis.

Minus 1:
And while I thought this book was fairly good, I felt that I wasn’t completely satisfied with the outcome of the story. There’s this huge thing that happened near the end of the book and I just didn’t think that it served any purpose in the story, except to add more about Aurora's character and learn more about the conflict (in general). But honestly, it could’ve happened to any character (except Aurora) and it wouldn’t even make a difference. I felt that we could’ve used this huge predicament near the end to further character development but it just wasn’t the case. For instance, we could’ve added more development to Tyler’s character (if this were to happen to him) because in my opinion, he was the plainest character in this book. Maybe if we replaced what happened (near the end) to Tyler, it would’ve added more drama. It might even further Scarlett’s character development. Now that I think about it, I’m getting to spoilery territory so I’ll stop here.

Minus 0.5:
The romance (with an -s) weren’t built up really well (in my opinion), or the romance wasn't given enough time to develop. You can't expect me to rely on a Rowan Whitethorn x Aelin bond to make the romance believable. Some relationships weren’t built up very well to be believable.

Minus 0.5:
Then there was this trope that I dislike that had been in this book: The girl on girl hate (because of a guy). What I disliked about the use of this trope in this story is the clear animosity towards someone because their crush pays attention to said person. I’ll understand if the character was 13 but I don’t know, it just didn’t sit well with me (in this book) the entire time. Jealousy is normal but it just wasn’t portrayed well in this book. How are these characters oblivious? Even the room mate is oblivious!

“A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering”
Yikes.

YIKES = FALSE ADVERTISEMENT. Everyone needs to know I was disappointed. I also felt that there was queer baiting in this book. I had... different expectations and head different things from other readers. I was kind of disappointed.
Minus 0.5:
In the Illuminae series, emotions were high, they were palpable. For this installment, I somewhat didn’t care for any of these characters. This book also had some slow moving “action” even if this story was plot driven. I think it would’ve been better for this book to be character-driven, but this is just an opinion.

Scarlett could use a little bit more character development. Her brother, Tyler, was as plain as vanilla. Kal appeared to be kind of plain, but because he’s actually Rowan from Throne of Glass, it made him seem interesting. Zila was Luna Lovegood with a murderous streak, and Finian was actually an alien but he was kind of hard to describe. All I remembered was that he had a bio suit on? I think Zila and Finian (not sure) had dark skin? Cat was kind of unmemorable in terms of description but the authors love to mention Zila’s skin color and curly hair. Tyler, Kal, and Scarlet had fair skin while Aurora’s Asian (Chinese).

Total Rating: 2.5/5
In conclusion, this book was fairly good despite the reasons I mentioned above. It’s readable, addicting, and can be suspenseful for some readers. Teens would definitely enjoy reading this new release from the authors of the Illuminae series, but ultimately this book wasn’t for me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved the previous novels from these authors but I think I had high expectations and this book just wasn’t what I had expected.


Full review will be posted on the 7th of May (day of release).

Jay Kristoff. A genius, a talented author, a heartless, ruthless monster. Mr. Kristoff does it again in his new novel, Aurora Rising. A rag-tag group of hopeless and unwanted misfits goes on an adventure that seems minuscule and kind of an insult to their talents, but turns out to be more important than any of them could have imagined. My only complaint would be that it's going to be hard to wait for the next book in this series!

An incredible read with memorable characters and an action-filled plot that proceeds at a break-neck pace. Definitely recommending this to all my teens who love sci-fi and adventure.

Fantastic! I love the troupe-y collection of outsiders, all very realized characters on their own, that are lumped together and overcome expectations. I like that there is adventure and mystery and excitement and romance all rolled into one. I liked that the ending was a non-typical choice for a series and that it was surprising. And I LOVED Kal!

I could not sit Aurora Rising down! This is the first book by the writing duo Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff that I’ve read, and it will not be the last. I cannot stress enough how fantastic this book is. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, and then I laughed some more. The diverse characters, the out of this world setting, and the cryptic plot have set the tone for the entire series.

Squad 312
Aurora Rising alternates points of view among the seven main characters: Tyler, Scarlett, Cat, Finnian, Zila, Kal, and Auri. Tyler is the goldenboy and leader of his squad. He’s also the most intense of the characters. Tyler is concerned with leading his team to the best of his and their abilities. He pushes them to the limits, but also knows where those limits are. Scarlett is Tyler’s twin sister and the “Face” of the squad. This designation means that she is like a diplomat/liaison for the group, and she is perfect for the job. Scar has a way about her that puts the other members at ease. Cat is the pilot. She is a no nonsense girl and I love her for it. You never have to wonder what she is thinking. Fin is one of two aliens in the squad. He’s the engineer and comic relief. He has a self-deprecating humor that endears him to the reader. Zila is the “Brain,” meaning she is the smartest person on the ship. However what she has in smarts, she lacks in people skills….which is a lot. Kal is the other alien of the group and the “Tank,” or the guy that goes in to battle for his crew. He’s also the least trusted, and my favorite of the crew. He’s stoic but when you get his POV the first time, you’ll fall for him, trust me 😉

Then there is Auri, or Aurora O’Malley, a girl out of time. Tyler saves her at the beginning of the book. She’s been floating in space for over two hundred years, the only surviving member of her crew. I ached for Auri. She’s grieving the life she lost and people that have been dead centuries, but to her were alive when she went to sleep. It’s heartbreaking, but she faces it headon. I admired her courage throughout the book.

The Trigger
When Auri’s life is entrusted to squad 312 (without their knowledge by the way), the plot thickens. Auri’s life in the past has been erased, but why? And why does the Terran government want her? None of it makes sense to Tyler, but he will follow orders and protect her. Auri is seeing things, things that haven’t happened yet, it is all Tyler has to go on and that is what takes them across the galaxy.

Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff built an amazing world / galaxy in Aurora Rising. The different alien societies that Fin and Kal are a part of are fully established and immersed into the story so that as Auri learns about them the reader will as well. It isn’t info-dumping at all! I naturally accepted them without question as I read. In addition to Fin and Kal, the crew travel to multiple areas of the galaxy encountering different settings and societies in each. Reading, I was engrossed in the story, and it flowed from one section to the next without any holes.

I loved every moment and plot twist! I particularly loved reading the multiple points of view. Sometimes when you have that many characters, it can feel like head hopping and the characters blend together. That is not the case here. Each character is fully fleshed out, and their personality radiates through their chapters. I never forgot who’s head I was in, not once, throughout the entire book.

My Final Thoughts
Overall I loved Aurora Rising from start to finish. I loved it so much that I read the entire 480 pages in less than 48 hours. It is everything I love about science fiction in one pretty package (have y’all seen that cover 😍) The year wait for book two is going to be SO long but absolutely worth it! Perfect for sci-fi fans young and old, Aurora Rising is everything I love about Star Trek with the dry humor and hijinks of Firefly.

Aurora Rising is the The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo as the golden boy and a Lee Pace-esque elf: at least, that’s how co-author Jay Kristoff describes it on Goodreads.

#squadgoals books are a rising trend in young adult fiction, often featuring a motley crew of misfits (why are they always misfits!) that go on heists to save the world or like in The Gilded Wolves, to fulfill some self-serving mission. And as everyone knows, I’m a massive sucker for science fiction, especially stories about space and set in space! I learnt about Aurora Rising really late and was so desperate for an ARC because I could not wait for release date to read it! And after searching around (very desperately!), I finally got one.

Essentially, Aurora Rising is Six of Crows crossed with Star Trek and a little bit of Indiana Jones thrown into the mix. It’s the story of Squad 312, a group of misfit lieutenants of the Aurora Legion, the intergalactic United Nations of the future. But first, let us meet the crew:

Tyler Jones: Alpha, top of his class, squad leader, golden boy, hot (Aurora’s first impression of him!), his dimples have their own fan club, practically perfect in every way, reminds me a lot of your typical knight in shining characters (he even starts the book by rescuing Aurora!)

Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley: Cryogenically frozen for 200+ years and rescued by Tyler, makes tons of references to Middle Earth/Lord of the Rings about Kal, trying to adapt to a new world and way of life, half-Chinese and half-Irish, loves maps

Scarlett Jones: Tyler’s older sister (they’re twins but she’s faster!), excellent diplomat, will charm your socks off, rule break, hot af and she knows it, has a fascinating string of ex-boyfriends

Kaliis “Kal” Idraban Gilwraeth: Your cookie cutter brooding, dramatic and archaic elf-like alien, also very hot (think Legolas/Elrond, according to Aurora!), Jay Kristoff uses a GIF of Thranduil to describe him which is apt and I can no longer unsee

Zila Madran: Loves to experiment (they can be a little extreme!), scientist and probably a mad one, lover of cute earrings, doesn’t say much, her work speaks for itself, highly efficient

Finian: Flirty af bisexual (??) alien, will jump all and everyone’s bones, small chip on his shoulder, wears an exoskeleton due to an underlying medical condition that’s not overly explained but makes him cool af, very chatty and never stays on topic

Cat: Best friends with the Jones twins; will break your balls even if you don’t have any, breaks chairs over people’s heads (read: Tyler!), has an adorable stuffed dragon, also has badass tattoos, very soft but also wants to be loved, also hot af

On the night before the Draft, where cadets graduate from the Aurora Academy, Tyler decides to go on his one last flight before he becomes a full-fledged lieutenant in charge of his own team. On this flight, he encounters the Hadfield, an ancient ship thought to be lost to space and aboard the ship, Aurora O’Malley. Frozen in cryo-sleep for more than two centuries, Aurora is a girl out of time and an enigma that sneaks aboard Squad 312’s virgin mission. It is the catalyst that spurs Squad 312 into an intergalactic story that challenges everything that they know and takes them to places they would never have expected to go with Aurora smack in the center of it all.

In terms of plot, Aurora Rising is both a breath of fresh air and a mish-mash of YA concepts that we have come to know and love. There are parts of it that made me go, “nice, interesting!” and others that made me go, “eh, seen that before!”. But it was still a very well thought out plot and kept it going from A to Z (and if you’ve read the book, you’ll sort of get why I make this reference).

“We the Legion
We the light
Burning bright against the night”
– Aurora Legion motto

With so many characters thrown at you all at once, it tends to get a little confusing. The most frustrating part about Aurora Rising is that the POVs are quite difficult to keep track of. Some times, I did not know who’s POV is was reading and had to go back to the start of the chapter to figure out. Of course, there are certain details that set them apart but when it’s all about plot, it gets incredibly messy. The two with the most distinct voices are Aurora and Kal. The former because she’s still adjusting to the new world and the latter because the way he talks is rather archaic. And although it would have just added to the confusing mess of characters, I think for a space opera and a technologically advanced society, you would have at least an A.I. character.

However, despite the lack of a snarky A.I. character to join the team, the worldbuilding is stunning as always. It is unique and lush; I could easily imagine the world that Aurora Rising paints because that’s just how vivid it was. I would have liked to it to be a little more elaborate and I wished that the team would have spent a little more time on Aurora Academy so we could know it more.

“Almost every particle in the universe was once part of a star,” she says softly. “Every atom in your body. The metal in your chair, the oxygen in your lungs, the carbon in your bones. All those atoms were forged in a cosmic furnace over a million kilometers wide, billions of light-years from here. The confluence of events that led to this moment are so remote as to be almost impossible.” She puts her hand on my shoulder. Her touch is awkward, as if she doesn’t quite know how to do it. But she squeezes gently. “Our very existence is a miracle.”

What I truly loved about Aurora Rising though is that it doesn’t take itself seriously, making it a truly fun and enjoyable read. The jokes are immature and bordering on NA with tons of innuendo. In fact, Kal, our resident alien-elf seems to be one giant joke at the YA/NA love for “mating bonds” and sexy elf-like characters. It was cringe-worthy as I read it but the more I think about it, the more meta it gets. And it ties into Aurora Rising being an entertaining read rather than an overly serious, space adventure. It does nothing that takes my breath away or blows my mind but it is engaging and entertaining; I finished it in a day and a half! I think that says something.

But, going back to the serious side of things, Aurora Rising has a steady and diverse cast of characters (aliens included). My favourite characters thus far are Scarlett and Finian. I particularly love Scarlett because I have a lady boner for strong female characters who are not afraid of their femininity and are not afraid just play it to their advantage but are confident in it. Plus, she’s a great talker and negotiator which, I like to think are my strengths (P.S. I’m extremely chatty!). Although, I was expecting to see an LGBTQ+ relationship but I’m holding out hope for my favourite ship!

I didn’t particularly like Aurora herself because I felt she was always very naive and timid; always keen to cower in a corner. And although she does grow out of that once she finds her sea, or rather, space legs, she still rubs me the wrong way.

For me, what really sets Aurora Rising apart from the other #squadgoals books is that these are good kids gone rogue. So often, we get criminal gangs or some sword-wielding avengers of the supernatural but it’s really refreshing to have these kids grapple with doing what they’ve been trained to do vs what they feel is right. I think that was a very interesting theme that ran throughout the book.

To wrap it all up, Aurora Rising is an entertaining space adventure that will keep you gripped with suspense, make you laugh at their antics, fall in love with the characters and keep you thinking about Squad 312 long after you’ve closed the book. I can’t wait for Book 2!

Okay, Jay and Amie are back at it again. I was unsure if I would love this as much as I loved the Illuminae series. Cause lets be real, Illuminae Files are bomb.com. But they delivered! Honestly, Illuminae still holds it place at number one in my heart . . . for now!!! I love the cast of characters we've been dealt and I feel like we're just barely getting started and have a long way to go. This book was excellent and I feel like it's only going to keep improving. I love Jay and Amie's writing and amazing story-telling capabilities. Prepare to gasp and squeal and laugh and yes cry, READ THIS BOOK AND ALL OF THEIR BOOKS <3

I wanted to love this so badly.

We follow a ragtag group that shouldn’t have been teamed up together exploring the galaxy trying to uncover the secrets of their stowaway girl out of time. We have angsty characters and sassy characters, a fast paced plot and fun space setting. However, my main issue with this book is the POV. We have seven different first person POVs, and it made it feel like the characters were being held at arms length. None of them felt developed enough, which made my enjoyment of the relationships and interactions between the crew go way down.

The plot really felt lacking as well. It is very fast paced, but I think due to that everything felt underdeveloped. There is so much mystery surrounding Aurora and the failed expedition she was on, but none of the clues we got really propelled the story forward. It packed so much on all at once and became frustrating rather than compelling.

Overall I can see why someone would enjoy this book. I just couldn’t connect to the characters and it ultimately hindered my enjoyment.

Aurora Rising follows our golden boy Alpha, Tyler, and his ragtag team of recruits from the Aurora Legion, an interstellar peace keeping group. When Tyler finds a girl, also named Aurora, floating in stasis in a 200-year-old shipwreck, their team is thrown headfirst into danger. Abandoned by command and on the run from multiple government agencies, Tyler & his crew find themselves on a space pirate trading base where they have to pull off the heist of the galaxy. Aurora isn’t all that she appears to be, and her secrets seem to be at the center of an inter-planetary conspiracy.

The cast of characters is endearing, if not a little expected. We have the golden boy, the brawn, the brainiac, the smooth talker, the sarcastic one, the cocky pilot who is the best pilot to have ever piloted. Some characters – Kal, Auri, Tyler – are much more fleshed out that others. I struggled to tell Scarlett and Cat’s narrative voices apart, and neither seemed to have a ton of personality. However, this is a plot-forward novel and readers here for the ride won’t much mind that some of the minor characters are a little same-same. This fast-paced, action-packed book will leave you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know how Tyler and his crew will get out each tight spot. Fans of Star Trek and Six of Crows will eat this up and be begging for more.

First of all, thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I started Aurora Rising, I wasn’t sure what to expect but this book blew me away. Although every aspect of the story is strong (plot, pacing, etc), it was the characters and the chemistry between them that stole my heart. This fast-paced adventure kept me on the edge of my seat and left me gasping for breath at the twisty ending.

It may still be early in the year, but I have absolutely no doubt that this will be one of my top books of 2019. I recommend Aurora Rising without hesitation to any fans of young adult adventure and/or science fiction.

I want to first thank Knopf Books for young readers and Netgalley for offering me a free copy for my honest review.

This book surpassed all of my expectations, I went in not knowing anything about it except the both Amie and Jay wrote another sci-fi book. I have no reason to be surprised that I loved this book. I always love every book I pick up by jay and I loved the Illuminae files so much. From the starts I just want to say I cannot recommend this book enough.

I loved the characters in this story, they were all very unique and diverse. I loved each one of their voices, none of them blended together. I love the witty and snarky banter between everyone. Auri did have one fault though in my opinion and it was taking in all the mean things said to her and never saying something back. I wish she had more of a bigger voice. Cat did annoy me at times but I love the twist in the end which made me really like her. Out of everyone I loved Kal! He was my precious baby throughout the whole book and I just wanted him to have his way at all times. And when things were revealed about how he felt it made me so giddy and happy.

The twist in the plot at the end had me gasping for air and for something to grab. It was so unexpected and I loved every second of it. Each word had me on my feet and I can not wait to read more of this amazing squad.

I don’t know why I’m even surprised that I loved this. Amie and Jay have proven themselves to be MFing geniuses and this is no exception.

I loved the entire crew of Squad 312. They’re snarky and ruthless and loyal af. I throughly enjoyed reading how this group of ragtag misfits bonded over weirdness and created something amazing. And normally the constant shift of POV would irritate me, but I love seeing all sides when it’s from Amie and Jay.

Plot wise, it everything I could have wanted. It’s funny and heartbreaking and confusing in the best way possible. It unfolds at a quick pace and just when I was wondering wtf was happening, I would get a morsel. Trust me when I say these two authors know what they’re doing and be ready to settle into the story as they want it told.

Overall, it was something new and creative and I loved every page. This is a set of characters I want to hang out with and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

**Huge thanks to AA Knopf BFYR for providing the arc free of charge**

I loved this YA sci-fi story of a misfit band of space travelers who accidentally rescue a girl who's been suspended in cryo-sleep for 200 years. Tyler, Cat, Scarlett, Kal, Fin, and Zila have just graduated from Aurora Academy and end up on the same Squad, pledged to follow Tyler's leadership in their intergalactic peacekeeping mission. Except that their first mission is a dud, busywork at best. And Auri, the girl Tyler isn't sure he meant to rescue from her hibernation in a long-dead spacecraft, keeps showing up at inopportune times. Plus, her extended time in the Fold seems to have messed with her head, because her memories don't match up with the official record at all. A motley crew coming together, a girl with magic powers, space battles and races, a risky heist-- I don't read a lot of science fiction, but even I recognize a lot of these tropes from other stories. Still, they are all so well done I didn't mind the familiarity at all, and the characters, though they rarely surprised me, certainly made me care about them. This was my first read by Kaufman and Kristoff, but I'll certainly seek out more. I'm definitely going to be recommending this one to teens in my library, and I think the crossover appeal with adults who don't mind YA will be great as well.

This book was so hard to put down (so I didn't!)!
Lots of non-stop action. Multiple points of view flesh out the story. I can't wait for the next installment!

Many thanks to Random House Kids for sending me an eARC via NetGalley for my honest review!

I want to start this review by saying that I was very fortunate to have been given a EARC, I swear that my neighbors could hear me cheering. With that said, this book disappointed me so much! I really wanted to love it and I really didn't like it until the last 30% of the book. I found it to be extremely boring. I loved Jay and Amie's Illuminae Files and I do enjoy there writing. I just wasn't connecting with the story.

They are not the heroes we deserve. They are just the ones we could find.

Aurora Rising Follows the story of six legion cadets who make up the squad 312, they are chosen to work together during the draft,which Tyler missed. He was to busy saving a girl from a ship he found floating in the fold. He is one of the top students but he is landed with the misfits of the academy who make up his squad..

Tyler: The Alpha, Squad Leader,Scarlet's brother and captain "hotness". The amount of times his dimples or attractiveness was mentioned was absurd.

Aurora: An Asian human girl,who was Cryogenically frozen for the last 200 years and was supposed to wake up on Octavia III. She has some wicked powers but she also has no idea how to control them.

Scarlet: The Face, the diplomat and Tyler's twin sister.She is described as having fiery red hair and is just as attractive as her brother.

Cat: The Ace, the pilot, has been friends with Tyler and Scarlet since kindergarten. She is a strong woman and takes shit from no one. She is covered in tattoos with a Mohawk and not so secretly in love with Tyler.

Kal: The Tank, Syldrathi, he has darker skin and silver braided hair. The Syldrathi are in the midst of a civil war and also have a war history with the Terran people. This boy is full of rage, but oh can he throw down. He was hands down my favourite character.

Finian: The Gearhead, Tech Division. He is Betraskan, his skin is white.He’s bisexual and has a disability for muscle weakness, nerve damage, impaired mobility. He has to wear a exoskeleton suit to help him with his movements. His character also made this book tolerable, he's sassy and says inappropriate things at the worst times.

Zila: The Brains, Science Division. She is described as having dark brown skin with curly black hair. She loves to wear hoop earrings and can be a little trigger happy.

The six of us? Against the whole galaxy?

The book is divided up into three different parts, I really struggled with part 1 it was incredibly boring and slow moving.Part 2 took place on the world ship, where the squad was a part of a very drawn out heist. We got a little bit of backstory to some characters,but I still wasn't vibing with the story. It wasn't until part three where I found myself actually invested in the plot. It was short lived though because then the book needed, just when things were getting good.

I had a really hard time picking up the book to actually read it. The action scenes were well written but because I didn't care about the characters I was invested in there well being. Well, I did like Kal and Fin, they were the only characters with some personality.

This book was a huge miss for me, I know there is a lot of high praise already. I know I'll probably get some hate for this but no one is more disappointed with my feelings than I am. I think this book would have been hugely improved by not having seven different POV, if they stuck with just Tyler and Aurora I think it would have been less confusing. I struggled with remembering who was talking in each chapter.

I ended up giving Aurora Rising 2.5 Stars.

Buddy Read with Amy!

Such.a.great.book! It’s fast paced, the characters and their relationships are fantastic, the settings are wonderful and the plot is intriguing! Every time I put it down I was anxious to pick it back up again (darn adulting getting in the way!). I cannot wait until the next one!

4.5

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Amie Kaufman, and Jay Kristoff for the opportunity to read Aurora Rising early in exchange for an honest review (though I have this book pre-ordered and cannot WAIT to hold it and leaf through its beauty in person).

Side note: There are a number of pre-order goodies available for this book. Check Jay Kristoff's site to see what countries are eligible for what offers. Being a member of the U.S., I am more than stoked to say fans of the Illuminae Files will be sent an exclusive Illuminae novella (Memento) with their pre-order of Aurora Rising!!!

Kaufman and Kristoff have done it again! While it was a bit harder to get to know all the characters in this book, once I got to learn everyone in Squad 312, I greatly appreciate the diversity of characters in race, gender, and personality! The book has some pages that are an image of a file with text that helps the reader learn about a class, race, creature, or planet in this expansive universe, which was a nice visual addition to the book.

In 2380 technology has come a long way, including swift space travel through the Fold.

Tyler-Leader of Squad 312. First Class, Diplomatic Corps. Finds Aurora in Cryosleep and saves her. Or does she save him? Alpha, responsible for leadership and planning.

Scarlett--Face, responsible for diplomacy and negotiation. Tyler's slightly older twin sister.

Kal--A Syldrathi (often referred to by Auri as Elrond). Tank, in charge of tactical combat and engagement strategies. Has an interesting connection with Aurora.

Finnian--A Betraskan who seems to like men and women? He's funny either way. Betraskans have interesting family structures...Gearhead, Tech Division. Great with mechanics. Wears an exosuit to help his body with gravity shifts.

Cat--Ace, responsible for piloting and transport. Has a history with Tyler. Still loves him.

Zila--Brain, Science Divison and medic. Not one for many words. Very intelligent.

Aurora--A mystery. Saved by Tyler form 200 years of Cryosleep in the Fold. For some reason the Terran Defense Force wants her. Anyone who knows too much or is too involved with Aurora will be terminated. Chinese heritage. A strange white eye that gives her some kind of telekinetic powers?

When Squad 312 is sent on their first mission to save some Syldrathi refugees, Aurora escapes a Terran Defence Force ship and ends up with the squad. The seven together embark on a strange adventure triggered by some strange entity within Aurora. There are space battles, scuffles, giant space dinosaurs, fun alien races, and exactly what I wanted from Kaufman and Kristoff: creepy space plague. 

This was an amazingly fun read. It would be fun to have this in my classroom, maybe do an outer space book club unit sometime! A book I have definitely pre-ordered. I can't wait to see this beauty in person, and I definitely can't wait to read the next one!

This was an AMAZING book! This is exactly the kind of epic book you'd expect from Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. This is an epic follow up to their Illuminae series. I highly, highly recommend.