Member Reviews
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.
Holy cake, this was a wild ride. I don’t want to spoil anything but it went off in a direction that made perfect sense and is one I love to see. I enjoyed this more than the second, mostly because it didn’t rudely cliffhanger us mid-fight 😂 Overall a good ending to the trilogy.
This was a fitting, though confusing, ending to the Aurora Cycle. It had the classic Kaufman/Kristoff banter that made them famous with the Illuminae Files. I would recommend to anyone who likes Kaufman and Kristoff or straight YA science fiction.
*Received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Well this is the final journey for squad 312! And I have to say I enjoyed this book, but I wish we got more Aurora/Kal time.
It was a really quick read with nice pacing, I would've finished it in one night if I didn't have to get up early!
I did get annoyed with Aurora at times, she seemed to get pretty power hungry and not really caring so much about her love for Kal. I enjoyed the rest of the squad though, especially the relationship between Scarlett/Finn (although it seemed a little fast)
Overall I enjoyed this book and it was a good conclusion to the Aurora Cycle! Were there some things I wish were different? Yes, but it didn't take away at all from my enjoyment of this book!
I'm sad I had to say goodbye to all these awesome characters, but this is definitely a must read series!!
Squad 312 Forever!💫
Quem já me acompanha aqui, já sabe o quanto eu adoro essa trilogia. O Squad 312 chegou num momento que eu estava necessitando de um grupo de renegados excluídos para chamar de meu.
Depois do final de Aurora Burning eu não sabia nem mais o que pensar no que poderia acontecer aqui. Algumas teorias acertei, outras eu fui pegando no ar, mas o importante é que esse final foi bastante surpreendente e me deixou com os nervos à flor da pele pelo squad.
Assim como nos outros livros, a história aqui é bastante dinâmica e cheia de ação. A alternância dos pontos de vista sempre foi um acerto dos autores e aqui esse artifício só fez intensificar os sentimentos.
Sobre o squad, eu não canso de dizer que eles são perfeitos, sejam juntos ou separados. A evolução deles, tanto como grupo como individuais, é perfeita. Amo Scar, com toda sua confiança e seu coração grande. Fin, que encontrou no squad seu clã e baixou a guarda, recebendo troca muito carinho e apoio. Auri que nunca pestanejou desde que lhe foi dada essa missão que ela não pediu. Kal, que sempre esteve apoiando não somente Auri, mas seu squad, e lutando para ser uma pessoa melhor do que lhe era esperado.
Mas pra mim os que brilham mesmo no livro são Tyler e Zila. O alfa sempre foi um personagem surpreendente por ser um líder de verdade, que ouve e se preocupa com seu grupo; alguém que realmente acredita. Já nossa pequena Cérebro, que sempre manteve a calma durante as piores situações, está disposta a fazer todos os sacrifícios possíveis para salvar seus amigos.
Aurora's End é um final bem fechado. Os autores fecharam todas as pontas e todas as explicações foram dadas de forma bem condizente com o que foi apresentado. Mas os 10 últimos capítulos são pura angústia e apreensão! Chegou um momento que eu achei que ninguém ia se salvar, mas no fim das contas o bem venceu e nosso Squad de azarados teve seu final feliz (na medida do possível).
I don't have the words. Amie and Jay you'll pay for my therapy. I can't believe how fast I read this, it is really un put downable.
This was the most action-packed, nerve-racking and incredibly blast of an ending, that this series deserved. I don't quite know what I was expecting after that ending we got on Aurora Burning, but I like what we got.
This book gave me all the feels and comfort that only stories about found family have. They have a special place in my heart. There were some great developments here, some more than others, but overall I was thoroughly satisfied with how things wrapped up.
Tyler.... wow I did not see his growth coming. He has a special place in my heart and it took a while but I love him so.
Scarlett... I love you woman, plain and simple.
Finian... he is the purest cinnamon that has ever lived. Protecc at all costs.
Zila... oh baby you are so special and I love to see how much you have evolved.
Kal... he didn't have as much development as he had in Aurora Burning (because c'mon he owned that book) but although I wish there was more of him here, I understand they needed the space to develop the others
Auri... same as Kal she had much more "screen time" both on book one and two compared to the others, so they also sidelined her a bit, but I love the ending she got
I am so.... Hollow. So bittersweet that this incredible journey is over. I always hate endings, even when I love them.
This was a beautiful journey, and I am so glad I was a part of it. Squad 312 forever.
Yes this review will be just this cause I have literally no emotional to write more, and also spoilers, I don't even know how to organize my thoughts that don't spoil it all.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS, DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE BOOK!!!!!!
First I want to thank PRH International for giving me the chance to read an eARC of one of my most anticipated releases from this year!
And now... Where do I even start? Writing this is going to hurt, because I love this series so much and the characters are my little babies, but this book was not it for me. Maybe I had high expectations after reading Aurora Burning and I didn't expect this book to be so... soft?
Let's talk about the characters first.
Aurora
I felt like she was so weird in this book and I understand that it was because of the power within her, but she made some crazy decisions, she was acting very strange and I just didn't like her character that much in this book. She could've been so, so much better, she had a lot of potential that wasn't used.
Kal
After Aurora Burning, my heart was broken for him. This guy deserved so much more and he did get some of that in Aurora's End, but not enough. I would've loved to see him make up with his sister, but eh...
Zila
I love her with all my heart. she saved the book, because her sacrifice was literally my favourite thing in this book, one that I felt like it was worthy of the finale of a series. She is so amazing and I wish we knew more about her life with Nari, I need a short story or novella or something about them.
Tyler
I didn't expect him to be the person he was in this book and I LOVED his new self. And I was rooting for him and Saedii, so I'm glad they made the big step, because they're really great together.
Scarlett
I love her growth so much. She overcame so many of her fears in order to save the ones she loved, she became such a beautiful person and I'm so happy that she finally got what she deserves.
Finian
He's enough and he has always been enough and I love him so, so much. He has come so far and I'm so happy that he and Scarlett found each other. I mean it was very predictable, but I love them together. They deserve each other.
The plot? Well, the plot was definitely not what I was expecting. I really enjoyed the whole time travelling stuff, even though my mind went a little crazy while trying to piece everything together. It was challenging and I enjoyed it, coming from a sci-fi book. But as I said in the beginning, this book was too soft. I was expecting a huge fight with the Ra'haam, not what happened with Aurora and her choices. I just didn't feel like it was such a great ending to this series, it was just cute, but not exciting.
All in all, I liked the book. I even loved some part of it, but not the book as a whole. It could've been much better in my opinion, but this is all we get.
Describing the story of Aurora's End is rather difficult. One part of the book uses a time travel concept that some might know from the video game "The Outer Worlds". Such a repeating loop provides enough material to encompass what feels like a third of the entire story. Still, I didn't mind it that much. It rewards you with a deeper insight into the characters and their relationships with each other.
The same goes for the remainder of the book. Overall the story is enjoyable and engaging. My favourite of the entire book is obviously Saedii.
Does it provide a fitting end to the series? Yes and no. It does resolve the conflict, but in a way that I do not fully understand or even like. The magical elements of Auri's power are eclipsing the sci-fi part
Spoiler free review
Thanks for the free book PRH International. I got an egalley of this book and this has no influence on my always honest review.
Aurora's End was one of my most awaited sequels of the year and..I don't know how to rate that book.
I'd give it 2 stars for the first 60%
And 4 stars the rest of the story with a 4,5 stars for the epilogue.
So I rounded up at 3 stars.
The first part of the story didn't work for me at all!
I won't go into specifics but let's just say that Jay and Amie chose two tropes I can't stand in books, one of them had already been Jay's choice in Dev1at3 and I also rated that book quite low.
If you are curious and are not afraid of spoilers, go read my review to have an idea of one of the two tropes that didn't sit well with me.
Using these tropes gave an uneven pacing for the book and had me waiting for something to change and go back to ...something more conventional.
The characters were still great and very enjoyable throughout this and saved the reading experience for me.
And talking about characters, I'd say that if I fell for Kal in the other books, dimple boy alias Tyler really shone in this one!
You could say that it was his book for a good portion of it.
And Zila's book too.
I really liked how Jay and Amie wrote Tyler and Zila here, with character growth and lots of great surprises.
We are still on a race to save the universe, so this is no spoiler, and it's the main focus of the story. Expect lots of fighting, epic battles, plotting, thinking, heroics ... in it.
The Legion's spirit is well an truly alive in all its glory and it was inspiring!
If it wasn't for a friend who has read an ARC already, I honestly would have DNF the book for reasons explained above.
But I soldiered on and..it got more to my liking in the last 40%.
You get a "first" ending, before the epilogue, that I found a little bit too "over the top" (not saying more here) but the epilogue truly reconciled me with that series.
All in all, the Aurora's is a very good scifi series that I am very happy to have read!
#sponsored #prhinternational #partner
We start off AMAZINGLY with lots of information from the previous books which is always a good idea, since my old little self might not be able to remember much from the previous books, great character info, in their fun and joking manner.
I absolutely loved their whole paradox thing, it sort of reminded me of the Illuminae files *there was a paradox in there, I think*.
Enjoyed the repetitive chapters, pretty much all the banter and witty discussions between part of Squad 312 & Co.
Liked where the idea was going, the time travel thing is not my favourite but it fit here and it made way for grand re-entrances for several of the characters.
I ugly cried at Zila's parts, so freaking happy to what happened to her character.
I missed these characters a lot and that world, I devoured the book, regardless of my feelings for the ending. This trilogy is still one of my favourites and just like the Illuminae files, the 2nd book remains the best imo.
I would have loved more drama, more adventure and less personal views and opinions from the characters...several things were very obvious, especially the couples.
All in all I DID read it pretty fast, I went in expecting the heartbreak from Aurora Burning, so it's my own fault for having high expectations. Regardless of these weak points, I DID enjoy it and was gasping at parts and actually cried too, but I wanted more...some more insight from Magellan would have been fun...
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.
I've been wanting to start this series for awhile, but wasn't in the space opera mindset. Finally, I found that mindset, and OH MY GOODNESS, I flew through the series. Thank goodness the third book was available on NetGalley, there was NO WAY I was going to wait for it to be published (also grateful I waited to start; waiting a year would have killed me.) This series was so good.
I loved the characters and their development (except for Aurora, which is sad, since this her story.) I found her a bit annoying. However, loved everyone else. Without spoiling anything, the book was a little hard to follow, but it could just be me. I have a really hard time wrapping my mind around this type of sci-fi. The plot was great, very fast paced, and extremely entertaining. I cried or near cried half a dozen times. I wish the ending had been a little less neat-I didn't care for how easy they made it out to be-but it did wrap up the series. I will definitely be recommending out this series to all sci-fi/fantasy fans.
This ending is perfect. I love the way they wrapped the series up. These two are a perfect pairing. I don't want to write too much of a review because the things that I want to praise would be spoilers. The twists and surprises are what made this such a good read. Read this book series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for an advanced copy of this to review! Of course, with how Aurora Burning ended, I absolutely needed to know how this series came to a close. In true Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff style, it wouldn’t be a space book if things didn’t get chaotic.
I will admit, parts of this were difficult to follow. It’s space, all of the characters are spread out to different places, and sometimes I was like, “wait, what’s happening??” But I feel like that’s the mark of a true science fiction/book set in space. Sometimes, you just don’t really know what’s going on, but you go along with it because it will make sense at the end.
Once again, the characters and the voice are what make this series such a fun read. Kaufman and Kristoff have a way with writing great characters, and there are just some really funny moments. You will be entertained from start to finish, and feel like you’re a part of Squad 312. Even if space wouldn’t be your jam.
All in all, this is a pretty great finale to a fun, entertaining trilogy. If you like the Illuminae series, this is definitely one that you’ll want to pick up!
I think this was a good end to the series. I was a little confused about everything going on--that tends to happen to me when it comes to all things scifi--but the plotting was good, it was a fast read, and the series is entertaining.
I'm not sure whether or not I'll be reading more books by these authors given recent events, but objectively, this was a good and well-plotted finale.
I have been waiting for this book for a year. After that ending I was pretty stressed and needed to know what happened next immediately. I consider the characters in the Aurora rising universe my space family. They are absolutely everything to me and I loved everything about this book. I devoured this in one sitting and cannot wait to see more of this duos work in the future. Aurora and the rest of the cast of characters will surely be a set I’ll never ever forget!
Pros: Fast paced, very difficult to put down, interesting paradoxes, smooth writing between the two authors, classic scifi tropes, excellent relationship building, and a very tidy ending.
Cons: Minimal character growth, cop out for the solution, a very tidy ending.
God... I wanted to love this book and there is a lot to enjoy. But that ending just made me want to curl up and heave a smidge.
So many emotions. I’m overall pleased with each character’s ending and was very entertained while reading. The amount of detail and research that went into this storyline is astounding. Would there be things I would change? Absolutely. Does Aurora still fall flat as a character for me? Absolutely. Am I glad to see more of Zila? Absolutely. This isn’t my favorite book of the series but it’s at least a strong ending. I think that the series was so good because of 312 and the teamwork. Because the team isn’t together for a majority of the plot it doesn’t resonate as well to me. It’s over 😳 I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.
I am obsessed with this series--what an ending!! I loved this so much. The ending of Aurora Burning left me a bit upset because I felt like the characters were making decisions that weren't necessarily true to the arcs that they'd had, but this book explains that and makes everything make sense. I am in love with this squad. I want to be friends with all of them. I think this was a perfect ending to this trilogy!
Reading this hurt. I was expecting for this series to be at least 6 books long (every team member to have a book cover) but sadly it's only a trilogy. The ending did feel perfect but I can't help but feel sad and disappointed that it's over. I feel like there was potential to make this series longer but it was a missed opportunity.
Sacrifice, time paradox, friendship, time travel, and so much more come to a head in the finale of this epic space adventure. Our squad is separated, literally by time and space. The story flows through 3 separate storylines, Tyler in his journey with Saedii and getting back to his crew, Auri and Kal fighting Kal’s father and landing in the future, and Zila, Scarlett, and Fin ending up in a time loop in the past..... three separate times, yet all interwoven in this story. BOY OH BOY WHERE TO BEGIN?! I wasn’t expecting the time loop, future and past jumps to all work so well and not get lost (or as lost as you’d get while watching Tenet) but it works! The story all connects and our crew is put through the wringer. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat because you don’t know who will actually make it out alive in the end and as the stakes keep rising and time runs out.... will the galaxy even be able to survive? I have to say this was a thrill of a series and the this finale was well done. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of these characters, getting to love them and their relationships with one another, and seeing the bonds they have with one another grow with each trial. Auri went from being a lost girl out of time to being tasked with sacrificing everything in order to save the world.... but even then it might not be enough and she has to struggle with trying to find a way to save the world and keep her loved ones safe. Kal has to face his father, his family, and ultimately how he will be able to go on if Auri leaves. Tyler is stuck between trying to get back to his friends, to his sister.... while also facing the girl he failed. Scarlett is starting to see that maybe she finally has found someone that will last, if only they could get out of this dreaded time loop. Fin is finally seeing that maybe he is worth something, that maybe he has found his place. Zila has to find a way to get her friends out of the time loop while trying to solve the paradox and problems that they are facing... and the decision that awaits her that will change her future. Our squad is put through the last test, and ultimately they’ll have to have faith and burn brighter than they ever have before to make it out alive.
**Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review**
I was so excited to see how this trilogy ends and this was better then anything I imagined. It is full of great twists and surprises that made it impossible to put down. I also really enjoyed the character development in this book, some of the events really pushed the characters into unexpected territory and it was interesting to see how that changed them. It also has a great and really satisfying ending. All around a wonderfully written book and conclusion to this series.