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Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1)

Amie Kaufman,

Jay Kristoff

Start date: May 1, 2019

Finish date: May 31, 2019

Discussion: Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

May 23, 2019 Jenn rated it really liked it

Shelves: instalove-alert, so-effing-excited, 4-star-reads, books-i-own, read-in-2019, young-adult, fantasy, cover-love, sci-fi, outer-space

Ok, let me start off by saying I love these two authors and will read anything they publish. They are just fantastic - together and apart. And the writing here in Aurora Rising is no different. But yet, I couldn't find it in myself to give it 5 stars. I really wanted to, but I just couldn't.

I'm going to be honest. It took me a bit to get into this book. Right away I loved Tyler and Auri and their POV's, but then it started switching POV's constantly and, for me, it made it very hard to really ge Ok, let me start off by saying I love these two authors and will read anything they publish. They are just fantastic - together and apart. And the writing here in Aurora Rising is no different. But yet, I couldn't find it in myself to give it 5 stars. I really wanted to, but I just couldn't.

I'm going to be honest. It took me a bit to get into this book. Right away I loved Tyler and Auri and their POV's, but then it started switching POV's constantly and, for me, it made it very hard to really get to know and connect with any of the characters. I mean, there was even a MC who I very much disliked and that has never happened with any of them before. So that was a different experience for me. Also, I tend to internally cringe anytime "mate bonding" is brought up in books because that concept really wigs me out - and it's heavy in here. So, wasn't a fan of that. But let's talk about the book.

This is a sci-fi book to the max. There's space stations, new planets, spaceships, alien races - so many stimulants! And then we have Auri, the girl out of time. Auri comes from pretty much our time period now. She's set to go on a mission to a colony on a different planet, but something goes horribly wrong along the way and she wakes up from cryosleep years in the future. On top of that, the planet she was supposed to go live on has been wiped from any record. Now she's on the run from people who want to keep her quiet about what she knows and they will go to any length to stop her. Which brings us to our space squad, who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and get caught up in all of this mess.

So based on that, you would think that this would be fast paced and everything. So imagine my shock when the beginning moved really slow. It opened with a bang but then kind of just had some chapters where not a lot happened but we switched POV's alot. But the around 70%, it kicked into high gear and became the book I wanted it to be. Either way, I'm super excited for the second book because the ending of this one opened up so much!

Congrats Jay and Amie on what appears to be another fantastic series! ...more

20 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2021 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-rec-hardcore, 5-stars, audio, romance, 400-plus-pages, dual-or-multi-pov, own-ebook-read, epic-must-read, childhood-friends, book-girlfriends

I am not sure that I can adequately put into words the love I have for this book. My little sci-fi fangirl heart is exploding right now. This book truly has it all. A ragtag group of misfits, found family, a creepy space anomaly, mystery and suspense, government conspiracies, and just a whole lot of awesome.

This book really throws you into the thick of things straight off the bat and I couldn't have been happier. The opening scene really brings the reader into the story effortlessly. It is both I am not sure that I can adequately put into words the love I have for this book. My little sci-fi fangirl heart is exploding right now. This book truly has it all. A ragtag group of misfits, found family, a creepy space anomaly, mystery and suspense, government conspiracies, and just a whole lot of awesome.

This book really throws you into the thick of things straight off the bat and I couldn't have been happier. The opening scene really brings the reader into the story effortlessly. It is both entertaining and immensely intriguing. The reader just seriously wants to know more. That's one of the things I loved best about this book. That it just grips you and keeps you engaged and wanting more.

The plot of this story is excitingly clever and very well planned out. I loved connecting all the dots and seeing all the pieces fit together. There is still enough mystery and interest at the end to make the reader crave the next book desperately. The entire premise of this series has my fangirl heart on the verge of overload. I connect so hardcore with it. The world-building is legit amazing. It is atmospheric and realistic. I've never been in space but the authors had me totally immersed in it with their depiction of it. The writing voice of these two authors is one that truly speaks to me. I am so comfortable in their narration. Kaufman and Kristoff truly compliment each other with their writing styles. They have created something unique and unparalleled with their combined storytelling that I can't help but praise.

These characters captured the very essence of my soul. I can't express how much I love them. Each of the main characters had their own voices in the story and I am so thankful for that. I adore stories with multiple POVs and this book is so much better for it. Each character had a distinct personality that really made them stand out. Each character was unique and had a magnetism that made them jump right off the page and come alive. While there is still a lot to learn about some of the characters, they all had an astounding amount of character development. I loved the friendship and found family that the main characters had with each other. This group of characters is definitely #squadgoals and I can't wait for their connection to deepen in the next books.

There are a few budding romances in this book that I regretfully can't talk about because that would probably be too spoilery. One will make you fangirl, one will warm your heart, and another will probably make you throw your book across the room by the end. But you will definitely feel and that's what matters. I can't wait for more in the romance department with these characters.

Overall, Kaufman and Kristoff are masterful storytellers that bring you into a breathtaking world that will delight you and incite a riot in your soul. If you want a book that will fascinate you, keep your heart on lockdown, keep you perched on the edge of your seat, and will completely consume your soul then this is the right book for you. This series is the mark of excellent storytelling with an original and interesting premise and characters that feel like family. You don't want to pass this one up!

BLOG FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER BOOKBUB AMAZON PINTEREST ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Mar 21, 2020 Tammie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, fantasy-buddy-reads, young-adult, series-abandoned, space-opera

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

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass tech whiz with the galaxy's biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger-management issues
A The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch . . .

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass 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

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

NOBODY PANIC

Well holy cake! It's official, I thoroughly enjoy the writing team of Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It's definitely YA, but in my opinion, it's fun. I knew from the start that this probably wasn't going to be as good as The Illuminae Files, I mean it would be hard for them to top that, but I really liked that this book was able to stand on its own without feeling like they were trying to duplicate what they had done with The Illuminae Files.

The best thing about the writing is the snarky banter between characters, and Auri constantly calling Kal by the names of different elves from Lord of the Rings, had me giggling every time. Although in the past I thought the authors didn't distinguish their characters enough from each other, this time around I felt like the authors improved on making each character feel more distinct.

I thought the threat to the galaxy was an interesting choice. I love how these authors seem to always take some iconic horror theme and add it to their stories. Who knew flowers could be that creepy! It reminded me a little of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and also a little of The Girl With All the Gifts.

This was a rip-roaring space fantasy, not to be taken too seriously of course. The author's are masters at weaving humor into the action and drama. Think Firefly or Guardians of the Galaxy plus space elves, and just tag along for the ride!

“Who wants to be normal when you can be interesting instead?

Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Sep 06, 2020 Susan rated it it was amazing

What an awesome book. Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman are such a great writing team. I first fell in love with their writing when I read The Illuminae Files. That was my first taste of Science Fiction and I loved it. I've had this book on my shelf for a long time and just kept putting it off and I don't know why. It was such a fantastic story. The world building and characters were awesome. I loved each and every one of them. I love the troupe of top student or squad leader getting stuck with the ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2019 Tbirdplanstoread rated it it was amazing

Shelves: z-2020-read, z-2022-read, own-hard-back

Updated review - 7/5/22:
Third time is still amazing! So easy to read this book. The characters are great. The storyline pulls you right in. It's scifi. Nuff said! On to Aurora Burning! I will finish this series this time around!!

Updated review - 5/4/20:
It was even better the second time round!! I can't believe I actually forgot what happened at the end if this book!!! I am so ready to get my hands on Aurora Burning in a couple of days!!!

Easily one of my favorite books of the year. The authors ha ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

May 24, 2019 Elizabeth Aguilar rated it really liked it

Shelves: 5-wands, 2019

I'm sad I'm not Jay or Amie or their close friends because I don't know what happens next 😭 ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2019 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Still absolutely amazing! I loved it when better the second time. I love these babies so much and can't wait to read the sequel!!! ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2019 Kayleigh {K-Books} rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-physical, illumicrate, sci-fi

Aurora Rising Review on K-Books

"A lot of those stars actually died millions of years ago. It’s just they’re so far away, the light they created before they died hadn’t finished reaching us yet. You’re looking at a sky full of ghosts."

Aurora Rising is a book that I had seen lots about online before it's publication and I know a lot of people were super excited for this one. It wasn't until I got this in my Illumicrate box that I genuinely considered reading it. Don't get me wrong, this book s ...more

1 like · Like · see review