NON-SPOILER Book Review: Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Title: Aurora Burning
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Rating: 5/5 stars
Release date: May 5th 2020
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Goodreads Synopsis for AURORA RISING (no spoilers)
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 techwiz 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.
They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.
Review (no spoilers):
Aurora Burning blew me out of the waters!! I had high expectations, and the book gave me so much more than what I wanted! If you guys didn't know, Aurora Burning is the sequel to Aurora Rising (you can read my review of Aurora Rising here), a story that follows Squad 312 - a group of misfits that's forced to band together to save the galaxy. The first book was a wild ride, and the sequel? Even wilder! There are so many twists and turns, so much action and crazy escapades! The best part of the book is definitely the characters. Each one of their voices are so distinct. Jay Kristoff once mentioned that he always starts with the characters when he's writing a novel, and this series (so far) is strong proof of that statement!
The plot and world-building are amazing, yes, but the character development takes the cake. I'm not quite sure how to put this into words, but everyone in the book is always so in character. The authors just hit the mark whenever a character - any character really - says or does something. There is always the right amount of pride, arrogance, wit, sarcasm, hope, joy... all the characters are just so well thought out, and they have the quirkiest most distinct personalities. I could have someone read out a random line by one of the characters and I can guarantee that I'll know exactly who said it!
It's admirable how the authors are not only able to flesh out the characters, but create suspense and develop the plot and story on top of that. I would probably go as far as comparing this series to Six Of Crows (mostly for the squad trope and multiple perspectives), but in space! It's also less gritty and much more lighthearted. If you're looking for an action-packed series with a great set of characters and a fast-paced Sci-Fi story, I cannot recommend The Aurora Cycle series enough!
If you've read this book, please let me know your thoughts! Otherwise, thank you so much for reading my review. I also wanted to thank Allen & Unwin for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
If you’re interested in buying any of the books from The Aurora Cycle series, you can click here to shop the book at Book Depository. I receive a small commission if you use the link! 🙂