Get ready for another vivid and fast paced space adventure by this dynamic duo. Are you ready?



From the internationally bestselling authors of THE ILLUMINAE FILES comes an epic new science fiction adventure.

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.
 


We all know I loved the first book in The Illuminae Files but struggled deeply with the other two. It should come as no surprise that I have a lot of mixed feelings about Aurora Rising that likely boil down to personal preference (re: format and rotating POV/general issues with my focus, blink and you'll miss it character development and twists, etc etc) and mood more than anything. The good news is, I do have high hopes for the rest of this series.

So, instead of focusing solely on these mixed emotions, I'm going to be focusing on the positives throughout my review: this book was humorous, thrilling and fast paced. And that is just to start with. If you loved Illuminae (this one goes without saying, given the authors), Zenith and The Raging Ones you will likely enjoy and feel consumed by this charming, adventurous novel.

As always, the setting is engrossing and vividly unique. Space-baced novels can, at times, seem to be tedious and utterly boring but Aurora Rising doesn't suffer this issue. Filled with energy and bubbling over with banter, emotion and pure escapism, Aurora Rising takes its readers on an adventure that is far and wide. Its biggest shining star (ha-ha) is in its cast of characters, the diversity of each of them, and the ways in which they've entwined themselves throughout each other.

(Seriously, I love them.)

If I had to pick only one thing to say about Aurora Rising's positives traits it would be rooted in the characters and their connections. I loved them so very much and thought they were a breath of fresh air and so very lively. Each character has a distinct voice and set of flaws and quirks and tone. They are well fleshed out and endearing to me; making the plotlines all the more intriguing even in the moments which I struggled with the novel.

Much like Illuminae/The Illuminae Files the manner in which the story is told is easy to envision before us. In short? It is breathtaking and fresh and absolutely stunning. Aurora Rising should be at the top of any sci-fi reader's TBR this year--and with good reason.