Monday, August 26, 2019

Review of Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle, book 1)

Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle, book 1)
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date: May 2019
Date of review: August 2019

    Alpha Tyler Jones - the top-ranked graduating cadet at the Aurora Academy, trained to do whatever missions the people (human or otherwise) of the Milky Way need.
    Legionnaire Scarlett Jones - a saucy diplomat who happens to be Tyler’s twin sister.
    Legionnaire Cat Brannock - the best pilot in the academy who’s only scared of her own emotions.
    Legionnaires Zila Madran, Kal Gilwraeth, and Finian de Karran de Seel - the misfits of Aurora Academy who somehow landed in Tyler’s squad.
    Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley - the rescued mystery girl who has been asleep for 200 years. 
    Meet squad 312. After Tyler rescues Aurora, the girl who was thought to be dead two centuries ago, what begins as an ordinary supply mission turns dark. The squad discovers that Aurora has escaped quarantine and snuck aboard their ship. She has powers that she is unable to control and soon she has the squad fleeing from aliens and stealing relics of a species said to have gone extinct long before the oldest known species still around began recording history. The squad begins to discover what and who they can trust as a galactic war that began a million years ago rekindles.
    Fans of Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner’s Unearthed will enjoy the bold, sassy heroines of Aurora Rising. The story itself has some mature elements more suitable for young adult than middle grade readers. The characters are diverse (in both personality and species), and so relatable to a wide audience. Adults might also enjoy Aurora Rising. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different member of squad 312, helping you get to know each one a little better. I highly recommend this story to YA readers who enjoy science fiction set in a future where humanity is not alone in the galaxy and must adjust to fundamentally different cultures, customs, and concerns. 

- D. K. Nuray

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