Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

BOOK STATS

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Title: Aurora Rising
Authors: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Series: The Aurora Cycle #1
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Format: Audiobook
Narrators: Kim Mai Guest, Johnathan McClain, Candace Moll, Lincoln Hoppe, Donnabella Mortel, Jonathan Todd Ross
Length: ~14 hours (473 pages)
Publisher: Listening Library
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Source: Library (Libby app)
Recommended for Fans of: The Illuminae Files, Stargate, Six of Crows

SYNOPSIS

It’s 2380 and the graduating students of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Tyler Jones has been a star pupil who hopes to recruit the squad of his dreams but ends up with a mixed and volatile crew.

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.

Vividly told in the seven voices of the team members, this is fast-paced, action-packed, wickedly humorous and fabulously entertaining. Described by one online fan as ‘a mystery with tons of action. A kind of thriller on steroids with a fantasy feel.’

MY THOUGHTS

I LOVED THIS CREW SO MUCH! Squad 312 is my favorite troupe of misfits and outcasts since Six of Crows. Each character felt like a real, rounded, complicated, unique person, and I loved how the alternating POVs in this book gave each character a clear, strong voice.

The storyline was so rich and mysterious. I loved the subtle, futuristic sci-fi take on Sleeping Beauty, and it reminded me of a YA version of Stargate. The conflict is so complex; this book only scratches the surface of the truth about Auri, her abilities, and her connection to the force that threatens the entire galaxy. This story was a roller coaster adventure with a shocking and heartbreaking ending that left me begging for book 2!

I also need to point out that the audiobook production was absolutely incredible with a full cast and sound effects that brought the story to life. Each narrator was perfect for the character he or she portrayed. I loved this book so much that I want to get the physical books, but I also plan to experience book 2 on audio when it comes out because it was that amazing.