Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (w/ Spoilers)

Young Adult, Space Opera

A crew of misfits. A girl with mysterious powers. A galaxy at stake.

"They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic."

Non-Spoiler Review 

(The Aurora Cycle #1)

Year 2380. “Goldenboy” Tyler Jones is ready to graduate Aurora Academy and set off on his first mission. His top spot should guarantee him his dream squad filled with the best of the best the Academy has on offer, however, his own bout of heroism left him stuck with the losers and discipline-cases. With a dysfunctional squad filled with snark and sarcasm, Tyler’s dreams for the best squad has been sucked into a black hole. And that’s not even his only problem — there’s still the mystery that is Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he rescued from an ancient spaceship. The girl out of time and maybe the catalyst to a war eons in the making. And Tyler’s squad of misfits may be the only ones who can stop it before it even begins. 

"I know we're part of something bigger. Something at least two centuries in the making. Maybe more."

This book is the first standard novel from the bestselling duo, Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. Told in multiple perspectives, Squad 312 will travel across the galaxy in search of answers to a greater mystery, and all the while running from authorities, criminals and dangerous entities alike. The big question would be: is this book as good or even better than Illuminae? I would say no, however, there is the possibility of this series being better than the Illuminae Files as a whole. And I'm forward to where this series is going. 

World-Building:

"We the legion.

We the light. 

Burning bright against the night."  

Aurora Rising was set across various locations that were classic staples in the science fiction world. Think of the places in the films, such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few. We had spaceports, underground bars, scary (weird) planets and, of course, the reliable spaceship. Another popular sci-fi staple would be the faster-than-light travel capable through an intergalactic tunnel called the Fold. The Fold was a series of tunnels that condensed the distance between different locations within the universe. I love these classic sci-fi tropes so it was a fun and entertaining time visiting all these places in the galaxy, and because they were so familiar, it was easy to visualise and immerse myself in the world.

In terms of the alien races, there were three notable varieties; Terrans, which were the humans, Betraskans, extremely pale-skinned beings similar to humans, and Syldrathis, the hot space-elves we were promised. The galactic government was primarily comprised of Terrans and Betraskans who formed the Aurora Academy. The Syldrathis were torn into two factions; the Unbroken, a group of war-hungry Syldrathi that destroyed their home system, and the refugees who were lefts homeless after the collapse of their world. There were many other alien species mentioned in the story, however, these three were the main ones to have substantial page time in the book. 

I would have loved to see more of the actual Academy because I just love those school settings and I wished that the history would have been fleshed out some more. It's weird how I didn't mind the dossier style to build up the world of Illuminae, however, with Aurora Rising, I just wanted the exposition to do the actual world-building instead of a utilising a mixed media approach. There was that potential of expanding the history and relationships between the different races in the galaxy that I wanted more exploration on that front. I'm hoping that future instalments would build-up on this aspect to really slush out the world-building and give it greater depth. 

Characters:

A large part of my enjoyment of this story would be the characters whose dynamic reminded me so much of Guardians of the Galaxy. There was so much banter, wit and sarcasm between the characters with the author duo's signature humour that had me chuckling or laughing out loud. And I loved the found-family aspect with the squad even though I still felt that we were just at the beginning of their life-long friendship. So who were these misfits?

Art by Kira Night

First off would be Squad 312 charismatic Alpha (leader) and "Goldenboy", Tyler Jones. Tyler was the top student of the Academy and being the best gave him the opportunity of the first pick for his squad. Alas, his boneheaded heroism left him the discipline cases that nobody wanted. Ty was the definition of rules and order. The guy practically lived by every law of the galaxy. That is until, of course, he and his squad were framed for something they didn't do, and now they're on the run from the GIA, a Terran government operative with suspicious intentions. Although everything was going to absolute chaos, I admired that he still remained optimistic and encouraging to his teammates. He was tactical and filled with creative, albeit dangerous ideas that either worked well or led to more trouble. Let's just say that Ty was the perfect leader to take on the impossible mission that Squad 312 was handed and props to him for not having a mental breakdown... yet.

Next up is Tyler's twin sister and our resident Face (diplomat), Scarlett Jones. A self-proclaimed people expert, there's no emotion you can hide that she won't be able to sniff out. And there was also the fact that she was a master at flirtation and fashion, and her longest relationship was only for a couple weeks. I found her wit and banter hilarious, and I really liked how motherly she behaved within the squad. It was obvious that she cared for everyone and she was willing to do whatever it took to keep their spirits up, especially her "bee bro" Ty. She was the complete opposite of Tyler in terms of structure as she was always willing to break the rules to get more fun from the situation, however, when her skills were needed she was ready and reliable at her job. 

The Ace (pilot) of Squad 312, unlike the rest of the crew, was the best pilot at Aurora Academy. Cat "Zero" Brannock. A tomboy in looks she does not have a mega crush on her Alpha and childhood best friend. She could basically drive any sort of vehicle like a complete badass. In the beginning, I didn't particularly like her character as I found her a bit too whiny, cynical and irritating at parts. While I wouldn't say that she grew on me at the end, I felt a little bit heartbroken at the end with what happened to her and what that meant for the rest of the crew. 

It isn't Squad 312 if you didn't have your Brain occasionally stunning you with her disruptor pistol. A bit (a lot) of a sociopath, Zila Madran, was scarily smart with her cool, emotionless logic and calculations. Her seemingly bizarre ability to wear earrings that frightening match the situation was on a whole another level of probability. There wasn't much Zila content in this book and so I couldn't gauge her character. I'm hoping that the sequel will have actual chapters in Zila's POV since the one chapter we got of her was only a single line. I want to know more about her because she has the potential to be one of my favourite members of Squad 312. I just realised that I'm drawing to the silent and smart ones in any group setting. 

Since we have a "diverse" crew, the Gearhead (engineer) and all-around sarcastic and sometimes pain the ass, Finian de Seel. Fin is a Betraskan with a crippling disability because of a childhood accident. As a result, he relies on his exosuit for mobility and the occasional zero gravity to recharge. However, when you're on the run from authorities, rest and recharge are the last things you can do. I admired his resilience and commitment to the squad despite the pain he was in and his deteriorating health. I will admit, though, that his sarcasm could get a bit irritating since I saw how much he cared but he still buried it inside. That was why I loved how he started to open himself up to others near the end of the book and set aside the distance he set for himself. He honestly deserves all the love that this motley crew can give him. And he may just develop a certain attraction to a certain Face. 

We were promised a hot space-elf and we got a hot space-elf in the form of the Tank, Kal Gilwraeth. Born and raised as part of the Warbreed caste of the Syldrathi, Kal was a full-blooded warrior with mastery over brooding, brooding and even more brooding. Because of his Warbreed caste, he was shunned at the Academy despite his impressive physique as it was the same as the Starslayer the infamous leader of the Unbroken and destroyer of the Syldrathis system. In the beginning, Kal was standoffish, but he got the job done when needed albeit with a bit of unruly behaviour and anger issues. The Syldrathi was comparable to the Fae, hence, we had "mates" indicated by the Pull one feels in another's presence (and I'm pretty sure it was quite obvious who it was). This trope could always go one of two way; swoon-worthy or downright cringe. And I'm disappointed to say that it fell in the cringe category because of the lack of development. It was love at first sight and I'm just not a fan of that trope since I usually love the build-up. Hopefully, this relationship would be less cringe in future instalments and we get to see a more gradual growth in the relationship. 

Lastly is the mystery girl herself, Aurora Jie-Lin O'Malley. The girl out of time boarded the ancient explorer, the Hadfield, bound for a new planet for colonisation. However, instead of waking up at the intended planet, she woke two centuries later in the med bay of the Aurora Academy. With everything and everyone she knew gone, she was out of her depth and without direction. Being the reluctant new addition to Squad 312, Auri was desperate for answers to her past and the power telekinetic powers she now has. And the only way for her to know the truth was with the help of the crew. And the answers she seeks may be the key to saving the galaxy. I liked Auri, but she wasn't my favourite character by far. I think it has more to do with the fact that she was so scared and lost (granted I understood why), and it was not a trait I like reading about. I did appreciate that she was half-Chinese which was an improvement on the diversity aspect in the Illuminae Files. What I did love about her was her powers because they were something epic. If she could control them to a great extent and develop that confidence, I have no doubt that I'll enjoy her character even more in the future instalments. 

And well, we can't forget the incredibly self-aware AI that's always present in these types of stories, Magellan. I wouldn't say that the AI played a big enough role in the story. It was mostly there for the informative and comedic moments between the action sequences. The reason why I brought it up was to compare with AIDAN and well... AIDAN is still the superior sentient AI. I just wished that Magellan had a more important role than being just a personality on Auri's uniglass because who doesn't love a witty AI? 

Art by @icandrawthingz

Plot/Story:

This was a high-stakes, fast-paced, action story bursting with a ton of moving parts. The action-packed nature of the story definitely made it a quicker and highly entertaining read. And while the plot itself was mostly predictable at parts, the humour made it all the more enjoyable to read. What I love about Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman's collaborative works is the humour since I just love the over-the-top, snarky and sarcastic nature of it. It's just my brand of humour.

In terms of the actual plot, a lot of what went down in this book can be likened to several other sci-fi, space opera films and books with the whole black market, underground dealings, dangerous heists and high stakes space battles. However, what set this book apart was the ending. The ending showcased a somewhat fantastical element that I'm still deciding whether I love it or not since it felt a bit too magical for a science fiction story. What it is will be down in the spoiler section.

Overall Thoughts:

Overall, this was an enjoyable story filled with great characters and a highly entertaining storyline. While this wasn't as good or as surprising as Illuminae, this series has much promise for hopefully a better overarching plot. I'm just hoping that this will not end up going downhill like Illuminae, otherwise, I'll be incredibly disappointed. Fingers crossed that Squad 312 will have what it takes to deliver a stellar series.

Spoilers!

Sooo.... let's talk about the ending and the weird fantastical element of this sci-fi story. A lot of revelations were made starting with an ancient rivalry between two forgotten species: the Eshraven and the Ra'haam. The Eshraven were a race long extinct with incredible power and foresight as they were the ones responsible for giving Auri her incredibly powerful telekinesis. On the other hand, the Ra'haam were their mortal enemies, and was a single entity capable of possessing multiple host bodies. And, of course, sought to conquer the galaxy but were defeated by the Eshraven, forcing them to retreat to nursery planets to heal their numbers. However, they are awakening with the same desire to absorb the galaxy. The only one who could stop them is Auri who was the Trigger to the Weapon left behind by the Eshraven to defeat their ancient foe once and for all. 

Honestly, I was quite thrown off with the whole ancient war between the two species because of the mythical aura surrounding it, especially when Kal mentioned the Syldrathi belief in the Ancient Ones (the Eshraven). I don't know why whenever there's any resemblance to the Fae, my brain just automatically thinks fantasy. That said, I'm still curious as to what/who they were. The mystery as to why they chose Auri still remains a mystery, though the ending led me to suspect that all will be revealed in the next book. I also hope that Auri will learn to master her powers because what she did in that ending was undeniably badass, which I want to see more of than her constantly fainting every instance she uses it. 

While we don't know the Eshraven, the Ra'haam was a different story. Their (its) host bodies possess their signature blue flower irises, which both sounded beautiful and unnerving at the same time. For someone to get "infected" with the Ra'haam, they would have to have visited one of the nursery planets where their blue pollen was abundance, and once you have made contact with said pollen, you could kiss yourself goodbye. That was the fate of the colonist two centuries ago who set out to Octavia II where Auri was headed to reunite with her father. And knowing the infection of the Ra'haam, her father was no exception. What surprised me most was that it was him who was in charge of the GIA agents who were chasing Squad 312 throughout the galaxy to capture Auri. Honestly, didn't realise that being infected by an invasive entity made the body immortal. 

Speaking of being infected, Cat was unfortunate enough to be infected while the crew were on Octavia. Her dire circumstance led to Tyler confessing and coming to terms with his love for her even though it broke protocols. Personally, I wasn't all that heartbroken seeing Cat be consumed by the Ra'haam and Tyler's confession, however, I did feel for him and Scarlett. Cat's end and his last-minute confession definitely set up grief arcs for his and Scarlett's character as they were the two closest people to Cat. And it'd be interesting to see how the author duo will deal with permanent character endings (I have my suspicions). 

Oh and if I wasn't obvious in my subtle hinting at the mated pair, then it was Kal and Auri. As usual, it's been a Fae-like character and a human. While I wasn't particularly a fan of the insta-love, I'm still curious to see how their relationship will progress. Here's to hoping that it will be somewhat slow burn, less cringe and we see some more development between the two.

Check out my review of the sequel here!