What...!? What...?! WHAT. THE. HELL!!??
No. No. No. Just. No! Mothercustard!
How can a book end like that? That's not just a cliff hanger, it's dangling from the Himalayas!!
I am not feeling nothing! I'm really not feeling nothing.
Honestly, this book was simply stunning, but that ending... Son of a biscuit... just.... no!

Ps. Just to make sure you kniw, this book really is absolutely incredible & I 100% recommend it but you may wish to wait until the next one comes out, as you'll definitely want to go straight on to it! I need it now!! I can't wait!!

I didn't read the first book in this series but had no issue with this one and found it engrossing and entertaining.
The characters are well thought and interesting, the plot flows and kept me hooked, the world building is excellent.
It's the first book I read by these authors but won't be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I feel like this series would be able to compel even the most reluctant reader to enjoy science fiction. It is fast paced, action packed from beginning to end, and has a diverse band of misfit characters with huge personalities. It's an impressive book, and I am actually the minority in having not given this five stars.

I'm going to start with my gripe with the novel so that it's out of the way: I don't like how deliberate and chaotic Aurora Burning is. The second half of this book is absolutely sensational, but the first half felt like death by deliberate jokes and banter overload; it makes it impossible for me to care about the characters, because they feel like caricatures rather than genuine people, and there are a number of moments which relied upon me really caring about what happened to them. When Kristoff and Kaufman paused to build relationships between new characters these were so much richer and more enjoyable than the deliberate and fast moving romance between Kal and Aurora, which I don't buy at all (don't come at me!). This, accompanied with another overload of action scenes, left me feeling exhausted and a little bit confused! So much happens in the first half of this book that each scene rolls into one, and I started to lose sight of what was actually happening - there really is such a thing as too many exciting moments, and the balance was totally off for me.

However, what I like the most about this series is how easy the world building feels. There is genuine complexity to this series and within the galaxy the co-authors have created. Actually, the creativity and ingenuity of ideas relative to developing each species and their cultures is so excellent that it speaks volumes for the quality of this partnership. Often, co-authored novels have obvious "tells" or breaks which make it apparent when each author is contributing. In this series it isn't apparent once, with a complete blend of writing styles and consistent dialogue and representation of characters throughout.

This is a story for the misfits, akin to the sort of vibe you can only really find in The Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a bit extra in places, but it's still one of the most interesting and consistently fun books I think I've read.

Aurora Burning was one of my most anticipated YA titles for this year and I was super excited to have gotten approved for a Netgalley eARC.
The recap at the beginning was well done, as it has been quite awhile since I read the first book and I'm hoping that more publishers consider starting off with a recap.

After a few pages I already found my favorite quote of the whole book:
"You let your male speak in public?"
The story, pacing and plot was great but then I had to read approximately one and a half pages about Scarlet's tits, her cleavage problems and boy issues, while one of her best friends died and the whole universe is on the brink of destruction. I thought to myself is there no other way you could've made her interesting of funny?
After those pages, every time I read something about somebody's crotch, underwear or breasts, I loudly groaned and rolled my eyes.
It felt as if the authors were trying really hard to sound like a cool, hormone-filled adolescent and it just came out so incredibly cringey.
Another issue I faced was that I couldn't find much difference between the POVs I was currently reading and for me it wasn't clear enough. I had to backtrack to the beginning of the chapter to see whom I was currently reading about (except Scarlet, because there was either something about cleavage or her boyfriend pros and cons).

This would've been a 5 star read if not for those two points above, but I will still continue on with the series. That cliffhanger though.


Thank you Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for providing me with an eARC for review.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I had been looking forward to catching up with Squad 312 since I finished Aurora Rising so I was eager to get reading. Aurora Burning was everything I wanted it to be and more. Brilliant characters, epic space battles, just all-round greatness. I am absolutely dying for the next book in the series because of how this one ended, I mean, I need more!!!

AURORA BURNING is a great second installment in this sci-fi space opera.

It starts with a series recap written like a brief overview of the characters. It's both full of humour and super helpful as I wasn't able to re-read the first book before picking this one up. It's in the same tone as the book, which doesn't make it stick out like a sore thumb.

It then dives right into the action, with the same humour and sharp banter tossed out between gun fights as the first book. I really liked the way the story split up at points because it gave characters a real chance for development when they couldn't just fall into their specific roles - they had to fill in for others. Plus it played into the sense that the story was growing in scale to match the size of the galactic evil they were trying to fight.

There are quite a few twists, some of which I saw coming, but they're blended well into the action and raise the emotional stakes (particularly when you can predict a twist later in the story that will make the characters have all the feels).

The ending is a real cliff hanger, the action speeding up to a point where you want the next book now. And I do - which is pretty impressive considering I was very on the fence about even starting this series at the start of the year. You can just imagine the authors cackling to one another when they wrote it.

𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 5/5 STARS⁣⁣
⁣⁣
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Fin, Tyler, Aurora, Kal, Scarlett, Zila⁣ and Saedii. ⁣
⁣⁣
𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Starslayer⁣⁣
⁣⁣
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: If Aurora Rising was the debut to a brilliant series, Aurora Burning solidified it in the rank of heartbreakingly good books. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I should’ve been prepared knowing who the writers of this book are, but I was naïve and I went in with my heart unprepared. The storyline continues seamlessly from Aurora Rising, with greater depth and more moments where you’re on the edge of your seat—breathless and enthralled. There is a deeper mystery in this one that reminded me of Illuminae in a wonderful way; it is very much it’s own story but it holds a similar intrigue. The ending was pure evil, my heart was completely shattered. Despite my insatiable craving for the finale, I’m not sure I’m prepared for what’s happening next. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
The character arcs are well-developed; Squad 312 is still reeling from the death of Cat and the feeling of found-family is threaded delicately in this book. Finnian in particular stole my heart in this one, I adored his storyline, his characterisation and his general humour in every moment. I also thought Auri and Zila’s character development was phenomenal; they felt very humanised and powerful. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦: For all the Kal and Auri shippers out there, all I’m going to say is we’ve been fed well in this one for majority of the book.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥: readers looking for a galactic adventure.

The action never stops again as we follow the continuing adventures of Squad 312 and their mission to save the universe from the Ra'haam.

The Positives: The pacing is a mile a minute in this sequel, with a slightly episodic feel to the structure - it reminded me of a videogame, in that you complete one task and then move on to the next, more difficult task. I liked some of the character development we got here, and I appreciated the time given to flesh out Zila's character, as she was left a little underserved in book one. The stakes are high and there is a sense of impending disaster, which means that the tone isn't quite so light hearted as book one. This felt right to me though, given the events at the end of the first book. I also enjoyed the time we got to spend with the Syldrathi characters in this book and the cliff hanger is brutal!

The Negatives: I did feel like some of the plot points were a little bit predictable here and this lessened the impact for me a little bit. Also, the characters (Kal and Zila excepted) all have a similar narrative voice, so there were times when I wasn't 100% sure who the POV character for the chapter was.

Overall, this was a really entertaining space opera and I cannot wait for book three!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A great sequel to Aurora, Rising, sees our class of misfits carry on their adventure in space. I love the cammerarderie in these books. Each character has a distinct voice and personality that blends well together to form his close knit group of found friends. They're a family of the oddballs and rejects of society.

This was fast paced, full of action and had me gripped from start to finish. That ending though. My heart can't take it.

I did laps around the room and whooped and hollered when I was approved for this, it was the best day ! I absolutely adore Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman individually as authors they are magic , but when you put them together it’s an explosion. If you’ve read Aurora Rising this is everything you want and more, if you haven’t, why not ? Go buy it you won’t be disappointed in any way. This is just excitement, action, our favourite misfits and rebels are back in a major why and oh be prepared for that end ! I hate I have to wait again but I know one thing for definite, it will be worth it. Magical and beautiful writing, amazing world building, complex realistic characters and a heart stopping, jaw aching (cos your in awe) story. One of my best reads this year I know it . This best win goodreads awards aplenty !


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I have to apologise for the lack of a review but I was unable to read and review this as I cannot download it which is very disappointing!

The Aurora Cycle is one of my favourite sci-fi series, and Aurora Burning was definitely one of my top releases of 2020. I remember burning (pun not intended) through the first book, and couldn't wait to dive back into the world once more.

After having narrowly averted a total galactic catastrophe in the first book, the misfits of Squad 312 are on the run: hunted by the Academy itself, things are starting to look pretty bad. And that's before they're attacked by a bunch of cat-faced gremps. While still searching for the weapon that Auri is meant to use against the fulfil her role as the "Trigger", they are attacked by a Syldrathi ship commandeered by no other than Kal's sister, who's determined to steer him back onto the true path of war and vengeance. And things only go downhill from there...

This book is so incredibly entertaining. The chapters just keep pulling you along, making it impossible to put the book down, making you flip the pages faster and faster. The plot is full of twists and turns, close-quarter fight scenes next to big-scale space battles, with enough flips and rolls to make your heart hum. It has everything I could ask for in a sci-fi-book and more, and I loved all of it!

What I love most about this series, though, is the characters. As this book is told from the perspectives of all six members of Squad 312, you really get to know all of them so well, and you will end up loving them all. IN AURORA BURNING, the unlikely team has really grown close, despite their very obvious differences, and it was so great to see them grow. Kal's sister is a fantastic new character, and I loved her story arc in this book! In AURORA BURNING some of the characters do get their own quests and story lines, and I did miss the group dynamic of the first book sometimes, but it was also so interesting to learn more about the characters themselves and dive deeper into their backstory, and the history of the galaxy itself.

There is only one negative thing I have to say about this book and that is the ENDING. This book gives a whole new MEANING to the word cliffhanger. The only thing that could have made it worse if they'd literally ended the book mid-sentence I need the next one RIGHT NOW!!

Firstly, a huge, huge thank you to Netgalley, One World Publications and Rock the Boat for giving me the opportunity to read and review Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff; Secondly a huge thank you to the authors (aforementioned,) for writing this Space Opera series.
I love that right at the start Magellan provides an overview/summary of Aurora Rising and where we are at the start of Aurora Burning.

Then it's straight into the action! The pace in Aurora Burning is helter-skelter, it just keeps going and there isn't a real breather...this is probably why I've made a concerted effort to spread reading this book over a couple of days, giving me a chance to process, before I dove back in for more. I will definitely be going for a re-read, as I'm sure that I missed a lot of the detail on the first read.

The book retains the sarcastc, snarky, humorous and downright witty tone of Aurora Rising, but be warned there are also moments of immense emotion and yes, if this had been a physical, rather than an e-ARC I would have thrown it down as I yelled at the ending!

As for the characters, we definitely learn more about them, which seriously puts so many pieces of the puzzle together, even if it also throws a whole bag more in that we never knew existed! Plus, there are new characters Saedii aka 'Madam Badass' is amazing, she doesn't take any crap and is a seriously full-on woman and the Eshvaren come to the fore, giving us a bit more knowledge about them and a truckload more questions.

The ending of this book ripped my heart out, pulled it into many pieces and stamped all over it, throwing in petrol and a flame thrower, for full effect!

You can definitely tell that this is a Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman book, no one else would dare to end a book this way!

I absolutely adored and devoured this sequel! It’s intense, fast paced, action packed, full of so much heart but still makes you laugh! I fell in love with this bunch of loveable rogues and misfits so much more and that ending was insane, I need the next book immediately! I highly recommend to all, it has everything you could want and you won’t be disappointed!

4.5 stars -

I recieved a free digital editon of the book curtesy of the publishers through netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and given freely.

Well... Shit... What was with that ending!!!!! I swear to god these authors keep ripping my heart out and I just keep coming back for more...what is wrong with me? 😂

So this is the second book in the Aurora Cycle series... I think thats what it's called... So we follow squad 312 as they navigate the universe and they messed up lives after the horrors of Octavia III.

This group of teens has it rough, seriously rough... Their lives are total shit shows which I both hate and love. I couldn't stop reading despite the fact that i need sleep.

I empathise with these characters quite a lot... I see something of myself in each of them, and its hard to see them go through all the crap and not have a satifying ending.
I would have liked to have more from Zila as she seems to get the least screen time and yet she's showing so much growth and character just in this book!
Aurora... I'm still curious how everything terran in this universe has her name in some way... Its... Weird to say the least.
Tyler/Scar... I wasn't expecting that revelation... I was expecting Sedii to tell him they were 'mates'.
My poor baby Kal *sobs*.
Finnian is uber cute still.
And... The cover... Is it Kal?

Some exciting revelations, space battles, intrigue, mystery and friendships abound in this sequal... I'm now dying for book 3

Thank you Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the ARC.

if aurora rising was an excellent space story, with a lot of fun and development, aurora burning took all of that and pushed it in the outer space. <b>literally.</b>

My favorite part of the first book was definitely Squad 312 and their found family. This book delivers on that a lot more and I absolutely adored it.
If the first book made me happy, this one literally broke me. So many plot twists, so many betrayals, so many painful scenes. But this is Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman so I'm not surprised. Especially the first one enjoys hurt us and make us cry in the bathroom floor like in a Grey's Anatomy episode.

I appreciated how in this book we get an insight into other members of the squad like Zila and Fin. We see a lot of their past and what they went through and why they're an important part of the story. Not just some side characters who are there to make the story more rich. I especially connected with Zila much more and I can say with certainty that she's one of my favorite characters now.

We get introduced to a new character, and even if at first you can't help but hate her she sticks herself in your heart slowly and in the end you're in the protection squad without even noticing when it happened. Tyler my sweet boy, in the first book I wasn't a fan of his personality but in this book he definitely grew on me a lot and I definitely connected with him.

The book was absolutely well written as usual, but the last chapters blew me away. Their talent is astonishing. You totally see why they work so well together.

We go deeper into the story, especially Aurora and her powers, and that was phenomenal. Seeing her training and becoming her true self but still keeping what matters most to her, her love. For her friends, for Kal and for the people she lost.

That ending. I don't think is necessary to say Jay Kristoff is a genial demon and wants us all to suffer for eternity. It should be illegal to end a book in such way but it definitely made me even more eager to read the third book and I know this was his intention. Amie is too soft and pure, I can't be mad at her.

You're not ready for this book. You really aren't.

Squad 312 are just trying to get through the day. It feels like the whole universe is out to get them and, honestly, that's not far from the truth. Stopped at a space dock trying to sell their Longbow because, lets be honest, it's slightly inconspicuous they are frustrated, but un-surprised, to find their names and faces being shown as wanted for a terror attack. Just when they think things couldn't get any worse the Unbroken show up, and not just any unbroken but Kal's sister, and she is determined to bring him back into the fold. They manage to escape, thanks to a surprising benefactor, and head off to find the Hadfield, the ship that Auri was found on, hoping to find the black box (which is actually orange) and find some answers as to what actually happened to her. Only its Squad 312, so things don't quite go according to plan. People are captured, beasts are slain, enemies become wary allies, strength is found in the unlikeliest of places and what started off as a battle for their lives ends as a battle for the world.

If you read my review for Aurora Rising you will know that I adored this book. So, understandably, I was wary when picking this one up. Would it live up to it's predecessor or would it fall into second book syndrome. I should know by now that when it comes to the prowess of Kristoff and Kaufman I shouldn't be worried. This book hit me in all the feels again and I flew through it in a matter of hours (whilst at work!)

This book is written in the same format as Aurora Rising with each chapter focusing on a different characters perspective. The characters personalities shine through and it was easy to know which perspective you were reading from, even without the chapter headers. We get a lot more from Zila and Fin's perspectives in this book and, even though I loved them both in the first book, they have grown to become my two favourite characters. We get an insight into Zila's past which does an awful lot to explain her aloofness, she grows so much as a character in this book and her chapters were equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. Fin is still his quirky self, still putting himself down and pushing past the pain so as not to seem a 'lesser' member of the squad. We see his relationship with the who squad grow in this book and his interactions are just the best.

Ty and Scar are still heartbroken over the loss of Cat and the bits where she was mentioned had me in tears ( I know I'm a wimp ok!) But both are determined to see the mission through, get Auri to the weapon and save the universe as we know it... no Pressure. Auri's character growth is one of the most impressive in the book. She is far from the scared little girl in the previous book, and I enjoyed seeing her grow into and learn how to use her powers. Kal, my strong sweet Syldrathi. Kal gets the short end of the stick in this one. Stalked by his sister to rejoin the Unbroken, he feels safe and happy with his family in squad 312, only he has a secret, and not just a little one, that will change his fate and how everyone thinks of him.

The layout of the book makes for an easy read, you never get bored stuck with once character for too long, and you still get the little titbits of information from Magellan before each chapter. Because of their writing styles it is easy to fly through the pages and I had read around 60% without even realising. There is one mahoosive plot twist in this that I just did not see coming at all, and then wondered how the hell I didn't guess it earlier. Kaufman and Kristoff definitely like to torment their readers, and I am such a sucker for punishment.

Both these writers have a knack for bringing their worlds to life and this series is no different. Have I ever been to space? Physically no, but I feel like i'm there, right alongside squad 312 every time they enter the fold, engage in a battle or ,you know, are just generally running for their lives. This is such an invaluable things to readers like me who enjoy visualising what is happening and bond with the characters, and I defy you not to bond with every single one of them. Even the gorgeous... sorry evil Syldrathi Saedii. The ending of this book had me wanting to throw it out the window, and if I hadn't been reading on my phone I might just have done it. You thought the ending to Aurora Rising was bad? Boy do you have no idea what you are in for. The last chapter was brilliantly written, even if I do think they only did it to torture us and I literally could not put it down.

From universe building, to meeting new species. Epic space battles to epic banter, this book has it all. I love this series so much and Squad 312 will always hold a special place in my heart. Now the torturous wait until May 2021!

The World
Aurora Burning is book 2 in the Aurora Cycle series, so the world is established by now, and Amie and Jay are well aware of this, and don’t spare much time for setting the scene, as we don’t overly need it. The setting as a whole is largely familiar from the first book. There are new, smaller scale settings, of course, that are thought out and well put together. Again, I’m still really interested in the world at large, fascinated by the politics of things. Honestly, I just need a politics in space book. This world would totally work for that, but I don’t think it’s quite Jay and Amie’s speed!

The Plot
There’s a “Stuff You Should Know” section at the very start of Aurora Burning that summarises characters and events of Aurora Rising – I petition for every book that’s a sequel to have this because it was so helpful! Also, it’s told from the point of view of Magellan, which is pretty awesome.

There’s not a moment where this book lets you catch your breath. Not. A. Moment. I’m undecided at this point whether that’s a good thing. It’s… certainly something. It’s got breakneck pace throughout, from the very moment the book begins, there is shooting and excitement. The “downtime” isn’t downtime. It’s just five minutes of scheming before everything hits the fan. Again.

The ending! The ending! The ending! This book just tore my heart out without a single moment of hesitation. I’d seen other reviews that had mentioned the ending but didn’t think too much of it. Heed those of us that say the ending will torture you, and quite possibly anger you, that Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman dared to end a book like that. I’ve never known a book to end quite like that. TV shows, perhaps. I’ve never read a book that did it. And I never want to again, not without having the next book lined up and waiting for me. I don’t know how to wait for book 3 as I write this. I’m kind-of just sat like ??? looking around the room for the answers. Hint: the room didn’t have the answers.

The Characters
Aurora
Aurora is still our main character, surprise surprise! She’s affectionately known as Auri throughout most of the book, seeing as the characters are much more familiar with each other than they were when Aurora Rising began. The found family element is much more pronounced due to the fact they’ve already been through so much together before Aurora Burning even began. Aurora herself goes through a lot in this book, from trying to come to grasps with her recently discovered powers and dealing with the less world-saving things, like relationships with those around her. Reading about her was sweet, and empowering, as she went from an innocent girl, unable to use her power without fear of hurting others, to having confidence in who she was and what she could do.

Kal
Kal was, and remains to be, my favourite character. And let me tell you, he definitely goes through it in this book. He plays a much bigger role in Aurora Burning than he did in Rising. (I mean, his face is on the cover, after all. And isn’t it a pretty face and a pretty cover?) My heart wasn’t ready for quite the amount Kal goes through in this, and honestly? I love him even more after everything.

Fin
Fin has risen up the ranks to be my second-favourite character. Honestly, I just have a thing for the snark and the occasional heroics, overcoming anything that’s put before him. The jokes definitely help though. Speaking of jokes, the comedic aspect is rife throughout this whole book. It’s a key element for more than one character, and they all handle it in different ways. Fin goes for the nicknames and the jokes. And it’s fun, and brought a smile to my face each time.

Scarlett
Again, Scarlett provides some more comedic relief in the forms of heavy sarcasm and the sporadic innuendo. In fact, her sarcasm is also as perfect as her Syldrathi. I feel like Scarlett was in Aurora Burning a lot, but her part wasn’t as meaningful as I expected. Her made side-comments about exes that may have aided her in some way, translates for the others when they didn’t bother to learn the languages they probably should’ve learned, but none of it felt terribly important. I hope there’s more for Scarlett because who and what she is can provide more to the world of the Aurora Cycle.

Tyler
Tyler is the Alpha, the squad leader, who honestly had a bit of a stick up his ass in the first book. He’s a lot better in this book, more laid back with a better personality than “I’m the leader, listen to how amazing I am and my ideas are fantastic and never wrong.” Ok, so he still thinks his ideas are amazing, but otherwise, he’s mellowed a lot in Aurora Burning, and the book is better off for it.

Zila
Zila was the quiet, probably somewhat strange science officer in Aurora Rising. She’s still very much that, but she comes out of her shell more, and we learn more about her past. And it’s not a happy one, but it also explains why she is who she is. I’m glad we got to see more of her. I just hope that continues into the next book. That particular story isn’t over, I’m sure of it.

I 100% recommend pre-ordering Aurora Burning if you haven’t already! A) Have you seen the cover? Kal, the orange colours, I love it. At this point, I’m not sure where I’ve pre-ordered it from or what edition is actually going to arrive for me. I just know when it does, I’m going to ogle the cover for a while because look at it.

312!! 312!! 312!! 312!!

If this had been written by anyone else, I would probably be less critical...as it is I still think it’s an amazingly original story with a group of characters that will forever be at the top of my favorite fictional people list but I still feel that it fell a step behind my expectations.

The beginning was a bit too slow for me and Aurora and Kal’s relationship and personalities can feel sometimes a bit forced, mostly when compared to the incandescence of some of the others like Fin or Scar...oh Scar. Let me take a moment to write an ode to Scar.

Not only she is gorgeous, smart and refuses to take sh*t from anyone...she is the kind of character that few authors would dare to make female. I loved the way she used and spoke of her body and sexuality and how she refused to allow anyone else the power to define her. Here’s to the authors for letting girls everywhere get to know her.
Okay, I'm back in control of my hormones.

One of my other favorite aspects was how thirsty Fin and Scarlet were for their other squadmates and their own praise of their own attributes but there were some instances in which it crossed a line for me and felt forced or even “icky”.

This was an amazing read for another reason: there was disability rep, LGBTQ rep, faith rep, diversity rep,...Kristof and Kaufamn do not kid around when creating alien societies and they excel at creating believable cultural differences. I can barely wait for the next one because if there is something else that the author excels at are cliff hangers...

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for this DRC.

7.5/10

This was as heart pounding, adventurous and nerve wracking as the first book in the series. Does this book have the worst sort of cliffhanger ending possible? Yes, it does! but did I love this book to the moon and back? you bet I did!! and even though, I am pretty sure that my favourite characters will just be fine but that doesn't mean that I am not keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that they make a grand come back after that ENDING!!

The strongest point of this series is its entertainment value despite the plot being average and kind of tropey. However, I absolutely love the pace of this book and the characters. The characters development of each one, whether its Tyler, Scarlett, Finn, Aurora, Kal, Zila or even Sadie is done really well. While the first book slowly made these characters into a team through their trials and tribulations, this book does a fantastic job of deepening that bond. As a result, I was so much more invested in the story as a whole and the respective stories of each character. I think this story is made superior because of the relationship that exist between characters.

The only drawback for me was the romance between Kal and Aurora which came across to me as just a bit of cheesy! Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read the final installment.