Aurora Rising

I got an ARC of this from netgalley.com, and have been sniggering about being a professional reader ever since - I buy and sell books, rather than being paid to read them (if only....).

Anyway! I am going to try to be as spoiler free as possible, as the book isn't out until May.

I loved it to pieces. It's sort of if Firefly had a kid with The Breakfast Club, a d sent the kid to space military school then this would be the weird and wonderful result.

A must, I think, for anyone who likes soft sci-fi, found families, female friendships, romance, witty banter, and space Elves. You can't forget the space Elves.

It's loads of fun, made me laugh, get a wee bit misty eyed in places, and I can't wait to read it all over again when I actually buy a copy when it comes out.

Aurora Rising is the next hit YA sci-fi series. If you enjoyed Illuminae, get ready for your next obsession. This could be described as Six of Crows in space or Lord of the Rings in space and it is outstanding! Fast-paced and filled with action, romance, humour, adventure, this is a book that has everything! It is one of those "I seriously can't put down even to go do normal human things like eat and shower" books. The diversity is also worth noting. Highly recommended to readers who are looking for the next big hit series a la Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.

Aurora Rising was an *ASTRONOMICAL SUCCESS*
*Received from netgalley in exchange for review- but any into-the-stratosphere gushing and (bad) space puns is all me*
WOW. THIS. BOOK. Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman are back with another space adventure and I am blown away by its sheer awesomeness. I don’t even know where to begin with this review to be honest. I thought I took tons of notes for this, but truth be told I had so much trouble putting the book down that all I really came up with was “oohs” and ahhs” (and the occasional “oh damnnnn”)… so I guess I’ll be doing most of this review on the fly 😉
Starting off with a hold-your-breath situation, this quickly escalates with heart-stopping intensity, until you’re taken through *every emotion under the sun*. See why I couldn’t stop reading? What’s incredible about this book is that it gets better and better, launching into clever storylines and introducing creepilicious villains. There’s edge-of-your-seat peril at all turns; there’s explosive twists and clever revelations.
I had such a blast with this book- not least because the concepts are amazing. At times it feels like sci fi, at times it has a fantasy feel and always it delivered on a sense of foreboding mystery. There’s an ever-present sense that the heroes have dug up a universe worth of problems- and that makes for some serious entertainment. Think how the authors created a sense of stakes and drama in Illuminae… then times it by a billion. I swear, this author duo got the formula exactly right for those books and then, dare I say it, took it lightyears beyond that.
Especially because the world building is so. darn. cool. Set in the future, with more aliens and more tech, you really get a more advanced civilisation feel. Aurora Rising certainly transported me *out of this world*. I also really appreciated how each element- including the dialogue- was designed to give a sense of the universe. The way each of the characters talk gives a sense of different peoples.
This is largely thanks to it being ridiculously well written. I mean, on the one hand it has beauty in the hypnotic stargazing way and then on the other it’s hilariously witty and intelligently plotted. Like the Illuminae Files, this has a lot of inserts and multiple voices- except that in this case it’s a lot less fragmentary and easier to get into. Not only did I like how the tidbits between chapters built on the story and world, I also *loved* how differing writing styles were used to characterise all the povs. From Kal’s more flowery voice to Cat’s sharp humour to Auri’s charm, the entire cast shines and you really get the chance to know everyone. Achieving this shows off both author’s skills and I was rooting for all my heroes by the end!
I could easily wax lyrical about the characters as well. Some were down to earth relatable, while other’s made me starry eyed. I particularly loved Auri- I mean she curses in baked goods- how cute is that?! I also really liked Kal and Magallen- but yeah, Auri is where it was at for me. And if that wasn’t enough, the romance also put me into orbit! Even in space, they can hear me squealing! (yes, I know, I defy the laws of physics!)
Sorry for the gush… except I’m not really sorry at all 😉 It’s pretty much impossible not to be enthusiastic about a book like this. Kristoff and Kaufman took their winning style and stepped up their game. As I suspected before going in, if you already love the way these authors work together, then you’re pretty much guaranteed to have an amazing time with this. And if you haven’t checked them out yet- what are you waiting for?
Rating: 5/5 bananas
So have you read this? Or the author’s previous books? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments!

If there was ever a book that undoubtedly lives up to the hype and then some it's this.one.

Featuring the best ragtag band of misfits since Six of Crows, Squad 312 are trying to save the universe, one disastrous fudge-up at a time. Loaded with action, humour and lovable characters that will tug at your heartstrings, Aurora Rising has undeniably won its space in my heart that is reserved for those rare few books that just GET it. I cannot wait to see where Amie and Jay take this story and one thing is for certain - they're gonna' give us one hell of a ride as they do it!