The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Aurora Burning

Series: Aurora Cycle #2

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Found Family, Romance

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well. – summary from Goodreads

This book was absolutely amazing and I don’t know if I will ever stop gushing about it! My new mission in life is to get people to read this book series!

Everything came together this book! A lot was being set up in the previous book, so it was a little hard for me to get into it as much, but in this book all the pieces snapped into place and I was here for it!

First off, the characters are to die for! I’m usually a very picky person when it comes to characters, but I adored all of them. They all had such unique strengths and weaknesses, and they all shined in their own ways. The interactions between all of them, though, was where they shined the most. This a found family of misfits, with, often, tragic, backstories. In this book there was a deeper dive into these characters, how they fit into the world, and how they interact with each other.

I have to admit that Kal and Finian are my favorites. They are the absolute best! Finian is so snarky and ridiculous, but he has the biggest heart. Kal is so loving, kind, and protective, but so, so stoic. Throughout the course of this story, he was really letting down his walls. The way his story ended in this book was a little bit of a let down. There was a lot of responding with emotions, instead of rational communication. And then when the book ended, it left Kal’s fate in limbo! How can I live without knowing what happened to him?

Then we have Zila. I didn’t talk too much about her in the last review, because more than anybody her character was still getting set up. This book we broke down the walls around this character, and can I just say I loved her! I already really liked her- I love blunt, honest narration- but this book we got her backstory and more complex narration from Zila, which I loved. Her backstory is devastating, though.

I love Scarlet and Tyler. They are steady backbones of the story, and I think we got a little more from them towards the end of the book. I’m not saying these characters aren’t amazing, but my attention was often moved to other characters. There were two specific chapters of theirs that I really liked. Both of those chapters started with their memories of their dad, and that came into play in unique ways that I enjoyed.

Tyler got a little more development in the latter half of the book. I loved his interactions with Saedii- truly incredible and I cannot wait to see where their story goes. We do see Tyler letting go a little bit and not being so rigid. Tyler does go through some rough things this book, just a fair warning.

Saedii is a new character, and I like her a lot so far! I’m excited to see how her story develops in the next book!

I like Aurora and she was really starting to come into her own this book. She still feels distant from me, though. That may be how her character is supposed to feel, though, because she isn’t supposed to have attachments. I liked her, but I did want something more from her at times.

It was a really interesting storyline, her coming into her powers. I loved how it was done, and it was a little bit of a twist. It almost reminds me of the newer Voltron, for some reason. I did chafe against Esh a little bit- he was not the most understanding creature in the universe.

The romance between Aurora and Kal really took off with this book! It was everything! They were so sweet and patient with each other. They really opened up to each other and, their relationship is so sweet!

I think in the first book, everything was being set up, and so it was hard to understand the stakes. We know the stakes now, and it made the story so much more gripping. Everybody had something to lose, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. There was also the Syldrathi Unbroken, along with the Ra’haam causing mayhem, so the story was action-packed! I liked that we understood the stakes and how serious the threats are.

This is a teen book! In the previous book there were innuendos and bad language. The same with this book, and there is a fade to black scene. Not too bad, but something I would recommend for older audiences.

There was another fun heist. I love how these authors are able to meld serious storylines with humorous moments and characters that are age appropriate. The little moments between the characters were the best, and the way they chose to accomplish some things had me laughing!

I loved the way they are setting up the next book! So excited!

Aurora Burning is an amazing sequel, with upped stakes, character development, romance, heists, and the most amazing characters!

Quotes:

“Love is a drop in the ocean of what I feel for her. Love is a single sun in a heaven full of stars.”

“‘I know my friends, and they are few. But those few I have, I would die for.’”

“I am not feeling nothing.”

“‘Everything has its season. The world keeps turning, and the stars keep dancing after we’re gone, just as they all did before we came.’”

“Tomorrow might be worth a million yesterdays. But a tomorrow without him isn’t worth anything at all.”

“I let my mind rest. My thoughts quiet. There are no further calculations required of me. It is strangely peaceful…’Finian, Scarlett. It has been a privilege to serve in Squad 312 with you.’”

“We have failed, but I hope they will see how hard we tried.”