Review: Aurora Rising by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff

 

Title: Aurora Rising {The Aurora Cycle #1}

Author: Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff

Published: May 6th 2019, Allen & Unwin

Status: Read December 2019

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My Thoughts:

Nearing the end of 2019 I realised I had not read any sci-fi during the year. To be honest it’s not a genre I gravitate towards but I usually try to step out of my comfort zone and read a handful. I chose Aurora Rising because it’s written by two Australian authors, and it was described as “fast-paced, action-packed, wickedly humorous and fabulously entertaining.”

Happily, I found the description accurate, and I really enjoyed Aurora Rising. Set in 2380 it begins when graduating Aurora Academy student Tyler Jones saves the only survivor of a starship that had disappeared over two hundred years earlier, and in doing so tanks his dream of leading an elite peacekeeping squad. Saddled with a group of misfits, his first mission goes awry when he discovers the girl he rescued, Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, hiding on his ship, and the secret branch of the Global Intelligence Agency demanding they turn her over.

The story unfolds from the perspectives of each crew member – Tyler, his twin sister, Scarlett, pilot Cat, engineer Finn, tactical officer, Kal, and stowaway, Aurora. I loved the banter, and the development of the dynamic between the disparate personalities.

As promised there is plenty of fast-paced action as the squad suddenly finds themselves pursued across the galaxy without really understanding why. The team has to learn to trust one another if they are going to stay one step ahead of the GIA, and figure out what is going on.

Despite its length of nearly five hundred pages I found Aurora Rising to be a quick read. It’s definitely YA, so probably not one for serious sci-fi readers, but it has a Guardian of the Galaxy vibe which suited me.

Aurora Rising is the first book in The Aurora Cycle Trilogy, the second, Aurora Burning, is expected to be published mid 2020, and I’ve already added it to my TBR.

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