The Aurora Cycle
By Amie Kaufman and
Jay Kristoff
Holy cake, I loved this series.
Aurora Rising
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 7, 2019)
Hardcover: 480 pages
ISBN-10: 1524720968
ISBN-13: 978-1524720964
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure: 800L
Grade level: 7 and up
Publisher’s Blurb:
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy
are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to
recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck
with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch . . .
A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting
her bunkmates
A smart-ass tech whiz with the galaxy's biggest
chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger-management issues
A tomboy pilot who's totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty's squad isn't even his biggest
problem--that'd be Aurora Jie-Lin O'Malley, the girl he's just rescued from
interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl
out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a
war millions of years in the making, and Tyler's squad of losers, discipline
cases, and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
NOBODY PANIC.
My thoughts:
This first installment set up the conflict and the characters
masterfully. The world-building was great, with multiple cultures and lots of
history of how the galaxy has come to the point it is at.
One thing I especially appreciate is that there is even a place for religion 250 years in the future. So many science fiction settings do away with it, as if we have all outgrown or become too smart for faith.
And faith is a key element in this series—faith in oneself, faith in one’s friends, and faith to persevere.
There is plenty of humor. The authors also do a great job with sensory imagery and other references. I totally visualized Kal as looking like Orlando Bloom in Fellowship of the Rings, because Auri calls him “Legolas.” And when the next book comes out with him on the cover, that’s pretty much the image. Same with descriptions of Fin compared to his image on the cover of the third book.
The narrative sets up mysteries to solve and roadblocks to overcome. It is clearly planned to be more than one book—if it all ended here, it would leave the reader unsatisfied. Instead, it left me on the library waiting list for the next book.
Aurora Burning
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young
Readers (May 5, 2020)
Hardcover: 512 pages
ISBN-10: 1524720925
ISBN-13: 978-1524720926
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure: 800L
Grade level: 7 - 9
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.
My thoughts:
So often, the middle work in a planned trilogy is just a
vehicle to get us from the beginning to the conclusion. Not so with this one.
You’re going to wish there were seatbelts installed on your
favorite reading chair, because this is a wild ride, as the characters mourn
losses, gather tools and knowledge and allies, and generally get into trouble
everywhere they go.
There is a long section of Aurora learning to use her powers that could maybe be tightened up some. It’s kind of like the loooong camping scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: things happen, but they could happen faster.
Each of our primary characters continues to develop, to gain understanding of their squadmates and of their own strengths and weaknesses. We learn more about each of them. There are some surprises and betrayals…and more surprises.
Eventually, they are separated into three groups, although each group continues to work toward their common goal: beating a galactic enemy.
Aurora’s End
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (November 9, 2021)
Hardcover: 512 pages
ISBN-10: 1524720887
ISBN-13: 978-1524720889
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Grade level: 7 - 9
Publisher’s Blurb:
What happens when you ask a bunch of losers, discipline cases, and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient evil? The ancient evil wins, of course.
Wait. . . . Not. So. Fast.
When we last saw Squad 312, they were working together
seamlessly (aka, freaking out) as an intergalactic battle raged and an ancient
superweapon threatened to obliterate Earth. Everything went horribly wrong,
naturally.
But as it turns out, not all endings are endings, and the team has one last chance to rewrite theirs. Maybe two. It's complicated.
Cue Zila, Fin, and Scarlett (and MAGELLAN!): making friends,
making enemies, and making history? Sure, no problem.
Cue Tyler, Kal, and Auri: uniting with two of the galaxy’s most hated villains? Um, okay. That, too.
Actually saving the galaxy, though?
Now that will take a miracle.
My thoughts:
This book picks up immediately after the previous one ended. But boy, does it pack some surprises. One of our groups has traveled forward in time, another backward. Throw in a disintegrating time loop and having to cooperate with pretty much the worst person in the galaxy, and you can see that there are plenty of problems to solve.
The time loop is handled well—just enough repetition to establish the problem, without beating you over the head with it.
Once again, our characters continue to evolve. Loyalties—and plans—are tested. They are pushed to their absolute limits, and some have to make life-altering decisions. No one comes out truly unscathed; some of the wounds are visible and some are not. And good people die.
One of my YA lit pet peeves is a factor here, however. Remember, our characters—except Saedii and probably Kal—are all about 17 years old. Yet every one of the surviving characters has found their life partner by the end of the book. Yes, I know I am old and that this book was not written for me. I remember being 17 and longing to find that one person to love and be loved by. However, I think the prevalence of teenaged characters finding their lifelong love is setting up unrealistic expectations. This is something I’m not going to stop talking about, even while I’m rooting for the characters.
As our mysteries are explained (Why were the strange gifts in the second book left for them? Why did their superior offices give them coded messages?), it makes sense.
Some things, though, still seemed to come a little too easy. Aurora’s ultimate solution…I don’t know. It just didn’t quite satisfy me. I don’t want to be spoiler-y, though I think you will probably expect Our Heroes to win, since that’s what happens in books, but I do think the Ra’haam went along a little too easily.
The final chapter…was okay. It was cute. Did it add much to the resolution? Not really.
I will miss these characters—their humor, their fortitude, and their relationships.
Possible objectionable content:
While Auri uses substitute swears (“holy cake” and “mothercustard”), other characters do swear, including increased use of the f-word as time passes. Sexual innuendo and sexual activity, none of it graphic. Lots of violence—we’re saving the galaxy, after all. All of Squad 312 has lost parents in one way or another.
Who might like these books:
Science fiction fans. Those who love books about people who shouldn’t fit together, yet become a team and a family despite their differences. Those who like romance to go along with kick-butt fighting.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
in return for my unbiased opinion.
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