There are several books sitting on my bookshelf at the moment that, for one reason or another, really shouldn’t have been sitting there for so long. Aurora Burning is a classic example of this. I’ve had this book for literally a year at this point. It’s the sequel to one of my favourite books, by my favourite author duo of Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. It was pretty much a given that I was going to love this book. And yet, somehow it has taken me twelve months to get around it it, and only the pressure of knowing that book three is coming has managed to get me to finally get organised and read Aurora Burning at last. And boy was it amazing.I reread Aurora Rising in preparation, mostly because my memory is like a leaky sieve, and while I remembered that it was a favourite, the exact details have fallen out of my head entirely. It was an excellent decision though, because not only did I remind myself of the adventure so far, but reading them both together is just the best experience.
There are so many things to love about this book. So. Many. Things. However, before I get into discussing exactly what I loved so much, I should probably give you a synopsis in case you’re not completely familiar with the book.
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.
Firstly, the humour in this book is, as always with Kristoff and Kaufman, impeccable. It’s got a very much Guardians of the Galaxy vibe in someways, with a band of misfits rocking around trying to save the galaxy, cracking jokes, and getting into all sorts of humorous situations. Which is excellent because we’re dealing with some truly universe ending sort of consequences, and epic levels of drama. Between betrayals that rock the very foundations of the team, being on the run from creepy aliens possessed by plants, and attempting to save the galaxy while also being in very grave danger of losing their lives, Squad 312 have a lot going on. And yet, somehow spirits are never quite crushed. Bless Finian for never running out of terrible quips to lighten up the mood.
Secondly, I love, love, loved getting more page time with some of the other members of Squad 312. With a narrating cast as large as this, it’s obviously very difficult to give everyone enough time in the spotlight, and throughout Aurora Rising I felt like a couple of team members were pushed the background more than a little. Zila, for example, the brains of the team, who doesn’t really understand people, got so little page time in the first book, but turned out to be an absolute gem in this one. I am still laughing over the scene where she drives a getaway car so hard that the doors literally fall off and it catches fire when they get out. And Finian, the wisecracking genius in an exosuit. Aurora Burning gave them all more time to tell their own parts of the story, any they really benefitted from it.
Thirdly, space adventures. I mean, we’re in space here. I don’t want to read a book that minimises the epic nature of an adventure in space. And Aurora Burning absolutely makes good use of that. There are more planets, more alien races, more space heists with incredibly tight pants, and more epic space battles. We’re exploring more of the universe and having amazing adventures along the way in a way that makes me almost wish that I was up there with them.
However, if there is one thing that I didn’t enjoy so much, it’s the fact that the deadly romance trope kind of overtook a fair portion of the book. Now, while I enjoy a bit of romance as much as the next bookworm, if I have one pet peeve, is when a romance suddenly inserts itself front and centre in the plot and starts to dominate. Added to that, this was a little bit of a stereotypical ‘love is the answer to everything’ type of relationship, and the two characters involved became unfortunately consumed by these newfound feelings,. Romance if you must, but do not do it at the detriment of the story that I am trying to enjoy. You can be in love and not have that be the only facet of your character that matters. And while there were definitely some lovely moments with this romance, it was just a bit much for me. I came here for cool space stories, not someone working out their relationship status and making goo-goo eyes.
Apart from that gripe though, Aurora Burning was a really solid story, and an excellent read. I might almost dear to suggest that it was almost more enjoyable than the first one, and that’s really saying something. The characters feel more developed, like they’re finally growing into their roles in the team. The stakes keep growing, and the situation goes from bad to worse in a way that has you racing through the pages waiting to see how it ends. Even for someone like me, who struggles to read for long periods of time at the moment, I was so captured that I literally had to tear myself away from the page to go and take care of real life things. I don’t know if I can forgive that cliffhanger though. In a way I’m glad it took me a while to read this, because that cliffhanger at the end is too cruel! If you love space adventures, heists, motley groups of unlikely heroes, and stories with the same vibe as The Guardians of the Galaxy, then this book is for you.
Have you read this series? If so, what did you think? What’s your favourite space adventure? Let’s chat in the comments below!
