Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff Series: The Aurora Cycle #2
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in May 2020
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
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Our heroes are back… kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.
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.
**SPOILER ALERT: This review may contain spoilers for the first book in the series. Please do not read this review if you have not yet read Aurora Rising. You may click here for my review of Aurora Rising.
Well, Aurora Burning happened. First off, thank you to Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff, and the entire team behind the publishing of Aurora Burning for getting it released on time despite the pandemic because I honestly don’t know what I would have done if the release date got pushed back. However, with that being said, please tell me that the 3rd book will be out no later than May 2021. I cannot stand the suspense!
Aurora Rising left off with Cat being consumed (is that the right word?) by the Ra’haam on Octavia III. Now going into Aurora Burning, Squad 312 is down one member and still left with many questions unanswered; namely, what is Auri the trigger to?
Without giving much away, I thought Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff was full of action and for the most part, moved at a good pace. Many of the plot twists, I was able to predict. However, I did not see the major plot twist coming regarding the weapon Squad 312 was looking for towards the end. Aurora Burning definitely answered a lot of questions regarding Auri and the Eshavren. It also answered a lot of questions about the Syldrathi with the introduction of Kal’s sister Saedii. Honestly though, I still don’t quite know what to make of her.
Of course, Aurora Burning ended on a MAJOR cliffhanger and with many unanswered questions. I feel like I’m almost at the peak of the roller coaster. That point of the big hill where you can’t quite see what’s coming, but you know it’s coming. Hopefully you get me…
The one thing that annoyed me about Aurora Burning was the romance and all of the references to checking [insert name here] out. Normally, I’m all for romance. Also, I get that they are teenagers. However, I think they have more pressing matters to attend to. I also thought that at times it felt forced and slowed down the plot unnecessarily. I personally don’t think that this story requires all the romance aside from the romance between Auri and Kal. However, that may just be my opinion.
Of course, I still highly recommend the Aurora Cycle to fans of YA science fiction. If you enjoyed Aurora Rising and haven’t read Aurora Burning, I hope you’re safely able to acquire a copy soon. Lastly, if you’ve read Aurora Burning, feel free to leave your thoughts below or a link to your review. I’d love to know your thoughts!
