Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Review

 Title: Aurora Burning 

Author(s): Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult 

Genre: Science Fiction 

Series: The Aurora Cycle, book two 

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars 

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it. 

I read the first book in this series, Aurora Rising, about a month ago, a generous and unexpected gift from one of the members of my Facebook reading group—thank you so much! This sequel to Aurora Rising begin at octane-speed, with the results of the ending of the first book. (Also, can I just how totally grateful I am for the recap at the beginning? If only every sequel had that feature!) It’s been a few weeks, and honestly, I’m still absolutely wrecked over this. I needed some time to sort out my feelings; this book grabbed my heart from the very first word, and didn’t let me go until long after I turned the last page. Squad 312 is back, and this time, it’s personal!  

With an ancient, long-slumbering alien evil awakening and waiting for the perfect moment to strike, Squad 312 has returned, determined to hold back the threat of wicked and insidious Ra’haam. After a heartbreaking and unbearable loss, the squad—Auri, struggling to put the pieces of her past, present, and future together, Ty, crippled with loss, pain and regret, Finian, missing home and desperate to make a difference on Squad 312, and Scarlett, the team’s Face and resident fashionista, is still reeling. Kal, one of the team’s two aliens, finds his past running to catch up to him in the form of his older sister, one of the Unbroken, and a proud soldier for The Starslayer. Squad 312 faces so much more than The Ra’haam, and forces across the galaxy scheme to capture the rogue Terran soldiers and bring them to justice. Squad 312 is back in full force, and this time, the scrappy, ragtag team may splinter for good... 

I very much enjoyed Aurora Burning! Sequels, as a rule, tend to make me leery; either the sequel doesn’t live up to the hype, or there are pacing issues, or the characters falter. But that was not the case, at all, for Aurora Burning. Even without the thorough recap at the beginning of the book, Aurora Burning takes off at hyperspeed through the galaxy, with our favorite misfits still grappling with the loss of one of their own. The pacing was breakneck, and I was immediately welcomed back to the dangerous, unknown frontier of space. I loved and missed the squad, and the result of the last book was something I was feeling, hard, over this beautifully written and surprising sequel. Absolutely stunning. The pacing was breakneck, and it felt like I had never left space, even though I read Aurora Rising a little over a month ago. I loved, loved, loved this book, and I can’t wait for the closing book in this unique, unusual trilogy! This book was pretty much perfect, and I very much enjoyed it! Looking forward to more! The bottom line: Funny, emotional, surprising and heartwrenching, I loved Aurora Burning! Next on deck: Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall!