The characters are compelling, though with varying levels of complexity, and I would’ve loved to see a bit more of their struggles to connect and work together, but some great twists, a stellar ensemble, and a little teen angst all make this a must read in my book! I’m so excited for the sequel I’ve decided to tackle Kristoff’s Nevernight series in the meantime! Catherine 👓👓👓👓 4 / 5 I’m not the biggest “space exploration” fan, but Kaufman and Kristoff create a fun world with just enough science and planetary exploration for a sci-fi lite fan like me. I read it in the span of a few hours (with a very little bit of sleep in between) and had so much fun with the ragtag bunch of misfits that fill out the books cast. I’ll get right to the point with this one. I will be waiting for book two and checking out these authors’ other works in the meantime. I actually wanted even more conflict within the group (we did get a good amount, but this could have been pushed further). Not all characters were equally fleshed out, but I realize there are more books coming. I like twists that keep me guessing and foreshadowing that makes me feel smart at big reveals. I like complicated family relationships and complicated friend relationships. I love the echoes of influences like Star Trek in the world, the story, and the characters. Aurora Rising was definitely a fun ride that for me falls into both the Stayed-Up-Late-To-Finish category and also the Kinda-Wish-I-Had-Written-It category. I lost sleep to finish this book-sleep, people! That should be enough of a review in and of itself. I would read the next installment if only to spend some more time with the characters. (One of your crew members is literally dying! You’re supposed to be trying to save her! Why are you sauntering around chatting about your love life?!? Chat about that later!) But I really enjoyed reading it. There were a couple gaping plot points that pulled me out of the story to question why on earth (or, you know, not Earth) the characters would act the way they did. This book reminded me a bit of The Martian with the quick wit and near future science of exploration, except Aurora Rising is absolutely a YA novel through and through.

I could picture the characters in my mind, but I kept reading to find out what exactly made them tick. The character development, especially early on drew me right in.

HOWEVER, I actually really enjoyed this book. I like some fantasy stories well enough, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick one up. Below, read our individual thoughts about the first book in Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Aurora Cycle series. Aurora Rising is a YA SciFi Ensemble Space Adventure The Nerd Girls generally adored.

Aurora rising amie kaufman