Aurora Rising

Aurora Rising
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Knopf, 2019 480 pages
Grades 7-Up
Science Fiction
The Aurora Cycle #1

Multiple points of view take turns telling this exciting tale in a new science fiction series. The story starts off with a bang, as super-star cadet, Tyler, saves Aurora, a human girl who has been trapped suspended in spaceflight for two-hundred years. Because of the rescue mission, he misses the draft and is placed on a team of last-picked misfits upon graduation from the military academy. The team, though all exhibiting weaknesses, making them undesirable, are gifted at varying and complimentary skills, forming them a “Dream Team”. They leave to complete their first mission, which should be boring and routine, and everything gets crazy. On top of enemy attack they find a stowaway on board--Aurora. Aurora seems to be the target of the attack and in defense she transforms into a different creature with almost supernatural abilities. What follows is a mad chase throughout space as the team attempts to track down Aurora's true identity, as different objects and planets call to her. As the young people search for answers, the bad guys are on their heels and danger lurks behind every corner. By book’s end the secrets behind Aurora's powers are revealed and a team member is badly altered, leading readers to the next installment in the series due out in May, 2020.

Science fiction is currently hot and teen readers will flock to this new series by proven authors. The cover is eye-catching and the action starts right away, sucking readers right in. The multiple points of view cover all of the young members of the team, affording different perspectives and making the book equally accessible to readers of all genders. There is an innocent romance that develops between two of the team members with hints of another one to follow in future installments. As with other well written series, certain crucial plot threads are sewn up to leave the reader with a feeling of satisfaction, yet new ones are introduced, leading them straight to the next installment. Teens will care about the characters, who are a little more developed than most seen in an adventure story. Truly, the plot never slows down and the authors offer us surprises and twists along the way. The book itself is long and thick, but it reads quickly and will be enjoyed by teen readers of all abilities and interests.