Aurora Burning - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Aurora Burning

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Published: 5 May 2020

Series: The Aurora Cycle #2

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:

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.

I listened to this as an audiobook.

So... I'm wiring this only minutes after I've finished the audiobook and my hand is currently hurting a little from where I banged my fist on the table in frustration. The book ends like that?! There were tears, there were cute moments and funny lines; comebacks and explosions and shocking news.

And I loved all of it.

I still loved that there were different narrators for the different character points of view. Having different narrators for the different characters helps when there's quite a few characters to keep track of (at least with me it does) as I was easily able to tell whose chapter was whose and it helped my mind keep track of where everyone was in space and what they were all up to.

My favourite moment was probably the moments just before the end of the book. I'm not sure whether it was because we got to hear from every character about how they were feeling or whether that's the last and most prominent moment to me right now, but I loved it.

When we found out about Saedii and who her family is, I was shocked. However, I'd also somehow called it before that about who her family was, so I think that took a little of my shock factor away and just made it more of an "Aha! I knew it!" kind of moment.

I'm also glad that we finally got to hear about what happened to Zila when she was younger as I was dying to know thanks to the passing moment in Aurora Rising when she referenced the time when she was six.

I will definitely be purchasing the next book in the series when it comes out as I can't believe that Jay and Amie would leave the book on that note! Actually, knowing their writing styles I sort of can believe it... But still! How was I supposed to prepare my heart for that?!

Spoilers!

I'm guessing that Zila is on the autism spectrum somewhere based on her severely analytical thinking, her difficulty with social skills and how she doesn't seem to make eye contact with anyone. I may be wrong and that may just be how she is as a person, but it's just my guess.

I'm really hoping that Fin and Scarlett get together or at least kiss once because I'm pretty sure they'd make a cute couple and they way they interact with each other is funny when they're using sarcasm and wit, and also uplifting when they're making each other feel better and taking care of one another.

Oddly enough, I'm also hoping that Ty and Saedii get to know each other a little better (or maybe a lot better? Depends if they both still want to kill each other, I suppose).

Those final couple of times when Tyler spoke to "Kat" were the parts that made me cry though.

End Spoilers!

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | Aurora Rising
    2 | Aurora Burning

Aurora Rising - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff [Read 2]

Title: Aurora Rising

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Published: 6 May 2019

Series: The Aurora Cycle #1

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
Nobody panic.

While I may not have reviewed this book that long ago (almost a year and a half ago now), I also have a memory like a sieve. Having a memory like a sieve and also having the next book in my possession, I decided to re-read Aurora Rising. Plus it's always nice to see how your thoughts and views of books changes over the years.

So... On to the good stuff!

This time, I listened to this as an audiobook.

I loved that different characters were narrated by different people. I adore Kal's voice though - a voice like honey! The only, very minor, downside to the narration is that when the chapter is in Scarlett's point of view and Kal says something to her, it isn't said b the Kal narrator but the Scarlett narrator trying to do the different voice. It doesn't detract from the story too much, but it's just something that I noticed.

If your squad was hard to find, or you're still looking, then this one is for you.

Character-wise, I still love Scarlett's sass, humour and sarcasm plus Fin's sarcasm too! Maybe it's just me relating to them because of how sarcastic I can be sometimes though, but I'm not entirely sure.

I adore the word be'shmai and what it means... Makes my heart melt a little every time Kal says it. (Once again, if you want to find out what I'm on about with this part, then read the book. You won't regret it!)

I also like how there's info pages between every few chapters at the beginning of the book though as it breaks it up a little and gives you a touch more info, plus the different font that they use for the texting they did with one another. I still think it's Magellan giving us some information to help our brains keep up with the story and to add some fun into it too.

I sort of hope that we find out in Aurora Burning (the next book) what happened to Zila when she was 6 as I'm curious, but also worried about her. I just wish I could protect every one of my precious Squad members. I don't think I trust the with Jay and Amie after what they do to my heart during every book I read from them!

...but will I continue reading every single thing they publish? 100% yes.

Thoughts that I still have after re-reading this book:

- "Insulting their mothers. Just don't."  I still want to know the story behind that! Who insulted who's mother to make that a thing?! What happened afterwards?

- Why would you rub your hands against the moss to clean them?! (Another reason to read Aurora Rising if you haven't yet: to find out what the hells I'm talking about here.)

Hold onto your undies, kids.

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | Aurora Rising
    2 | Aurora Burning

Aurora Rising - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff [Read 1]

Title: Aurora Rising

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Published: 6 May 2019

Series: The Aurora Cycle #1

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis:

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
Nobody panic.

Everyone panic.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher, Allen & Unwin, for winning their giveaway. Thank you so much for letting me read this one!

I don't think that I could sum up who this book is suited for any better than the dedication of this book did:

If your squad was hard to find, or you're still looking, then this one is for you.

I liked that after a bit of interesting story of Ty in space, we back up a little into the italics and find out what led up to that point. Aurora's chapters have the flashback italics too and I also like how the end of her present sentence is the beginning of her flashback.

Character-wise, I loved Scarlett's sass, humour and scarcasm plus Fin's sarcasm too! Finian may also be gay or bi, but it's never explicitly stated.

Also, did anyone else notice that all the Syldrathi cabals start with W? No? Just me?

The best swearing ever occurs within this book too! For example: Hole cake. Son of a biscuit. Mothercustard...

Oh, that's what be'shmai means... (If you want to find out what I'm on about with this part, then read the book.)

Every single damning way to protect something is being used all at once to protect things? Good luck, Squad 312! Side note:That star map is awesome and I want one!

What's Eshvaren? Is it going to get revealed and is it probably important? Yes and yes. I feel like I've heard that word somewhere before too but can't pick where.

I do wonder how everyone on the Hadfield ship died except for her. How was she the only one to survive? How did she even end up on the ship in the first place when the book ends like that?!

Doesn't the Illuminae Files trilogy also have "Foundation Day"? I know they're two different universes, but I’m still curious... I also like how there's info pages between every few chapters in this book though as it breaks it up a little and gives you a touch more info, plus the different font that they use for the texting they did with one another. It’s a similar style to the Illuminae Files, I think – but also very different.

Hold onto your undies, kids.

It's about to be a bumpy ride...

Spoilers!

What happened to Zila when she was 6? I'm worried for her.

Did Cat and Ty have a thing then broke up? I guessed that they may have because of the sort of matching tattoos.

Aurora said "I apologise" and "Forgive me" backwards?! What?! I didn't even notice that until Zila mentioned it!

Insulting their mothers. Just dont. -- I want to know the story behind that. Who insulted who's mother to make that a thing? Was there a brawl? Was the offender disowned and sent off world?

Human bodies squeezed out of their uniforms like toothpaste? WTF? Eww!

Side note: WHY WOULD YOU RUB YOUR HANDS AGAINST THE MOSS TO CLEAN THEM?! MORON! IT'S TRYING TO KILL YOU!

End Spoilers!

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | Aurora Rising
    2 | Aurora Burning

LIFEL1K3 - by Jay Kristoff

Title: LIFEL1K3
Author: Jay Kristoff
Published: 29 May 2018
Series: Lifelike #1
Rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.
Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it.
But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.
Even if those secrets were better off staying buried.

"Hey, you. Yes, you. Put this grimy, beautiful, devastating, hilarious, screaming, writhing, all-out post-apocalyptic girl-buddy-road-warrior-lost-princess-techno-thriller in your face and read it right now. It is every kind of badass." - Laini Taylor (blurb from the back cover of the book)

Oh. My. Goodness. Laini Taylor's quote about this basically sums up how I'm feeling right about now. I really don't want to wait until May 2019 for the next book in the trilogy, that's how good it is. The picture also doesn't show it but the coppery colour on the edges of the front and back cover are metallic and shiny and oh-so-cool!

I like that we see action within the first chapter so it doesn't take too long to get into it.

There were so many awesome points to this book.

It's easier to base something from something else than it is to create something from nothing, so the lifelikes were modeled off the Monrova family. Grace from Eve's mother Alexis, Gabriel from her father Nicholas, Raphael from the eldest sister Olivia, Hope from the second youngest sister Marie, and Faith from Eve herself.

I liked that the twelve lifelikes were named after angels and virtues. Gabriel, Ezekiel, Uriel, Raphael, Michael, Daniel, Hope, Faith, Patience, Verity, Grace, and Mercy. It was also good that they had the same emotional capacity as an adult, but without the knowledge or experience of how to deal with them.

There is insta-love in this book, but it's not your usual kind. This is the kind that rips out your heart and stomps on it until it is nothing but mush. The kind that shows you what horror and pain it can cause to people and their emotions. The kind that shows you that love and lust are two completely different things.

It was good to see that when restarting Myriad, four things were needed (voice ident, retinal scan, blood sample, brainwave imprint) and it took at least twenty minutes too boot up - not simply an instant restart and away you go...

The flashbacks were interesting to watch unfold. Also the layout of the pages towards the end where a character's mind spirals a bit was really nice to see. It reminded me a bit of the layout of the Illuminae Files trilogy.

The language was a bit to take in a first, but I managed to wade my way through it. Some of the language I had to figure out, like 'sprogs' and 'fugazi'. And some was pretty self explanatory, like 'bestest', 'brainmeats', 'fizzy' and 'recyc'.

One theory that I had was that the area was called Dregs because it's what remains once everything good has left, such as humanity. Kind of like how the few tea leaves and the little half-sip of tea at the bottom of the mug are called dregs.

There was only one point when I was confused about what was happening, but it's sort of self explanatory as to why that was when you get up to that part in the book. It also made my mind spin out of control with theories...

Definitely recommend this book! Also, I need the next book ASAP please, Mr Kristoff!

Stronger together, together forever.

Spoilers!

When I'd only hit page 84, I already had to try not to cry because of poor Kaiser.

Why did I cry overall? Kaiser went boom, Cricket was crushed, Silas and Ana were shot. Enough said.

Now for the part where I got confused. How was it Ana's voice and retinal scan, but not her blood? Was there a complete blood transfusion? Was it because the blood sample may have been a mix of blood and saliva? Or was it possible that Nicholas used Lemon's blood, but still Ana's eye scan and voice? And here's my craziest theory yet. One that's probably so far off the planet that it's created it's own gravitational pull: Is Lemon the Monrova's true daughter, but was given up so that she would be saved?

Finding out that Eve was a lifelike was so shocking that I actually had to put the book down and yell and swear at nothing in particular while in my car, waiting for my own 'bestest' to finish work. Plus finding out that Lemon Fresh was the one with the electrical crushing power was another big shock.

End Spoilers!

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | LIFEL1K3
    2 | DEV1AT3
    3 | TRUEL1F3

Obsidio - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Obsidio
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Published: 13 March 2018
Series: The Illuminae File #3
Rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? 
Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. 
With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.

"We remember."

Wow. Pack the tissues, boys and girls. The end 1/4 of this is going to break your heart. By now in the series, we all know that not everyone is going to make it out alive, but it still hurts your emotions with who does and doesn't make it to the other side.

"We remember them, so in some ways they're always with us."

I'd never thought about the military having military issue briefs before, so that was a new thing to make me think about. And I'm still not sure how I feel about Duke talking in third person about himself.

"A soldier's first duty is to their conscience."

The pictures were gorgeous - there's even a couple of pages drawn graphic novel style. Plus one spread that looks like a photo has been taken of the landscape on Kerenza IV.

"It only takes one pebble to start an avalanche."

Family isn't always blood relations - it's who's been there for you through everything and has been your rock through thick and thin, and who always will be. Ezra, Kady, Rhys, Asha, Nik, Hanna, Ella, and Mr Biggles II in the end all became like family to one another - along with a couple of others, they're basically the only family they had left. I loved the little Mouse though.

"Of all the things I have seen and all the places I have been, you were the one who felt most like home."


__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

0.5 | Memento
    1 | Illuminae
    2 | Gemina
    3 | Obsidio

Gemina - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Gemina
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Published: 1 Nov 2016
Series: The Illuminae Files #2
Rating: 5 stars
Synopsis: 
The saga that began with breakout bestseller Illuminae continues aboard Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of BeiTech’s assault. Hanna is the station commander's pampered daughter, Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.
When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station crew one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon, Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.
Told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

For full effect, read everything Merrick says in a loin-stirringly deep, upper-crust accent while listening to smooth jazz.

I listened to this one as an audiobook and followed along in my physical copy. The pictures in the book were absolutely amazing and the sound effects in the audiobook draws you in. I love the pictures that Hanna has drawn in her journal too.

One of my favourite parts was when Ella said "poor cow cows :( ". It was very cute and it made me smile.

"I know one sixth of three tenths of absolutely f*** all."

Nik's 'bedtime story' about his grandma was a good one. It was an amusing message to pass along to people through the book too - don't hurt a woman, or she will hurt you back just as bad but you won't know when.

"Food, Highness. FOOOOOODDDD."

Question: Why does AIDAN explain footage sometimes and not 7123? Will we find this out in the last book in the trilogy? By now, I'm also wondering who it is.

Question: Is Zoe dead? Why doesn't she answer Ella's video messages? Will we find this out in the last book too?

I'm going to cntinue to believe that the 'amorphous slick of cold coffee' is the same one that overloaded the Heimdall systems, even if it actually isn't.

Why must Amie and Jay make me feel this way about fictional characters?!

Hanna: "You're not helping, AIDAN!"
AIDAN: "It is not as if I can get out and push."

Spoilers!

When we find out that Jackson Merrick is Rapier, and that Rapier pretended to be Sam Wheaton... My head nearly exploded.

When Hanna blew up Mess Hall 3, I knew what was going to happen as soon as we found out she was getting sugar out of the cupboard and going back to the main area of the mess hall. They explained what happens in a Criminal Minds episode I watched one day.

When Hanna finally kissed Nik, I may or may not have shed a few tears with happiness.

My jaw just about hit the floor when Ella got attacked by that Licker. Luckily her father gave her that pistol though or else she may have actually died that day.

When Nik dies in Hanna's universe, I cried big, fat, ugly tears. More big, fat tears as Hanna dies in Nik's universe too. By now, Amie and Jay have me wrapped around the little finger of their main characters.

When Merrick shot Ella in his report? Nope, I was gone. Same as when Merrick shot Nik and then Hanna in his report too.

End Spoilers!


__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

0.5 | Memento
    1 | Illuminae
    2 | Gemina
    3 | Obsidio

Illuminae - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Illuminae
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Published: 1 Nov 2015
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
One moment, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason have nothing bigger to worry about than each other. Specifically, avoiding each other in the wake of their messy break-up. In the next second, their entire world falls apart.
The year is 2375 and one of the mega-corporations that control much of deep space has just fired the opening salvo in an intergalactic war, destroying Kady and Ezra's planet. Forced to flee on a small fleet of crippled rescue ships alongside thousands of other refugees, the fear of enemy warships chasing them down is at first all-consuming but soon becomes the least of their worries. A deadly plague is ravaging the refugees on the ships; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be an enemy; and High Command is refusing to acknowledge that there may be a serious problem. As Kady plunges into a tangled web of data in search of the truth, she realises that Ezra is possibly the only person who can help her save the refugees before it's too late.


"With their brief lives and their tiny dreams and their hopes that seem fragile as glass."

I listened to this one as an audiobook and followed along in my physical copy. The pictures in the book were absolutely amazing and the sound effects in the audiobook draws you in.

Some pages were very easy to read as some had only a sentence or two and some had no words on them for effect - such as simply being a black page filled with outer space.

"Okay, well for the benefit of the sight-impaired, I am now raising my... oh, dear... yes, it's my middle finger at Mr. Postgrad here."

I was a bit iffy about Jimmy to start with, but he grew on me quickly. So when he was forced to stay in the airlock of the bay where the afflicted were, I did end up crying a little.

Some of the things that Ezra said to Kady made my heart burst with fondness for him. And when he drew hearts made of poetry for her, I wanted to just squish him because of how cute it was.

"Come to save her beau. Her hero. Her beloved."

My guess is that 'Spooner', one of the techs who helped try and restrain AIDAN before he came back online, is a nod towards Meagan Spooner who is Amie Kaufman's partner in crime most of the time. However I could always be very wrong, but I'd like to think that's the reason.

"My databases show no record of this Crazytown of which you speak."

I did tear up a bit when Kady was telling AIDAN about when she used to sleep in Ezra's shirts as they used to smell like him, which is how she guessed that the envirosuit that she was in was the one that he'd worn when going outside the ship.

"Tears track down her cheeks, and her eyes close.  This doesn't look much like victory."


I loved this book more than I thought I would. The 600 pages do look daunting, but I'd encourage you to try and read it anyway as it is a lovely book full of beautiful descriptions and just as beautiful pictures.

"Promises are just words. They don't mean a thing."

Spoilers!

I also cried when Byron stayed behind on the Alexander and tried to get Kady to help him from the other ship. They'd become fast friends with their mutual love of code.

Unfortunately for me, I was listening to the audiobook while driving when Kady sat and listened to Jimmy's will via datapad so I had to pull over so that I could see through my tears.

When AIDAN told Kady that Ezra was dead, I amazingly didn't cry. Probably because I didn't believe him. I figured that surely Ezra was either alive on the Alexander or over on the Hypatia, right?

However, I think my favourite page in the entire book is the one a couple of pages from the end when it is a picture of Kady and Ezra made up of the word 'together' over and over.

End Spoilers!

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

0.5 | Memento
    1 | Illuminae
    2 | Gemina

    3 | Obsidio