Aurora Rising - Book Review

I have marked this book in my book journal as one to watch so I don't miss out when the second book in the series hits shelves. Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff JUST came out this summer, but I'm already anticipating the follow-up.

I received a free review copy from the publisher and was really excited to check it out: a new sci-fi series for the young adult audience. Maybe I liked it so much because it held such familiar elements.

There's a character who uses telekinetic powers and her nose bleeds, kind of like El in Stranger Things.

The main characters travel to a spaceport called The World Ship, which reminded me of Mos Eisely Spaceport from Star Wars. ("Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.")

And there is a "collector" character that reminded me of The Collector from Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, the whole ragtag crew of humans and aliens had a Guardians feel.

So what is the book about? It takes place WAY into the future: the year 2380. Humans have discovered alien races, and now aliens and humans are working together to keep peace in the galaxy. Tyler Jones is the leader of a squad that consists of his twin sister, his best friend (who wants to be his girlfriend), a sarcastic techie, a quiet brainiac, and a warrior trying to change his past. Tyler rescues a human girl named Auri who has been cryogenically frozen for 200 years, and she becomes a stowaway on the squad's ship, turning them all into fugitives from the people who want to capture Auri. It's all for unknown reasons - how did she survive the cryo? Why do these people want her? Where did her special powers come from? And what will this squad do next in order to save the galaxy from a plague that threatens to destroy everything?

Does that sound intriguing to you? Yeah, I bet! The book is age-graded 12+, and I think it's totally appropriate for that age group, as well as for older teens and adults. With so many characters and the perspective shifting each chapter between the characters, I did have some trouble keeping up with things, but that was the only thing that I disliked about the book.

I can totally see this as a movie, and in fact, it's been optioned to be a TV series! I would watch that!

Aurora Rising is published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free review copy in exchange for my honest review.