Aurora Rising

Tyler Jones is a top graduate at Aurora Academy in the year 2380, but his prospects change when he rescues Aurora Jie-Lin O'Malley - a girl who has been in cryo-sleep for two centuries. He ends up with an unexpected crew assignment and a mission that puts them all at risk. The squad must work together despite their differences, facing threats from multiple fronts while trying to uncover the truth about Aurora. Their journey takes them across space as they navigate complex political tensions between worlds and deal with mysterious forces pursuing them. The story alternates between multiple character perspectives, revealing how this diverse group of teens adapts to their new reality while racing against time. Combat, espionage, and interstellar travel mix with squad dynamics and personal growth. Aurora Rising explores themes of found family and identity, set against the backdrop of humanity's expansion into space and the price of uncovering long-buried secrets. The novel questions what it means to belong and how individuals define themselves when everything they know is challenged.

Readers highlight the engaging found-family dynamics and banter between Squad 312's diverse crew members. The character interactions and relationships drive the story forward, with many reviews noting strong chemistry between teammates. What readers liked: - Fast-paced action scenes - LGBTQ+ representation - Multiple POV narrative structure - Witty dialogue and humor - Complex character development for Kal and Auri What readers disliked: - Similarity to other YA sci-fi plots - Romance felt rushed for some - Too many POV switches early on - World-building lacks depth in places Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (62,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (1,900+ ratings) Barnes & Noble: 4.4/5 (500+ ratings) One common reader note: "The first 50 pages require patience as you learn the characters, but then it's impossible to put down." Multiple reviews compare the tone and crew dynamics to Firefly and Six of Crows.

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🚀 Aurora Rising was partially inspired by the real-life story of a teenager who survived being cryogenically frozen after a ferry disaster in South Korea. 💫 The book's innovative formatting includes mission files, ship logs, and AI communications to help tell the story from multiple perspectives. 👥 Co-author Amie Kaufman collaborated with Jay Kristoff on this series after their successful Illuminae Files trilogy, which sold over 1 million copies worldwide. 🎮 The rights to adapt Aurora Rising into a television series were acquired by MGM Television before the book was even published. 🌟 The character Tyler Jones was named after one of the authors' favorite fictional space captains, Tyler Durden, though they later realized he wasn't actually a space captain at all.