Okay, for those who read Godsgrave (Nevernight Chronicles 02) by Jay Kristoff, do you remember the cliffhanger at the end of that particular gem? Well, Aurora Burning very nearly topped it, no small feat. Something to keep in mind in case you’re thinking of picking this up.
Aurora Burning begins with a bang, literally, Squad 312 are on the run, only now they’re not only running from the Global Intelligence Agency but also the Terran forces including the Aurora Legion, their own comrades. They are fugitives with no allies and an ever increasing horde of adversaries around every corner. And all the while the threat of the Ra’Haam looms larger, getting closer to blooming, covering the galaxy.
One of the complaints that some had with the first book was that there wasn’t enough action. Well, Kristoff and Kaufman turned the notch up to 11 in this, the team barely has any time to slow down and take stock, to mourn, to just be. Aurora Burning feels like one long action-packed adventure. The pace slows down a little towards the third act before the no-holds-barred finale at the end.
The writers also split up the squad, a la The Last Jedi, with Tyler on his own, captured by the GIA and Scarlett and the rest trying to make sure that Auri stays safe. So while Tyler must try to escape their clutches, the others have their own mission, figure out what happened to Auri and what being the Trigger actually means.
Where book 1 was more concerned with slow and small revelations, book 2 builds on those revelations but with greater urgency. I loved that while the plot kept getting more and more intricate, it never got convoluted. There’s nothing quite as satisfying when all the carefully laid out foreshadowing comes together in a big pay off. Kristoff and Kaufman added quite a few twists and red herrings to keep things fresh.
We learn more about the Eshvaren, the ancient race who defeated the Ra’Haam all those centuries ago and are responsible for Auri’s powers. One of the best parts of the book was the all the mystery surrounding them, a race so ancient that most didn’t even think that they had indeed existed, instead treating them more like mythological beings. Then there are the Syldrathi and we finally meet the Starslayer. We already know he’s ruthless but he takes it to a whole different level. Speaking of, there are so many antagonists, you have the Ra’Haam, GIA and pretty much all Terran forces, the Unbroken but the Starslayer specifically, these guys just can’t catch a break.
As for Ra’Haam, it is unclear just how far they’ve infiltrated the GIA and what other worlds have already fallen. Thanks to the nightmare Fin had in Aurora Rising, we know that at least one other planet is definitely in peril; Trask. Although it seems to be safe for the time being.
It was also interesting to note that while the Ra’Haam does indeed take a person over, making them a part of itself, that original person is still present inside. Another aspect made clear in Aurora Burning is that once a person has been taken over, they cannot be saved, which makes sense when we consider what happened to Cat and explains why Aurora’s father still remembers her.
As good as Kristoff and Kaufman are with plot, they’re even better where characters are concerned. Aurora Burning gives us a deeper insight into the Squad with some very shocking revelations. Tyler is the captain, the leader of this rag-tag group, a master strategist, splitting him from the team, gave Scarlett the space to really shine. In the previous book, she was kind of relegated to being the caretaker of the group, well she really steps up to the task at hand and she does so admirably.
I’m normally not a fan of the whole “soulmates” romance, too often it feels like a shortcut, where 2 characters meet and immediately fall in love and I was afraid of what the Pull meant for Kal and Auri. But I needn’t have worried. The love story between them felt real and earned. I loved that while Kal experienced the full effects of the Pull, a near physical ache for Auri, he gave her the time and space to make up her own mind. His presence never overpowering but always close should she need any help. I loved their dynamic.
Finian was his usual charming self, king of sassy comebacks, second only to Scarlett but then let’s face it, she has it down to an art form. I loved his unashamed sexuality, he is clearly drawn to Scarlett but he also really appreciates Tyler and Kal. I’m curious to learn if he has some special abilities as well because how else do you explain his dream of the blue pollen on Trask? And let’s not forget that he dreamt about that before they even knew what they were dealing with.
But the breakout star of book was Zila. This girl knocked it out of the park. I loved learning more about her. Her past explains so much about her, her personality, her behaviour and it’s heartbreaking. She’s also so damn badass. I loved the way she could just blend in with the background, simply disappearing, a very useful talent. And she’s queer!
There are also a few new characters but the only one of note was Saedii, Kal’s sister. But unlike him, she was loyal to the Starslayer, utterly devoted to his cause, viewing Kal and his team with disdain, disgusted with what she perceives to be his weakness. By the end of the book, there is a slight change in her outlook but it’ll interesting to see where she lands up with the conflict in book 3.
I love the representation in this series, of the squad, Finian is pansexual and Zila is queer (I’m leaning towards lesbian given her obvious crush on Scarlett but we’ll wait for confirmation) and even Scarlett isn’t completely straight if her reaction to Saedii is any indication.
The 2nd books in most trilogies are among the weakest, they have to set up the finale so the conflict, if any, is usually small and contained, making them feel more like fillers than an installment that you could enjoy on their own. Aurora Burning is a great second book, it keeps the plot progressing at an excellent pace while still setting up the final book, raising so many new questions. And that cliffhanger I mentioned at the beginning? It could not have been worse and now I will have to wait, at the very least, till May 2021 to find out how things pan out. It’s worse because book 3 doesn’t even exist right now…
Ravings of a Manic Reader 