Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman

6 reviews

natashalg's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The story was an exciting read, but the way the characters interact and speak was really, really awkward. It's like you're reading the dialogue from a "relatable" teen Disney movie. That did get better as the book progressed and you got more into the story, but it was still present, and I'm hoping the characters "grow" out of it.

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cosmicpanda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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ssellwood's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Aurora Rising has an exciting premise; a group of unlikely comrades are pushed together after the discovery of a girl left in cryo for 200 years, pulling them into an adventure across the galaxy. I enjoyed the fast pace and action packed plot, but there's also time for humour and connections that pull strongly on the found family trope, and they even managed to make me care for characters I thought I disliked. There's also a hint of gore and mystery for those who enjoyed the more horror aspects of Illuminae. However, initially I found some of the characters a bit one sided, especially Zila, though they grew more dimensional over time.

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safety_pin's review

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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captainoliimar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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sssunny's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I first read Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's magnificent trilogy The Illuminae Files, and judging on how much I loved the story and characters of that trilogy, I was afraid I would compare Aurora Rising to that. Safe to say, they were incomparable and both were such good reads that once I got started it was hard to put it down.

I'm a sucker for a good sci-fi read so I was automatically dazzled by the world built by Kaufman and Kristoff, but never had I read a book with such loveable characters. The characters were definitely the defining factor that lead me to giving this novel a 5 star review, the plot itself (while still exciting) was typical to any adventure novel. I love the relationships the characters develop with each other throughout the novel and how they overcome all of their biases and self-centeredness as they bonded with the misfits they were stuck running from the galaxy with.

Overall, this book was so much fun to read and was exactly what I needed after reading thought provoking, I-should-probably-wake-up-before-I-read-this kind of novels. I needed that YA mind break and after loving Illuminae Files and reading those books three times over, Aurora Rising didn't miss. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loved Illuminae Files, and any of my fellow YA-novel-enjoyers. I definitely will read this one again!  

This is just my extra little tidbit **SPOILERS**
My favorite character was Cat. Who Kaufman and Kristoff so rudely killed off right at the last 30 pages of the book and absolutely crushed me. I, myself, am a pilot and have been looking keenly into Airforce or test pilot, so I related a lot to her hot headedness and connection to the thrill of flying.
Finian was probably my second favorite character, I loved how for the longest time all you saw was his sarcastic, asshole-ness and as soon as you were able to read from his perspective you immediately felt for him and felt for his struggles.
Tyler, at first, seemed like a pretty basic and straight up character, but as the novel progressed I was invested in his transformation and I needed him to realize his love for Cat sooner!
As soon as Kal came into play when we first met him in a fight with other Aurora Legionnaires I knew I had to know more, and anytime a chapter in his POV came up I was like hell YEAH!! 
While she didn't say much, Kila was so entertaining to read. She reminded me of the Bennett sister from Pride and Prejudice that didn't speak much but when she did it kind of caught everyone off guard. Also towards the end of the book when Tyler told her that while she was incredibly smart she had no social skills and Kal looked over to see Kila tearing up slightly it made my heart hurt and I was invested with the direction her character went from that point forward. 
Scarlett was a total badass, and I love the way that she cared for the team in her own subtle ways making sure everyone felt recognized. I feel that she was a vital character in making the team that seemed not to fit together at all, come together in the end. 
For most of the book I found myself pitying Aurora. She came off so helpless and came off as a damsel in distress and annoyed me quite a bit. In that final few chapters of the novel and Aurora finally seemed to be attempting to get control over whatever is going on with her she finally got to be an entertaining character to read and not just Kal's one-true-love.

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