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. They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

Review by – Darshana
A book that made me not want to leave my seat until the end of the story. A plot that tarts with a bang (pun intended), keeping you on the edge right from the beginning. The plot keeps you hooked as it progresses and at no point does it feel that the authors are dragging it or that the story is testing your patience. It is a roller coaster ride full of surprises. However, after a certain point in the story the rest of the plot becomes too obvious and which could have been avoided by giving it an unexpected twist. What made me fall in love with this book though are the characters.

Right from squad leader Tyler Jones or the infamous sociopath Zila Madran, each of the squad members that are integral characters in the story have been given such specific details along with a fitting history to connect to their present. Each of their personalities is drastically different from the other and yet so intriguing at the same time. There is no way you can resist the charms of Tyler Jones and you shouldn’t, this guy comes with brains. The style of writing, the humour and of course, the sarcasm are all at the top.

Some moments in the book go from extremely dangerous to absolutely hilarious within a few seconds thanks to the really cool and sassy dialogues, most of them dripping with the kind of sarcasm you encounter only on rare occasions, leaving you chuckling out loud or simply admiring the author(s)’ wit. Tyler Jones definitely got the best squad from the academy. One of the other good things about Aurora Rising is that it is not too descriptive and so definitely no chance of a new reader, or anyone for that matter getting bored. At the same that also makes it one of its drawbacks. Too descriptive might be a bit boring, but less description can make the story feel incomplete. Information was given piece by piece in different parts of the book, but the technology or rather all the scientific and other terms/ things could have been given at least a brief description. I wasn’t particularly a fan of science fiction while picking up this book, but definitely ended up being one. All in all, I think Aurora Rising is an un-put-downable read and I would recommend all readers (and nonreaders) to give it a go at least for the sarcasm and humour, if nothing else.

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