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The squad you love is out of time. Prepare for the thrilling finale in the epic, bestselling Aurora Cycle series about a band of unlikely heroes who just might be the galaxy's last hope for survival.

Is this the end?

What happens when you ask a bunch of losers, discipline cases and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient evil? The ancient evil wins, of course.

Wait . . . Not. So. Fast.

When we last saw Squad 312, they were working together seamlessly (aka, freaking out) as an intergalactic battle raged and an ancient superweapon threatened to obliterate Earth. Everything went horribly wrong, naturally.

But as it turns out, not all endings are endings, and the team has one last chance to rewrite theirs. Maybe two. It’s complicated.

Cue Zila, Fin and Scarlett (and Magellan!) making friends, making enemies and making history? Sure, no problem.

Cue Tyler, Kal and Auri joining forces with two of the galaxy’s most hated villains? Um, okay, yeah. That too.

Actually saving the galaxy, though?

496 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2021

About the author

Jay Kristoff

56 books27.2k followers
Jay Kristoff is a #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. He is the winner of eight Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over two million books in print and is published in over thirty five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6’7 and has approximately 12,000 days to live.

He does not believe in happy endings.

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5 stars
10,196 (44%)
4 stars
8,369 (36%)
3 stars
3,396 (14%)
2 stars
687 (3%)
1 star
218 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,997 reviews
Profile Image for Nina.
211 reviews
Read
May 24, 2021
i will no longer be reading or supporting authors jay kristoff and amie kaufman.

may 2020 (old review): if my boy finian de karran de seel doesn’t get his face on the cover after saving the entire galaxy i will riot.
Profile Image for rose.
242 reviews138 followers
April 16, 2022
I JUST WROTE A WHOLE IN DEPTH REVIEW ON WHY EXACTLY I HATE THIS AUTHOR AND HOW THIS BOOK REFLECTS HIM AND HIS VALUES AND IT GOT DELETED I AM SO MAD NAH

(but basically all it said was that kristoff’s oversexualization of teenagers is so repulsive, and if one puts that aside, these authors works are getting extremely repetitive and boring. the characters are dull- except for zila, who i wish i had found in a book by a better person- and kal and auri, who just go from bad to worse. you can see the twists coming from a mile away and many things are overcomplicated to the point of just being pointless and confusing. the one thing i liked about this book was that the plot was intertwiny in a fun way and the ending did pack some punch— but nothing could be enough to overshadow what this author has said and done, and what he’s reflected in his books.)
2 reviews1 follower
September 6, 2020
Anyone else totally shipping Saedii and Ty after Aurora Burning or is it just me???
Profile Image for Nicole.
682 reviews15.9k followers
January 26, 2024
Ugh to było fantastycznie cudowne.

Nigdy nie czekałam tak bardzo na jakąś premierę i nie skończyłam jej czytać po 7h od zakupu.
82 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2024
Dear Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff,
I will literally give you my soul, my heart, my body, both of my kidneys and the $2 in my bank account in exchange for an ARC.

Profile Image for Lucie V..
1,136 reviews3,077 followers
July 31, 2024
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Characters
✅ Found family
✅ Action
✅ Feelings (I did cry) 🤧
✅ Plot
✅(🆗) Ending / Defeating the big bad evil entity


**This review contains mild spoilers of the book (the part with the spoilers is indicated)**

"To die in the fire of war is easy. To live in the light of peace, much harder."


**MILD SPOILER IN THE NEXT 2 PARAGRAPHS**
Aurora Burning ends with a killing cliffhanger, and Aurora's End starts right where we left things at the end of the second book. Thanks to Auri, Earth was not destroyed by the Starslayer, but the use of her power caused a time-travel problem that the crew will spend most of the book trying to solve. Some are sent in the past, others in the future, and the crew needs to form new alliances and figure out who can help them go back to their time before it's too late.

I get picky when it comes to time travel because it is easy to get all tangled in the plot and write something that ends up not making any sense, but I have to say that it was BRILLIANTLY DONE in Aurora's End. I really am impressed by the way the authors managed to weave the time travel sub-plot into the bigger plot in a way that is very coherent and it also explains SO MANY THINGS that were left unexplained in the previous books.
**END OF THE MILD SPOILER**

"Wherever we go, we know this one truth: we are family."


This is a captivating and entertaining read full of spaceship fights, action, twists, and a roller-coaster of emotions. While this book is full of adventure, it also focuses a lot on friendship, love, and family, and it made me cry a few times... Some happy tears, and some less-happy tears, but I won't say more, except: you HAVE to read it.

At one point, even though the pace flowed well, the writing was great, and the plot was intriguing and engaging, I found that the chapters were getting a little repetitive. Part of me is also a little disappointed by the ending, I found a part of it to be a little sappy, and there were a few cringe-worthy and/or repetitive moments, but the crew is as awesome as ever.

We tell ourself the story of Tyler Jericho Jones, son of a warrior and a Waywalker, who found us sleeping in the stars.
Saedii Gilwraeth, daughter of a warrior and a Waywalker herself, who learned a new way to see the world.
Finian de Karran de Seel, who was told by the world that he was not enough, and showed the world he was everything.
Scarlett Isobel Jones, who had a heart so large it could beat for her friends when theirs threatened to fail.
Kaliis Idraban Gilwraeth, who bore up under fists and taunts, who swore to serve even those who would never love him back, because it was right.
Zila Madran,
Catherine “Zero” Brannock, who is a part of us, who never flinched, never stopped fighting, or loving.


I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 🖤 🤍

My big complaint is that the crew members are separated for most of the book. Don't get me wrong, the plot is great, and it's full of action and it kept me at the edge of my seat, but I just couldn't wait for the squad to finally be reunited. I wanted to skim the book just to finally get to that moment when they would be together again because I really missed their group dynamic. I was complaining in my review of the first book that 7 POVs were a lot, but I have to admit now that the members of squad 312 all grew on me, and I'm glad that they all had their chapters in this final book.

On a side note, my two ships for this series have finally sailed in this book (overexcited squeal), so I am very happy and need nothing more. 😊

“I will see you in the stars”



1. Aurora Rising ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
2. Aurora Burning ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


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June 1, 2020

DEAD A$$ Kaliis Idraban Gilwraeth is the purest of them all if he ain’t here for the next one I’m out MAKER HAVE MERCY
Profile Image for Amber.
156 reviews29 followers
Want to read
March 26, 2021
YESS LOOK AT HIM 😭😭😭

update 03/26/20

Great Maker please let this book have Fin on the cover
Profile Image for Maryam Rz..
220 reviews3,273 followers
Want to read
April 9, 2021
[UPDATE, 28 Mar 2021:] Would you look at that—my boy, the true hero of this trilogy, slaying that cover art.

This cover might’ve just redeemed the entire series. 👀

—★—

[ORIGINAL, 31 May 2020:] I need the cover of this book to be of either Finian or Saedii, thank you and goodbye while I wait for these two pieces of my soul to get the love they deserve.

Current status:



Companions:

Book series playlist: Spotify URL


Books in series:
Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1) ★★☆☆☆
Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle, #2) ★★★✯☆
⤻ Untitled (The Aurora Cycle, #3) ☆☆☆☆☆
Profile Image for human.
648 reviews1,113 followers
Want to read
March 27, 2021
*hyperventilation*

tITLE???

cOVeRRR???!!!!!

"IT'S ABOUT TIME"?????!!!!!!!!!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER

~~~~~~~

i need this.
right. now.
seriously.
i can already feel the pain that awaits, and i will be a ghost, drifting along, living a half-life in this mortal shell until this comes out and i read it.
Profile Image for toointofiction.
263 reviews353 followers
May 13, 2022
“I will see you in the stars”


Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (more like 4,8 actually)

❗❗Spoilers ahead. You've been warned.❗❗


Even though, I was waiting for like a month and a half to get approved on Netgalley and WASN'T (yes, I'm still pretty sore about that) I was still excited to read this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was sooo damn good, you guys!!


I've noticed that not a lot of people liked Finian on the cover but I LOVE IT. My favourite boy looks absolutely GORGEOUS and deserves to be on the cover. I love him so much. He is the best out of all the others (and yes, I am prepared to fight you on this). I did expect Tyler to be on the final cover but I don't really mind that he wasn't. As I said, Finian has my heart.


The whole plot was amazing. I don't think there's any brain left in my head, it's all over the walls, now. There were so many awesome plot twists in this thing, I don't know how I'm still alive. The majority of the book was my favourite squad separated from each other. Let's start with Zila, Fin, and Scar ending up in the past, several centuries before them. And then ZILA STAYED IN THE PAST to put those gifts in place and my heart died for a minute.


Then we have Kal, Auri and dipshit Starslayer ending up in the future, 20-something years later, where Tyler was the only one who survived from the Squad and he married Saedii, had a daughter with her, and then died in battle (yes, this applies to all three of them).


And as if that wasn't enough, coldhearted monsters Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman had Tyler KILL CAT and then LOSE AND EYE AND HIS SPLEEN!! I mean, COME OOOOON!!! DO YOU HATE US??!?!?! Let's not forget that for about 10-15 pages they made us think that Auri was as good as gone. Cruel, cruel, cruel. But at least Saedii felt the Pull for Tyler so that was my personal highlight of the whole series.


The epilogue was so sweet and incredible. Zila found Auri's family and told them she was safe. Auri then got to meet one of her descendants, which was SUCH A SWEET MOMENT. Scar and Fin had a meet-the-family vacation (adorable), Auri and Kal were helping the Syldrathi. AND TY AND SAEDII WERE DATING 😍😍😍😍 Also they made a statue in honor of Zila the secret third founder of the Aurora Academy. It was just all around AMAZING.


I loved all the couples in this one. Scar and Fin were so damn adorable. I love them so much. They are GREAT together. Kal and Auri were as adorable as ever. No changes here. Zila and Nari...so so cuuute!!! And now, my most favourite ship in the entire series, Saedii and Tyler. This is enemies-to-lovers done RIGHT. The passion between them, the refusal to acknowledge their feelings especially for Saedii feeling the Pull!! And her character development...*chef's kiss*


Now for the things I didn't really like. I've said that in previews reviews of the series, the fact that the characters directly address the reader still pisses me off. I cannot escape reality if I keep getting reminded that I am nothing but a mere spectator. I just can't. The Jones siblings need to take it a little easy with their genital references. It was a little weird for me, not gonna lie. I hated the fact that Starslayer was sort of redeemed in the end. I appreciate the major character development (it was done veryy well) but I don't know how comfortable I am redeeming an abuser. If he didn't hit his wife and children I could have liked it better. Finally, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way the Ra' ham was defeated. I mean, sure love triumphs all, it was pretty miraculous that that thing could actually learn to love and stop conquering. BUT, I kinda wanted it to be obliterated, somehow. I know it resided in too many planets for that to happen but still. It destroyed so many lives, Auri's dad, Cat, Adams and all the others. I would have liked to see it destroyed because then all those people it's taken would've found true peace and not continue on living forever as one mind. The way I see it, there's no real peace if all those people are still and will forever be a part of it, even though, Auri taught it/them how to love and leave everyone alone.



Aaaaanyway, enjoy my crazy rant. I hope you can make sense of it.

Check out my reviews of Aurora Rising and Aurora Burning
Profile Image for megs_bookrack.
1,893 reviews12.6k followers
May 26, 2023
Aurora's End was a mind-boggling conclusion to an epic series from writing duo, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. An rollicking success!

I won't even pretend that I understood it all. I would say I was genuinely confused for a good 50%...



But, I suppose, the plan and execution of said plan, to change the fate of the entire universe could get confusing...

I may need to reread this one someday. Take notes. Make a flow chart. Otherwise, there's no way I can write a review for this. I've made peace with that.



P.S. time loop...
Profile Image for Phrynne.
3,653 reviews2,485 followers
November 24, 2021
What a wonderful way to end a series. So much happening, so many clever ideas, and so little I can actually say without giving anything away!

The whole book is absolutely action packed and very exciting, with some amazing and totally unexpected twists. All the characters are wonderful and relationships develop in the nicest ways. I always find that these authors write very smart and funny dialogue and that makes the whole book entertaining.

I really loved this whole trilogy and I look forward to what Kaufman and Kristoff bring us next.
Profile Image for Melissasfandomworld.
683 reviews120 followers
July 30, 2022
Know no fears.
Know no regret.
The end is no ending.
And death is no defeat.
I will see you in the stars.


This was a strong/solid conclusion to the Aurora Cycle trilogy, in which everything get's wrapped up pretty nicely overall seeing.

*maybe too nicely here and there though if I may be a bit critical here haha...*


Overall, I've enjoyed this read immensely much, especially the 2nd half of the book. The further I got, the harder it was to put the book aside. For me, book 2 remains the favourite in the entire trilogy and the best written down, but I'm happy all loose ends are tied up now and I finally know how everything ends haha - and the entire experience cost me quite some tears I have to say, lol #AlltheFeels.

It was a thrilling ride from te start of book 1 to the end of book 3 now. I'll definitely be returning to this world someday and dive into a re-read. Can't wait to see what I'll think of it then, cause I believe this conclusion book is going to be real fun when being re-read.

Love is more powerful than rage, or hate.
Love can change anything.


Aurora Rising ★★★★
Aurora Burning ★★★★★

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February 12, 2022
“It's about time.”



Aurora Rising
Aurora Burning
Aurora
bitchin.gif


And I'm so ready to bitch a little about this book.

last-banner822065b4a2007932.jpg

Not that I didn't like it, eh. I've definitely read worse, but as far as third installments go, I think this is the weakest book of the bunch.
I'm mad because I didn't love this. Is that too petty? I don't know, maybe I've outgrown this series, maybe the writing just felt kind of off, but I'm sure I could read this a thousand times and I still would settle with a 3-star rating. And that's one star too many, but nostalgic affection and all that,
The thing is, there are too many things in this book that kept me from loving it as I expected I would when I decided to put off reading it, and I think they're all related to the characters.
I'm usually a character-driven story person, so you'll understand that the moment I saw some of my favorite characters being turned into caricatures of themselves, I definitely wasn't happy about it.

I felt like the romance was too prominent, right from the start, and it totally felt like it took over the other plots, including the main ones.
And this is coming from someone who almost considers romance a requirement when reading a book and despite its genre.
Like, seriously, that was just too much and it kind of went against one of the messages of the first book, which was that Squad 312 was first and foremost a family. Sure, if you're the Cullens that's gold, but I was so excited about the whole found family aspect of this story that it made me cringe how easy it was to brush off friendships and sibling bonds in favor of hormones.
And holy shit what in the fresh hell even was the whole thing at the beginning between Tyler and Saedii? I'm still cringing.

Kristoff and Kaufan's writing is pleasant, familiar and well-crafted even if, I'm gonna be honest, I caught myself wishing this book was shorter more than once, at some point.
Anyway, the concept was alright. I, in fact, really liked the sci-fi aspect of this book, especially . I also adored Zila's storyline, some of the twists we get towards the end and the fact that Fin is on the cover.


So yeah, I don't want to be that person and praise a book only because I'm attached to the thought of how excited and interested the first book made me, but I also don't think this book is a terrible one.
It just faded off weakly and maybe I should give the authors credit for ending it with this one instead of dragging it on forever.
Now, that would be a real bitching experience!
Profile Image for aly ☆彡.
369 reviews1,634 followers
November 21, 2021
The penurious in me really wanted to settle for two stars but Squad 312 deserves better.

Plot wise, this book is disappointing but will form my thoughts and see where this book ended up standing. RTC

~~~
Pre-Reading Review:

FINIAN IN THE BOOK COVER? AS HE DESERVED??!!
Profile Image for Becca & The Books.
333 reviews8,179 followers
August 17, 2022
Would highly recommend the full-cast audio with sound effects to really bring the story to life.
Aurora's End continued to be as fun, fast paced and high stakes as the previous instalments in the series although I will say that I found Aurora's perspective to be a lot less interesting than anybody elses in this one
Profile Image for aileen | ✾.
470 reviews310 followers
April 14, 2022
“I have lived this story before, Scarlett, and this time I will change the ending.”

Zila, my queen. You deserve the world.

-----------------------------------------

IT IS FIN. OMG. IT IS OUR PRETTY BOI.

How am I supposed to survive until November? 😭 And that title? I need this book like yesterday. SOMEONE PLS BUILD A TIME MACHINE SO I CAN TRAVEL INTO THE FUTURE.

-----------------------------------------

LESS THAN 48 HOURS UNTIL THE COVER AND TITLE WILL BE REVEALED.
I AM SCREAMING.
I AM ALSO HYPERVENTILATING.

I hope it's the twins on the cover. Or just Tyler. He's totally underrated if you ask me.

Also, am I the only one who hopes that he will end up with Saedii instead of Cat? 🙈 Please say no. I'd hate to think of myself as a mean bitch for not wanting Cat to come back as a love interest.
Profile Image for Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽.
1,880 reviews23.1k followers
December 1, 2021
3.5 stars for this final book in the Aurora Cycle SF trilogy. Full review, first posted on FantasyLiterature.com:

Aurora���s End begins and finishes with a bang — literally, lots of them — and sandwiches all kinds of wild events in between. (Note: this review includes some spoilers for the prior books in this series.)

When we left Squad 312, a group of young adult space academy grads trying to save the galaxy, at the end of book #2, Aurora Burning, they were split into three groups, ALL of them on the verge of being murdered in one way or another. As I commented in my review of Aurora Burning, “Kaufman and Kristoff must have worked really hard to come up with a cliffhanger of that scope and magnitude.” They’re either on the verge of being blown up by space missiles or being assaulted by Caersan, the psychopathic leader of a warrior clan whose warmongering Squad 312 has been trying to foil.

Caersan has a spaceship armed with incredibly powerful alien technology that was supposed to be used to stop the evil Ra’haam, an alien species that is trying to assimilate everyone in the galaxy into their hive mind. It’s kind of a Borg-like group, except they use plant spores to assimilate people instead of technology. But instead of using the ship’s weapon to kill the Ra’haam’s planets, as intended by the ship’s makers, Caersan is using it to kill the stars and planets where his enemies live and generally terrorize the galaxy.

Spoiler alert: no one in Squad 312 dies (well, at least not permanently) as those cliffhangers from Aurora Burning are worked out in the initial chapters of this book. But three of our heroes get zapped a couple of hundred years into the past, where they get trapped in a destructive time loop with a hostile space pilot. Two others in the group (along with Caersan and his weapon ship) get bounced a few decades into the future, when the Ra’haam has nearly completed its goal of assimilating all the races in the galaxy that it can and wiping out the rest. Meanwhile, in the present, the group’s leader Tyler has hooked up with Saedii, the warrior daughter of Caersan who is nearly as scary and deadly as her father, and is working overtime to convince her and her crew to let him try to prevent the Ra’haam from blowing up a conclave where the leaders of all spacefaring races in the galaxy are gathering.

The pace of Aurora’s End is very quick, almost frantic at times, and it kept me glued to my chair for an entire evening and well into the night. The writing style is breezy and the humor snarky. It’s an exciting roller coaster ride of a read, though events push the boundaries of believability. In particular, I couldn’t really buy the somewhat simplistic way the massive conflict with the Ra’haam was ultimately resolved. Since that’s the primary conflict driving this entire series, that dissatisfaction was a problem for me with this concluding book.

But all in all it’s a pretty well put-together space trilogy. The plot is satisfyingly complex, especially once the time travel element is introduced. Several of the main characters have unusual backstories, enough that they’re not cardboard cutouts. They’re also a diverse crew; though most of the diversity arises from the fact that they’re from different planets, there are some characters with different sexual orientations.

If you’re looking for a fun YA science fiction series with adventure, humor and romance, I’d recommend the Aurora Cycle.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Profile Image for Izabela Górska.
216 reviews1,398 followers
January 26, 2024
chyba ostatni raz moje serce było w takim stanie w trakcie i po seansie Strażników Galaktyki 3…

Chcecie przeczytać książkę o miłości? Przeczytajcie to!

Chcecie idealny motyw found family? Przeczytajcie to!

Czy kocham jakiś bohaterów bardziej niż Drużynę 312? NIE

Jay Kristoff ma moją duszę i serce 🖤
Profile Image for Carolyn.
2,477 reviews694 followers
October 11, 2021
Finally, the wait is over! At the end of book two in this trilogy, Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman cruelly left us hanging by our fingernails off a huge cliff, wondering how our favourite squad 312 could possibly survive, let alone save the galaxy. Now all will finally be revealed.

It’s impossible to say much without giving spoilers, but rest assured that even when separated by both time and space, squad 312 will do their utmost to stop the Ra’haam in their quest to devour all other life forms in the galaxy. In one of the stronger threads of the plot, three of our favourite characters get trapped in a time paradox with often hilarious consequences and one of the quieter characters will really step up to be an absolute star.

This is a really fun YA scifi series. The action is fast paced, the banter is sassy and snarky, the characters are fearless and feisty and have grown so much since we first met them. Although there is a lot going on, with multiple POVs, it’s all clearly explained and never got confusing. The authors’ amazing imaginations and inventiveness kept the plot fresh and always original and somehow they also managed to pull together an ending that tied all the threads together and should satisfy most of their fans. Although it’s sad to farewell these characters we’ve come to love, I can’t wait to see what they next write together.

With thanks to Oneworld Publications and Netgalley for a copy to read
Profile Image for Lauren Lanz.
813 reviews287 followers
January 3, 2022
3.5 stars! ⭐️

It's been a while since I've exuded this much clownery over a fictional couple... Scarlett and Finian have me in a chokehold 24/7 I swear. Besides their long awaited romance arc (which gets 6/5 stars in my heart) this conclusion was almost nothing like I expected....

“To die in the fire of war is easy. To live in the light of peace, much harder.”


After the insane ending to Aurora Burning, this finale could have started off quite literally anywhere. The crew was separated, and (for all we knew) possibly dead… so being introduced to Scarlett, Finian and Zila’s dilemma with a time loop was one of the most surprising outcomes to be thrown into for me.

Everything was off to a great start, since time travel was entirely new to The Aurora Cycle. I really wanted to know more about how it functioned in this universe—aaaand was unfortunately left wanting. My initial interest eventually led into slight discontent towards the repetitiveness (because yes, give me time loops, but no- not the same time loops for nearly the entire book 😭).

Regardless, I can’t say I didn’t have a good time. Squad 312 can make any adventure (or near death experience) entertaining as hell. I wished the whole crew was together for more of the story, but circumstances were dire, and I was nonetheless on the edge of my seat for a lot of the story.

As mentioned before, my favourite aspect—by FAR—was the romance between Scarlett and Finian. I’ve been awaiting their first kiss for forever, so imagine my shock when it happened as soon as around page 10…. I had closed the book, grinning like a fool. Rare, folks!

-----------------------------------

Before reading
07/03/20

THEY PUT THE MAN (alien?), THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, ✨ FINIAN DE SEEL ✨ ON THE COVER!! HELL YEAHHHH!!!
If Aurora Burning didn't dig our graves, Aurora's End is sure to do us in for good. This'll be an end of all endings (and I can't wait for Amie and Jay to hurt us yet again <3)
Profile Image for Laura Tenfingers.
577 reviews101 followers
December 11, 2021
Hmmmm...that ending was so unbelievably cheesy... no, just no.

Overall, I liked it more than book 2 and less than book 1 and it was mostly fun. I liked the space time continuum crazies and the wrapping up of the how in the hell did this and that happen. And some of it had me on the edge of my seat.

But Auri was annoying and just too eye-rolley, cringey, gaggy, just too much no. Way too much carrying on. And Kal was utterly useless.

Mostly fun but the ending killed it for me.
Profile Image for Kenz The Dragon Queen.
251 reviews545 followers
March 6, 2022
3.5 stars

Oh, how the mighty fall. As much as I loved Aurora Rising and Aurora Burning, they ultimately made this book feel disappointing.

I found the pace at which some of the relationships developed to be somewhat rushed and clunky unfortunately. Scarlett and Fin’s relationship has been progressing almost slowburn-like up until this instalment, but as soon as this book starts they get together, and it felt a bit jarring. Then there’s Tyler and Saedii, and I was so excited for their relationship to develop as they grudgingly worked together, but that never happened. They get together very quickly and not quite out of nowhere, but close to it. The book provides a handy explanation for this though, which is nice I guess. Aurora and Kal have basically no romance since they got together so quickly in the first place, which is fine, I barely care about either of them. Though even aside from that, the romance in Aurora’s End felt like it was forced in at random intervals instead of woven in naturally.

💜Aurora spent the entirety of the book standing there gawping, saying sorry and clenching like she was constipated as she does ✨magic things✨. Unfortunately the only thing she can really offer as a character is being the trigger, which forces her into a position of only being needed for one thing.

💙Kal was basically useless as both a character and a fighter for almost the whole book. He didn’t even need a POV at all to be honest. All his chapters could have just been Aurora’s and it would have changed nothing. In fact, all of his chapters should have been Saedii’s. At least then they wouldn’t have been useless.

💛Tyler was the only one pulling his weight in this book and actually doing what needed to be done. He was also the only one with a firm gasp on the realities of the situation and the actions that were needed. He absolutely needed more page time with Saedii and the other squad members.

🖤I don’t know where the hell Saedii was, because she was barely in this despite being on the blurb like the rest of squad 312, and her presence was desperately needed. She absolutely should have had a POV and her own chapters. It would have not only fleshed Saedii out as a character more, but Kal and Tyler as well.

❤️Scarlett… was there. I normally love her, but she wasn’t really doing anything in this book. She was also less funny and charismatic than she normally is, which is unfortunate. As a character she was treated more like a maternal figure than anything.

💚Fin was also just there, and he was also less funny and interesting than he normally is. I love him as a character, and I wish I had more to say about him and half of the cast, but so many had their roles minimized in this book. Yes, they had the same amount of chapters, but a lot less development was going on.

🤍Zila was then officially and canonically treated like the odd one out we all feared she was. Which just felt unfair to her character. Like she was always meant to be the sacrificial lamb, and because of who she is she would be okay with it. She got a happy ending of sorts, but it still didn’t feel quite right.

🧡Cat’s situation is complicated, but as a whole I guess her character ended up where she needed to be? I don’t know, I’m kind of unsure what to think. She probably should have had one POV chapter to tie things up, and even help us (the readers) understand the enemy better.

🤎Nari Kim was a fine addition to the cast. I never disliked her, but she didn’t feel especially interesting, likeable, or really anything in particular. She was kind of just… there. Maybe she should have had a POV as well, but that also would have just stretched out an already too long portion of the story. So, I don’t know.

This book was also a lot less humorous and charming than the previous two. In addition, the story structure was also different, and not in a good way. I didn’t feel like the squad bonded at all in this instalment. The first two books in the series felt kind of like Guardians of the Galaxy in the sense that it was a fun, comedic, high stakes action packed sci-fi adventure, about a found family that wins against all odds and bond in interesting ways. However, this book didn’t feel like that. It was missing some of its soul.

The pacing was also off. This instalment felt too long in the wrong parts, and too short in the right sections. I don’t feel like Saedii and Kal mended fences at any point, and neither had character arcs unfortunately. The ending felt kind of rushed and a little forced, but it is what it is. I’d say overall I’m happy with how it ended, I just wish it did it with more patience and attention to detail.
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362 reviews33 followers
October 21, 2022
اگه ستاره های گودیریز بیشتر از پنج تا بود به این جلد من از ۵/۱۰۰۰میدادم:)
تاحالا مجموعه ای نخونده بودم که(چه جلد اخر چه بقیه جلداش)از اول صفحه تا پایانش انقدر جذاب باشه یه کششی که این جلد آخر داشت هیچ کدوم از مجموعه هام همچنین کششی نداشتن.
وقتی داشتم کتاب میخوندم واقعا واقعا دلم میخواست برم نویسنده های این کتاب محکم بغل کنم و ازشون تشکر کنم که به من(همچنین بقیه)همچنین کتاب خفنی دادن و از نشر آذرباد هم تشکر کنن که این کتاب ترجمه کرد*^*
هرچی از این کتاب بگم کمه پایان عالی، روند داستان محشر،کارکترا خفنی که داشت مخصوصا فینیان که کلا تو هر شرایط شوخ طبعی فراموش نمی کرد،کل‌کل کردن کاپل های داستان.
و در آخر از نظر من جلد آخر خیلی قوی تر بهتر از جلد های قبلش بود نمیگم قبلی خوب نبودن من به این مجموعه همه جلد امتیاز کامل دادم اما جلد آخر هر کدوم از کارکترا جدا از هم بودن و داستان پیچیدگی خوب و خفنی داشت.
اگه دنبال یه مجموعه خیلی خفن هستید این مجموعه پیشنهاد میکنم:)
عاشق این مجموعه ام من امیدوارم شما همین طور باشید.
در مورد سانسورهاش کلا کتاب ترجمه شده سانسورش رو داره(من با این قضیه زیاد مشکلی ندارم)اما این سانسور اصلا به کتاب صدمه ای نزده
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