Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle #2) by Amie Kaufman, and Jay Kristoff - Restarting February 15th 2023

[Katie]

Jenn wrote: "Maddie wrote: "I get not [spoilers removed]"

It really is and i get why they're mad but at the same time my heart breaks for how they just shun him like that"

My husband said pretty much the same things :) (view spoiler)[ he was most surprised by their outrage. I knew it was coming since it was a re-read, but he was pretty shocked at HOW upset they were especially after everything he's done for the squad. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Just got this one in and I can't wait to start. :)

[Katie]

Jenn wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

Such a perfect last chapter!! (view spoiler)[ I don't remember what I thought after the first time I read this...probably just shock because of the cliffhanger!! But now, I'm wondering if they all died and now we'll get into the time travel parts?? (hide spoiler)]

CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 3!

[Maddie]

Yes the second time around it got me just as bad as the first!

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

24%

(view spoiler)[OMG, the mustache conversation cracked me up. And then Auri asking if Syldarthi grow facial hair and when Kal said no Auri asking if they grow body hair anywhere else? So funny.

Saedii is pretty badass. Also not very nice. She really wants Kal to join the Unbroken. He clearly knows her already but vows that he won't join her. Oh, and she's his sister. Nice to know.

Fuck yes! Zila uncovered a secret code from the general's broadcast so perhaps he didn't condemn them after all.

So Saedii can track Kal through their bloodline. Apparently their mother was part of a caste that had certain psychic abilities and she inherited those. Though I wonder why Kal doesn't have them too? Maybe he does and he doesn't know it yet?

How in the world did the general leave a package for them almost a decade before? With a ship named after their dead crewmate and personalized chairs for each of them and a package for each of them? And Scarlett's DNA was needed to open it so how did they get that almost a decade prior when she hadn't even joined Aurora at that point? It's super weird. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Maddie wrote: "Started! Chapter 2 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know! I love it! =D (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Maddie wrote: "Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yes, Kal's mind is definitely preoccupied with Auri. I love it when he blushes and his ears turn red. =P And Saedii was a surprise! (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Jenn wrote: "End of Part 1: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know! My mind is whirling with predictions on how this was even possible. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Jenn wrote: "Maddie wrote: "Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]"

His sister is something else lol. I would not want to meet her!"

(view spoiler)[She was seriously vicious. Not someone you would want as an enemy, that's for sure. I hope that she and Kal are able to rekindle their relationship at some point though. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Katie wrote: "Not for sure what chapter it was, but I'll say end of part 1 to be safe... [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yes, it cracked me up. And then Fin and some of the others inwardly commenting on how good he looked in it. <3 (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

47%

(view spoiler)[Aww, Auri kissed Kal! My heart!

Holy shit! Kal's cigarillo case just saved his life. How in the world did they know to give these things to their crew almost a decade prior? It's crazy. And the note inside was in Fin's handwriting? Even stranger.

Wow, it sucks that Scarlett and Tyler's dad wasn't around much. He was the golden boy and everyone idolized him. It seems that Tyler did too but Scarlett sounds kind of bitter or indifferent about him.

So Saedii has captured everyone. Let's see how they get out of this.

Holy crap, Zila finished high school at six years old? That's awesome.

Poor Zila. What she went through as a child was traumatic.

I wonder if Saedii and Tyler will be love interests further in the series? I can see it. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Jenn wrote: "End of Part 2: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yes, all of this. What happened to Zila when she was a child was horrible and so traumatic. I wonder where she went and who she lived with after all that went down. Tyler and Scarlett have a definite bond. And yes, Saedii is just horrible. I keep hoping that she turns things around though. I think that she and Tyler would be a cute couple if she weren't so scary. lol (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

58%

(view spoiler)[Wow, Tyler's inner monologue about how stunningly attractive the Starslayer is kind of amused me.

I can't believe that Tyler saved Saedii a second time.

Oh yes, I can definitely see Saedii and Tyler ending up as a couple. I so hope so.

Oh no! The GIA has Tyler!

Haha, Fin thinking about how hot Kal is really made me smile. The men in this series really have a thing for commenting or thinking about how attractive other males are. It's refreshing.

Auri talking to the Eshvaren through the memory was weird but a little enlightening. The Eshvaren said that she wasn't chosen specifically but that they left devices/probes throughout the fold to activate people that had psychic potential. That there could have been other triggers that came before her. Do you think that the Starslayer is also a trigger? Tyler mentioned that when he saw him through the screen on the bridge of Saedii's ship that he looked like he had one purple eye and one white eye - just like Auri! (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

66%

(view spoiler)[Haha, OMG. Tyler and Saedii's psychic conversation cracked me up. And it makes me wonder why they can converse back and forth if she is the only one that is a Waywalker. If it is just her then he shouldn't be able to communicate back with his mind, right?

I knew that we would see Cat again at some point, it was inevitable. But Tyler being the one to see her now that she is part of the Ra'haam is so devastating. I feel so bad for Tyler.

Auri is sure having a hard time with her training. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

80%

(view spoiler)[Okay, something the Eshvaren just said has me thinking. It said that Auri must be strong enough to break worlds. I have a suspicion that the Starslayer is also a trigger. And he decimated his homeworld, thus earning the name Starslayer. And Tyler saw that he had a regular eye and a white eye like Auri has. So does the Eshvaren want Auri to break these worlds that the Ra'haam are on to end them for good? That little thing that the Eshvaren said really has me thinking that the Starslayer is a trigger. But then I am still kind of confused on what the weapon is.

I have a sense of foreboding. I think that I agree with Kal about the Eshvaren. How it wants Auri to burn away everything that makes her her. To turn her into this weapon. The way that it always seemed to mislike Kal's presence. I don't want to think that the Eshvaren are evil or heartless, but I can't help this feeling that they aren't exactly the allies that everyone thinks they are. I mean, for instance, they could just be so obsessed with ending the Ra'haam because they were mortal enemies and set all this up to end them not because they want to protect the universe from the Ra'haam but because they were simply mortal enemies and have the need to end them. I guess that's just an example but what I am getting at is that the Eshvaren could have set all of this up for purely selfish reasons and everyone that is involved are just pawns.

Haha, OMG! "I did not know you found psychopathy an attractive quality, Finian." - Zila

Tyler can feel Saedii's pain. And he can see into her head to see what the Terran forces did to her. That is very suspect, don't you think? Looks like Tyler also has psychic powers like Saedii.

The weapon is gone. Shocker. I wonder who took it? /sarcasm

Aww, Auri and Kal are so cute. Makes my chest ache in a good way.

Oh snap! I was right. Starslayer has the weapon and he must be a trigger.

Well, now we know what has been bothering Kal. And because of the Starslayer's broadcast to the Terrans, now everyone else knows too. He is the Starslayer's son. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Finished!

(view spoiler)[Whoa, Scarlett's fury towards Kal is a little surprising. After finding out that the Starslayer is his father she seems to forget everything that they have been through together. Even if she believes that he was working for his father or that he was keeping things from them, they were in situations where Kal risked his life for them and she just discounts that. Why would he risk his life for them if he was just working for his father that whole time? I guess I can really see why Kal used his mother's name instead when he joined Aurora Academy. He didn't want his father's sins to reflect upon him which is exactly what is happening now with his friends now that they know the truth.

Kal's declaration after Scarlett's tirade really hurt my heart. I feel for him so much.

Holy shit! I was so on to something. Tyler and Scarlett's mother was a Waywalker. I knew that him being able to speak into her mind was not normal even if Saedii could do it. I am a little surprised that Saedii chose to tell Tyler this information even if he did tell her about the Ra'haam. But if Tyler and Scarlett are half Syldrathi then why don't they look Syldrathi at all? I mean, they are both tall and graceful like Syldrathi but they don't have pointed ears or the pale hair and purple eyes like Syldrathi do. I would think that at least the pointed ears would have made it into their DNA.

OMG, I am loving the banter and sexual tension between Tyler and Saedii. It's delicious. The enemies to lovers vibe is making me squee a bit.

Wow, the Starslayer's opinion about the Eshvaren aren't far off from what I originally thought. That they weren't trying to save the universe and that everyone was a pawn to them to defeat the Ra'haam. That is kind of a foreboding thought since the Starslayer is a murderer. Especially since what he is saying makes a sick kind of sense. That the Eshvaren created all life in their image and that seems to be pretty much true.

So one side of the Starslayer's face is all messed up from firing the weapon. The price that he paid, the one that the Eshvaren told Auri about when it insinuated that it would cost her her life.

Holy fuck. I am so disgusted right now. All the Waywalkers that the Unbroken have been capturing are all aboard the weapon and the Starslayer is using them to fuel his own power. It is just awful.

I have to say, I am loving all the action there is at the end of this book.

Holy shit! That ending shook me. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Katie wrote: "Jenn wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

Such a perfect last chapter!! [spoilers removed]

CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 3!"

(view spoiler)[You know, I didn't really think of the time travel but I like that prediction! It would make so much sense after that ending. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Katie wrote: "Jenn wrote: "Maddie wrote: "I get not [spoilers removed]"

It really is and i get why they're mad but at the same time my heart breaks for how they just shun him like that"

My husband said pretty ..."

(view spoiler)[That was my thought exactly. Kal risked his life for them and then they turn on him like that? If he had been working for his dad to betray them then I highly doubt he would have done all those things and risked so much. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Jenn wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know! That last chapter was so emotional. I am reeling right now. I am so glad that I waited until book three came out to read this one because that ending was brutal. (hide spoiler)]

[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting February 15th 2023. Happy Reading ☺

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[Marla]

Yay, Elena, looking forward to reading this with you!

[Elena]

I've started the book yesterday and already about 60% through. First of all, the cover is stunning! I loved the cover of the first book too.
(view spoiler)[
Now to the story. I had to re-read some chapters of the first book to recall how it ended. So the second book starts when the team is in a really hard situation, with an impossible task ahead, limited amount of money and no ship.
The things happen pretty fast, the crew managed to find a perfect ship - Hadfield - at the right time, they also retrieved the secret box with some strange gifts for each member. I like how the whole idea with the box is developed, when Kal is almost shot, the little silver case saved his life and revealed a note, I wonder, is there any connection between the ball pen and that note?
(hide spoiler)]

[Elena]

About 80%
(view spoiler)[
So there were some unexpected turns, especially the one with the Auri's training. I wonder what's the weapon is and how the whole story is going to unravel. I mean that it shouldn't end with the death of Auri as there is the third book.
There is one thing that's on my mind and doesn't want to go away, the note for Kal and what exactly he needs to tell her? It seems like a very important thing, but at the same time even he doesn't know what it is for sure.
(hide spoiler)]

[Elena]

Finished.
(view spoiler)[
Well, I didn't expect it go that way! Kal's father is that arrogant creature, who is yet to blame in all the mess? And apparently that is the thing he meant to tell Aurora.
Kal left Aurora and joined his father? Not joined, still in love with Auri, never changed his mind but was forced into that behaviour? I mean, there is still love between them and no matter how devastating it feels, I think they will survive and be together.
Well, the moment when Kal left the team I felt like it was the end to everything and the only thing left is going back in time (were they supposed to do that as I had the impression that the note was written in the future and left there for Kal to change the direction of the events?).
Meanwhile I love how the romance is handled in the book, with the full-blown romance between two main characters and slight hints of secondary romances left here and there. I hope there will be more development to that aspect in the next book.
(hide spoiler)]

[Marla]

Part 1: Down and Out in Emerald City

Prologue ~ Nice refresher of what happened in Book #1. It's been 6 months for me, so I appreciated it

Saedii ~ (view spoiler)[I thought she might be Kal's ex, but my second guess was sister. Wow, she's quite a piece of work. That Agonizer that they put on Auri sounded awful. (hide spoiler)]

Repository con ~ (view spoiler)[I might date myself, but it reminds me of a con on the level of The Sting or Ocean's 11. Don't you wish you could've seen Scar as Imperatrix leading Kal in latex on a LEASH!

And the items in the box, reminds me of the movie Paycheck. He gets an envelope filled with items that he uses. (hide spoiler)]

[Marla]

Part 2: The Blood Between Us
Chpt 7 - 11

Syldrathi Unbroken ~ (view spoiler)[Syldrathi destroyed their own home world because they were outraged that the Syldra council signed a peace treaty with Terrans?! Attacked during cease fire. I guess win at all costs doesn't leave any room for honor. (hide spoiler)]

Tyler vs Drakkan ~ (view spoiler)[Wow, that was amazing. Tyler not only saved this squad mates but defeating the drakken was very entertaining, but edge of your seat scary. (hide spoiler)]

[Marla]

Chpt 12-16

Zila ~ (view spoiler)[Poor little 6 year old Zila, she saw both her parents die and hid from the killers, would-be kidnappers. 76 hours waiting for help is way too long for a traumatized 6 year old. (hide spoiler)]

War ~ (view spoiler)[I can't believe the TDF (Terran Defense Force) was willing to start a war by attacking Saedii's Syldrathi ship just to capture Auri. (hide spoiler)]

Tyler ~ (view spoiler)[Sad that Tyler left our squad. I didn't realize that Tyler's words to Scarlet One day, you could find yourself doing this without me were foreshadowing. I'm glad that Tyler saved Saedii. I can't believe that she didn't fight him while she wasn't unconscious.

I do hope Tyler will be reunited with the gang. Maybe Tyler can win Saedii's heart and she can join their gang. Or maybe Saedii and Zila...cuz I want Tyler and Cat to get back together. Ever the optimist. Don't know how it could happen, but that's why it's wishful thinking. (hide spoiler)]

[Marla]

Part 3: A Time to Burn

Mainly, I felt this whole section was adding pages to the book without much plot development. And the shocking revelations at the end were so the readers don't DNF the book. (view spoiler)[I guess Auri and Kal having months to fall deeper in love without wasting time in the real world was useful. Squad 312 spends way too much time traveling in the Fold if it's so dangerous. (hide spoiler)]

Tyler ~ (view spoiler)[ Getting captured was a surprise. He had to save Saedii as a hostage. Cat used as torture was awful! (hide spoiler)]

Kal ~ (view spoiler)[ Stupid boy. He should have told her. But this enabled Auri to be able to burn away her ties to him. (hide spoiler)]

[Marla]

Part 4: Shadow on the Sun

Finished

Tyler ~ (view spoiler)[ Wait, Tyler can speak telepathically to Saedii. Way to go, boots! Cat again. (hide spoiler)]

Auri ~ (view spoiler)[ Battling Starslayer was scary. (hide spoiler)]

I'm not much of a fan of this series, but I will finish it.

[Marla]

Elena wrote: (view spoiler)["...they also retrieved the secret box with some strange gifts for each member. I like how the whole idea with the box is developed, when Kal is almost shot, the little silver case saved his life and revealed a note, I wonder, is there any connection between the ball pen and that note?" (hide spoiler)]

I loved the (view spoiler)[box of unknown items. (hide spoiler)]

[Marla]

Elena wrote: "Finished.

Well, I didn't expect it go that way! (view spoiler)[Kal's father is that arrogant creature, who is yet to blame in all the mess? And apparently that is the thing he meant to tell Aurora.
Kal left Aurora and joined his father? Not joined, still in love with Auri, ... I think they will survive and be together.
Well, the moment when Kal left the team I felt like it was the end to everything and the only thing left is going back in time...
Meanwhile I love how the romance is handled in the book, with the full-blown romance between two main characters and slight hints of secondary romances left here and there. I hope there will be more development to that aspect in the next book." (hide spoiler)]

Kal ~ (view spoiler)[ Bad idea to not tell Auri, the woman you love about your psychotic father. But it was sad to see him leave the squad. Obviously, he would still love Auri and choose her over his father. (hide spoiler)]

Auri ~ (view spoiler)[ She has to survive and have a HEA with Kal. It will obviously entail other psychics helping her. (hide spoiler)]

Time Travel ~ (view spoiler)[ I wonder how time travel factors in. In order for the items to be placed in the repository years before they got it. (hide spoiler)]

I agree about the romance, it is subtle until it's hot and heavy.