The Mycenaean

Aurora has been asleep in space for two hundred years. When someone finally wakes her up, she finds herself caught in ancient powers far greater than she imagined possible. A team of graduates from the prestigious Aurora Space Academy join her in her search for answers and for herself.

Aurora Rising has quickly taken its place in my growing list of top sci-fi books. The concept is misleadingly cliche, but is so well done–much like the rest of this book. Aurora Rising has contributed massively to this “Space Opera” genre becoming one of my favorites.

Aurora Rising’s Characters

Considering that this is a character-driven novel, the characters were alright. I loved how the authors took some of the cliche character types you usually find in teen novels and added traits that conflict with the cliches to create great balance in personalities. It was also really refreshing to see good representation among the characters–although I say good, not great. It could have been a lot better. The lack of toxic masculinity was also really nice, especially since it is heavily associated with some of the character types used in the novel. 

I do have a few criticisms of the characters, though. I would have liked some of the particular characters to be explored more, specifically Zila, who had very little page time and interaction with other characters.  Additionally, I would have liked Aurora’s character traits and intentions explored more, as well. Her personality feels flat, despite her being the central character. I’m hoping that both of these characters will be further elaborated in the next two books.

Aurora Rising was funny, despite a lot of the humor being super immature. There are a few running jokes throughout the story, and it adds a bit of lightheartedness to a story about the potential end of the world.

The Worldbuilding of Aurora Rising

Something I really appreciated was the worldbuilding and the development of the different alien races. The writers came up with some really interesting concepts for the different races that I had yet to see in any other novel. I would have really liked to see a better explanation of the Terran government and military forces because they are so relevant to the plot.

Aurora Rising has some really beautifully written lines, and I love the way they reflect on the themes of the book.

This novel is great for any fans of science fiction or anyone looking for a novel with the found family trope. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and will definitely be rereading the first book in the future.