It is somehow sad to say it, but I had hoped that this last volume, Aurora´s End would thrill me to the moon and back. The reality: on the one hand I felt something like reading pleasure but on the other hand something like disappointment. I had clearly expected more. The story was too cheesy for me at times. A word I don't usually bring in context with the name Jay Kristoff at all. And despite all the action and events, the novel didn't really excite me. Entertain, yes. But really thrilled? No.
Aurora Erleuchtet*
by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff The Aurora Cycle #3
Translation Barbara König
Original Title Aurora´s End
Publisher Fischer Sauerländer on August 31, 2022
Genre Fantasy
Pages 525
Format Paperback
Source Fischer Sauerländer
Goodreads
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What happens when you ask a bunch of losers and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient, overpowering enemy? The ancient enemy wins, of course. Wait a moment. As it turns out, not every ending is an ending, and Tyler Jones and his Squad 312 still have a chance to rewrite their own. But the clock is ticking. Can they really save the galaxy? It takes a miracle for that...
Story
Squad 312 is fighting the enemy on different paths. None of them knows if the rest is still alive and well or dead. But one thing they do know. Aurora must do her job to end it and she will do it. No doubt about that. But what price will they all have to pay before the war is over? And how will their future look? Will they get the answers they need to survive and carry on?
Style
All the scene repetitions at the beginning. The resulting effect on me as a reader, it was strange. It was only after a few pages of confusion that I realized that there was an odd situation, a time warp, being shown for the characters in a weird way. According to the motto "And always greets the groundhog". Unfortunately, not as funny as with Bill Murray back then. On the one hand, I felt something like reading pleasure, but on the other hand also disappointment. Cheesy scenes and Jay Kristoff just don't mix. That is a pure contradiction. Admittedly, the story of Squad 312 is presented in a varied way and draws the reader into an often-fantastic story. And yes, I really enjoyed those passages. But unfortunately, there were too many pages with pure filling material for my taste.
Characters
It was clear that Aurora would either end up dying a hero's death or be pulled out of the affair in some other way by the writing duo. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff took the latter. This resulted in a wonderful situation and new opportunities for Aurora, but for me, as a reader, it was too much kitsch, and everything is sunshine and roses.
The Aurora character has so much to offer. Her transformation is shown here in a brutal and energetic way. The price she pays for it on less beautiful ones. The way she understands things towards the end and knows how to act so that the enemy can finally be defeated - that was something. And yet I would have wished for a different ending for her. It didn't have to be a deadlier one, but one with less cheesy elements.
Conclusion
A solid novel and a good conclusion to the Aurora trilogy. But I don't really get excited. No question, I was well entertained and had the beginning of what I call reading pleasure. And yes, that sounds like a contradiction. But I wasn't really excited. There was too much kitsch in the sentences and scenes for me at times. A plus point, many open questions were answered logically and satisfactorily. The plot was well-developed, and it was great to see Aurora fight her way through all the odds. But in the end, I was disappointed. I had clearly expected more. Pity …
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer Sauerländer in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
Die ganzen Szenenwiederholungen zu Beginn. Der daraus entstehende Effekt bei mir als Leser, es war merkwürdig. Erst nach einigen Seiten der Verwirrung wurde mir klar, dass da auf seltsame Weise eine merkwürdige Situation, eine Zeitschleife, für die Figuren gezeigt wurde. So ganz nach dem Motto „Und ewig grüßt das Murmeltier“. Leider nicht so lustig wie mit Bill Murray damals. Einerseits empfand ich so was wie Lesevergnügen, auf der anderen Seite aber auch Enttäuschung. Kitschige Szenen und Jay Kristoff passen einfach nicht zusammen. Das ist Widerspruch pur. Zugegeben, die Geschichte um den Squad 312 wird auf abwechslungsreiche Weise dargestellt und zieht den Leser in eine oftmals fantastische Story hinein. Und ja, diese Passagen habe ich sehr genossen. Aber leider waren für meinen Geschmack zu viele Seiten mit reinem Füllmaterial vorhanden.
Charaktere
Es war klar, dass Aurora entweder am Ende den Heldentod sterben würde oder vom Autorenduo auf eine andere Weise aus der Affäre gezogen wird. Amie Kaufman und Jay Kristoff haben Letzteres genommen. Das ergab für Aurora zwar eine wunderschöne Situation und neue Möglichkeiten, für mich als Leser war das dann aber doch zu viel Kitsch und alles ist eitel Sonnenschein.
Dabei hat die Figur der Aurora so viel zu bieten. Ihre Verwandlung zeigt sich hier auf brutale und energiereiche Weise. Den Preis, den sie dafür bezahlt, auf weniger schöne. Wie sie zum Ende hin die Dinge begreift, weiß, wie sie handeln muss, damit der Feind endlich besiegt werden kann - das hatte schon was. Und trotzdem hätte ich mir für sie einen anderen Schluss gewünscht. Es hätte kein tödlicher sein müssen, aber einer mit weniger kitschigen Elementen.
Resultat
Ein solider Roman und guter Abschluss der Aurora Trilogie. Aber wahre Begeisterung kommt bei mir nicht auf. Keine Frage, ich bin gut unterhalten worden und hatte den Ansatz von dem, was ich als Lesevergnügen bezeichne. Und ja, das klingt wie ein Widerspruch. Aber wirklich begeistert wurde ich nicht. Da war mir stellenweise zu viel Kitsch in den Sätzen und Szenen drin. Ein Pluspunkt, viele offene Fragen wurden logisch und zufriedenstellend geklärt. Der Plot war gut ausgearbeitet und es war großartig zu sehen, wie Aurora sich durch alle Widrigkeiten kämpft. Aber am Ende war ich enttäuscht. Da hatte ich mir eindeutig mehr erwartet. Schade …
Amie Kaufman
Amie Kaufman grew up just one block from her local library and took full advantage of that fact. She spent her childhood summers re-creating with her sister their favorite books by camping in the backyard, mapping their neighborhood, climbing trees, and kissing the Blarney stone six times, thoroughly cementing her gift of the gab. She graduated with honors degrees in history, literature, and law, and a master´s degree in conflict resolution. Today she´s a full-time writer and lives with her husband and her rescue dog in Melbourne, Australia.
Jay Kristoff
Jay Kristoff is an internationally bestselling author of The Lotus War, The Illuminae Files, and The Nevernight Chronicles. He is the winner of four Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, nominee for the Locus award. David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards, named multiple times in the Kirkus and Amazon Best Teen Books list, and published in over thirty 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 12,665 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife and the world´s laziest Jack Russel. He does not believe in happy endings.
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