#Review - Aurora's End (The Aurora Cycle #3) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff #YA #SyFy

Series: The Aurora Cycle # 3
Format: Hardcover, 512 pages
Release Date: November 9, 2021
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

The squad you love is out of time. Prepare for the thrilling finale in the epic, best-selling 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 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: uniting with two of the galaxy’s most hated villains? Um, okay. That, too.

Actually saving the galaxy, though? Now that will take a miracle. 

Aurora's End is the third and final installment in co-author Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's The Aurora Cycle trilogy. Aurora Burning ended with a killer cliffhanger, 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 (Zila, Scarlett & Finnian), others in the future (Aurora and Kaliis), while Tyler ends up with Saedii onboard her ship. 

 

Throughout the story, the crew will need to form new alliances and figure out who can help them go back to their time before it's too late. Fin/Scarlett/Zila traveled back in time but experienced this time loop almost 60 times before escaping. Meanwhile, Kal/Auri traveled forward in time and realize that the Ra'haam has won. They are everywhere. The real kick was how Tyler reunites with Kal/Auri, but not at the same age.

 

“Aurora Legion squads will be known for their honor. Their willingness to hold the line. They will be champions of peace, of justice. And for generations, people in need will sigh in relief when they see our ships arrive.”

 

The Scientist: "Zila Madran, who made a new life and brought us this one, her love paving the way for ours.” The story begins with Zila, the brain of squad 312. From the previous book, she made peace with herself before her imminent death but to her surprise, she, Fin, and Scarlett were still alive and the battle outside has vanished. Unfortunately, the story spends way too much time seeing what will happen with the trio, and the only good thing is that Zila is the only one to make a choice, and find her future even if it means losing her friends.

 

The Diplomat: "Scarlett Isobel Jones, who had a heart so large it could beat for her friends when theirs threatened to fail." The second view was Scarlett, the face of squad 312. Scarlett realized there were worse ways to die over and over again and kissing a guy who surprisingly had games she didn’t realize he had was not so bad. In the mean time, she had to figure out how to end the loop. Scarlett for the most part is a wasted character until she somehow realizes that she's smarter than she believes.

 

The Alpha: "Tyler Jericho Jones, son of a warrior, who found us sleeping in the stars.” The third view was Tyler, squad 312’s leader except he’s on his own. He was saved by the friend/enemy/lover (Saedii) from exploding to pieces as per the ending of the last book and while there was a war going on outside they wanted to seize the day. Tyler struggles more than any member of Squad 312. We find him not only in the present, but in the future as well with a new crew and a surprise which I won't spoil. There's plenty of them out in the world already.

 

The Gearhead: "Finian de Karran de Seel, who was told by the world he was not enough, and showed the world he was everything.” The fourth view was Finian, squad’s Gearhead. Fin’s smart and sweet. His family sent him away because of his disability but all he wanted was to be close to family. Squad 312 was an unexpected family and he’s aching for the whereabouts of its members. He and Scarlett spend more time kissing, than taking any real action to find a way out of their circumstances. Thank God for Zila and Navi Kim!

 

The Warrior: “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.” The sixth view was Kal. His father tried to kill him through his mind during the battle between his dad and Auri. Before emerging awake, his childhood with his family were being recalled. Kaliis is hopeless in love with Aurora, and in the end, does nothing worth mentioning except for realizing who one of Tyler's crew members is. 

 

The Unbroken: "Saedii Gilwraeth, who learned a new way to see the world.” Saedii and Tyler have a enemies to lovers story revolution. I am not going to get much into Saedii's story except that she's a badass who takes no prisoners but somehow manages to fall for Tyler and come through when the world is in deep trouble.

 

The Trigger: "Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, who boarded a ship to a new world and woke up two centuries later.” The fifth view was Auri. She opened her eyes to find people around her passed out. These people were controlled by the Starslayer. Aurora was supposed to be the trigger, the one to save everyone from the dreaded Ra'haam who has already taken one member of their team, and now seems to be 20 steps ahead of the coalition put together to stop them. I have always had a love hate relationship with her she is a bit to emotional and just a bit whiny.

I would suggest that readers pay close attention to the first chapters where the authors lay out what has happened up to this point. Very informative. I have zero problems with the ending of this series. I would have liked more of Zilda and Navi and less of Scarlett & Finn and Aurora and Kaliis but it is what it is.

1 

Zila 

I am rarely surprised. In any situation, I habitually calculate the odds of all possible outcomes, ensuring I am prepared for every eventuality. 

Nevertheless, I am extremely surprised to discover I am still alive. 

I spend six seconds in openmouthed shock, blinking slowly. After that, I press two fingers to my neck to check my pulse, which is rapid but unquestionably present. This suggests I am not experiencing an unexpected version of the afterlife. 

Interesting. 

A glance out of the cockpit viewshields reveals nothing—no stars, no ships, simple blackness. On instinct, I check our failing sensors, long-range and short. Strangely, I do not see any sign of the enormous battle that was raging around us moments ago, just before the Eshvaren Weapon blew itself apart—an incident with no possible outcome but our complete incineration. 

Impossible as it may be, the entire Syldrathi armada, along with the Terran and Betraskan fleet, and the Weapon, have…vanished. 

…Interesting? 

No. Unnerving. 

I let my training take over, instructing the ancient navcom on our Syldrathi ship to catalog all visible stars, FoldGates, and other landmarks or phenomena and then advise on our present location. 

Wait. Our. 

I flick on comms. “Finian, Scarlett, are you still…?” 

“Breathing?” comes Finian’s voice, a touch uneven. 

“Apparently so.” 

A wave of relief washes through me, and I do not attempt to prevent it. It is inefficient to combat such sensations. Better to let them pass naturally 

“I am one confused boy right now,” Fin continues. 

“Didn’t we just…explode a moment ago?” Scarlett asks. 

“…Lemme check,” Fin replies. 

I hear a small squeak. A soft sigh. A long moment passes, and I am almost tempted to send a query when Finian speaks. 

“Yeah,” he finally reports. “We’re definitely still alive.” 

“I am investigating,” I advise them, as the navcom pings softly. “Please hold.” 

Consulting the ship’s guidance systems, I feel a small frown forming between my brows. Not only is there no sign of the massive battle that should have killed us, there is also no sign of the planetary bodies of the Terran solar system. No Neptune, no Uranus, no Jupiter. 

In fact, I can detect no stellar features at all, near or far. 

No systems. 

No stars. 

We have…moved. 

And I have no idea where. 

Interesting AND unnerving. 

A new icon pops up on the fritzing sensor display, indicating something is behind us. Our engines are still down, disabled during the fleet battle, so I turn on our rear sensors, looking at the vast stretch of space to our aft. 

It… 

     That is to say… 

I, um… 

     I… 

Stop that, legionnaire. 

I suck in a deep breath, straightening my spine. 

I do not understand what I am seeing. 

I begin by cataloging what can be observed, as any scientist would. 

The ship’s sensors are reading colossal fluctuations along the gravitonic and electromagnetic spectrums, bursts of quantum particles and reverberations through subspace. But engaging our aft cameras, I can barely see anything of this disruption in the visual spectrum at all. 

In fact, at first, I mistakenly assume our visual arrays have been damaged. Everything is totally black. And then a pale light flares in the distance, a small pulse of disintegrating photons. And by their brief mauve glow, I glimpse what can only be described as… 

A storm. 

A dark storm. 

It is enormous. Trillions upon trillions of kilometers wide. But it is utterly black, save for those brief photon flares within—an oily, seething emptiness, so complete that light simply dies inside it. 

I know what this is. 

“A tempest,” I whisper. “A dark matter tempest.” 

Its presence would be strange enough, given that mere moments ago we were on the very edge of Terran space, where no such spatial anomaly exists. But stranger still, I see something more. Engaging my magnification settings, I confirm my suspicion. To our starboard, etched in silver against that seething storm of blackness, is a…space station. 

It is a bulky, ugly thing, clearly built for function, not aesthetics. It appears to have been damaged—great crackling bolts of current slither over its surface, blinding and white. From the side closest to us, vapor is venting: fuel, or if the crew are unlucky, is oxygen and atmosphere, puffing out like warm breath on a cold day and dragged into that endless roiling darkness. 

If it is Terran, the station’s design specs are positively archaic. 

But that does not explain what it is doing here in the first place. 

Or how we got here. 

None of this makes sense. 

“Zila?” It’s Scarlett. “What’s happening out there? Can you see the Eshvaren Weapon? What’s the status on the enemy fleet? Are we in danger?” 

“We…” I am not sure how to answer her question. 

“Zila?” 

There is a thick cable of gleaming metal stretching from the station. Hundreds of thousands of kilometers long, it twists and ripples but holds firm to the battered structure at one end. At the other, out on the edge of that seething tempest of dark matter, a great quicksilver sail is stretched across a rectangular frame, its surface swirling like an oil slick. It appears tiny on my visuals, but for me to even be able to see it at all from here, the sail must be immense. 

If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was— 

“Unknown vessel, you have entered restricted Terran space. Identify yourself and provide clearance codes, or you will be fired upon. You have thirty seconds to comply.” 

The voice crackles through the cockpit, harsh and discordant. My pulse kicks up a notch, which is unhelpful. 

I cannot see another vessel. Where is the voice coming from? 

Leaving aside the fact that I have no clearance codes, I do not know whether the hail comes from friend or foe. 

Not that my squad has a long list of friends just now. 

I depress the switch for intrasquad comms and speak urgently. “Scarlett, please hurry to the bridge. Diplomacies are required.” 

“Unknown vessel, identify yourself and provide clearance codes. Failure to comply will be interpreted as hostile intent. You have twenty seconds remaining.” 

I scan the shuttle’s controls and stretch—every Syldrathi over the age of twelve is taller than me—to press the button that will switch our channel from audio to visual. I must find out who is addressing me. 

The face that fills my commscreen is covered by a black breathing apparatus, a thick hose snaking out of sight. The mask conceals everything beneath the pilot’s eyes, and a helmet hides everything above. 

I am looking at a Terran, though, most likely East Asian in origin, age and gender unclear. Strange as my situation is, perhaps a Terran can be reasoned with—we are the same species, after all. 

“Please hold,” I say. “I am summoning my team’s Face.” 

“Ident codes!” the pilot demands, eyes narrowing. “Now!” 

“Understood,” I tell them. “I cannot provide codes, but—” 

“You are in violation of restricted Terran space! You have ten seconds to provide proper clearance, or I will fire on you!” 

All around me, alarms flare into life, lights flashing and Syldrathi symbols illuminating as a loudspeaker barks at me. I don’t understand the words, but I know what it’s saying. 

“Warning, warning, missile lock detected.” 

“Five seconds!” 

“Please,” I say. “Please, wait—” 

“Firing!” 

I watch a tiny line of light appear on our scanners. 

We have no engines. No navigation. No defenses. 

We should be dead already. Incinerated with Aurora and the Weapon. But it seems somehow unfair to have to die again. 

The light draws closer. 

“Please—” 

The missile strikes. 

Fire tears through the bridge. 

BOOM.

 

2.1 

Scarlett 

Black light burns white across my skin. I can taste the sound around me, metallic on the back of my tongue, hearing touch and feeling scent as everything I am and was and will ever be rips itself apart and together and together and togeth—

“Scar?” 

I open my eyes, see another pair of eyes before mine. 

Big. 

Black. 

Pretty. 

Finian. 

“Did you…?” I ask. 

“Was that…?” Fin says. 

“Weird,” we murmur. 

I look around us, a strange black-cat creepy-crawly feeling of déjà vu spidering its way up my spine. 

We’re standing in the corridor outside the engine room, just where we were a minute ago when the Eshvaren Weapon fired a whole beamful of planet-destroying badness into our favorite faces and then blew itself to tiny shinies. But, joy of joys, we are not, in fact, dead. 

This comes as good news for a couple of reasons. 

First, of course, and speaking frankly, it would be a bad move on the universe’s part to waste an ass like mine by incinerating it in a fiery explosion in the depths of space. Honestly, they come along, like, once a millennium. 

Second, it means the boy standing opposite me isn’t dead, either. And strangely, that’s a whole lot more important to me than I would’ve admitted a few hours ago. 

Finian de Karran de Seel. 

He’s totally not my type. Brains not brawn. Chip on his shoulder as wide as the galaxy. But he’s brave. And he’s smart. And standing this close, I can’t help but notice that tumble of white hair and smooth pale skin and lips I almost kissed as we were about to die. 

But that’s the only reason I did it. 

Because we were totally about to die, right? 

We stare at each other, conscious of how close we’re still standing. Neither of us is moving away. He looks into my eyes and I open my mouth, but for the first time in as long as I can remember, I have no idea what to say, and the only thing that saves me from the embarrassment of being speechless, when the only thing I’m really good at is talking, is Zila’s voice crackling over comms. 

“Finian, Scarlett, are you still…?” 

“Breathing?” Finian says, his voice a little uneven. 

“Apparently so.” 

And there it is again. That same creepy black-cat-walking-on-your-grave feeling. The feeling that—

“I am one confused boy right now,” Finian says. 

“Didn’t we just…explode a moment ago?” I ask. 

He meets my eyes again. I can still feel that almost-kiss between us, and I know he can too. And I see him steel himself, take a deep breath. 

“…Lemme check,” he says. 

I feel electricity crackle when his fingertips brush mine. He takes my hand in his and he stares at me for just a second longer in silent question, and he’s totally not my type but I’m still not moving away. And now he’s leaning closer, and closer, and even though we’re not about to die anymore, he’s kissing me, oh Maker, he’s kissing me, the sensation sizzling like live current though my lips and all the way down my spine. I feel myself surge against him, kissing him back, tingling as I feel his hands slip over my hips, down to that ass even the universe wouldn’t dare waste, and squeeze in all the right ways. 

Well, Finian de Karran de Seel. Bless my stars. 

Who in the galaxy would’ve guessed you had game? 

Our lips break apart, and a part of me aches as he leans away, speaking into comms again. 

“Yeah,” he reports. “We’re definitely still alive.” 

“I am investigating,” Zila says. “Please hold.” 

The comms channel crackles out, leaving us alone. Fin and I are still pressed against each other and that kiss hangs between us now, and if one of us doesn’t say something, I know we’re going to start again. Given the circumstances, that’s probably not the smartest idea. 

I glance down at his hands. 

Yep. Still on my ass. 

“You know, when Zila said ‘Please hold,’ I’m not sure that’s what she meant, de Seel.” 

He laughs, nervous, releasing his grip. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” 

And I lunge for his mouth again, just a brief collision, hard and hot. Biting his lip as I break away to let him know I’m still hungry. 

“But we need to figure out what the hells just happened.” 

“Yeah.” He breathes deep and steps away, dragging his metal-tipped fingers through his shock of white hair. “Yeah, we do.” 

We’re still in the corridor outside the shuttle’s engine room, doors still sealed. The air is sharp with the smell of burned plasteel, fused wiring, smoke. Looking through the plexiglass, I can see what that railgun round did to our engines when it hit us, and I know I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure engines aren’t supposed to come in fifty different pieces. 

“We need those to fly,” I say. 

“Who said you couldn’t have been a Gearhead?” 

“Every instructor I ever had at the academy, along with my guidance counselor and the head of the Engineering Division.” 

Finian smirks and glances around us. His dark eyes roam the ceiling, the ruined engine room. And then his stare drifts to my chest. His jaw goes a little slack, and I can practically see his eyes glazing over behind his contacts. 

What is it with boys and boobs, honestly? 

“Hey.” I snap my fingers. “I know they’re sensational, but seriously, mind on the job, de Seel.” 

“No.” He taps his throat. “Your necklace. Remember?” 

I reach up to my throat. To the necklace we found in the Dominion Repository back on Emerald City. Each of us had a gift waiting in that vault, courtesy of Admiral Adams and Battle Leader de Stoy. Tyler got his new boots, Kal the cigarillo case that saved his life. Finian got a ballpoint pen, which he was hilariously annoyed about; Zila got a pair of earrings with hawks on them. And I got this diamond necklace, inscribed with the words Go with Plan B. Except right before we were about to be blasted into our component molecules, Fin realized it wasn’t diamond at all. 

“It’s Eshvaren crystal.” 

And yeah, that is weird. We’d found Eshvaren crystal in the Fold before—the probe that led Auri to the Echo. But that doesn’t really explain why the academy commanders gave me a necklace of the stuff. 

Or why we’re not dead? 

The adrenaline of almost dying and almost kissing and then definitely not dying but, yes, definitely kissing is wearing off now, and my hands feel shaky. But my eyes still roam Finian’s body as he looks around the corridor in that annoyed/confused way he has, like the universe has decided to inconvenience him specifically. Limbs wrapped in the silver cladding of his exosuit, ghost-pale skin, and pitch-black eyes narrowed as he tilts his head.

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#Review - Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff #YA #SyFy

Series: The Aurora Cycle (#2)
Format: Hardcover, 512 pages
Release Date: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

Our heroes are back…kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic Aurora Cycle series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.
 

Aurora Burning is the second installment in co-authors Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's The Aurora Cycle. This story revolves around Aurora Legion 312 and it's crew: Aurora (Auri) Jie-Lin O'Malley, Tyler Jones, Kalis, Scarlett Jones, Finian, and Zila Madran. (I personally think it's funny that this series is being compared to 𝙶𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚡𝚢.)  *Minor Spoilers* Previously, the crew visited the forbidden planet of Octavia III and discovered that an alien hivemind, called the Ra’haam, has taken over the planet and is bent on assimilating all intelligent life in the galaxy. 

The Ra’haam, who have flowers for eyes, have already infiltrated the command of the Global Intelligence Agency (GIA) who put bounty hunters on the crews trail after they were declared rogue by their own people. They desperately want to get their hands on Auri who may or may not be the weapon to stop them. Meanwhile, Auri is trying to figure out not only her powers, but who gave them to her which leads back to the doomed Hadfield and a meeting with the Eshvaren who are an ancient race. The crew also lost one of their members to the Ra’haam, something that will follow the crew throughout this story and beyond. 

As Tyler & crew is trying to sell their Longbow, they see a media broadcast blaming their crew for the massacre of thousands of people on Octavia III. We, as readers, know this is bullcrap. Even some of the crew supporters know it's bullcrap. The crew goes on the run again, trying to evade both the local crime gangs, bounty hunters, Syldrathi Unbroken, and infected GIA agents. Enter Syldrathi Unbroken Saedii, Kalis own sister, who will do anything to bring Kalis back home and will go to any lengths to be successful in her mission. No spoilers, but, there was an interesting moment when Tyler and Saedii find a bit of commonality.

This story is much more character orientated than the previous installment. In fact, all (6) crew members end up participating which gives readers a grander view of the world and who these characters really are. My favorite has to be Zila who shines brightly. Readers will also get an up close and personal understanding about her past and why she's the quiet one of the group. She's also the most brilliant and intelligent and really steps up when she's needed the most.

Auri is allegedly the only hope the universe has of defeating the evil Ra’haam that is waiting for its chance to consume everything. But, they make be in the minor league compared to the man who literally murdered billions of his own people with a super weapon that Auri was meant to have. I did have a minor complaint regarding the treatment of Kalis. After all, he literally warned the crew who they were facing and that they should abandon him and save his own life. When the crew discovers the identity of the mass murder of his own people, it sets off a chain of events that leads to a twisted ending. 

It's taken me a while to write (type) a review for this book because the last chapters of this book were not only mind blowing, but earth shattering. I concede the authors are either either bloody brilliant, or villains who love to write off their characters at the expense of their readers hearts and emotions. The authors left us hanging on by a thread not knowing if any of the crew had survived what happened. Between the Ra'Haam, Slydrathi, and the GIA, I'd be surprise if anyone actually survives to the final page.

The uncertainity is apparently what makes these folks excellent writers. But, there comes a point where you have to ask yourselves why the depth and gravity of what was left behind? I will say that if we lose Tyler, I'm not going to be a happy camper. He's the leader of this group. He's the one who tries to keep the crew from going down the wrong path. Scarlett is a totally different character and one that was never meant to become a leader. Auri is a different character this time around. Hopefully that will continue in the third installment because the crew and the universe need a good win. Fin was relegated to the backburner for most of this book, but he's still a wonderful characte with some funny moments as well as serious ones. 

 

1

Tyler

The disruptor blast hits the Betraskan right in her chest.

She shrieks, and her armload of e-tech goes flying as she collapses in a drooling heap. I vault over her as she falls, ducking as another disruptor shot hisses past my ear. The bazaar around us is crowded, the mob parting before me in a panic as more blasts ring out behind us. Scarlett is running right on my heels, flame-red hair plastered to her cheeks with sweat. She leaps over the unconscious Betraskan woman and her scattered goods, offering an apologetic shout.

“Sorryyyy!”

Another blast rings out. The gangsters chasing us roar at the crowd to step aside. We leap over the counter of a semptar stall, past the gobsmacked owner, and out the back door into another packed, humid street. Hovercraft and rotor bots. Pale green walls around us, red skies above, yellow plascrete beneath our feet, a rainbow of outfits and skin tones ahead.

“Left!” Finian shouts over comms. “Go left!”

We left it, barreling into a grubby alleyway off the main drag. Hucksters and fienders stare at us as we sprint past, boots pounding, trash flying. The tiny gangsters chasing us reach the alley mouth, filling the air with the BAMF! BAMF! of their disruptor blasts. The whoosh of charged particles rushes past my ear. We skid behind a dumpster full of discarded machine parts, looking for some kind of cover.

“I told you this was a bad idea!” Scarlett gasps.

“And I told you I don’t have bad ideas!” I shout, kicking through a doorway.

“Oh no?” she asks, cracking off a shot at our pursuers.

“No!” I drag her inside. “Just less amazing ones!”

Yeah, let’s back it up a little.

About forty minutes, maybe, before things got quite so shooty. I know I’ve done this before, but it’s more exciting this way. Trust me. Dimples, remember?

So, forty minutes ago, I’m sitting in a crowded booth in a crowded bar, music thumping in my ears. I’m outfitted in a tight black tunic and tighter pants, which I presume are stylish—Scarlett chose them for me, after all. My sister’s squeezed into the booth beside me, also in civilian wardrobe: blood-red and formfitting and cut as low as she likes it.

Sitting opposite us are a dozen gremps.

The place we’re in is a dive, all pulsing light and smoky air, stuffed to the rafters. There’s a broad pit in the center of the room where I guess they hold some kind of blood sport, but fortunately nobody’s killing anyone else in here right now. Drug and skin trades are going on all around us, the small-time hustlers of the station and their daily grind. And along with the smell of rocksmoke and the speakers’ thudding deepdub, a single question is buzzing in my head.

How in the Maker’s name did I get here?

The gremps sit across from us—a dozen small, furry figures crammed into the other side of the booth. Their slitted eyes are fixed on the uniglass Scarlett has placed on the table between us. The device is a flat pane of palm-sized transparent silicon, lit up with holo displays. Rotating a few inches above it is a glowing image of our Longbow. The ship is arrowhead-shaped, gleaming titanium and carbite. The Aurora Legion sigil and our squad designation, 312, are emblazoned down its flanks.

It’s state of the art. Beautiful. We’ve been through a lot together.

And now we have to let her go.

The gremps mutter among themselves in their own hissing, purring tongue, whiskers twitching. The leader is a little over a meter tall, which is big for her species. The tortoiseshell fur covering her body is perfectly coiffed, and her pearl-white suit screams “gangster chic.” Her pale green eyes are edged with dark powder and have the gleam of someone who feeds people to her pets for kicks.

“Risky, Earthgirl.” The gremp’s voice is a smooth purr. “Rrrrisky.”

“We were told Skeff Tannigut was a lady who could handle a little risk,” Scarlett smiles. “You’ve got quite the reputation around here.”

The aforementioned Ms. Tannigut drums her claws on the tabletop, glances up from the hologram of our Longbow and into my sister’s eyes.

“There’s regular risk, Earthgirl, and then there’s the risk of twenty years in Lunar Penal Colony. Trafficking in stolen Aurora Legion hardware is no joke.”

“Neither is the hardware,” I say.

Twelve sets of slitted eyes swivel toward me. Twelve fanged jaws drop open. Skeff Tannigut looks at my sister with astonishment, ears twitching atop her head.

“You let your male speak in public?”

“He’s…spirited,” Scarlett smiles, giving me a side-eye full of Shut uuup.

“I could sell you a pain collar?” the gangster offers. “Break him in?”

I raise my eyebrow. “Thanks, but—hrk!”

I clutch my bruised shin under the table and glare as Scarlett leans forward to look the syndicate leader in the eye. “If you’re feeling so generous, let’s skip the foreplay, shall we?” She waves at the holo image of our Longbow. “A hundred thousand and she’s yours. Weapon passcodes included.”

Tannigut confers briefly with her colleagues. Not fancying another boot to the shins, I keep my mouth on the right side of shut and study the club around us.

The bar is lined with bottles full of rainbows, and the walls are lit with holographic displays—jetball games and the latest economy reports from Central and newsfeeds of Unbroken ships on the move in the Neutral Zones. This station is a long way from the Core, but I’m still surprised at the number of different species here. Since we docked two hours ago, I must’ve counted at least twenty—pale Betraskans, furry gremps, hulking blue Chellerians. This place is like a dirty slice of the whole Milky Way, dropped into one dodgy, suborbital melting pot.

The planet we’re floating above is a gas giant, a little smaller than Jupiter back home. This station hovers in the stratosphere, suspended above a storm that’s four centuries old and twenty thousand klicks wide. The air is filtered, the whole floating city sealed inside a transparent dome of ionized particles crackling faintly in the skies above our heads. But I can still taste the tang of chlorine gas that gives the storm its color and this station its name.

I take a sip of my water. Glance at the coaster beneath it.

welcome to emerald city! it says. don’t look down!

The gremps have stopped conversing, and Tannigut’s glittering eyes are back on Scar. The gangster smooths her whiskers with one paw as she speaks.

“I’ll give you thirty thousand,” she says. “First and final offer.”

Scar raises one perfectly manicured eyebrow. “Since when do gremps do stand-up comedy?”

“Since when do Aurora legionnaires sell their ships?” the gremp asks.

“We could have stolen this baby. What makes you think we’re Legion?”

Tannigut points to me. “His haircut.”

“What’s wron—hrk!”

“All due respect, but the whys aren’t your concern,” Scarlett says smoothly. “There’s no tech anywhere in the galaxy like the tech that comes out of Aurora labs. One hundred thousand is a bargain, and you know it.” Scar tosses her flame-red bob out of her eyes and manages to look nowhere as desperate as we actually are. “And therefore, madam, I bid you good day.”

Scar is rising to leave and Tannigut is reaching out to stop her when the commotion starts at the bar. I look toward the noise to see what the fuss is, notice that the various jetball games and stock reports on the displays have been interrupted by a special news feed.

My stomach flips as I read the message at the bottom of the screens.

aurora legion terror attack

A big Terran asks the barkeeper to turn it up. A bigger Chellerian bellows to put the game back on. As a small fistfight breaks out, the barkeep drops the volume on the deepdub, cranks the news feed through the pub’s speakers.

“…over seven thousand Syldrathi refugees were killed in the attack, with the Terran and Betraskan governments both expressing outrage at the massacre…“

My heart drops and thumps in my chest as I watch the accompanying footage. It shows the gunmetal-gray blisters of an ore-processing rig nestled on the flank of a massive asteroid, floating in a sea of stars.

I recognize the structure immediately. It’s Sagan Station—the mining rig our squad was sent to on its first mission away from Aurora Academy. We were captured by a Terran destroyer there, held captive by the GIA. They obliterated Sagan to silence any witnesses who might have seen them taking Auri into custody. There’s nothing left of that place but debris now.

Hard to believe that was just a few days ago…

As I watch, a ship swoops in and fires a barrage of missiles, immolating the station. But as the footage freezes on the attacking vessel, I realize it’s not the lumbering, snub-nosed hulk of a Terran destroyer firing the kill shot. The attacking ship is arrowhead-shaped, gleaming titanium and carbite, the Aurora Legion sigil and its squad designation emblazoned down its flanks.

312.

“Great Maker…”

I glance at Scarlett. The voice-over rises above the worsening bar brawl.

“The perpetrators of the Sagan massacre are also wanted in connection with breach of Galactic Interdiction while being pursued by Terran forces. The joint commander of Aurora Legion, Admiral Seph Adams, released the following statement just moments ago….”

The footage cuts to the familiar figure of Admiral Adams, our Aurora Legion CO, decked out in full dress uniform. Dozens of medals gleam across his broad chest. His cybernetic arms are folded, his expression grim. He taps one prosthetic finger on his forearm as he speaks, metal ringing softly on metal.

“We condemn,” he says, “in strongest possible terms, the actions of Aurora Legion Squad 312 at Sagan Station. We cannot explain their motives, save to say that this squad has clearly gone rogue. They have violated our trust. They have broken our code. Aurora Legion Command offers every assistance to the Terran government in its pursuit of these murderers, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the slain refugees.”

Photographs flash up on the screen. The faces and names of my crew.

Finian de Karran de Seel.

Zila Madran.

Catherine Brannock.

Kaliis Idraban Gilwraeth.

Scarlett Jones.

Tyler Jones.

Under each of our names scroll more words.

wanted. reward offered: 100,000cr

And it’s about then that my stomach feels ready to crawl right out of my mouth.

I glance at my sister wordlessly. We need to move. Scar’s already snatching her uniglass off the table when Tannigut’s claws sink into her wrist.

“On second thought”—the gremp smiles with pointed teeth—“a hundred thousand credits does sound like a bargain.”

Scarlett looks to me. Like I’ve said before, it’s funny being a twin. Sometimes I feel like I know what my sister will say before she says it. Sometimes I swear she can tell what I’m thinking just by looking at me. And right now, I’m thinking we need to get all the way out of this stinking bar and off this stinking station.

Like, yesterday.

Scarlett slams the heel of her palm into Tannigut’s nose. She’s rewarded with a loud crunch and a shriek of pain, a gout of deep magenta. I grab my sister’s bloody hand and drag her out of the booth as the other gremps howl and leap at us.

The brawl over the remote control at the other end of the bar is now in full swing, and I figure a little more chaos isn’t going to hurt. So I blast a gremp in the face with my disruptor, knock another’s fangs out of its head with my boot, push Scar toward the door.

“Go! Go!”

Someone screams. A barfly goes sailing into the wall above my head. Three gremps jump on me, clawing and biting. I kick and blast them free, roll across the floor and up to my feet, burst out the front door behind my sister and into the labyrinth of streets that make up the Emerald City.

The station covers eighty levels, a hundred kilometers wide. The lower levels are taken up by an inverted forest of wind turbines, which harnesses the immense storm currents below and turns them into energy. The city is interconnected by a huge lattice of transparent public transit tubes, powered by those same currents. And it’s into one of these tubes that my sister and I leap face-first.

“Grand bazaar!” Scarlett shouts, “Complying,” the computer beeps, and before I can blink, we’re being whipped along the tube on a cushion of ionized oxygen.

“Fin? You reading me?” I shout over the rushing current.

“Um, yeah,” comes the response. “You catch the news, Goldenboy? That was not a flattering photo of me.”

“Yeah, we saw it. So did half the people in this city, I’m guessing. Including the syndicate we were trying to sell the Longbow to.”

“No deal, I take it?”

I glance behind, see a pack of gremps whipping along right on our tails, disruptors ready to fire as soon as we’re out of the pressurized tube.

“You could say that,” I reply. “We’re coming back through the bazaar, I need you giving us directions. Tell Kal and Zila to prep for launch. Every bounty hunter, lawman, and half-baked do-gooder in this hole is gonna be after us now.”

“I did tell you this was a bad idea.”

“And I told you. I don’t have bad ideas.”

“Just less amazing ones?”

Emerald City is whipping past the transit tube outside, dozens of levels, thousands of secrets, millions of people. The clouds around us swirl and shift in beautiful patterns, like watercolors on wet canvas. The walls and archways and gleaming spires under the ionized dome are tinged pale green by the chlorine storm below, the skies above like bruised blood.

I knew we’d be pushing it by even coming to a station as remote as this one. It was only a matter of time before word got out that we’d gone rogue, and I knew the Global Intelligence Agency would be gunning for us after Octavia III. But I should’ve known they’d come at us sideways. Framing us as the perpetrators of the massacre they committed was smart. Something I might’ve done if I flushed my morals into the recycler. By painting us as killers of innocent refugees as well as Interdiction breakers, they’ve cut us off from Aurora Academy and anyone who’d help us.

I can’t blame Adams for disavowing us. But he took me and Scar under his wing when Dad died—I have to admit it hurt, listening to him call us murderers. And though it makes sense for him to cut us loose after we’ve been accused of galactic terrorism, part of me is gutted he could ever believe it.

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#Review - TRUEL1F3 (Lifelike #3) by Jay Kristoff #YA #SyFy

Series: LIFEL1K3 (#3)
Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
Release Date: June 30, 2020
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books 
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

From the bestselling co-author of the Illuminae Files comes the thrilling finale in the LIFEL1K3 trilogy—hailed by Marie Lu as “a breathless, action-packed exploration of what humanity really means.”

Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you’re on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves—and each other—was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war—this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus’s army at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn’t stop there, because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes…and they may not be who you think they are.

“First rule of the Scrap:  Stronger together. Together forever.”

TRUEL1F3 is the third and final installment in author Jeff Kristoff's Lifelike trilogy. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic USA. The story will take readers deep into the heart of Megopolis, home to Daedalus, and City Hive where we will find BioMaas and their myriad of strange beings including the Hunters who were sent out to retrieve Lemon. In this world, Bio Maas provides most of the country's food with gene modified crops, while Daedalus supplies power via solar farms. The story alternates via a whole lot of characters, so, if that is not your ball of wax, be prepared for whiplash. 

Our main characters consist of a combination of humans, Deviates (humans with extraordinary abilities), logika (independent machines with intelligence and personalities), and Lifelikes, which are machines/robots that appear just like human beings but with extraordinary strength and healing abilities. One of the key aspects of this series is friendships. After all, the series started with Eve and her friend Lemon Fresh and ends with the same pair having forever changed by their actions throughout this series.

The Cast: Cricket, the little bot who is now stuck in a battle-bot body in New Bethlehem home to a religious cult called the Brotherhood. He's lost track of Lemon Fresh, his once friend Eve is a psychotic killer, and Ezekiel is stuck obsessing over Ana. But, he has new friends in Solomon (logika) and Abraham who is a human deviant. A boy who has powerful abilities. Abraham has a really messed up family. True Cert. Cricket hasn't forgiven Eve for her betrayal, but what's worse is losing Lemon Fresh who he was supposed to help protect.

Eve Carpenter: she's turned fully into a psychotic murderer who searched everywhere for Ana Monrova and finally found her only to be captured by the Preacher and given to Daedalus where she will undergo torture the means of which should be illegal. Eve is a hard character for me to like due to the fact that she's been her own person her entire life then suddenly she chooses her alleged brothers and sisters in attempting to destroy humanity. She's never lived Ana's life. She has her own memories and people who loved her with no requirements. One of those people was Lemon Fresh.

Lemon Fresh: Strangely, my favorite character in this story. She's grown above and beyond just being Evie's sidekick. Lemon is a genetic abnormality. Lemon’s abilities to manipulate electricity mark her as a deviate, and deadly corporate operatives are hunting her to use as a weapon in the war between BioMaas Incorporated and Daedelus Technologies. Hell, she literally stopped 6 nuclear missiles in their silos. She's fallen for a boy, Grimm, who has treated her with kindness and respect. She's befriend a girl, Diesel, who can create portals. She refuses to allow Eve and her insane brothers & sisters to destroy the world by releasing the Libertas virus which can override the 3 laws any robot it infects. 

Then there is the truly head spinning obsessions: Ezekiel with Ana, Gabriel with Grace, and Faith with Gabriel. Preacher has done his share of violence against almost every character in this story. He's got nothing to show for it. He's like that reoccurring character you'd love to kill off only to discover that you still have even more strategic violence and betrayal to commit before you get your comeuppance. There is plenty to keep readers entertained. The pending war between mega-corporations puts everyone in danger. Add in Gabriel's obsession with Grace and his desire to rule the world, and you have to wonder if anyone will survive until the closing chapters. 

I agree with fellow readers. One of the things that I like about Kristoff’s books is how he includes a small recap of the characters at the beginning of them. Pay attention to the breakdown of each character. It really helps when you’ve waited a whole year for the sequel and, most of the time, we don’t remember a lot from the previous books. The ending was a bit on the curious side for me. After all that has happened, no spoilers, the author kind of walks away dusting off his hands by saying like it or leave it.   

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