I very much enjoyed this as the end of the trilogy.  We were met with more characters, crazy shenanigans, and a self-aware A.I. that was bonkers, but not really.  This finished out the story very well.  I don't think I have it in me to write a more articulate review.  Just know I liked this very, very much.

This book was awesome!

I listened to this on Audible and let me tell you, hearing each character played by diffmmerent narrators was the way to go. The groups' acting was excellent. Each voice was truly distinct which gave it a more organic feel.

The character development was superb, the writing so well done it felt completely immersive! The pacing was brisk but not breakneck. The whole book was one cohesive action packed thrill ride and may even be more amazing than the first book, Aurora Rising. I am waiting (not so) patiently for book #3... it is already on my Will Be Manically Checking For A Release Date list... it's a very exclusive list.

Overall:

I can't reccomend this book highly enough and the audiobook even moreso. My reviews are usually on the lengthy side but this book left me speechless. Was it the best book ever? No but it was a damn fine approximation. You should definitely add this one to your Must Read Sooner Rather Than Later list for the year, you'll thank me later!

Ok, enough list talk... go ahead, pick this book up and dive in... it's worth the time and emotional energy spent.

~ Enjoy

This book is a delight! I was really unsure about this one because the story is told through emails, instant messages, military files and medical records. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get engaged with the story without more traditional prose to unite everything but I was so wrong.

This is a story about Kady and Ezra, two 17 year olds who live with their respective families on a remote planet rich in natural resources. On the day that Kady breaks up with Ezra, their colony is attacked by a corporation intent on wiping out the existing mining colony and taking the natural resources of the planet for themselves.

With thousands of other residents, Kady and Ezra race for the evacuation ships. Separated in the chaos, they board different ships and along with a third evacuation vessel and the war ship Lincoln, flee the invaders who are intent on hiding their crime by massacring all witnesses - including those on the evacuation vessels. The chase is on!

At first, it seems like a miracle that the Lincoln was in the area of the mining planet on military maneuvers at the time of the invasion as they stepped in to help fight off the attacking ships and are the only reason the evacuation vessels were able to escape. However, it quickly becomes apparent that not all is as it seems. Kady uses her time on the ship to enhance her computer hacking skills so that she can locate her missing loved ones and find out what secret their saviour and now military escort, the Lincoln, is hiding.

The story is fast-paced with a number of twists and turns that I did not see coming. You care about the characters in this story and not just the main ones - there are secondary characters that you learn to love and root for as well. Although marketed as YA because of the age of the main characters, there are some really graphic and scary scenes in this book. The desperation of trying to outrun their pursuers comes across so well and the feeling that Kady, Ezra and their friends have stumbled across a truly sinister conspiracy keeps you turning the pages as you learn more details through your review of the dossier.

Don't wait as long as I did before reading this book!

german and english review

audible audiobook

spoilerfree

Inhalt: Die Großen Spiele enden mit dem kühnsten Mord in der Geschichte der itreyanischen Republik - nur leider erwischt es den falschen. Der Konsul Julius Scaeva überlebt das Attentat, und seine Macht im Staat ist nun beinahe grenzenlos. Genauso wie sein Hass auf Mia Corvere.

Gejagt von den Assassinen der Roten Kirche und den Soldaten der itreyanischen Republik bricht Mia zu ihrer letzten großen Reise auf, um das Geheimnis ihrer Herkunft zu lüften und herauszufinden, wie sie Scaeva besiegen kann. Doch sie muss sich beeilen, denn das nächste Wahrdunkel naht, und Nacht fällt über die Republik.

Meine Bewertung: Ich liebe diese Bücher einfach so sehr!!!

Ich werde nicht wirklich ins Detail gehen, es ist das dritte und letzte Buch in einer Serie, ich werde hier nicht einen Spoiler nach dem anderen fallen lassen.

Ich möchte mehr oder weniger einfach über die ganze Serie reden und wie sehr ich sie liebe. Seit ich das erste mal von den Büchern gehört habe, wurde ein riesiger Hype um die Serie gemacht, was mich immer abgeschreckt hat, bis ich es nicht mehr ausgehalten habe und einfach mit der Reihe selbst anfangen musste um mir mein eigenes Bild davon zu machen.

Die Story an sich hat mich von Anfang an total interessiert und begeistert. Ich liebe eine richtig gute Geschichte über Rache. Ich liebe Geschichten über Assassinen. Ich liebe großartige weibliche Hauptcharaktere. Und genau das habe ich in dieser Reihe bekommen. WOW.

Mia gehört eindeutig zu meinen absoluten Lieblingscharakteren, deswegen war es wirklich schwer jetzt von ihr Abschied zu nehmen, wo die Bücherreihe vorbei ist. Ich will so viel mehr über sie lesen. Deswegen kann ich es auch garnicht abwarten, die Bücher wieder und wieder zu lesen.

Zu dem letzten Band direkt. Zwischenzeitlich habe ich gedacht das Buch geht absolut in die falsche Richtung, für mich persönlich und das was ich mir gewünscht hatte. Doch am Ende, ich bin einfach mehr als zufrieden.

Die Serie hat sich einen Platz ganz weit oben in der Liste meiner Lieblingsserien gesichert.

***

Summary: Mia Corvere, gladiatii, escaped slave and infamous assassin, is on the run. Pursued by Blades of the Red Church and soldiers of the Luminatii legion, she may never escape the City of Bridges and Bones alive. Her mentor Mercurio is now in the clutches of her enemies. Her own family wishes her dead. And her nemesis, Consul Julius Scaeva, stands but a breath from total dominance over the Republic.

But beneath the city, a dark secret awaits. Together with her lover Ashlinn, brother Jonnen and a mysterious benefactor returned from beyond the veil of death, she must undertake a perilous journey across the Republic, seeking the final answer to the riddle of her life. Truedark approaches. Night is falling on the Republic for perhaps the final time.

Can Mia survive in a world where even daylight must die?

My review: I just love these books so damn much!!!

I won't go into much detail, this is the third and last book in this series and I don't want to drop spoilers left and right.

I just want to talk about the series as a whole and how much I love it. Since I first heard about these books, there was always this big hype about it, that always scared me away until I couldn't handle it anymore and started this whole series myself to see for myself.

The story itself drew me in right from the start, it's just so intersting and exciting. I just love a really good story about revenge. I love stories about assassins. I love amazing female main characters. And that's exactly what I got in this series. WOW.

Mia is totally one of my favorite characters by now, that's why it was so hard to say goodbye to her, now that this series is over. I want to read so many more stories about her. That's why I can't wait to read these books over and over again.

About the last book itself. There were moments I thought the book was going in the wrong direction, for me personally and how I wanted things to end. But at the end of it, I was more than satisfied with how things ended.

This series really has a really high spot in my favorite series lists.

Holy shit. This book. This damn book. Kaufman and Kristoff are absolute magic when they combine their powers for evil...err...good.

Look, here's what you need to know:
It is better than the first one in the series. It is absolutely non-stop with stakes through the roof. It has a heist, time wonkery, derring do, aliens and critters, psionic powers, hopeless odds, found family, twists, and All The Feels. It also has a cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.

I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time, and I absolutely cannot wait for book three.

Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy. Aurora Burning hits shelves May 5th.