Excellent story telling. Another great story of a group of people and how they discover that they are not alone in their galaxy. Great characters and how they fit into their evolving world. ( )

Off the top of my head, I can only think of 4 or 5 franchises where sequels – second installments in particular – are actually better than their predecessors. When you’re the author of a series, you always hope that your sequel will turn out better than your first book.

G.S. Jennsen has done it.

While I still enjoyed Starshine immensely, I was one of “those” people who thought it started out a bit slow. It was all relevant background information that the reader needed to know in order to understand the plot and setting, but it made it a little hard for me to get sucked in at first. This was certainly not the case with Vertigo. With all of this information already set up, the story could get going right away. And that’s exactly what it did.

The plot started out fast and it didn’t slow down – I was engaged the entire time. The characters felt like old friends I was getting reacquainted with, and I love that we got a chance to dig deeper into the lives of people who only played small roles in the first story. As with Starshine, the worldbuilding and descriptions of the futuristic environments were very well-done; I always felt like I was right there interacting with the characters. The plot structure is pure genius. Questions are answered and information is revealed in such a way that I was left wanting more after almost every chapter. On that note, I personally was pleased that the chapters were shorter than the ones in Starshine. It made it easier to come to stopping points, but it also made it easier to say “one……more….. chapter…..” and keep reading when I should have been doing other things ;)

I’m definitely strapped in for the ride that is the Aurora Rising trilogy. These are memorable stories with memorable characters and I can’t wait for Book 3! ( )

Where do you run when there is no escape? Where do you turn when the enemy within is as dangerous as the enemy unknown?

The year is 2322 and humanity is under attack.

An engineered war between rival superpowers escalates even as the shadowy Metigen armada begins attacking colonies on the frontiers of settled space.

Individuals from across the galaxy fight for their own survival and to protect those they hold dear, while a group of unlikely allies race to expose a secret cabal. As the aliens draw ever closer, leaving utter destruction and death in their wake, the strongest defenders of Earth and Seneca fall to one another in a war of lies and misdirection.

Alex Solovy and Caleb Marano stand accused of terrorism and murder. In a desperate gambit to clear their names and find a way to defeat the invaders, they breach the dimensional portal at the heart of the Metis Nebula. In a strange, mystical realm where nothing is what it seems, they will uncover secrets about humanity’s past and future—and one revelation which will change everything.

When faced with its greatest challenge, will humanity rise to triumph or fall to ruin?

AURORA RISING is an epic tale of galaxy-spanning adventure, of the thrill of discovery and the unquenchable desire to reach ever farther into the unknown. It's a tale of humanity at its best and worst, of love and loss, of fear and heroism. It's the story of a woman who sought the stars and found more than anyone imagined possible.