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Quick answer: If you loved Aurora Rising, try Aurora Burning, Illuminae, These Broken Stars, Cinder, Red Rising and Six of Crows. Each one is a fun, fast space adventure with a misfit crew, witty banter and galaxy-sized stakes.
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's 2019 novel follows Tyler Jones, a top Aurora Academy cadet who misses the draft for the best squad because he rescues a girl from a ship lost in space for two centuries. He ends up leading a crew of misfits, and the girl, Auri, turns out to carry a dangerous secret. Told from many points of view, it is full of jokes and action. Readers love its found family. These books share its space crews and banter.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora Burning | Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | 13+ | readers who want book two |
| Illuminae | Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | 14+ | readers who want the authors' first series |
| These Broken Stars | Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner | 13+ | readers who like space romance |
| Cinder | Marissa Meyer | 12+ | readers who like sci-fi fairy tales |
| Red Rising | Pierce Brown | 15+ | older readers |
| Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo | 14+ | readers who like heist crews |
| The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet | Becky Chambers | Adult | readers who like found-family crews |
| Skyward | Brandon Sanderson | 12+ | readers who like pilots |
| Ender's Game | Orson Scott Card | 12+ | readers who like space academies |
| Defy the Stars | Claudia Gray | 13+ | readers who like soldiers and robots |
| Starflight | Melissa Landers | 13+ | readers who like rivals in space |
| The Martian | Andy Weir | Adult | readers who like space humor |
| Gideon the Ninth | Tamsyn Muir | Adult | readers who like snarky heroines |
| Scythe | Neal Shusterman | 13+ | readers who like big ideas |
| The Inheritance Games | Jennifer Lynn Barnes | 13+ | readers who like found family |
1. Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Squad 312 races to stop an ancient threat.
Best for: readers who want book two.
2. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
A story told through documents after a space attack.
Best for: readers who want the authors' first series.
3. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Two survivors of a crashed starship fall in love.
Best for: readers who like space romance.
4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A cyborg mechanic is drawn into royal intrigue.
Best for: readers who like sci-fi fairy tales.
5. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
A miner infiltrates the elite on Mars.
Best for: older readers.
6. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Criminals pull off an impossible heist.
Best for: readers who like heist crews.
7. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
A crew builds tunnels through space.
Best for: readers who like found-family crews.
8. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
A girl fights to become a pilot.
Best for: readers who like pilots.
9. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
A boy trains to fight aliens.
Best for: readers who like space academies.
10. Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
A soldier and a robot travel the galaxy.
Best for: readers who like soldiers and robots.
11. Starflight by Melissa Landers
Rivals end up on the same ship.
Best for: readers who like rivals in space.
12. The Martian by Andy Weir
An astronaut survives on Mars.
Best for: readers who like space humor.
13. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
A swordswoman joins a deadly trial in space.
Best for: readers who like snarky heroines.
14. Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Teens train to end lives in a perfect world.
Best for: readers who like big ideas.
15. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
A girl inherits a fortune.
Best for: readers who like found family.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Aurora Rising: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Aurora Rising. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Continue with Aurora Burning, then try Illuminae for the authors' first series. If you love found-family crews, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and Six of Crows are perfect. Readers who want pilots and academies should try Skyward and Ender's Game.
Related: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: Summary and Key Takeaways · Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Aurora Rising about?
A cadet rescues a girl lost in space and leads a misfit squad caught in a galactic conspiracy.
How many books are in the Aurora Cycle?
Three: Aurora Rising, Aurora Burning and Aurora's End.
What age is it for?
It suits readers about 13 and up.
Is it told from multiple points of view?
Yes. Each crew member narrates chapters.
Is it similar to Guardians of the Galaxy?
Many readers compare its funny crew to the film.
Who is Auri?
A girl found asleep in cryostasis for two hundred years.
What should I read next?
Aurora Burning.