Aurora
Aurora #1
by Red
Adventure
Fantasy
Graphic Novel
Review #1
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
The city of Vash has fallen to a mysterious mage known as the Collector, who has taken the soul of its god. Kendal, the city’s sole survivor, has been tasked to retrieve said god. He soon encounters Alinua, a hermit who is finally free to see the world. The two set off on an adventure neither of them could have predicted- of gods and monsters, of mages and horrors as old as time, of allies, and of enemies. The world has shook once before. It will do so again.
This book is almost the definition of what I enjoy in fantasy. Hard worldbuilding and magic, subtly subversive, character arcs that actually make me emotional.
First- the magic system! You’ve seen four elements, you’ve probably seen five… but have you seen six? I’ve seen it once before, but this book manages to avoid the pitfall the other fell into- that of scope creep and unestablished limits. Here, there is a definitive number of elements. Each can do a list of specific things and can’t go beyond that. And that forces the characters- at least, those who have magic- to get creative.
And the plot! This book mostly serves as an introduction to the major characters, including antagonists. But it still manages to make sense and is fairly easy to follow- more so if you take your time, unlike what I did. The division into chapters makes that significantly easier compared to most graphic novels.
We don’t see much of a single character arc in this book. Kendal’s is the longest, but by far the slowest; Erin is a close second. Falst is introduced too late to get anything meaningful- but Alinua’s is certainly strong. Again, though, it’s still early in the story- most of her arc has been discussing this and that existential crisis. But how they’re handled is awesome, and healthy in a way I don’t see too often.
I’ve already managed to convince about half a dozen of my friends to read this. And they’ve convinced others to read it too. It’s that good. For middle school and high school teens + adults.
