Aurora Vol. 1 by Red

It's graphic novel time, and today's read is the first in a brand new series for young adult readers, who love magic and adventure. I'm getting the feeling that it will involve friendship, tough decisions, secrets, and more. And tons of magic, since that's mentioned quite a bit in the blurb. But the only way to know is to read the book.

So, let's get started!

AURORA

Vol. 1

by Red

Andrews McMeel Publishing

YA Fantasy  /   Graphic Novel

384 pages

COMING...

JULY 29th!!!

Fans of the hit webcomic Aurora will delight in the first series installment in print, which follows a found family of heroes on a journey to save a god from an immortal witch.

The shining city of Vash in the world of Aurora is protected by a great and powerful god of the same name, but even Vash’s incarnation cannot withstand the Collector, an immortal sorceress bent on unmaking the world. Vash’s city is destroyed and his soul abducted, leaving only ruins and the wounded, empty body of his incarnation. When newborn soul Kendal awakens in the body, he is driven to rescue the imprisoned Vash. Now Kendal must grapple with living as a mortal and defeating a force powerful enough to sunder the gods.

Kendal is aided by the friends he makes along the way: Alinua, a volatile elven hermit terrified of her uncontrollable life magic; Erin, the prideful Elemental Magus, master of all six elements, who is burdened with a world-shattering curse; and Falst, a surly beastman trying to find his way in a world that hates him. Together, they will journey through magic and mystery, explore perilous environments, and confront ancient forces. Stars dance beyond the shimmering curtains of Aurora; it is time to draw those curtains back . . .

With exclusive author commentary and bonus story content, Aurora (Volume 1) has plenty for both fans and new readers to enjoy.

PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

A rich, fantasy world opens the door to heroes, who have tons of potential, and unpredictable dangers, which could destroy the world.

After a lovely foreword from the author, this tale begins with a basic rundown of the world and its beginnings. While I'm not always a fan of information dumps to get things started, this worked remarkably well and allows the reader to drift into the complex magic system and the relationship between the various races and gods with ease. The author keeps it concise and direct while creating a magical atmosphere. After this, it dives straight into action with Vash as he takes on the monsters attacking his city and falls prey to a Collector, who wants to absorb his spirit for her own power...which she does. That should be the end of the mighty hero, but while the powerful Vash is trapped in her clutches, his vassel (the body) takes on a life of its own as Kendal, and Kendal has one goal: to free Vash. Luckily, he immediately has a powerful mage at his side, and soon, will form a group of special friends, each one trying to find their own place in the world. But this hodge-podge group isn't nearly prepared for the quest they've taken on in hopes of helping each other.

It is a fairly complex world but not hard to sink into thanks to the author's beginning information. Plus, there are shorter information summaries scattered into the story as necessary to keep the reader up to date and confusion at bay. While the story mostly follows this forming group of heroes surrounding Kendal, there's also another story running on the side with another hero on another part of the world and a very occasional letter from a traveler of sorts. These other two story lines offer crumbs for the upcoming tales and make it clear that this adventure is by no means over with the first book.

The characters hold a nice variety of personalities, talents, and issues to make each one complex enough to enjoy and learn more about as time goes on. Their reasons for attaching to the original pair of Kendal and the mage vary quite a bit and create lovely sub-plots with all sorts of potential to blossom and bloom. While these character arcs do create character depth, this read is by no means slow paced and boring. Action keeps the pace very high as the heroes run into one difficult situation after the other. After all, they are on the tail of a very powerful and dangerous being and cross the paths of many others, who aren't exactly kind. These battles aren't predictable, which makes each one that much more fun to enjoy.

The graphics are well done and draw into each scene. The author has added little bubbles of thoughts, here and there, to show her process in character creation or drop in some side thoughts to her own story. It adds a personal touch, which is endearing and makes the story that much more enjoyable. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with this band next, since it is sure to pack tons of suspense and surprises.

And here she is...

Red is an artist, writer, and voice actor. She enjoys cartoons, push-ups, chocolate, cool pictures of space, and yelling about her opinions on the internet.
Red uses her YouTube channel, Overly Sarcastic Productions, to incessantly discuss her special interests without boring her friends and family to tears.
Sometimes she remembers to sleep.