Aurora Volume 2

Aurora #2

by Red (Overly Sarcastic Productions)

Fans of the hit webcomic Aurora, will delight in the second installment of the fantasy series in print, which continues the heroes' epic journey to save the god Vash and discover more secrets.

Following the exciting events of Aurora: Volume 1, Kendal and his heroic companions continue on their quest. Looking to rescue Vash and uncover more secrets about the Void Dragon, Kendal, Erin, Alinua, and Falst travel to new cities and meet new friends and foes alike. Will they save their kidnapped god, defeat the Void Dragon, and learn more about the Collector's plans to stop her in time? Find out in Aurora: Volume 2!

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Adventure, Fiction

428 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2026

About the author

Red is a college graduate with a degree in math. In addition to writing and illustrating the webcomic Aurora, she runs the YouTube channel Overly Sarcastic Productions with her channel partner, Blue.

She primarily focuses on covering literature and stories in general in her videos. She does summaries of books and plays, explains different myths, and explains various literary tropes. This love of reading was largely inspired by her parents.

Her artwork features heavily in her videos, as she frequently uses drawings to portray herself and the events of the story she's talking about.

She also sings and plays guitar, and her covers appear at the end of some of her videos and the occasional musical interludes.

Reviews

[Ron Baumer]

I did not read volume 1, so I was a little confused as to what was happening. Additionally, I found the artwork and graphics to be very simplistic, and unimpressive. Overall, I was not impressed with the story or graphics and would not recommend this to any reader.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

[Morgan Salazar]

Another joy to read! A continuation of Vol. 1, where the first four characters are introduced. Two more characters have joined the party, and I am thoroughly impressed with the character’s development, insights, twists, and banter. Oh how great the banter is.

I am still truly impressed by Red’s continual growth as an artist. And guess what, MORE NOSES! In all honesty, comparing the first book to the second you can see the steady growth in confidence, artistry, and complexity.

The story is also very good. It is fast paced and witty, though the fight scenes can occasionally be a little hard to follow but I think that is reader error more than author error. (I normally don’t read graphic novels and this is my third ever!) There are parts that you can tell this was made during the pandemic/quarantine, but it never really reaches a true low point. I truly can’t wait for Volume 3 (or I might just go to the webcomic and continue reading from there!).

There are several twists in this volume that I was not expecting and I think will have a lasting impact in the story going forward. The most notable one being Kendal’s body and sword (NO SPOILERS!). The one with probably the most impact that I’m excited about is the archivist in Zuurith (again – NO SPOILERS!).

So read this book if you like great world building, a funky and funny found family, crazily overpowered characters, great art, and Red’s ability to draw noses! (Also recommend it if you've read the first volume and want to continue the story.)

[Meaningless]

What I could see was very pretty and mesmerizing, but the panels are very dark throughout almost all the pages, that it was quite difficult to see.
I wish there was a dictionary on the back of the book, as there's a few invented words for this world that was introduced in the first book that I didn't remember. And I would've liked a list of the gods and other characters, with a sentence or two of who they are.
So, yeah, my main issues reading this was: seeing what is happening, trying to figure out what is happening, and trying to remember who and what everything is. I've never really had an issue with books like this, and it may be because I'm not used to reading comics? The only other comic series I've read is Something is Killing the Children. Which, like that series, this also provides some good nightmare fuel! hahaha

The first volume is my preferred of these two. I liked the randomly dispersed Erin's diary entries; it was a lot more vibrant and the illustrations were easier to understand; the pace moved forward more satisfyingly.
This volume set out to bring a satisfying end of the beginning. I thought it was just okay. There's a bunch of monster fights that fell flat only until the very end. I don't know, maybe its just my apathetic, braindead head right now, but I felt like there was much in here to make me care like the first volume.
I know how hard it is to make something like this, and overall this was an enjoyable experience, but also overall, this was a miss for me.

[Jessica Patzer]

New characters and world-building and epic battles galore! I am definitely invested in the story of Aurora and can't wait to see how everything fits together for further adventures. We've got a full team together whose dynamics have yet to be completely worked out by the end of this one, but they're getting there. Also the actual abilities of the team are still being explored. On that count, it does seem a little bit random how Dainix and Falst's power sets are explored... what with a god popping in and then Dainix just being really impressed how quickly Falst is healing. I fine with it, just... felt a little weird as I was reading. I know Red's got her magic-system worked out down to the itty-bitty science-y bits (Because I listen to the OSPod), I just have to trust the system by which we as readers are being shown that.

But yeah... I'm enjoying the series so far. Probably going to have to reread in a less spread-out fashion that my first read went to really catch everything. I'm certain I skimmed some stuff... at the same time, every time I grabbed the book to read, I was sucked into longer reading sessions than I meant to have, which tells me the story was good. Dragged me along in a pleasant fashion, even if my brain didn't catch all the details.

I will also say, I hope the next book doesn't have so much happening in the dark. The art is good and I could keep up with what was happening during those scenes a bit more easily this time, but... those bits are really visually dark.

[Sparrow]

Rounded up from 4.5 stars

It has been a while since I have read the second half of Arc 1 of this comic, and I forgot how much I love it (and how much it makes me scream). Kendal’s journey of finding himself to be something other than just a living weapon is so beautifully painful and almost naturalistic, and it is interesting to see how it blends into some of the larger combat scenes in the back half of this arc.

The introductions of Dainix and Tess add so much into the story, as we gain more knowledge on the rest of the world, and they provide both a more grounded element to the story, as well as some much appreciated levity, as things hit the wall in this section. And it is important to mention that Tess might be the only character in this section who is not having a bad time.

Also, the acknowledgement of the awfulness of the prison system was greatly appreciated.

[Grace]

From the growing, fiercely loyal bonds of our established characters, to fascinating settings and world building, to hilarious and insightful new characters, to charming and delightful villains, to moral dilemmas and mysteries, to epic clashes between dragons and gods...like seriously, I could go on.
Bright, brilliant, action-packed, genius. This hits all the classic beats of an adventure while lighting it up with fresh, unexpected twists and turns.

[Nat_is_here]

Just like the first book this was fantastic. Every time I put it down to go do something it was like an itch in my mind to go back and read it. The party has been set and every character is so fun and compelling. Their dynamics and abilities make sure that while some of them overlap they never feel repetitive. Any fantasy tropes that I thought I didn’t like before are done so well that I’m kinda on board for everything. This series is great. My only problem is that idk when volume 3 will be out

[Andie]

I've been reading this online for a long time, and it is such a treat to get a print edition. I love the addition of sketches and comments from the author at the chapter ends, and it feels like a new reading experience to breeze through the whole volume in one go, as opposed to getting drip-fed every couple of days!

[Chad]

Not bad. Some of the character look alike though and it makes them really hard to keep straight. Especially when there's a battle and all of the panels are littered with effects. Those times I was pretty lost. Still there's enough here to like that I'll stick with it.

[FlightAstera]

Have you ever wanted your heart destroyed and then mended back together and then repeat that like a million times until your heart is just an arrangement of sewn-together pieces
That's what Aurora is doing to me rn

[Sugarpop]

Drawn very well with fun characters and great found family!
I liked the second volume as much as the first.
Some panels are a bit crowded by speech bubbles, but there is still a lot of art to enjoy.

[Elizabeth Carroll]

Absolutely stupendous, love the art style!!!!

[Kel]

WOO TESS!
The art just keeps getting better

[Patrick]

I really enjoyed the second volume of this series. Lots of great action and adventure . The story is filled with good moments of character growth and development. Can't wait to read the next one