Illuminae by Amy Kaufman & Jay Kristoff | Book Review

Title: Illuminae

Author: Amy Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Series: The Illuminae Files #1

Pages: 599

Publication Date: October 20th, 2015

My ranting: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

“You have me.

Until every star in the galaxy dies.

You have me.”

I didn’t expected to like this book. I though it was so hyped somehow I wouldn’t enjoy it like other people and be a meh read to me. But guess what? BOY OH BOY I WAS SO WRONG.

I pick this book up not knowing anything about it. Only that it was a YA fantasy. Just that. And at the beginning I was super confused because I didn’t know what was going on. It wasn’t until page 100 or so that I started enjoying it. And holy guacamole, it was freaking fantastic.

“It’s not the bullets that kill you. It’s moments like this. One piece at a time.”

Let me start with the format, because I think this the most unique thing about Illuminae and why it is so different and special. The plot wasn’t mindblowing but due to the way it was written I can say it definitely blew my mind in so many levels. Even though at first there’s a lot of information thrown into your face and you’re just like ‘ummm…okay? But what?’, it gets better and better as you continue reading it.

ALSO IT IS ACTUALLY A THRILLER AND LEMME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE MY YA THRILLER/MYSTERY NOVELS. So mayyybee that won me a bit more, because I did not expect any of it to happen.

“Am I not merciful?”

And those sassy, sarcastic characters… *sighs* I love my sassy characters. And it was really cool to read from AIDAN’s POV- are you kidding me? It was super duper fantastic-. It is such a unique character (??) with not the best reasons but uggh it was quite a joy.

And oh, man, those plot twists. And that ending. I bought Gemina right after finishing it because yes, I’m that kind of reader and yes, I want to know what happened next. Even though I know it’s a companion series. BUT STILL.

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