Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Whose ready to take a trip into a very distant future? I hope you are, because I just got back from the year 2575 after reading this book. So sit back as we travel into space and dive right into Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, the first book in The Illuminae Files!

Now I don't know if I made this clear enough, but I'm gonna say it again: I'm a HUGE fan of all things sci-fi. So upon seeing this in the bookstore, I was instantly drawn towards it with its gripping premise. And let me tell you, Illuminae doesn't disappoint at creating a uniquely-written story. Anyway, that's enough babbling out of me. On with the review!

What's The Story?

The year is 2575, and two mega-corporations are at war for the remaining earth that is only a speck of what it used to be. At first, Kady Hunt thinks the worst thing is sitting in class next to her ex, Ezra Mason. But after a warship attacks, she ends up giving the ride that saves Ezra's life. After dodging death, they become separated when Ezra is carried on the gigantic military battle carrier known as the Alexander. Meanwhile, Kady finds herself on a small research ship called the Hypatia. But it soon becomes clear that the mega-corporations want to do nothing more than exterminate all of the attack's witnesses. A plaguing virus starts to rapidly spread across a third remaining ship in the fleet, turning the infected from simply sick to zombie-like. While Ezra is a fighter pilot, Kady has to use her skills to somehow uncover the truth of what is really happening.

Likes

Ok, I think it's safe to say that this book was outstanding! I saw that there was a BUNCH of hype centered on this book, and it's a pleasure to say that all of the hype is 100% true! I found the universe it took place in interesting and the plot extremely gripping. It's one of those books where you're like "Maybe a few more pages," and then find yourself devouring the entire thing. Who knew that a close-to-600 page book could feel a lot like only 300 pages? Anyway, let's get into my analysis on this sci-fi epic!

First off, Illuminae is written in a very unique and fun-to-read style. It's entirely formatted in a collection of different journals, interviews, transcripts and other cool styles of documentation. There's even some parts of the book that are worded in some very cool styles. Here's an example of one so you can get what I'm saying:

You see what I mean? Just look at how they stylized that page! I know that this doesn't work for everybody, and that some people might be turned off by it, but I implore you to give this style a chance! Once you dive deeper into it, there's no regret!

Then you've got the awesome plot: In this story, the year is 2575 and earth is practically destroyed. There's also these two mega-corporations that are at war with each other, fighting for whatever's left. So the main portions of this take place far off of the earth and in the galaxy.

I dare you not to fall in love with Kady and Ezra, because those two are awesome! But trust me, not only do you have them to read about, but an ensemble of some other awesome side characters as well. If you wanted to ask me what another one of my characters was, I would have to say AIDAN, the AI and controller of one of the ships. Hands down he was one of my favorites, even if he was a robot. He was scary at times, life-like and overall just an interesting one to read about. Matter of fact, some of my parts of the book involved his monologues and the transcripts of his data.

Dislikes

Not much to point out here this time around. But I will say though that there were some moments that were a little more predictable than others. But putting that aside, this is still a fun read that's totally worth your time! 

Is It Worth Reading?

Did I not make it clear enough in my review? Here, I'll say it again: This book is a definite "yes" for me! Sci-fi fan or not, Illuminae is a fun and action-packed story. Can't wait to pick the sequel as soon as I possibly can!

Rating

★★★★★