Hey all!
I just finished Illuminae! I did get an ARC version from netgalley, but I read a hard copy I pre-ordered ^-^
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2015, if not my most anticipated.
Wow
I was NOT disappointed!!
Goodreads blurb:
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.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.
Can I just take a minute to congratulate the authors on creating such an amazing mindscape? Every page and design and story-telling method was chosen and written in such a way that it enhanced the mood, the seriousness of events, the implications of things, the importance of ideas... I felt like I was a part of the story! Just... wow! Big round of applause! *clapclapclap*
This book, despite the sad times and scary moments, was such a fun read! I loved looking at all of the different scenes through different points of view! (my instagram is full of pics of the different formats! @justanotherbookishblog )
So in case you are confused as to what this book is really like, imagine it as a mix between Sci-fi (most of the book), dystopian, and horror. Then, you get a pretty good idea of what Illuminae is like. Artificial intelligence, also known as AIDAN, is almost too smart, too humane. There is a deadly disease that spreads uncontrollable fear amongst passengers. Planets get destroyed. Spaceships break into their atoms. There is a cute love story.
ABOUT THAT! Kady and Ezra, the two protagonists, are so awesome! Kady is 18, a computer and hacking genius, and totally awesome, rocking sarcasm and pink hair. Ezra is kind and funny, always wanting to do the right thing, even though it doesn’t always show. He’s also awesome!
AIDAN, the AI unit, is both a ‘character’ I really love and really hate. It takes over a ship, basically, and attacks another one, but tries to understand human emotion in its own way. This usually leads to <errors> and <fails> in its system, but it always comes back.
ALSO! Am I the only one who read this and imagined AIDAN being voiced by the guy who plays Spock in the recent Star Trek movies?! No? Just me? Okay then, it was worth a try!
Now for the story - it was GENIUS! I’ve been wanting to read a sci-fi like that for a while! Basically, a planet exploded, and evacuating space ships went into space. Kady and Ezra are separated. There is a third ship, an enemy ship. An then from there, the whole thing is like a whole space war! Epic! (I really don’t want to give away too much!)
The last few pages, where the Illuminae starts talking, left such a cliffhanger that I was kind of in a daze for a while!
The only thing I wish could have been different is that it took me up until page 200(ish) to really get into it, and to start understanding the story.
I’m giving this a 4.5/5 stars!
Did you read Illuminae yet? What did you think? Let me know!
Awesome review! This book sounds so good. I can’t wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Thanks so much! :D Let me know when you do, can’t wait to see what you think! c:
DeleteI saw this book at the bookstore! I flipped through it and was astonished at how it's made of emails, files, and everything expect a normal narrative! It looks like such a neat read, and I especially like how you said you actually feel like you're part of it. Instantly adding it to my TBR! :D
ReplyDeleteIt’s the farthest thing from narrative! And yeah, it’s a great read, super unique! Can’t wait to see what you think! C:
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