Illuminae

I think it's important to mention upfront that sci-fi novels are absolutely not my thing. I am all about romance, people's stories and relationships. These are the things that drive me through a book and engage me. It was therefore with some surprise that I found myself absolutely desperate to delve into Illuminae, a book that falls very firmly into the sci-fi category and not only that but I absolutely loved it. It lived up to every single amazing review I'd seen of it.

This book is such departure from any other book I've ever read. Instead of being written as a straighforward narrative, filled with chapters we have a book full of email conversations, surveillance reports, interviews and printouts from the memory of an enormous Artificial Intelligence computer called AIDAN. and despite it's very hefty size (it is a BIG book) I flew through it in 4 days. I could not put it down, when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it. I was lucky enough to not only have the e-book to digest but also the audiobook and I'd switch between them both and sometimes listen to both in conjunction as the audiobook is done with a whole cast of different narrators playing the different roles in the book and it brought it to life so beautifully. I used this method at the beginning of the book and it really helped to draw me in.

The story is set in the year 2575 where a small outlying ‘settlement' in space is attacked by a major company called Bei-Tech who are apparently doing this because their is illegal mining going on. Huge numbers of the residents of Kerenza perish in the attack but some surivors flee into space aboard 3 spacecrafts, the Copernicus, the Hypatia and the Alexander but they are pursued by an enemy ship, the Lincoln who seem intent on their destruction. They must travel across space to a ‘jump station' where they will be able to escape but their ship is damaged and the AI, AIDAN, is developing a mind of it's own and they have a journey of almost a year ahead of them and with each day the enemy ships get closer. To add to all their dilemas there is a virus spreading onboard the Copernicus which is rendering it's victims mindlessly violent to the point of murder and there is no way of stopping it's mutation.

The story focuses upon 2 surviving teens, Kady and Ezra, from Kerenza who are travelling on board two separate spaceships, the Hypatia and the Alexander. Boyfriend and girlfriend until the day of the attack they begin communicating with each other via the ships comms and they begin to realise that things are being hidden from them by the crew about the attack on Kerenza and about how dire their position really is. Ezra is recruited as a pilot on board the Alexander whilst Kady, a computer genius, begins hacking into the ships on board computers to locate information about what is being hidden from them.

The book was non-stop action the whole way through. I initially worried about how much detail we could really gain from the writing style and would it almost be emotionless but instead it is rich with emotion and full of wonderful detail about life on board the spacecrafts. There are so many twists and turns that for the first time in a long time this book actually had me shouting out loud “NO WAY did that just happen.” Just when you thought it was settling down and you could catch your breath then another twist would come and you'd be right off again on that journey with Ezra and Kady and thinking “this book is amazing”

This books forms part of a trilogy of novels known as The Illuminae Files and I am absolutely going to read the second novel Gemina which is already available and will be in the queue for book 3, Obsidio, when it is released in 2018. As we moved towards the end of Illuminae I began to wonder how on earth we were going to have a second book as the serious peril people were in would mean a whole new cast of characters. I am really keen to see where the author's are going to take the remainder of the series.

I couldn't recommend this book highly enough, if like me sci-fi really isn't your bag then please do not let that put you off. This was one of the most engaging and unique books I have ever read and I imagine it will remain with for a long time to come.

4.25/5 stars I listen to his heartbeat. Hear him breathe. As though becomes motion and motion becomes all that lies between him and his end. As the black is burning blue with the light of tiny funeral pyres. As his missiles and bullets take away his enemy. All they were and will ever be. I can taste it in his whispers. See it in the tiny photograph he has taped to his console. All he thinks of amid this loveless dance. All he cares about here on the edge of forever, is her. He does not want to die. Not because he is afraid. Simply because of he cannot bear the thought of leaving her behind. And there, in that tiny moment, I envy him. I'm going to be completely honest here. Sci-fi scares me. If it isn't cutesy or fun, it takes a lot of time for me to summon enough courage to read it. Add in the thickness and formatting of Illuminae, well I've never been so intimidated by a book. Yet, after months of sitting idle on my shelves, I picked it up out of curiosity around 6pm that night. I ended up reading all 600 pages in one sitting, finishing around midnight. And just, holy cow. I kept on telling myself, “I'll just read 50 more pages” over and over again until the entire book was complete and I was left empty inside. Once you get used to the formatting and start truly understanding the stakes the characters are in, it is impossible to put down. I loved this book. I loved it so much. In fact, it was the first book I have ever read in one sitting, without the intention of reading it in one sitting. I've already forced my friend to buy her own copy of it. Okay. So plot. The plot. In 2575 a large, powerful company called Bitch Industries (okay, so it is actually BeiTech Industries, but if you take the e's away...) destroys this planet, sending the inhabitants the survive to flee onto three spaceships: the Alexander, the Hypatia, and the Copernicus. The two main characters, Kady and Ezra, escape onto three different spacecrafts: the Hypatia and the Alexander respectively. Kady and Ezra used to be dating, but they had just broken up the morning of the attack. Now, separated on the spaceships, they communicate together via IM and slowly begin to realize that there is more threat to the spaceships then they realize... Characters....CHARACTERS... Kady “I am frequently underestimated. I think it's because I'm short.” I didn't really like Kady at first. I'm not sure why, but I just didn't. However, around the 200-page mark, something clicked and I suddenly loved her. Her snarkiness, her attitude, her kick-buttness. She was such a strong, smart, independent women and I loved her for that. Ezra “I should have told you I loved you every day. I should have given you the stars.” Ezra. Ezra, Ezra, Ezra... He was kind of the exact opposite of Kady for me. I loved him at first, but slowly I started to care less for him. Towards the end, it was almost as if he was in the way. For me, at least. He was a sweet, loyal guy, and very romantic. He did say and do a lot of very cheesy, romantic things. But in the end, he didn't really do anything to move the plot along. This may just be my opinion, however, and I could be totally and completely wrong. AIDAN “Am I Not Merciful?” AIDAN isn't human. He's the AI on the Alexander and though he was beyond creepy and disturbing, he is my absolute favorite. He was the reason why I couldn't put this book down.I enjoy weird, gray characters and AIDAN was definitely that. He wasn't even gray, but more of a dark, dark gray, or perhaps a light black. I understand that if it wasn't for Aidan, then half the crap they went through wouldn't have happened. Yet, I feel like he truly added something incredibly important to the story. Despite the fact that he is an AI, I believed he truly showed how important it is to be human, and how being human is something even machines would strive for. The Romance Yes, the book starts of with stating that Kady and Ezra have a thing together, however complicated that thing may be. Yes, in the first two hundred pages or so the romance is more of an issue. But when things start kicking off, the romance is the last thing I was worried about. In the end, I didn't really care for the romance too much. I was more focused on if they were gonna survive as opposed to if their relationship was gonna survive. This book is much, much more than the romance aspect. It may be there, and I was rooting for it to stay alive, but there is still so many other things that add to this book. The FREAKIGN FORMATTING If you know anything about this book, you know about the formatting. Never in my life have I ever seen another book that could even compare to this one. It's IMs, it's pictures, it's medical files of [a:Laini Taylor 324620 Laini Taylor https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1224474224p2/324620.jpg], it's pages and pages and pages of the names of people who died. It's just. Woah. It's just. I can't even describe how unique it is. In Conclusion...I haven't seen a negative review of this book, which should be a major clue that if you haven't read it, then you need to pick it up right now. Reading this book is such a crazy experience. It is the closest thing you can get to being on a rollercoaster, without actually being on a rollercoaster. Don't get me wrong, though, just because I loved this book, doesn't mean it didn't scare the crap out of me. It did. Which is the reason why it didn't get a full five stars. I had a very hard time sleeping that night I finished it and is probably the main reason I haven't picked [b:Gemina 29236299 Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2) Amie Kaufman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469408557s/29236299.jpg 44560442] up yet. I'm not ready to be scared again just yet.

Review originally posted at A Reading Brit

The Plot

Illuminae is a solid read with great twists, and a complete book come the end! This wasn't one of those books where the end doesn't feel like the end. Illuminae saw the full story through, from beginning to end, with only the odd little thread leaving just enough to carry through to the sequel.

The end also happened to be my favourite part of this book. And whilst there is spoilers below, I won't go into detail about the ending. It was awesome, and everything suddenly made sense like pieces of a puzzle finally slotting together. I never guessed the twist, and that's what makes it great. Oh, and the humour. I was laughing so much, every other page had something that had me snickering. Seriously, just read this book.

I should mention, this whole book is written in a series of reports, interviews and IM messages. I haven't read many (if any) books in an epistolary format, and if they're anything like this one, I've been missing out. It blows my mind how there's a full novel, with great characters, a sound plot and even description, all in this format. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are a force to be reckoned with.

The World

I admit, whilst I said there was great description, this description only covers the immediate surroundings of the characters. The ships they were on, and that's about it. The rest of this world is a little lacking. There's some psychotic mining companies who commit mass murder, basically destroying a planet, and there's government of some form.

Beyond that, though, I feel like I don't know much. I'm sure the next book will give me more detail, because I definitely need more detail! How are things run? Humans didn't encounter any form of life after leaving Earth? How far has humanity spread? That's just a few questions that popped to mind as I was writing this review. Give me an hour and a notebook and I'll fill it up with questions I want the answers to!

The Characters

The characters is where this book really excels. In the style this book is told in, character is everything, and boy, were there some characters in this.

AIDAN

I'd seen AIDAN related merch everywhere, and loads of people talking about how they liked him. And I was just confused. About half-way in, and I couldn't grasp why a psychopathic AI that killed thousands of people was likeable. And then I got to the last quarter of the book and suddenly I loved him too. The care he showed for Kady, and to be honest, whilst he was crazy, his reasoning made sense. Yeah, it was probably an extremely solution to the problem, but it was one of the logical solutions.

His later caring for Kady, and seeing all his internal thoughts and conflicts was a joy, and I agree with everyone else. I need more AIDAN. Oh, and the way his thoughts were formatted on the page was glorious. This is a book that has to be read in paper-copy to truly experience.

“I am glad yOu aRe wIth me.”

Kady

Our badass teenage hacker/tech extraordinaire. There's not a computer system that will stand in her way. She's fierce, determined, and a protagonist worth cheering for. And I definitely cheered with her, throughout, whether I was cheering for her against AIDAN, or cheering for her against Ezra, she always held her own. She was awesome. I've included the below quote mostly because I relate.

“I am frequently underestimated. I think it's because I'm short.”

Ezra

Ezra, Kady's ex and the reason she keeps fighting when all other hope is lost. Ezra is super romantic, but also definitely has a mouth on him. He's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, and he provides the occasional comedic relief too, which I respect. The quote below sums up why I like him so much. His somewhat child-like humour kept me entertained through, as well as Kady's somewhat withering responses to it.

“I am now raising my... oh, dear ... yes, it's my middle finger at Mr. Postgrad here.”

Would I read it again? Yeah, and if I don't hurry up and read the next one, I will.

Will I be picking up the next in the series? Yep, definitely.

Would I recommend it? Fancy a sci-fi, set on 2 spaceships, with a little romance, a psychotic AI and all written in epistolary style? Go for it! Don't fancy that? Read it anyway.

Is it going on my favourites shelf? Yes.

This book BLEW MY MIND. Can I give it six stars? Seven?

FULL REVIEW:

Sometimes, when a book gets a ton of hype, I get a little skeptical but I also feel more inclined to at least take a look during a stroll at a bookstore. And I'm so glad I did because Illuminae more than lives up to every ounce of the hype.

I started reading Illuminae on New Years Eve, thinking that I'd just read maybe twenty pages or so and continue reading the rest the next day. So I read twenty pages. Then I read two hundred more the same evening. Because I legitimately could not stop reading.

Teens on two space ships, a mutating, dangerous virus, an unforgettable AI, and an enemy space ship ready to destroy them looming ever closer come together to make this book unputdownable.

I haven't read a found materials book in a long time (maybe ever?) but I have to say, I loved the format. The book is written in e-mails, IMs, interviews, etc. and has intense action and conflict right from the start that kept me ripping through the pages. There are loads of twists (some of which had me cursing out loud while I read), lots of people die, so many scenes broke my heart, and it was just an incredibly good read.

Finally, a note on format: this book is beautiful with some truly creative formatting that had me literally flipping the book around to read certain two-page spreads. I've confirmed with some people who have read the e-book version that the formatting does not work nearly as well in the e-version, so if you get it, I highly recommend getting the print version. It's a brick (nearly 600 pages), but the formatting actually makes it a surprisingly quick read, and I promise you, it is so worth it.

Diversity note: All the major characters, as far as I can tell, were cishet and white with exception to one Chinese character. There's more diversity with minor characters both with race and sexual orientation (mostly really minor characters, to be honest), but representation was lacking in the major cast, aside from PTSD and other mental health issues common amongst trauma victims.

One of the best books I've ever read. Mostly thanks to the different style of writing and graphic design. I can't wait for the second book. The story wasn't blend at all, I liked the idea behind the book. The romance was in the background from my point of view and also the AI and its craziness is alarming for us in the future...

“They are beyond me.These humans.With their brief lives and their tiny dreams and their hopes that seem as fragile as glass.Until you see them by starlight, that is.”

This book owns my heart and soul!!! It was total perfection and I want to frame the pages and hang them around the house.

My reading process for this book:
- Oh look, a censored word. Let's say all the curse words in our head and see which one fits best in the given sentence.
- Ohh black page, AIDAN is hereeeee :))
- Good Lord, they killed someone but my god the pages look amazing. And the format changes everytime people are mass-murdered because we're all going to hell but let's go out in styleee~
- ASCII art! Be still my CS nerd heart!
- Chat logs are so much fun to read.
- Why does AIDAN sound like Shakespeare?! Did it eat a book while self-repairs?
- Oh good god, this is horrific!
- Why am in love with the AI?
- Good Lord, he's a psycho!
- Oh no, now I like the AI again?!
- Incoherent screaming noises

Now onto the content:
- Reverse damsel in distress trope?
- AI done right.
- Girl programmer FTW! :D Go Kadyyy!
- Epistolary format <3 I didn't know you existed before today.
- The character banters

All in all, I loved this book so much that I take it out and flip the pages after every few days. I loved the character interactions a lot. Ezra and Jimmy, Ezra and Kady, Kady and AIDAN, AIDAN with anyone else. There's lots of twists and turns and unexpected things happen. A lot of people are killed in the book. A lot of feels along the way. All in all, this book ends on a good note and leaves you wanting more. So much more.

Couldn't put it down! Went and bought a hard copy because reading this on a Paperwhite is decidedly suboptimal.* (And decided to just buy [b:Gemina 29236299 Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2) Amie Kaufman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg 44560442] right then, since I was thoroughly hooked.)What genre is this? I see elements of: -Hard science fiction-Space Opera (meant non-pejoratively)-Military science fiction-Action-Adventure-Character study-Romance-Feminism-Horror (FTR, it was shelved at B&N under “YA Fantasy.” Wut? No.)While some would style this a teen romance in a science fiction wrapper, I think it's a lot more sophisticated than that. My perspective is that Kady is the protagonist, and her character development and motivations to become a hero are tightly linked with her romantic relationship, but there's a lot more to it than that. Kady's journal entries reveal that Ezra means a lot to her as an individual, but maybe even more as a symbol about her life and her identity.There are lots of engaging characters, desperate fights for survival, cunning military tactics, noble sacrifices, and food for thought about what it means to be a human, to be alive, to be conscious, to relate to others.Highly recommended - just make sure you have some free time so you can binge-read it once you get addicted!*The formatting is at times immersive and evocative, and on occasion gimmicky and a little annoying. Overall I liked it though. And I really need to see Super Turbo Awesome Team vs. Megapanda rightnow.)

1.5 Such a slog to get through. The opening relationship-establishing dialogue is some of the worst I've ever read, and if this wasn't on the BOB list, I'd have put it down just for that. The action did finally pick up, but it sure did take 150+ pages to get there. This thing is soooo long, and then after the action finally does hit, the ending drags on forever. Being in an almost-death situation with constantly ratcheted stakes is too exhausting for 200+ pages. Also, I understand the appeal of the graphic formula, and while I didn't love it, I did get used to it, but I have to imagine that the grey text on black background would render this book inaccessible to any kid with the slightest vision issue.

This was an amazing book. While it started off fairly slow and I was not sure where it was going, once it really got to the plot and what was happening, everything clicked and I loved every aspect of the story. This book is highly unique in how it tells the story of Kady and Ezra. I loved how every page was filled with something different, whether it was a chat log, video transcript, email transmissions, or readouts from an AI. This was a great reading experience unlike anything else I have ever read.

That being said, the first 150 pages or so of this book were a struggle for me. I felt that we were place in this world with little background and immediately were thrust into this story about this evil corporation attacking a hidden colony. It took me a while to come to love the characters and understand them and what their goals were. But let me tell you, once that happened I did not want to put this book down.

I have no idea where the rest of this series is going to go moving forward, but I'm excited to see what happens next with this characters and this unique storytelling. This book is also massive which may scare you when you see it, but just remember it is not your typical book with words covering every page completely. Since it is chat logs and other documents, it is a quicker read than most books. The size of the book should not at all factor into your choosing to read this.

Finally, I just want to comment on the plot and the story itself. I have no idea how you would classify this book other than saying it is an epic space adventure. There are so many aspects to this book, whether it is the survival aspect, the science fiction space aspect, or the technical computer aspect. There were so many layers to this story and how it was told. I'm not the most technical person, but I had no problem following some of the more technical aspects of this book. I think this was mostly accomplished through the dossier style of the book and the idea that the documents would need to be simplified for that.

This. Book. Is. AFUCKINGMAZING.

It's so hard to talk about a book like this for fear of giving anything away so kindly just there as I get this Asksksksksksaaaahhhh out. Trust me, with this it's best to go in blind.

The whole book reads like a dossier/ transcript which is fantastic because it is well done. It just adds more to the sci fi effect. It's also EMOTIONAL AF. My anxiety and tears were all over the place.

I can get why someone wouldn't like this. The formatting takes some getting used to if you're not expecting it when you first open the book. I found it to be unique and exciting and just plain FUN...even though I cried. CRYING CAN BE FUN TOO.

You'll never know how happy I am that I already have Gemina...

NOW SOMEONE COME TALK TO ME ABOUT ALL MY FEELINGS.

Wow... what a read... This book was good!

I tried to read this one in 2018, and for some reason, I wasn't liking it. I got lost with all those files and different characters. But fortunately, I gave another chance to this book and I am really happy that I did it.

I really liked the middle of the book and the interactions of Kady and Ezra, because the beginning was a little slow, even if it starts with a planet attack. The last 200/250 pages were too much for me and the MC was too lucky for my taste. HOWEVER, it didn't spoil the book, it kinda made sense.

The end was really good and for me a little unexpected.

Really recommend it to people who like sci-fi and TVShow “Firefly”.

I really dislike the whole AI turns evil trope, it might have been pretty new when this book came out but I really didn't like it, and never have. Especially because the story doesn't end when AIDAN is inactivated. The other characters were really nice though. I especially like Kady and Byron especially. Though the ending made me feel weird. They made BeiTech be part of some sort of weird family dispute. It kind of confused me. 

The way the story is told is cool though, I like the fact that it told my many different voice actors in the audiobook. And the physical is full of art and labels for all the official documents. I am very glad that I did not read it physically though. Even going through it a little almost gave me a headache. 

finished this in 7 hours. I think that speaks to how much I loved this book. I was a little nervous I'd hate the format of this book but it turns out that I actually love it. What a flippin' creative idea. Also, I enjoy that the swear words are censored out so it allows me to be creative and add my own in where I see a blank space.

Well, that was a rollercoaster ride. Who knew, that you can experience such surges of adrenalin because of the book.

Illuminae got me from the start, right from the first page. How can you resist the book if it starts with so much sarcasm? Well, you just can't.

Sure, the story kicks off with the deaths of thousands of people, but god forbid there be cussing in it, right?

Illuminae

RIGHT NOW

《The universe owes you nothing, Kady. It has already given you everything, after all. It was here long before you, and it will go on long after you. The only way it will remember you is if you do something worthy of remembrance.》

First read 24~28/11/2o16 (ebook):

Should I rate it four or five stars? MMMMMH. IDEK, my brain doesn't work anymore. I need some time, duh.
(but at least I should say this book is a precious pearl tbh)


Purchased the paperback edition 14/o4/2o17:

Ok, when last week I bought Gemina I found out how good was to hold it and how crappy the ebook was compared to it, so I HAD TO buy Illuminae too. I felt that kind of urge of re-reading it so I couldn't keep myself from ordering it from Amazon ♥
SO, you guessed it: tomorrow I will be starting it right away and I can't wait!!! ♡
(Yeah, I don't even know why I was struggling so much deciding how to rate this omg IT'S A FIVE STARS BOOK, SHAME ON ME!!)


Second read 15~17/o4/2o17:

I'm still unable to write a decent review even if the surprise of the plot twists is gone, bear with me.
Tomorrow I'll try to take a grip on myself trying to write something that would look coherent or interesting, at least (I hope so) :P


Third read o3/o2/2o18:
* Buddy read with Raspberry 💜
I'm trying to combine the book and the audiobook, by the way 🤔
* Finished the book (from page 360) during my 24 Hour Readathon ✌🏻

3.5 stars

Hmm, ok I have some thoughts.

I recently realized that, although science fiction shows are some of my favorite things, I haven't actually read many (if any) science fiction books. And this series has intrigued me for a while, with its cool mixed-media format and spaceship setting. I thought I'd try it.

And wow, was this a good story! It was everything my sci-fi-nerd heart could've wanted. Plus, the way it was told - through emails, interviews, diagrams, camera footage transcripts, etc - made it even more of an experience. I really loved this.

However.

I have to call out that there is a LOT of language in this book. Plenty of d-words and h-words and misusing Jesus/God's name. There was “stronger” language as well, but because it's YA, they have those words blacked out. But honestly, reading it in context, you know what the words are. And there's just a lot of it. Enough to bump my rating down a star.
Now, if there was any situation that warranted strong language, being trapped in a damaged spaceship with a deadly plague spreading while also being pursued by another spaceship planning to destroy you- that would be it.
Also noted: there is a little mild sexual innuendo as well.

I'm going to continue reading the series. I just wanted to be clear about the content issues, for those who want to steer clear (a position I definitely respect).

I am way too biased to review this book since I love it so damn much. So here I am giving it five wonderful stars again, because I want to. Okbye xoxo
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ILLUMINAE IS ILLUMIBAE <3
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I finished it last evening.. and omg. WHAT A BOOK!!!!
It is so amazing and i love Kady and Ezra so so so much..
Cannot wait to read “Gemina” and continue with this amazing story

I quite enjoyed this genre-crosser of a story. The format is a little odd in that the entire story is told through a series of hacked and intercepted documents of various kinds. But, it works. The main character is Kady, a 17/18 year-old girl. Her love interest, Ezra, is another important character and a total bad-ass. Though young, Kady is very smart and very tough – which she has to be, because this story really puts her and everyone else through the wringer. I hesitated to call this YA because it is so violent. But, with the teenage main characters what else can it be?
In addition to the romance elements (which actually don't get very sweaty as Kady and Ezra get very little time together), we get space battles, an insane computer (or is it?), a plague that turns people into zombies, and lots of action. The pace never lets up.
I wanted to give this book five stars but finally couldn't because of something toward the end of the story (sorry, can't tell as that would definitely spoil the book). So, 4.5 stars.
The audiobook was a very well done multi-voiced performance.