The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Illuminae

Series: Illuminae Files #1

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Epistolary

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

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 mega-corporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra — who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.

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

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents — including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more — Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. – summary from Goodreads

Illuminae is a unique science fiction book written in the form of a case file, with epic characters and an intense storyline.

I haven’t read this book in many years, and I really enjoyed returning to this world.

The writing style is very unique. I was a true crime fan for a while, so the fact that this is written like a case file is a huge selling point for me. I have never seen a book done like this before , and it’s really unique and engaging. I don’t know how long I could read this style, though. I think this style would be more beneficial for people who aren’t big readers- it allows for a lot of breaks and many of the pages aren’t overwhelmed with words.

This book has pictures, journal entries, broadcast transcripts, reports, video transcriptions, comms transcripts, and more. Again, this is super unique.

I enjoyed the characters and varied cast. We have our two main characters, Ezra and Kady, but there were so many side characters that really deepened the story.

The story format makes it a little hard to feel super close to the characters and the story is completely focused on solving what is happening. The authors did a really good job of showing the humanity of characters who you would typically dislike and shows how this situation affected everyone in different ways.

The characters and the story were written in a way that small moments with side characters that were gut-wrenching. This wasn’t something I expected from this book, and it really deepened the storyline.

I really enjoyed Kady and Ezra. Again, a little hard to really dive into their characters, but these two we get a little more of their perspectives. I really enjoyed them and how they behaved like teenagers but also were capable and willing to do the work. I loved all their conversations and how much they loved each other. Their romance was sweet, and well deserved. I’m very interested in how this story plays out.

I read this book really early in high school, and this was really the first book I read that has a solid military representation. This book has wonderful military representation, that shows the hierarchy and how strict it is, but also how the soldiers are still human. This was also the very first time I ever learned about call signs for pilots.

This book does have some strong violence. There is a lot going on- disease, planetary destruction, battle, and human violence. There is also a not-so-great AI, but he is somewhat redeemed. There are also innuendos, but it’s not too bad.

Illuminae is a unique sci-fi adventure written in the style of a case file with a unique storyline, military representation, and a wonderful cast of characters!

Quotes:

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

“No fear in his eyes then. Just duty.”

“You deserve every star in the galaxy laid out at your feet and a thousand diamonds in your hair. You deserve someone who’ll run with you as far and as fast as you want to. Holding your hand, not holding you back… You have me until the last star in the galaxy dies you have me.”

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