Title:
Illuminae
(The Illuminae Files #1)
Illuminae
(The Illuminae Files #1)
Authors:
Amie Kaufman
Jay Kristoff
Designers:
Heather Kelly
Ray Shappell
Amie Kaufman
Jay Kristoff
Designers:
Heather Kelly
Ray Shappell
★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars
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.
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.
I picked up this book at the beginning of the year after reading some reviews pointing out on the attractiveness of its exterior and interior design, I am a curious designer so of course it got me intrigued, I had to know what all the fuzz was about but at the same time I was worried this would be another overhyped book that wouldn't meet with my expectations, it wasn't.
I knew little to nothing about the plot, but that the narrative was going to be different, that the story was set in space and that it was told through a compilation of hacked documents, video transcripts, military files, emails, IMs, interviews, etc. I was a little skeptical about how it would work since it is not something you would commonly find in the YA universe, and to be 100% honest with you (as if I weren't always honest in my reviews) at the beginning I had a hard time getting into the story, it took a good 30 to 40 pages for me to get into it but mainly because there's a lot of information thrown at first and I wasn't used to this new format or paying attention whatsoever, however, once I got used to it I enjoyed every part of Illuminae.
The plot was refreshing, I am a sci-fi fan and I haven't found a YA book that got me as engaged as this one did, I focused all my attention on reading it, marking pages where I thought I might want to go back when I got more information, almost as if I was preparing for a project rather than reading, I had so much fun with it.
I found the characters compelling, the humans and the non-humans ones. I liked the main character, Kady, she is very committed to what she wants, so the mission leading to the discovery of the truth behind what happened to her world and to the people on the other ships is nothing to be taken lightly; she is smart but doesn't know absolutely everything, she is strong, stubborn and in her own words "frequently underestimated". Our second lead, Ezra, is a more passive character, he is romantic, witty and more a doer than a thinker; I believe Ezra's and Kady's personalities could be opposites but they complement each other well.
Illuminae is visually stunning, it took my breath away from page 1, actually no, it was from the dust jacket forward, every part of the editorial design was beautifully elaborated and it absolutely makes you believe that what you've got between your hands is nothing more but a bunch of data compiled and printed for study purposes. No, really, the graphics aren't just aesthetic, they function as a whole, in my opinion, Illuminae is not just a YA book, it is also a branding project, it has got logos, badges, blueprints, posters, creatively solved space battle position graphics, and more. It is such a big project I can't help but admire what the designers did.
My review might be a little vague, but I honestly don't want to give much away since I believe jumping into this book knowing little about it is better in order to not being spoiled. It is true that the writing format might be a little difficult to get used to, but it is worth it, you get much more out of the story that you would think of.
Have you read Illuminae yet? If so, what did you guys think of it? Let me know what you think of this review in the comments below.
Happy reading,
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