Title: Illuminae
Author(s): Aime Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Publishers: Knopf Books
Page Count: 599

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.



I wasn't expecting to love Illuminae as much as I did. I'd heard many amazing things about this book before I finally decided to pick it up but the hype scared me as well as the length of this book and the unusual format of the whole book but I picked it up and it ended up living up to the hype for sure!

First of all, we HAVE to talk about the format of this book. This is one of the most beautiful books I own and have ever seen but naturally, I was sceptical about the format of this book, I didn't know if this format would've made the book harder for the authors to write therefore meaning the book would not be that good, I wondered if the format would confuse me or make me dislike the book but I was wrong wrong wrong! The format was so easy to read and so well laid out that it actually benefited the book. I adored how the whole thing was a file and there were posters, reports, chats and all other sorts of things and it was just an overall amazing experience.

The characters in this book were not a huge focus and that is why I knocked the rating down half a star because at the start of the book I felt super disconnected from the characters but as the book went on I grew into the characters and they developed and I began to care for them throughout the events of the book. I loved Kady our protagonist, she was super smart and talented and strong which I love from a female protagonist but I also loved Ezra even though we didn't see as much of him. Ezra had the potential to be the same as every other love interest in YA books (swoon worthy yet cliche and THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE) but I feel Aime and Jay dodged that stereotype yet made Ezra just as great. I loved the side characters in this book as well such as Zhang and McNulty, they really added comic relief to this book yet some how still managed to make me feel for them and worry about their outcomes.

As for the plot of this book I cannot praise it enough. The plot was so well thought out and shocking and AMAZING IN GENERAL. I was constantly on the edge of my seat with the constant action, death and plot twists. The plot was not only compelling but also complex and mind blowing for just simply how well thought out it was. The plot was perfect for the books format and the fact that it is going to have a sequel later this year.