Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 (4.5/5 moons)

Publisher: Knopf Books (for Young Readers)

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 599

---

“Perhaps bravery is simply the face humanity wraps around its collective madness.”

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.

REVIEW:

It has a unique writing style. If you are worried that you will not get the hang of the book, you would. It is easier to just dive in than worry about not understanding it. The authors are pure geniuses. I really don’t know how they’ve come up with such an amazing way to tell a story. Even though it may seem hefty and intimidating for its size, you would be surprised when you are almost half way through.

I have to admit that I do not understand some terms, maybe those who are familiar with computer programming would surely understand it. But you don’t need to have a knowledge of computers and software to understand the plot. And brace yourself for a plot twist. That plot twist blew my mind away.

The thing with the two main characters, Kady and Ezra is that they have different character growth. Kady, like every female heroine in the story, is kick ass (in her own way) and brave. But I feel like Ezra is more of a side character rather than main. I feel like something is lacking in Ezra’s personality. Although I might say that there are different ways of dealing with shock about what happened on their planet.

For those who loved sci-fi and romance, though the romance in this book is not that mushy and all, I highly recommend this. You won’t like it if you don’t get the hang of the writing style but you would surely love this if you do.