Book Review – Illuminae

Title: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Genre: YA sci-fi

Published: By Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 20th, 2015

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

(adapted from Goodreads)

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 was my first experience with audiobooks and I can’t tell you how fabulous this turned out to be! I initially wanted to listen as I read along with the book, but I was unable to find a copy, so I listened exclusively to the audiobook. I did miss out on some very quirky formatting/artwork, but I plan to pick up a physical copy soon and flip through it.

Coming to the book itself, initially I found that I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. It didn’t grip me from the beginning, although the plot was still exciting. The voices for each character were unique. The plot was the best part of the book for me. It starts with an attack on a remote planet and the pace doesn’t dip from there. Since it is told in such a different way, the listener is in the dark and only uncovers things as the characters learn of them. There were plot twists in every corner that I didn’t see coming and that made the experience more enjoyable. The way the story is told adds to the suspense and I am in awe of the authors for coming up with such a novel way of showing it.

Read the full review here.

I highly recommend anyone with even the slightest interest in sci-fi to give this a chance because it completely blew my mind with its awesomeness. Since I listened to the audiobook, I can’t suggest any music along with it. Do give this format of the book a try as it is brilliantly executed. As for the food, try to eat “astronaut food” if you can, out of the tin directly, to really get into the mood.

Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Website

Authors: Amie’s Website | Jay’s Website | Amie’s Twitter | Jay’s Twitter

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I’m almost two years late in reading this book. Have you already read it, and if so, what did you think? I chose this for this week’s review as Goodreads is having a Fantasy and Sci-Fi week. Are you currently reading from this genre? If you haven’t picked up this book yet, do you want to based off of my review? Let me know in the comments section below.