By Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Released: October 20, 2015
Pages: 608
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Reads
Overall: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Setting &World-building: 4/5
Emotional Investment: 3.5/5
"She is a catalyst. She is chaos. I can see why he loves her"
Omg, this was such a good book. I have been waiting on this book for months now and finally getting and finishing it was probably the most euphoric feeling ever. I actually finished this in math class and screamed. Totally not awkward.
Quick Summary: Kady and Ezra are new exes separated on different spaceships fleeing from the bombing and destruction of their colony. They have to figure out what is going on and the only way to do so was by working together. But things just keep getting harder for them when a plague breaks out and when they realize their AI running everything might actually be their enemy.
First of all, I have to applaud the genius way this book is written. It is told entirely through illegal documents between fleets, surveillance footage, hacked emails, IMs, medical reports, interviews, etc. Not only was the plot an adventure but the physical book itself also. It was funny at all the appropriate spots and the cliche language of teenagers was written in a way that didn't make me cringe. It was relatable and honestly, I just want to know what happens next.
The plot itself was very captivating. I constantly wanted to know what happened next and my engagement was pretty consistent. The character building I also thought was really good. You could tell everyone's motives and characterization even though that might have been a problem because of the odd way it's written. I absolutely love AIDAN. My favorite morally grey character. He is emotionless and completely lacks the ability to understand how screwed some of its actions are. But its interactions with Kady were hilarious. When AIDAN learned sarcasm :)
Where things kind of fell apart for me was how quickly Kady and Ezra's emotions changed. We start the book by them retelling to authorities how their day started, so explaining how they just broke up. That obviously should leave animosity between the characters but not enough to hate each other because the break up was over a minuscule thing. So I thought they should have stayed mad or just have awkward conversations, to begin with, but instead they really jump right back into being lovey.
At the end of the day, this was a bomb book. It was funny, relatable, brain-scratching, and absolutely riveting. If you are into sci-fi and want to feel good around likable characters this is the exact book for you.
Quotes:
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act
"It was so stupid. The world is ending all around us and we're screaming about college applications and commitment and ..."
"You see Ezra Mason around, remind him his first kid's name is James. Or Jamette"
"I know the name of every afflicted person aboard this vessel, Kady. Every person who has died in this fleet. Their histories. Their hopes. Their children's names. Facts strung about my neck like stones. I know the secrets they whispered as they dreamed. The words they sighed as they died. I know them as no one else did. Perhaps not even themselves. So do not ay I do not care"
"The universe owes you nothing. It has already given you everything, after all. It was here long before you, and it will go on long after you. The only way it will remember you is if you do something worthy of remembrance"
“I should have told you I loved you every day. I should have given you the stars.”
Comments