Monday, October 19, 2015

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Series: The Illuminae Files #1
608 p.
Publisher: Knopf for Young Readers
Published: 10/20/15
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review
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.
My thoughts:

I have mixed feelings about epistolary books. I love the creativity of how it comes together, how it tells a tale, but I have a hard time connecting to the characters. It was the same in much of this book. I worried as to how I would see the book in the end, but fortunately I found myself fully engaged toward the end of the book and I also didn't want to put it down.

The mystery slowly reveals itself through a lot of visuals and dossier type of storytelling. We follow two characters, Ezra and Kady but Kady seems to be the biggest focus in this book. We find out how they came aboard these ships and what they are facing now. Without me giving too much away, I will say that if sci-fi has taught me anything (and this book is no exception) is that you should be nice to your AI and not give it too much power over you. Future people reading this review should see this as a warning... or as an I told you so. ;)

I give this book 4 stars. It is one that really took me by surprise and had a twist in the end I didn't see coming. Although it did take most of the tale for me to get into it, once I was there I didn't want to leave the world and wanted to know more. While there isn't a cliffie at all, there is space (heh) for another book. I look forward to getting into that one as well. I think this book may have changed my mind about epistolary books. I also think this story would work well as a multimedia book.

Bloggy PS. You can goto Illuminae.com to get excerpts, vids and little details about this book. Here is one of the vids:

25 comments:

  1. Glad even though you had a hard time connecting that the story still kept you engaged enough to enjoy it.
    Wonderful review Melissa!!

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    1. I was okay with the story, but had a hard time connecting to the characters until the end. I really did by the end.

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  2. I'm glad to see this worked for you, Melissa! I wasn't a fan of the writing style and just couldn't get into the characters or the romance, so this unfortunately fell flat for me. Great review, though, dear! :)

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    1. I didn't until the end, but then I expect that with these kinds of novels for me. I was surprised that I did eventually. :)

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  3. I picked this one up at BEA and ended up putting it back. I know everyone is LOVING it but all those letters etc gave me a headache lol

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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    1. I always have loved the creativity that goes into these kinds of books but have a hard time connecting to the characters. I did in the end and since I'm an ending girl... :)

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  4. I have enjoyed a few books like this, but yes they have to be done right

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  5. everyone seems to be loving this one, it looks creative and well written. I wonder if there will be another book?

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  6. Slow start isn't so great for me with my TBR but I think this one is worth it. I'm going to keep my eye open for it at work and if it comes in I'll give it a shot.

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    1. Totally get that, but at least I think you'll like the creativity in the beginning.

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  7. I took me a bit to get my sea legs under me with this one, but once I was invested, I loved it. I am a huge fan of both of these authors, and I thought this book was brilliant. Glad you enjoyed it.

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  8. I regret not getting this when it was up for review, because I really want to read it. I added it to my wishlist already though. Yeah, this type of format could easily go either way, but I usually lie it. So I'm glad to see you enjoyed it.

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    1. I wanted to try it b/c of the authors despite my lukewarm feelings about this kind of book. So glad I tried it. Hope you get it and enjoy!

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  9. I had no idea what this book was about when they were talking it up at the ALA Conference. I grabbed an ARC because it looked cool (I'm lame, I know), but I have read nothing but great reviews for this one. I'm really looking forward to sitting down and reading this one soon. Glad you were able to enjoy it despite the disconnectedness of the story structure.

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  10. While you didn't connect as much as I did ..I am glad you enjoyed it. I need to check out the vids and such. I too think Kady is the protagonist to watch.

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  11. I've heard if this book and it sounds like it's best to read the final book than an arc. Fab review, girl!

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  12. Glad you enjoyed it! I've heard good things about it. I think I'd have a tough time connecting with the characters, too!

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  13. Even if at first it was complicated with the characters I'm glad it was ok in the end. It sounds like a really interesting one!

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  14. A book that seems to be proving very popular amongst bloggers, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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  15. I'm really worried about the style of this one too but it just sounds too promising to pass up...I plan to get to it before years end:)

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  16. I have seen this one around everywhere and not sure how I feel about, but great to hear that you too enjoyed it and that it surprised you

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  17. Although it took a bit for you to get into this one, it seems to be a captivating read! I love it when a book catches you by surprise like that! Great review!

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  18. That video was pretty neat. I've been wanting to try a book with Jay authoring. Thanks for sharing about this one.

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