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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found a copy of this book at a library bookstore, and knew I wanted to pick it up.
“Illuminae” is a mixed media, sci-fi novel that follows a character named Kady. In the year 2575, Kady’s planet has been invaded, and she must make the decision to evacuate. Unfortunately, the ship that she is on is being chased by the invaders. Even more unfortunately, there is a plague that has broken out on the ship and is mysteriously killing everyone on board. Now, Kady is going to have to work together with her ex-boyfriend, Ezra, to not only survive, but try to get to the bottom of what is going on so that she can save her people.
I was very excited and interested to read this book because I knew it was a mixed media style YA. I really enjoy novels that are mixed media, because I think it just adds a little something extra to the reading experience, and it makes the story so much more engaging. For a Sci-fi story like this, the mixed media elements were things like transmissions or emails, which added a unique layer to the story, and made the reading experience so much more engaging. I did end up, listening to most of this, as an audiobook, and even that was an incredible reading experience. The audiobook uses sound effects to make the reader feel like they are in the future aboard the ship as well.
At the beginning of this novel, Kady and Ezra break up. Obviously, this would be a challenging situation to go through in general. But with the added high stakes of life or death, Kady’s and Ezra’s break up feels all the more overwhelming. I did really enjoy watching their dynamic and seeing how they could support one another, even if they were not happy with one another in this moment. Just because you break up with someone does not mean you wish them ill-will, and Kady and Ezra are the perfect example of this. It would have been really easy for either one of them just to write off the other, and save them selves. But that is not what happened. This level of maturity was great to see in a YA novel, and I think it is a great example for a younger audience to see.
I really enjoyed following along with Kady to see what was going on, and why. It very much felt like a mystery that needed to be solved. Once it was fully revealed, what was going on, why, and who was behind it I was quite shocked. I did not see the turn this novel took coming. Because I was surprised by what ended up playing out I think that improved my reading experience all the more.
This novel was originally published in 2015, but I do think it is aging well. I can tell that this is an older story, because it is written in a way that was much more popular years ago. However, I do think the story holds up well, and people can still find enjoyment with it in the present day.
If you enjoy specifically YA Sci-fi, I definitely think this is worth a read. I will likely continue in this series in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
bookboxbabe's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
why did it take me so long to finally read this??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Cursing, Violence, and Death of parent
kirstensbabel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
this book i sooo cool
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Vomit and War
firedew's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and War
dexlud's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the best science fiction book I’ve ever read in my life. I cannot believe I’m rating another book 5 stars in a row but this is just insane. I knew this book would go quickly but I read it all within 24 hours thanks to two 6 hour train rides 😭😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
mysticfaerer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Colonisation
cheshirephysics's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
if you liked Pandorum you'll like this and vice versa
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child death and War
infjkiki's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child abuse
xen0b3at's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
tealattes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Space battles meet airborne diseases and a loopy AI in this action packed opening to the Illuminae Files series. 10/10 recommend for fans of laid back sci fi who wouldn’t mind a little bit of interstitial romance and girl-against-all-odds type things. (check TWS)
With the unconventional formatting there was so much depth and detail. It is told in the form of a dossier compiling all relevant documents relating to the events after they have already completed, so it’s a mystery for the reader to understand how the world got to that point. Some of these documents include transcripts of interviews, online chatting, emails, scientific reports, military after action reports, public service announcements, description of the security camera footage, personal entries, even the AI’s core data- it’s evident that there are many characters and perspectives supplied. It was a fast paced read that still didn’t sacrifice plot structure and development. It’s slightly confusing at times, but that makes it all the more fun to be able to piece together the documents.
The authors executed the science portions well- they said they had an astrophysicist, white hat hacker and medical professional look over their drafts to make the book as accurate as possible!
However it’s not too dense either and provides humorous bits and even (what I would say) philosophical and emotional themes. With the context of life or death situations, the story tackles the definition of humanity as the authorities, civilians, and even the AI make decisions weighing logic and morality.
With the unconventional formatting there was so much depth and detail. It is told in the form of a dossier compiling all relevant documents relating to the events after they have already completed, so it’s a mystery for the reader to understand how the world got to that point. Some of these documents include transcripts of interviews, online chatting, emails, scientific reports, military after action reports, public service announcements, description of the security camera footage, personal entries, even the AI’s core data- it’s evident that there are many characters and perspectives supplied. It was a fast paced read that still didn’t sacrifice plot structure and development. It’s slightly confusing at times, but that makes it all the more fun to be able to piece together the documents.
The authors executed the science portions well- they said they had an astrophysicist, white hat hacker and medical professional look over their drafts to make the book as accurate as possible!
However it’s not too dense either and provides humorous bits and even (what I would say) philosophical and emotional themes. With the context of life or death situations, the story tackles the definition of humanity as the authorities, civilians, and even the AI make decisions weighing logic and morality.
Perhaps bravery is simply the face humanity wraps around its collective madness.
It is astonishing to watch the differing ways the madness shapes them. Fractures them into splinters and rearranges what remains.
It moves quickly and never is there a dull moment. I could picture the story the whole way through as if it were a movie. And the ending!!! THE ENDING!!! This book does not suffer from book one syndrome, it’s a beautiful story on its own AND it is such a promising setup for Gemina.
My favorite character was AIDAN and reading the “thoughts” and intentions of the ai was a novel experience.
(Yeah, so it has some teenage romance. It’s part of the description and I can’t criticize it for executing what it promised to. It appeared rushed but under their circumstances, I just had to root for them, and it wasn’t bad. But what I did have an issue with was the frequency of swearing. It was all censored in black but context still exists and I couldn’t prevent reading it in my head. While sometimes I can get why a character would say them, other times they were overused and called too much attention to themselves. I’d prefer to dial it back so I could better focus on the actual content.)
My largest critique is that there would often be very poetic and emotional scenes ruined by sarcasm and humor. Basically, poor timing; the switches in format and characters caused a bit of mood whiplash. It reduced the realism and it would be a like a blinking light reminder that this is a YA book when without it, nothing else would indicate that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Self harm