Reviews

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman

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chloeberg's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kassimesserly's review against another edition

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5.0

WOW.... this book was hands down amazing... The writing style is unlike anything I have come across before. I highly recommend following along with the audio book. It has a full cast and along with sound effects. It felt like I was just watching a movie. Very fun experience. 10/10

mannybeen's review against another edition

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Couldn't get into it

kfrogpath's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5
I had a bit of a hard time reading the smaller text with this one on the Kindle (old style) so if that's your only digital option, go for the book! Other than that I would say that if you're initially put off by the format, reports and technical drawings, it's worth sticking with. There is plenty of easier to read bits as it gets going, chats, diary entries etc.

It's brilliant, tense, desperate, the tale of a girl, a boy and a pretty advanced AI. If you're at all into sci-fi and stories with strong female characters, read this.

saluki's review against another edition

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4.0

Not an original sci-fi tale yet it kept me interested throughout... especially when AIDEN, the AI on the battlecarrier, was promising to go all HAL on top of the catastrophic effects of biological weaponry. After watching a Star Wars movie marathon I was in the right frame of mind to enjoy the insanity of Illuminae even if I had to suspend my disbelief a few times. Plus the climax was nail-biting worthy and unexpected.

Some readers may be put off by the epistolary format and creative typography but I felt it was a fun complement to the story.

Kady and Ezra's rocky romance didn't move me much at the beginning but that changed as events unfolded. I was hooked from the first page and I'll be reading Gemina next.

kkenzie53's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Reading this book was an EXPERIENCE. The different page formats took some getting used to, but I was hooked once I understood the different formats of pages. With no clear chapters, it was difficult to put this book down. I loved seeing the characters be their own age at the beginning. These are kids, they're not heros. They will complain and fight with each other. Seeing the growth in them throughout the book was encouraging and exciting. I would read this book again!