A review by booksawyer
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

adventurous emotional 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? No

5.0

I finished this book at 12:54 AM because it was so good.

I first tried reading Illuminae when I was in 8th Grade, and for some unimaginable reason I DNF’d it after about 200 pages. I don’t think I really understood what was going on.

Now, as a college student who has read a lot more books since then, this book was everything! I loved Kady, Ezra and many members of the supporting cast.

I chose to read this book physically while listening to the audiobook, and I loved that method. It was the perfect balance of the visual formatting of the book with the brilliant audio production. Highly recommend this method if it is available to you! 

This book shocked me, excited me, and devastated me through many twists and turns. I felt triumph and failure as the characters experienced ups and downs. This book is so engaging and brilliantly told. 

I don’t consider myself a Sci-Fi person. I can’t think of any Sci-Fi books I’ve read beyond teen dystopia, but this book certainly was my cup of tea and it makes me excited to pick up more from this genre. 

Overall, Illuminae is a must read and I can not recommend it enough.

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