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A review by gorgi
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
i am blown away. simply blown away. i don't think words can address all the feelings that i felt while
reading Illuminae. i don't want this review to be a normal it was a good book and now let's move on
with life, i want to convey all my ups and downs of this book, all my feelings and everything that went
through my mind. first of all i don't think I've ever read a book that has not fit the normal stock standard
story telling of a book. all books i have read have been chapter after chapter, either from 1st or 3rd point
of view and that's that. Illuminae is different. the book is not stock standard. Illuminae is told through an
epistolary style while using a mix of interviews, emails, reports and updates. i really loved how the story
was told through this perspective as it made the book so much more interesting and unique reading
experience. at first i did not think i would enjoy this reading style but it surprised me how much i was
drawn into the story and how it was being told. the book also using many visual images. The images
and pictures make it feel like you're reading a real file of documents while adding some flavor and
interesting pictures that draw the reader into the book. i especially loved all the cute little
anagrams and images from Ezra Mason. the rose and heart were so cute and made me smile so much
and my heart was bursting with joy. i loved them so much. the plot was beyond good. at first
the world building and story line was kinda hard to picture and follow but once you get into the book
everything just falls into place and makes so much sense. all of a sudden i felt like i was able to picture
everything that was happening and i could follow along with the story as clear as day. Illuminae did not even start of to be a slow book. you open the pages and straight away you are pulled into the action and the chaos happening in the story. i loved how even though it's not told through a normal story telling perspective you still get to connect with all the characters and the world that they are in. i also adored the characters. i don't know why or how but after reading just a few pages about a character i loved them. cough, cough James McNulty i felt so alive when reading about certain characters and even if i didn't know them that well my heart still reached for them. my top three fav characters would have to be Ezra Mason, Kady Grant and James McNulty. they were just simply beautiful characters. i felt like i was able to connect with them only after a few sentences. though i liked many other characters these three would have to be my tops. Illuminae also made me cry sooo much. i felt like every character that was dying i was crying for. i honestly did not expect to cry so much but i was baling my eyes out. i cried when they had to say goodbye to James because he was hurt and then i was sobbing, literally sobbing when we find out James is dead because he shot himself and i was in tears when reading the video he made that Kady watched. i was sobbing so much for him. and then..... i was aching with tears when ADIAN said that Ezra was dead. i felt like my heart had just been taken from me. i was like noooooo... he can't die in the first book. ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ but it's okay because he is still alive. and of course, yes i cried when i found out he was alive. some little happy tears finding out my baby was actually still alive. i also felt tears coming along when Dorian and Byran died and i thought Kady was gonna die. all the tears i cried made me feel like i was personally dying. so yes, this book is more on the dark side than light. :( also felt like i was clinging onto dear life while reading this book as i felt like i was always on the edge of me seat every time i turned the page. the amount of surprised Illuminae throws at you while reading it is crazy. When Kady decided to help ADIAN i was honestly totally shocked. i hated ADAIN for killing her mother and then as the book progressed i kinda started to feel sorry for ADAIN but i still don't forgive it for its actions. if i had one critique, the only thing i would change would be to have a bit more world building and setting up as that way i would be able to picture the starting landscape a bit more. but that's it, apart from the i found the book perfect. now to rap this up because I'm sure no one wants to read all of this. please read this book. yes, it may have 600 pages but honestly, when you really think about it, it's nothing. i loved this book and i hope that someday if you pick it up, i hope that you will love it too. okay, I'll shut up now.
reading Illuminae. i don't want this review to be a normal it was a good book and now let's move on
with life, i want to convey all my ups and downs of this book, all my feelings and everything that went
through my mind. first of all i don't think I've ever read a book that has not fit the normal stock standard
story telling of a book. all books i have read have been chapter after chapter, either from 1st or 3rd point
of view and that's that. Illuminae is different. the book is not stock standard. Illuminae is told through an
epistolary style while using a mix of interviews, emails, reports and updates. i really loved how the story
was told through this perspective as it made the book so much more interesting and unique reading
experience. at first i did not think i would enjoy this reading style but it surprised me how much i was
drawn into the story and how it was being told. the book also using many visual images. The images
and pictures make it feel like you're reading a real file of documents while adding some flavor and
interesting pictures that draw the reader into the book.
anagrams and images from Ezra Mason. the rose and heart were so cute and made me smile so much
and my heart was bursting with joy. i loved them so much.
the world building and story line was kinda hard to picture and follow but once you get into the book
everything just falls into place and makes so much sense. all of a sudden i felt like i was able to picture
everything that was happening and i could follow along with the story as clear as day. Illuminae did not even start of to be a slow book. you open the pages and straight away you are pulled into the action and the chaos happening in the story. i loved how even though it's not told through a normal story telling perspective you still get to connect with all the characters and the world that they are in. i also adored the characters. i don't know why or how but after reading just a few pages about a character i loved them.