Book Review: Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

If you remember from my Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag, Jay Kristoff is one of my favorite authors. Nevernight captured my heart when I read it a couple months ago. As I am such an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader, Illuminae blowing up on bookstagram a couple years ago but it high on my radar. I immediately added it to my Goodreads TBR, and soon, my physical TBR. However, there it sat, for years and years, watching as various other books were selected to be read. Well, finally, I am here to say that I have checked another book off my long TBR *I pause for applause*

I read Illuminae as a part of the Disney Read-a-Thon, which you can learn about here.

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Disclaimer: Clicking on the title of the book will take you to book depository, where you can purchase this book. This is an affiliate link, meaning I will make a small commission from every purchase made through this link, with no impact on you. Thank you.

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Content Warning: death of a parent, PTSD, panic attacks, loss of loved ones, death of children, murder, murder of children, manipulation of dead bodies, mentions of wrist cutting, suicide

The Format

The most potent aspect of this book is the unique and interactive format. The two authors created a thrilling experience that sucked the readers in, simply through the format of the novel.

The book presents a collection of files from an unknown source. As I was reading the book, I felt like I was a detective who came across a secret government file, piecing together what happened. The format of the story pulled me in and made me feel a part of Kady and Ezra’s experiences. It allowed my imagination to run wild!

With this format, it would be easy for the reader to feel disconnected from the story, however, this is not the case with Illuminae. The format of the story was comprehensive, never leaving gaps by using various forms of evidence, like security camera footage, electronic messages, and even posters, like the one seen above.

The Characters

Given the unique format, the highly developed characterization in this story is amazing. Kristoff and Kaufman created two equally fierce and lovable characters in Kady and Ezra.

These two rather static characters juxtaposed AIDAN, a highly dynamic character. Now, I am not saying that I loved, or even liked, AIDAN by the end of this book, but he has to be one of the most interesting Artificial Intelligence characters I have read.

The Story

If you are looking for a thrilling adrenaline ride, this is the book for you. It read just like a classic science-fiction film, with space ships, artificial intelligence, and intergalactic romance. I read the second half of the book in one day, I couldn’t put it down.

This book took so many twists and turns, it felt like I was on a rollar-coaster. It was a plot-driven novel, pulling readers along on the many space adventures.

I definitely enjoyed this read, and I am looking forward to continuing on with the rest of the trilogy.