Book Review #612 - Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

My Rating: 4.5/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

This is the first new release book I have read in such a long time. I don't really like spending full price on books but it was 100% worth it with this book. 

Because the book is 100% told through instant messages, files, reports, surveillance footage etc the characters did come across as slightly one-dimensional and I felt distanced from them throughout. 

The overall plot of the book reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey, although Illuminae was a lot faster paced and much more exciting (it did include space zombies after all!) 

Overall, I really enjoyed the unique layout of the book as it made it incredibly easy to read. The never saw the plot twist coming which is a rarity for me. 

It did take me a while to get into this book. I am not sure where exactly but after a certain point I was hooked. I went from wondering where the story was going to not being able to put the book down seemingly on the same page.