Illuminae

“The more you lose, the more you realize you don't have much left.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow this book absolutely blew me away, I really wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did and yet this has become one of my top reads for 2024. Firstly, the formatting is incredible, the story is told through files dredged up from the AI computing system used during an attack on an illegal mining settlement on a planet called Kerenza and the resulting deep space adventure following that. The files are a mixture of IM messages, emails, the AIs thoughts itself and reviewed surveillance footage, schematics of the ships, Unipedia pages, scientific studies etc from onboard the three ships that managed to rescue survivors from the planet but are now on the run from their persuing attacker. At first I was dubious whether I would enjoy this formatting, other books with similar unique formats that I have read previously have been rather hit or miss, but by about 100 pages in I was absolutely rapt and loving the immersive, interactive experience - and I feel it really added to the tension of this story.

I thought I would find it a bit hard to connect with the characters because the format does mean we are relatively removed from them personally, aside from a few journal entries and the IM conversations between our MCs, Kady and Ezra, we don't get a lot of their internal feelings and monologues, and in tense moments especially towards the end their whole story is told from the POV of the AI system, AIDAN and so I thought human emotion wouldn't really be an aspect. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was still very invested in their story and their romance, and that AIDAN had enough emotion, and beautifully written prose, for me to connect. I do think if this had been written in a usual format, I might've been moved to tears, but unfortunately I wasn't - so that's probably my only let down with this book. I did find both Ezra and Kady to be a little bit stereotypical and predictable but I don't think this ruined the story at all.

The storyline was really great and really carried this book along, and while there were some files that were a little dry, I didn't ever feel bored while reading. The pace outside those files was enough to keep my attention and I ended up flying though the last half of this book and didn't want to put it down. It does have a pretty run of the mill plot, attack on a planet sending the survivors into space, turning this into a typical sci-fi space opera, with a rogue AI and standard "unknown" bad guys in pursuit, plus a terrifying plague sweeping through the ships and space jet fights/war between the battllcarriers, but I thnk this is where the format really assisted with this book not feeling too predictable because files were released to us in a way that uncovered the storyline in shockingly convulted twists, and with pages where the words were floating across the page like we were really in space with the characters, it all made this feel like I was watching a movie rather than reading the words in a book. I can usually envisage books as movies in my head but with this book it felt like the movie was actually occuring on the page, especially when you had to physcially turn the book upside down to read the words.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book, I was 100% entertained and on the edge of my seat, eyes wide open as everything unfolded. It all came together to make this book a completely unique experience and a wild ride. I would definitely recommend this book to most people, I can see how some people might not enjoy it, but I think it is worth giving it a try even if it's not something you end up enjoying as much as I did. I'm going to be diving into the next books in this series ASAP and can't wait to see where this story goes!

3.5

Opět píšu bez jakýchkoliv příprav. Abych řekla pravdu, prvních sto stran bylo čisté utrpení. Autoři vás vhodí do děje a s jakýmkoliv vysvětlováním se nezdržují. Vy si pak musíte všímat i nejmenších detailů, abyste tak trochu pochopili, o co sakra jde. Já jsem si na začátku knihy myslela, že dalších 600str. prostě nezvládnu, a bála jsem se, že knížku odložím. Ale trpělivost růže přináší. Začala jsem se v ději pomalu vyznávat a nakonec jsem klopýtala už jen na několika slovech, kterým jsem nerozuměla. Děj vás do sebe vcucne a nepustí. Přečtete 50 stránek, a ani si to neuvědomíte. Proplouváte všemi těmi kódy a čísly a nadávkami a tajnými soubory a zadržujete dech a pláčete a věříte a kniha s vámi hází z jedné lodě na druhou a vy nevíte kam dřív a na co se zaměřit a jestli se radovat nebo ne. A to na tom bylo to nádherný. Teda pokud nemám mluvit o zpracování knihy. To mě uchvátilo ještě dřív, než jsem se do příběhu pustila. Takže ano, stojí to za to. I kvůli té nádherné obálce a zpracování knihy, tak i kvůli samotnému zamotanému ději. ✩ 5*/5*, nejdřív jsem si nebyla jistá, jestli nemám ubrat počet, kvůli tomu zmatení v prvních 100 stranách, ale ten příběh mi pak tolikrát vzal dech, že jsem si řekla, že nějaké menší zmatení tomu mohu odpustit.

Oh my God.... Fantastic! Ready for book 2, Gemina.

Thought i was going to cry less when re-reading but nope still the same...........  its 2024 and i barely remember reading this

5✰ SHE IS UNAFRAID. SHE IS CATALYST. SHE IS CHOAS. this is such a good book??? and im not a huge scifi fan but like WOW. everything about this was amazing. the fight for the truth is what got me, like that is always a relevant storyline to relate to today. i love it.

One of the best books I have ever read! The format, the writing, the twists, the theme….all 5*****

Wow... what a read... This book was good! I tried to read this one in 2018, and for some reason, I wasn't liking it. I got lost with all those files and different characters. But fortunately, I gave another chance to this book and I am really happy that I did it. I really liked the middle of the book and the interactions of Kady and Ezra, because the beginning was a little slow, even if it starts with a planet attack. The last 200/250 pages were too much for me and the MC was too lucky for my taste. HOWEVER, it didn't spoil the book, it kinda made sense. The end was really good and for me a little unexpected. Really recommend it to people who like sci-fi and TVShow "Firefly".

amazing and great book. I would highly recommend, from the way it's written, to the layout of the pages to the plot itself. Can't wait to read the second one.

AMAZING

THIS. BOOK. IS. FANTASTIC. Holy crap I thought I wasn't going to like it since Sci-Fi in general isn't my cup of tea but this book got me hooked! Definitely putting Gemina on my TBR list for this month. And wtf Ezra?! Why r u so cuuutte, chum?😍

"when the light that kisses the back of her eyes was birthed, her ancestors were not yet born. how many human lives have ended in the time it took that light to reach her? How many people have loved only to have lost? How countless, the hopes that have died? To start I should say I HATE space themed books, I'm not that big a fan of thriller either, so you can imagine that I wouldn't have enjoyed this book in the slightest. WRONG. I loved this book! I love the idea, the pace, the format and especially the villain. The romance was sweet but in my opinion it was nothing to other relationships. where some stories are a constant ride of hearing all the characters worriers, back stories and feelings this book was about so much more. I went from laughing out loud from Ezra's quips to crying my eyes out when yet another wave of emotional text slammed into me. The villain was so interesting, to different from the others i have read. where some villains are truly evil, this villain was both terrible and hilarious, not to mention caring and in the bigger picture not even the true villain. the outbreak was the most interesting part thought, hands down the best part of the story. creepy is an understatement, fascinating comes close though. if you're looking for a space romance sure this could be it for you but honestly its not all that romantic, BUT if you're looking for a creepy yet fascinating fast pace thriller set in space this will absolutely hit the spot dead on.

*2021 reread: This was just as much fun the second time around! Original 2017 review: OH MAN OH MAN. There aren't enough words to describe how much I freaking LOVED this. Starting out, I was confused (which I think is kind of the point). I wasn't sure if I liked the format of this book because I'd never dealt with anything quite like it before. I didn't know if I'd get used to it. I WAS WRONG. VERY WRONG. The format of this book was essentially one of the coolest and most interesting arrangements of storytelling I've probably ever seen. Reading this was an EXPERIENCE. I can't even fully tell you how much I loved how this story was told, with IM chats and e-mails and surveillance logs. It was GENIUS and an absolute blast. And oh, the TWISTS. Just when I thought I knew what the hell was going on, something I never expected would happen and I'd gasp out loud. It was so awesome, guys. The characters were stellar, the love was amazing, the story incredible; this is one of my favorite books of year. It was exactly what I needed/wanted right now. I just feel like applauding how well this book did everything. Can't wait to pick up the sequel!

Iluminae: 5/5 I don't even know where to start with this one. This was one of the most entertaining, fun, and suspenseful reads of 2020. Who knew that in the very last days of 2020 I would find a new favorite. This book is absolutely incredible. From the plotline to the creativity on the pages, I was shocked the whole way through. If you don't know, Illuminae is a science fiction book told in the form of mixed media, or files, all uncovered by our main character, Kady. Some of these include actual files, posters, or chat logs. The illustrations and simply the way this story is told is like nothing I have ever witnessed. This book is a full experience and I am so happy I could read it in 2020. The world and characters are so real, and the detail included within the files is astounding, even down to the redacted text and blacked out curse words. This is the first book I have read by the dynamic duo Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman and I was, simply put, blown away. I am more than excited to jump into more of their work including the next two books within the Illuminae Files as well as the Aurora Cycle series.

3.5 stars Get rekt, Leanne. "Now run" Aaaaanyway. I love that these authors live in Australia!

Omg this was amazing! I thought it would be quite confusing to read with lots of plot holes but everything was weaved together so well! An excellent plot and great lead character! 5/5

INCREDIBLE This has officially taking the rank as my favourite book of 2016, possible my favourite book of all time.

HOLY SHIT

Illuminae: Now run. Me : 🏃‍♂️ towards GEMInae

4 stars It took a awhile to get into but once I was in I was in. I really enjoyed this and didn't see the ending coming (though I probably should have).

I had a hard time not being bored. Two stars because of the format and there were two parts of the book that I actually liked. Not a fan of the lead being a teen though. (It did work)

i hate sci-fi, i hate books set in space, i hate books where earth is dead and everyone is stuck on a spaceship, i hate ai (ESPECIALLY sentient ai), i hate military but i LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH 😭 ITS SO GOOD !!!! considering that i should hate everything about it, it’s crazy how enjoyable, fun, emotional & interesting it was :] excited for the rest of the series !!!

Oof want to read the rest of the series again but should probably get on the books that I own and haven’t read

(holds this book to my heart and cries)