Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Publisher: Knopf Books

Publication Date: October 20th, 2015

Edition: ARC Pages: 599

Purchase: Book Depository
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Summary

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. (goodreads)

What I Thought

I am blown away! This book was a glorious start to a new trilogy of epic space adventures. This book is relatively unique for a young adult novel because we start with a present day letter explaining that the information we are about to read has been gathered by the Illuminae group for an Executive Director Frobisher and all pertain to the events that occurred within the last year aboard the Alexander battle carrier and the other ships in its fleet. The story opens with interviews from our two main characters after the planet they lived on was attacked and they had to escape or be killed. Kady and Ezra are some sassy, intelligent teenagers and handle every thing that comes at them as well as you would expect. I love their relationship and that even though they have recently ended their romantic relationship they still care deeply for each other.

What sets this book apart from others in the sci-fi genre is that it isn't told in a narrative writing style. The whole story of the events on the Alexander fleet is told through a compilation of documents that the Illuminae group has collected in a dossier. There are medical files, interviews, chat room transcripts, forms, diary entries, emails, schematics, military fiiles, surveillance summaries, and information from the ship's computer system AIDAN. The battle sequences have beautifully designed typography and  are so fun to read. This book may be almost 600 pages but it flies by! So much goes on in this book and it is such a fantastic ride!

Finally, that ending though?! So awesome! There is a great twist, that isn't quite a cliff hanger (in my eyes) as much as it is a promise of more shenanigans and good times to come! You should definitely keep this book on your radar and pick it up when it comes out in October!