▪▪▪▪▪
Greetings chum. I don't even know how to adequately review such an amazingly unique reading experience. Illuminae is not your traditional book. It breaks conventional storytelling and is told in multi-media format: the book is the compilation of emails, instant message conversations, redacted memos, and more as if you are reading a confidential dossier.
“It’s not the bullets that kill you. It’s moments like these. One piece at a time.”The year is 2575 and this morning Kady Grant broke up with her boyfriend, Ezra Miller. Hours later their tiny planet of Kerenza, which is an illegal mining colony, was attacked by a mega-corporation. Bad day, I'd say.
Ezra: And then I said it.And she did indeed. And unfortunately for the survivors of the attack on Kerenza, the nightmare is far from over. Not only are they being pursued by the ███████, but there's also a terrible infection spreading throughout the fleet. You better not look at them, chum.
Interviewer: What did he say?
Kady Grant: He said, 'You picked a hell of a day to dump me, Kades.'
I absolutely fell in love with Kady and Ezra and their struggle to reconcile their new reality with what really matters. You can sense the complicated relationship between them and the love that they feel for one another. Ezra is my love with his ASCII flowers and witter banter, but my favorite character might actually be Analyst 7213 and his colorful descriptions of video feeds.
This book has so much levity and humor, I found myself laughing hysterically on more than one occasion. Each of the characters feels very real and you cannot help but fall in love with them. This book honestly kind of reminded me of Battlestar Galactica in the best of ways, tapping into the reasons that show speaks to me deep down. This overall story isn't a new one to the genre but it is absolutely unique in execution and truly shines with the characters.
BRIEFING NOTE: I read along with the audiobook at the recommendation of Taylor, which was literally the best suggestion to ever be made in the existence of the world. The audiobook is full cast, and the unconventional format of the book lends really well to reading along... it brought the story to life in a way that instantly tugged at my heart and wrestled its way into my soul. I wholeheartedly recommend that you read along with the audiobook for a ███████ incredible experience. Just a warning that the 'pretty birdie' sections of audio are lowkey terrifying. You've been warned.
▪▪▪▪▪
Honestly this book made me an anxious ball of anxiety and nerves for the entire time that I read it, and I didn't see the twists coming. I am so sad that I sat on this book for so long, but I can say that this is a book where the hype is deserved.
🤝 This Mortal Squad Buddy read with Becca and Taylor!
Blog | Twitter | Pinterest!