For fans of Marie Lu comes the first book in an epic series that bends the sci-fi genre into a new dimension.
“A truly beautiful novel that redefines the form." —Victoria Aveyard, bestselling author of Red Queen
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 a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. “Prepare yourselves for Illuminae.” —EW.com
“[Y]ou’re not in for an ordinary novel experience. . . .”—Bustle.com
“A truly interactive experience. . . . A fantastically fun ride.” —MTV.com
“Brace yourself. You're about to be immersed in a mindscape that you'll never want to leave.” —Marie Lu, bestselling author of the Legend trilogy
"Genre: Undefinable. Novel: Unforgettable." —Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures & author of Unbreakable
“An exuberant mix of space opera, romance, zombies, hackers, and political thrills.” —Scott Westerfeld, bestselling author of Zeroes and Uglies
“Stunningly creative. Smart, funny, and romantic.” —Veronica Rossi, bestselling author of Under the Never Sky
“This is one of those rare books that will truly keep your heart pounding.” —Beth Revis, bestselling author of Across the Universe
“This book is xxxxing awesome.”
—Laini Taylor, bestselling author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone
I've had this book/series on my TBR list for years, but with it being Sci-Fi it's never been at the top of my list. When it was selected for COYER book club, I decided to give it a go. I know it's a very popular series, but for me it was just okay and I don't plan on reading more.
To be honest, I almost DNF'd Illuminae. There were a few reasons -- I had a lot going on in my personal life and was perhaps not in the best place to be reading this book, I wasn't drawn to the VERY YA characters, and the plot initially lost me. I usually make my decision to DNF a book at the 20% mark, but I gave it a little longer because of my mindset and I am glad that I did. I ultimately found that last 25% ish very engaging and I can see why the series is so popular. Just a very slow start.
I think it was at about 35% that I got really interested. The artificial intelligence made things interesting and the illness presented an unexpected complication/twist. I really never did get to where I truly cared about any of the characters though. Kady was somehow simultaneously smart and dumb, selfless and selfish. So yeah, a YA character.
The way the story was told - though snippets of an investigation looking back at what happened - probably had a lot to do with how I felt disconnected and impersonal. I can see why it was done that way and it had definite advantages, but it did keep me from really connecting with the characters, I think.
The narration possibly added to that disconnect. It is one of those performances that has tons of narrators playing different roles, complete with sound effects and everything - a true theatrical experience. And it was definitely a solid performance, something I typically consider to be a treat. But in this instance, I think that it added to the feeling of disconnect. I never forgot that I was listening to recordings of events and stayed disconnected from the characters. I don't know, I think everyone delivered a solid performance and if this is your kind of book I think I would definitely recommend the narration.
All that said, if the story were continuing in the next book I'd probably read on. But it appears to be rehashing of events from different POVs and I'm really not interested in revisiting this story. So that will be it for me.
