Illuminae

Review originally posted at A Reading Brit

The Plot

Illuminae is a solid read with great twists, and a complete book come the end! This wasn't one of those books where the end doesn't feel like the end. Illuminae saw the full story through, from beginning to end, with only the odd little thread leaving just enough to carry through to the sequel.

The end also happened to be my favourite part of this book. And whilst there is spoilers below, I won't go into detail about the ending. It was awesome, and everything suddenly made sense like pieces of a puzzle finally slotting together. I never guessed the twist, and that's what makes it great. Oh, and the humour. I was laughing so much, every other page had something that had me snickering. Seriously, just read this book.

I should mention, this whole book is written in a series of reports, interviews and IM messages. I haven't read many (if any) books in an epistolary format, and if they're anything like this one, I've been missing out. It blows my mind how there's a full novel, with great characters, a sound plot and even description, all in this format. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are a force to be reckoned with.

The World

I admit, whilst I said there was great description, this description only covers the immediate surroundings of the characters. The ships they were on, and that's about it. The rest of this world is a little lacking. There's some psychotic mining companies who commit mass murder, basically destroying a planet, and there's government of some form.

Beyond that, though, I feel like I don't know much. I'm sure the next book will give me more detail, because I definitely need more detail! How are things run? Humans didn't encounter any form of life after leaving Earth? How far has humanity spread? That's just a few questions that popped to mind as I was writing this review. Give me an hour and a notebook and I'll fill it up with questions I want the answers to!

The Characters

The characters is where this book really excels. In the style this book is told in, character is everything, and boy, were there some characters in this.

AIDAN

I'd seen AIDAN related merch everywhere, and loads of people talking about how they liked him. And I was just confused. About half-way in, and I couldn't grasp why a psychopathic AI that killed thousands of people was likeable. And then I got to the last quarter of the book and suddenly I loved him too. The care he showed for Kady, and to be honest, whilst he was crazy, his reasoning made sense. Yeah, it was probably an extremely solution to the problem, but it was one of the logical solutions.

His later caring for Kady, and seeing all his internal thoughts and conflicts was a joy, and I agree with everyone else. I need more AIDAN. Oh, and the way his thoughts were formatted on the page was glorious. This is a book that has to be read in paper-copy to truly experience.

“I am glad yOu aRe wIth me.”

Kady

Our badass teenage hacker/tech extraordinaire. There's not a computer system that will stand in her way. She's fierce, determined, and a protagonist worth cheering for. And I definitely cheered with her, throughout, whether I was cheering for her against AIDAN, or cheering for her against Ezra, she always held her own. She was awesome. I've included the below quote mostly because I relate.

“I am frequently underestimated. I think it's because I'm short.”

Ezra

Ezra, Kady's ex and the reason she keeps fighting when all other hope is lost. Ezra is super romantic, but also definitely has a mouth on him. He's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, and he provides the occasional comedic relief too, which I respect. The quote below sums up why I like him so much. His somewhat child-like humour kept me entertained through, as well as Kady's somewhat withering responses to it.

“I am now raising my... oh, dear ... yes, it's my middle finger at Mr. Postgrad here.”

Would I read it again? Yeah, and if I don't hurry up and read the next one, I will.

Will I be picking up the next in the series? Yep, definitely.

Would I recommend it? Fancy a sci-fi, set on 2 spaceships, with a little romance, a psychotic AI and all written in epistolary style? Go for it! Don't fancy that? Read it anyway.

Is it going on my favourites shelf? Yes.