[Book Review] Illuminae

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

3.75/5

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this book.

I feel weird saying this but my favourite character was the crazy AI who killed everyone and fell in love with the headstrong girl who unfortunately I wasn’t a massive fan of.

“Perhaps bravery is simply the face humanity wraps around its collective madness.”

Illuminae has all of the hype. Not only is it co-written by two amazing authors but it is told in a strange yet unique way. Illuminae is told through a series of documents: interviews, emails, diary entries, chats, conversations and radio communications. This is what I liked most about the book. I didn’t love the plot, it was a bit lacking but the way the story was told made it quicker and easier to read.

If, like me you found the plot a little bit dry or found it hard to get into the book you might want to try giving the audiobook a go, I’ve heard it’s quite good.

Something that may bother some people is how we don’t have a constant narrator. In a way we have a cast of narrators. Almost every page we are being told part of the story by a different person. We can never really get to know a character through the ‘normal way’ and we can only dorm an opinion on them through what they say and do.

“She is catalyst.
She is chaos.
I can see why he loves her.” 

Our main, I guess, protagonist is Kady. She’s ballsy, quick witted and will kick your ass. Kady is “good with computers”, so good in fact, that she goes from mainstream hacking to repairing a crazy complex computer and fighting in a war in a few months.

Kady and one of the other ‘main characters’, Ezra broke up before the book started and we get to know them through emails and short, seven minute conversations. After a few of these conversations the two were professing their undying love for each other. I found their romance to be too unbelievable and I just couldn’t get myself on board with it.

You deserve every star in the galaxy laid out at your feet and a thousand diamonds in your hair.

O H, P L E A S E

I’m sorry Ezra but could you please, for sake of everyone, just stop talking.

“Am I not merciful?”

I have to say, my favourite thing about this book is definitely AIDAN. The AI just thought, in some insane and twisted way that he was doing the right thing. Naturally he killed a ship full of people and sort of fell in love with Kady at the same time.

Even though I’m not in love with this book I do plan on reading its sequel because overall I did still enjoy it.