ARC Review: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

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.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.



BUY ON AMAZON (click the cover for more details)










REVIEW

I RECEIVED THE ARC FROM THE AUTHORS IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

As the fatal day for the release of this book draws closer, I decided to repost my review adding also the new site that was launched for the release of Illuminae!


So, wear your space-suit.

Load your oxygen mask.

Check your mental stability.

Are you ready?
Here we go.



I learned about the book after the cover reveal of "This Shattered World" by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Knowing that Jay Kristoff would co-write with Amie I was eager to read this book. When the ARC arrived, well I did party around my room holding the ARC like a prize!


Here's the proof!!!








And so my reading journey began which lasted for two days. I completely devoured the book, turning page after page waiting, wanting to see how and what would happen to Kades and Ezra.
Kades breaks off with her boyfriend, Ezra the day their planet is assaulted by a galactic corporation. They barely manage to escape, Ezra on the space fleet "Alexander" and Kades on "Hypatia". Along with these two is "Copernicus" and the three fleets must escape the enemy fleet which wants no evidence of the planet's destruction.

As the months pass, Kades becomes a very talented hacker and Ezra turns into a fighter pilot. Told by emails, notes pictures and reports, this book blowed my mind.

The most outstanding part of the whole book are the messages. The whole plot is delivered through mails, hacked files, voice messages and illustrations of space atomic bombs (this one was illustrated by Jay himself!) and designs of the fleets. I never felt lost to the story and every part was described in details. I saw how the relationships, not only between Kades and Ezra, were evolved as also how the Artificial Intelligence got to have a very vital part in the story. Add in the deadly virus which turned almost everyone into a zombie state and you have a race against time for the survival of everyone.

Not to mention that the AI of "Alexander" AIDAN is so, so creepy to the point of reminding me HAL from "2001: Space Odyssey".










Amie and Jay in my ARC also made some interesting notes about names, illustrations and art. I loved every part of their notes, especially when they added Marie Lu and Beth Revis into a cinema poster!
Yes, that happened and I couldn't stop laughing!

Amie and Jay managed to create a new type of book, unique among its kind. They became pioneers of the sci-fi genre, creating a book full of emotional roller-coaster, laughs and tears along with romance and a great ending! If you are a fan of "Star Trek", "Star Wars" and "2001: Space Odyssey" then this book is the one for you.

Even if you don't like sci-fi, you will love this one.










About the authors:

Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy. Part 3, ENDSINGER, is out now. He's also co-author of the upcoming ILLUMINAE (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015, and NEVERNIGHT, the first part of a new fantasy trilogy kicking off in 2016.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings. 







Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World, and Illuminae, the first in a new series starting in 2015. She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and her favourite procrastination techniques involve chocolate, baking, sailing, excellent books and TV, plotting and executing overseas travel, and napping.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, their rescue dog, and her considerable library. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

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