(The Illuminae Files #1)
Publication
Date: October 20, 2015
Hardcover, 602 pages, Knopf Books
Genres:
YA, Sci-fi
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.
BRIEFING NOTE: 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.
My Review
Oh gosh. I don’t know where to start with this review. I
feel like everyone and their brother loved this book, and I just thought it was
okay… I mean, is there anyone else out there who didn’t love this book? Please
identify yourself. I don’t want to be alone.
Okay, so I’ll stop being weird now. I just was a tad
disappointed in this book. The reason I say a tad and not a lot is because I
knew going in that I probably wouldn’t love it. I just don’t like epistolary-style
writing in science fiction. Actually, the only other time I’ve read that style
(the mix of emails, letters, etc. as the narrative of a story versus the
typical chapter by chapter) is in Meg Cabot’s Boy series. I really enjoyed it in
Cabot’s books, but that was a contemporary romance, not a sci-fi with intricate
plot points.
What I didn’t expect, though, was for the plot to be a less
captivating version of Leviathan Wakes
by James S.A. Corey. Now, I haven’t read the book series, but I’ve watched the
TV show, The Expanse, and it is
fantabulous! But, Illuminae was
eerily similar. Normally, that would be okay. I would typically be able to
enjoy both without thinking too much of it, but the writing style of Illuminae just killed it for me. Sure,
it’s a fast read despite being 600 pages long, but I couldn’t connect to the
characters on an emotional level. I also didn’t find the plot as engaging, even
when there were major twists and turns happening.
I also thought some of the language use was a little weird.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but a certain “character” got a little lyrical
and melodramatic, which I find strange due to the “character’s” background.
HOWEVER, despite how much I’m downing this book, I did find
myself curious as to what happens in the sequels. I might pick Gemina and Obsidio up at a later date. Now, though, I have no plans to
immediately go out and buy the other books in the series. They’re just not a
priority. Another plus for this book is, like I mentioned, it’s a quick read. I
think if someone was in a reading slump and they liked sci-fi books, this one
would be a good one to try. I think I finished Illuminae in something like four days, and I wasn’t even super
invested in it.
Back to why I want to read the sequels, the reason I was
curious about what’s going to happen next has to do with the ending. The last few
pages were very impactful. I just wish some of that impact had been in the
beginning and middle of the book as well. And maybe it is or will be for
other readers. Maybe I just was comparing The
Expanse and this book too much.
All in all, I think if you go into Illuminae knowing how the writing style plays out and recognizing
that the hype may just be a little too up there, then you could probably enjoy
this book. It’s got a good story with some elements of shock value, and its
short word count makes it a quick read.
*Note: I borrowed
a copy of this book from my library. This in no way affected my opinion/review.
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