Illuminae (Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff)

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.

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I’ve been trying to write this review for over a month… but today is the day! I read this book with Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much, and we had a blast with this one (as always!). Actually, this book started over a month full of buddy reads!! Eheh. Go check out her review of Illuminae here.

This is a very difficult book to review without spoiling anything, so I’ll give you guys a shortlist of my reasons why you should pick up this book NOW. OK?!

1. The format is fantastic. I wasn’t sure how this book would work, but it does! From interviews, to emails, to security cameras reports, etc, everything clicked and it was fantastic and fun and amazing.

2. This book is gorgeous. Somewhat related to the point above, but not really… This book is visually stunning, and it makes the experience of reading it all the more amazing. By the way, this book totally deserves the hardcover.

3. The characters. I never thought that I would get as attached to the characters as I did. At some point I realized that my heart was breaking for a character that had only appeared a couple of times, or another that I didn’t even think I liked. The format of the book shows the personalities and the characters instead of describing them to you, and in the process it’s impossible not to get attached.

4. It’s action packed and unpredictable. Again, it’s incredible how much action this book really has, and how you feel you’re living in the smack center of it.

5. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. I can’t even. I laughed and cried, and sobbed, and then laughed some more. Well done!

So, are you convinced yet? You need to pick up this masterpiece soon. It’s one of my favorite books ever. Reading it’s an experience. And don’t get intimidated by the size, because we flew through this book.

Have you read Illuminae? What are your thoughts on it? Are you as excited as me about Gemina?