Book Review: Illuminae

Hardcover. 599 pages

Published :October 20th 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers                                       

Genre: Sci-fiction, Ya.

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 mega corporations 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

This book shook my world,

This novel is following a space battle between two corporations, and amidst it all is Kady and Ezra, teens from the planet kerenza, which at the start of book has been attacked by Biotech and left many as refugees fleeing to ships like Alexander and Hypatia.Pretty much, a lot of stuff goes on in this novel.The format of the book puts readers in a interesting position Not only does it allow the reader to read  from both Kady and Ezra perspective, but also from the AI, the captains of the ships and many individuals who are apart of this large complex story.

I have to admit, the world in this book is huge much like space vast and to much of the readers knowledge , unknown.However the authors do explain what shapes this world through wikipedia pages and such.I love the idea of this futuristic world with robots and space ships, lets say its very much a sci fi book.At the start of the book , as result of the complex world I felt very lost and at times didn't understand what was going.However later on in the book everything becomes clear to the reader.

The characters were phenomenal in this book.The main protagonist, Kady is sassy, strong and smart but unlike many female heroines in YA, we got to see her weak, alone and scared through her diaries.This created such a complex and layered character and I love that.Ezra, was just amazing loveable character, and I loved how loyal he was to his friends and to Kady, and hopefully we got more of his past in the second book! The different perspective of people in the ships really help flush out the plot and understand the high stakes of the issues in this book.I have also enjoyed that this books was not focused on Kady and Ezra saving everyone , but this involved some much more people.Ya usually has this trope of the chosen one saving humanity and I like that Illuminae avoided that.Lastly the AI was a amazing character.This AI was a genius and I loved its perspective on how to save everyone and understanding human actions and emotions,wow Aidan was just an amazing addition to this book.Whenever I read Aidan's pov they also shocked me and kept me at the edge of my seat! 

The plot was a joy ride of emotions, and honestly I  really enjoyed the direction the plot is headed.This novel truly brought an epic space battle to life and made it enjoyable and mesmerizing.The format of the book did not hinder the plot but enhanced it.The reader has the ability to view the spaceships and have records of death tolls, interviews, transcripts of radio transmission etc.This really allowed the reader to immerse themselves into this world and I love it.Honestly, when I first heard about this book , I thought I would hate it , but its beautiful and near perfection.

This novel is truly one of a kind and I am glad I had chance to read through these files and be throw into a world of complexity and depth.I am beyond excited for the second to be released,Gemina in 2016.

I rate this novel a 4,5/5 Kittens.As I said before this was a near perfection , but the start of the book had me lost a bit so that why I took a .5 off.But this novel is beyond amazing , it left me in awe.