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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
Loved the originality and the refreshing storytelling!
Didn't love that plot twist in the middle!
Didn't love that plot twist in the middle!
Тази книга ми взриви главата! Уникално преживаване. Щях да я прочета и за един ден ако не трябваше да се занимавам с разни дребни неща във вселената като ходене на работа, спане , ядене. Такива ти ми работи.
Страхотна!
Страхотна!
"Wunderkind hacker flies under the radar and faces every foe imaginable, including planetary destruction as a result of domestic abuse and capitalism, viral outbreak in space, rogue AI, and (surviving) hyperspace nukes."
Unique and interesting format for sure! I read the ebook, but I bet the print copies were just out of this world - no pun intended. Illuminae gets off to a fast start but slows down in the second quarter. If I'm being totally honest, I almost DNFd because the romance subplot felt kind of dumb and boring. Like, can you be a more disconnected and obtuse teenaged boy? Keep the faith if you feel the same way, because it ends up being a long-term investment into something nefariously cool. For all of my minor gripes, it was fun. It wasn't nutritious and it wasn't deep. It was just a fun romp through space. And it got really good in the last third or so. Would recommend!
Unique and interesting format for sure! I read the ebook, but I bet the print copies were just out of this world - no pun intended. Illuminae gets off to a fast start but slows down in the second quarter. If I'm being totally honest, I almost DNFd because the romance subplot felt kind of dumb and boring. Like, can you be a more disconnected and obtuse teenaged boy? Keep the faith if you feel the same way, because it ends up being a long-term investment into something nefariously cool. For all of my minor gripes, it was fun. It wasn't nutritious and it wasn't deep. It was just a fun romp through space. And it got really good in the last third or so. Would recommend!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Y’ALL DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS SERIES!!! I am addicted!!! Literally could not put this book down, falling asleep at night desperate to hear one more chapter. I was emotionally invested pretty much page one. The main character’s family could be my family the way they talk to each other, the pet names. Killed me. I could only LONG for a love like that between the FMC and MMC. This does not read like YA. This reads like the gripping tale you could not leave if you wanted to.
Found footage is difficult to pull off with a good plot and characters but this does it very well!! Engaging and kept me guessing.
I AM THE SHIP AND THE SHIP IS I.
IF I BREATHED, I WOULD SIGH. I WOULD SCREAM. I WOULD CRY.
< RESTART COMPLETE >
I
AM
Finally got around to tackling this much-hyped book! I originally borrowed this from the library as an ebook, got two pages in, went "Nope" and instantly returned it to borrow the physical copy instead -- and created my small should not be read as ebook shelf. Because this is such an epistolary book that relies heavily on its design, and I found that the ebook version didn't capture that well at all; the physical design here is so, so beautiful and well-thought-out, and it really does lend something to the reading experience. E.g. my heart was in my throat during the ship dogfight sequences, partially due to the chaotic, overwhelming presentation of the text.
I didn't know much at all about Illuminae going in, so I recommend doing the same! It's fast-paced sci fi action delivered in a purely epistolary format (so you gotta love yourself some letters, transcripts, reports, and IMs); with a fleet frantically fleeing to escape another (shades of Battlestar Galactica here), evil corporations, an insane artificial intelligence, and a highly contagious plague.
Which means it's like all of my favourite elements have been tossed into a blender and stirred up into one story, so it's a compulsively addictive read. I was home sick and ploughed through all 599 pages in a single day(!), but considering the epistolary format, those pages go by very, very quickly and I feel like they're probably the equivalent of just 300 densely-packed pages.
The format does mean that I was held at a bit of a distance from the main characters, Kady & Ezra, and didn't emotionally connect with them so much -- I probably had more characterisation feelings about AIDAN, the damaged and malfunctioning artificial intelligence (and also why I chose one of his/its quotes to start off my review) (seriously, he/it was written so brilliantly and poignantly).
Some very tense and frightening moments here, and I could see this becoming a movie tbh, even if it had to go against the epistolary format. Great twists and tragedies abound, and I'll definitely read the sequels.
Probably my one quibble, apart from the lack of emotional connection, is [SPOILER]
Spoiler
that I sorta wish the authors had stuck to their guns about Ezra's death, and even let Kady die as well -- because a) that twist of AIDAN's impersonation was great, and b) I love it when books have the cojones to kill off their main characters. That might've elevated this to 'blowing me away' (which it currently didn't, though I did enjoy this so much). I get that it's a series so everyone prrrobably had to survive, but it would've been amazing if other characters -- maybe even other survivors -- had picked up the mantle of Kady's story, and carried the torch for her in taking down BeiTech. As things stand, having everyone (i.e. Kady, Ezra, and even AIDAN) miraculously survive was a bit of a stretch, and robbed me of having any emotional reaction to the ending.
Maybe even a 4.5? The ending was a little too AIDAN focused for me, but overall a SUPER interesting read and definitely outside of my normal comfort zone (this is the second space book I have enjoyed this year, when as a general rule "I don't like space").
Some of the formatting/artistic elements didn't work with my Kindle (even zoomed in on my laptop Kindle app) which was a disappointment. Tempted to buy a used hard copy to get the full experience.
Not sure if I will keep reading the series - I liked Katy and Ezra and am usually disappointed by series that switch main characters. This was a LONG read so definitely a commitment but I think worth it for a well done YA scifi (not necessarily a description I have ever awarded a book before).
Some of the formatting/artistic elements didn't work with my Kindle (even zoomed in on my laptop Kindle app) which was a disappointment. Tempted to buy a used hard copy to get the full experience.
Not sure if I will keep reading the series - I liked Katy and Ezra and am usually disappointed by series that switch main characters. This was a LONG read so definitely a commitment but I think worth it for a well done YA scifi (not necessarily a description I have ever awarded a book before).