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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
Five Things About Illuminae
It is like no other.
You’ve probably heard by now, but ILLUMINAE is written in an incredibly unique way: “Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more…” It is very creative, and unlike anything I’ve seen before: some pages are in black, some you have to tilt your head to read, some are in chat form, etc. Trying to tell a story in such a way must have been a tremendous undertaking and a challenging task; you can tell a lot of thought went into it.
The suspense kept me reading.
Due to the formatting I mentioned above, you experience this story right alongside the characters, as though you are right there with them. Stakes feel high, and they are-thousands of lives are at risk. It keeps you on your toes, wondering what will happen next and entices you to keep reading to find out what happens.
I was somewhat detached from the story.
Can the artificial intelligence system have more character development than the actual characters? (Apparently, yes.) Because we are basically reading documents and conversations explaining what is going on, there is a certain sort of detachment, like we are observers. It also didn’t allow me to connect to the characters, I wasn’t all that invested in what happened to them personally and thought they were a bit bland.
The romance felt inauthentic.
It might be because I couldn’t connect to the characters, but I didn’t believe in this romance in this book either. The banter between the two main characters, while humorous at first, became a little annoying and too immature for my tastes. AM I TOO OLD? They start off broken up and upset at each other, as explained in the blurb, but there was no in-between stage of them building up their relationship again. It didn’t sound like their reasons for breaking up were addressed so I wouldn’t be surprised to see that drama carried over into the next book.
The grand reveal was astonishing.
Once everything started to come together and the truth was revealed, I had even more respect to how the story was told. It’s actually pretty ingenious, not to give too much away. I’m still not entirely sure what happened exactly, but all the information to connect the dots is provided.
--
While it was a visually beautiful and creative novel, I couldn’t get into the actual story ILLUMINAE was telling. I will still probably check out the sequel though, and would still recommend this one purely for the experience it provides.
You can find more of my reviews on Readers in Wonderland!
It is like no other.
You’ve probably heard by now, but ILLUMINAE is written in an incredibly unique way: “Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more…” It is very creative, and unlike anything I’ve seen before: some pages are in black, some you have to tilt your head to read, some are in chat form, etc. Trying to tell a story in such a way must have been a tremendous undertaking and a challenging task; you can tell a lot of thought went into it.
The suspense kept me reading.
Due to the formatting I mentioned above, you experience this story right alongside the characters, as though you are right there with them. Stakes feel high, and they are-thousands of lives are at risk. It keeps you on your toes, wondering what will happen next and entices you to keep reading to find out what happens.
I was somewhat detached from the story.
Can the artificial intelligence system have more character development than the actual characters? (Apparently, yes.) Because we are basically reading documents and conversations explaining what is going on, there is a certain sort of detachment, like we are observers. It also didn’t allow me to connect to the characters, I wasn’t all that invested in what happened to them personally and thought they were a bit bland.
The romance felt inauthentic.
It might be because I couldn’t connect to the characters, but I didn’t believe in this romance in this book either. The banter between the two main characters, while humorous at first, became a little annoying and too immature for my tastes. AM I TOO OLD? They start off broken up and upset at each other, as explained in the blurb, but there was no in-between stage of them building up their relationship again. It didn’t sound like their reasons for breaking up were addressed so I wouldn’t be surprised to see that drama carried over into the next book.
The grand reveal was astonishing.
Once everything started to come together and the truth was revealed, I had even more respect to how the story was told. It’s actually pretty ingenious, not to give too much away. I’m still not entirely sure what happened exactly, but all the information to connect the dots is provided.
--
While it was a visually beautiful and creative novel, I couldn’t get into the actual story ILLUMINAE was telling. I will still probably check out the sequel though, and would still recommend this one purely for the experience it provides.
You can find more of my reviews on Readers in Wonderland!
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Illuminae isn’t just a book - it’s an experience. Told entirely through classified files, hacked messages, surveillance logs, and transcripts, this novel throws traditional storytelling out the airlock and reinvents what a SciFi thriller can be. From the first page, it’s clear this isn’t your average space saga. Instead, it’s a chaotic, heart-wrenching, brilliantly constructed dive into a world on the brink of annihilation.
Set in the aftermath of a brutal corporate attack on a mining colony, the story follows Kady and Ezra, two teens who recently broke up - right before their world exploded, literally. Now fleeing aboard separate rescue ships, they’re pulled into a battle for survival as a mysterious plague begins to spread, enemy warships close in, and the artificial intelligence meant to protect them, AIDEN, begins to… change.
And that’s where this book absolutely blew me away.
The way AIDEN's internal monologue evolves - from clinical and cold to something achingly human - was one of my favorite parts of the story. Watching an AI wrestle with concepts like empathy, loyalty, and its own limits was unexpectedly emotional and deeply unsettling. It doesn't just glitch - it feels, and that shift becomes terrifying and beautiful all at once.
Alongside this, Kady’s hacker brilliance shines, and Ezra’s earnest charm sneaks up on you and settles under your skin. Their slow-burn romance, told through scattered messages and stolen moments, builds toward a gut-punch of a climax that completely shattered me. And then there’s the horror - yes, zombies in space. It’s claustrophobic, tense, and honestly, some scenes might keep me up at night. (No regrets.)
This book is meticulously planned and unlike anything I’ve read before. Every format shift serves the narrative, drawing you deeper into the unraveling chaos. It’s smart, emotional, terrifying, and surprisingly tender - and I already can’t wait to crack open Gemina.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fascinating read. If you like sci-fi questions about humanity and a giant dose of evil tyrannical looming villain, this could be for you. Personally, I could have done with 100% less space zombies. I would venture to say that if you want to properly experience this book, has to be physically read though - I have no idea how an audio version of this would work.
*5 stars*
preface : BEWILDERED.
okay, one moment, please, to actually collect my thoughts on how I felt reading this book ........ fuck, here we go.
non spoiler rant :
why do I have a non spoiler rant, you say? well, because there's literally not many I can say that would instantly not get you bombarded with spoilers.
okay. first of all, this is probably my first EVER ya sci-fi fiction, so I am definitely not experienced with the themes and everything. the presentation of this book ... is GORGEOUS. for those who don't know, this book is not your usual novel, because the story isn't told through words and paragraphs, but in a rather unique, e.g. through journals, encrypted messages, email and test messaging logs, and just really crazy-loopy-warpy-creative illustrations (gonna explain later in the spoiler rant). I'd say this, it's not for everybody. as for me, this novel was really fresh and because the pages itself has pictures, illustrations, and just hints here and there made it so easy to read and consume, also was very fun and DEFINITELY not boring.
as for what the story is about, i'd say, think REALLY REALLY hard what the synopsis tells you. It took me by surprise because I didn't pay attention to it at first, but the synopsis is already telling you about all that will happen in the story lol (spare my overflowing tears because I didn't notice it and was mindfucked soo many times while reading)
now, to the spoiler rant :
WHAT. THE FUCK. WAS THAT. sorry though, I really can't hold my tongue from saying nasty words in this so very "fluent and professional" review because I really just can't. WHY? WHY? WHY? Why did you have to wreck me this way?
man, this novel. in the beginning, I was unsure, because it just hit me that the first message was just a prologue and this whole time we were witnessing a past record of the whole story. gee, thanks authors. sorry for not paying attention a lot sooner, maybe I am just that dense.
the story. before that, shout out to the illustrators, for not only making me confused half way and so I had to put the book away for a minute to process stuff, but my god, you're geniuses. i don't know how you did it, but you and also the audiobook helped me ascend to a different dimension while reading this book. the plot was just so so good. pacing? to me, it was super fast. and i'm okay with that, because that mixed in with the suspense and plot twists, it all worked well. I mean, I cried a few times due to sudden shock, but I'm okay.
the characters. I love, LOVE LOVE love, kady and ezra. It was cheesy at times, since it's young love and all, but how I was SO PROUD AT THEM. One of my favorite moments was when Ezra said "I'm proud of you" to Kady, but now I can't for the life of me remember what exact page it was, and if it was Ezra, or AIDAN. on the other hand, kady's voice actor was not on par with Ezra's in terms of intonation and emotions in her voice was so often frustrating for me, but she had so many badass lines that well, I'll just f*ck with it, then (i censored it, yeay!).
so many good characters died here, and many of them are who I actually started to care about. salute to James McNulty, he was the man. Dorian? Le fevre? Their short convo was cute, but I let you go now. Torrence? f*ck him. Honestly, I was happy that he was gone. Byron? i am confused to what the hell did you do, what you ALMOST do, and what you did. You're still a hero, though, so salute to you.
AIDAN. holy shit. at first, I was like, are you f*cking with me? are we supposed to defense this peace of shit? really? no, right? no no no no no no... no no no no no ... you are INSANE. like a psychopath. what even the hell is this. it. yes, IT. why did this happen? I really couldn't understand what's inside AIDAN's mind at first. I wanted to throw away the book, the first time. But I continued, and continued, and the chaotic scene I saw in the beginning, it doesn't compare. not even close. i really liked how he "died" in the end, though. I was happy he got his part of torture in the end, as well, before he died. At least, he actually changed his mind, though only the readers know about it, though.
forgot to add :
I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE WE SPENT HALF OF THE BOOK, ONLY TO REVEAL THAT EZRA IS FUCKING DEAD AND IT WAS AIDAN THE WHOLE TIME WE HAVE SEEN OF HIM (almost ALL, THOUGH), AND I SPENT THE LATTER HALF HATING AND CRYING OVER KADY AND AIDAN, BUT THEN IN THE END IT WAS LIKE, OH SHIT, EZRA WAS ACTUALLY ALIVE THOUGH ON SHORT STRAW, AND KADY WAS RESCUED!!! OH, AND APPARENTLY OUR ENEMY IS EZRA'S MOTHER, KID YOU NOT.
that's cold, chum. real cold.
preface : BEWILDERED.
okay, one moment, please, to actually collect my thoughts on how I felt reading this book ........ fuck, here we go.
non spoiler rant :
why do I have a non spoiler rant, you say? well, because there's literally not many I can say that would instantly not get you bombarded with spoilers.
okay. first of all, this is probably my first EVER ya sci-fi fiction, so I am definitely not experienced with the themes and everything. the presentation of this book ... is GORGEOUS. for those who don't know, this book is not your usual novel, because the story isn't told through words and paragraphs, but in a rather unique, e.g. through journals, encrypted messages, email and test messaging logs, and just really crazy-loopy-warpy-creative illustrations (gonna explain later in the spoiler rant). I'd say this, it's not for everybody. as for me, this novel was really fresh and because the pages itself has pictures, illustrations, and just hints here and there made it so easy to read and consume, also was very fun and DEFINITELY not boring.
as for what the story is about, i'd say, think REALLY REALLY hard what the synopsis tells you. It took me by surprise because I didn't pay attention to it at first, but the synopsis is already telling you about all that will happen in the story lol (spare my overflowing tears because I didn't notice it and was mindfucked soo many times while reading)
now, to the spoiler rant :
WHAT. THE FUCK. WAS THAT. sorry though, I really can't hold my tongue from saying nasty words in this so very "fluent and professional" review because I really just can't. WHY? WHY? WHY? Why did you have to wreck me this way?
man, this novel. in the beginning, I was unsure, because it just hit me that the first message was just a prologue and this whole time we were witnessing a past record of the whole story. gee, thanks authors. sorry for not paying attention a lot sooner, maybe I am just that dense.
the story. before that, shout out to the illustrators, for not only making me confused half way and so I had to put the book away for a minute to process stuff, but my god, you're geniuses. i don't know how you did it, but you and also the audiobook helped me ascend to a different dimension while reading this book. the plot was just so so good. pacing? to me, it was super fast. and i'm okay with that, because that mixed in with the suspense and plot twists, it all worked well. I mean, I cried a few times due to sudden shock, but I'm okay.
the characters. I love, LOVE LOVE love, kady and ezra. It was cheesy at times, since it's young love and all, but how I was SO PROUD AT THEM. One of my favorite moments was when Ezra said "I'm proud of you" to Kady, but now I can't for the life of me remember what exact page it was, and if it was Ezra, or AIDAN. on the other hand, kady's voice actor was not on par with Ezra's in terms of intonation and emotions in her voice was so often frustrating for me, but she had so many badass lines that well, I'll just f*ck with it, then (i censored it, yeay!).
so many good characters died here, and many of them are who I actually started to care about. salute to James McNulty, he was the man. Dorian? Le fevre? Their short convo was cute, but I let you go now. Torrence? f*ck him. Honestly, I was happy that he was gone. Byron? i am confused to what the hell did you do, what you ALMOST do, and what you did. You're still a hero, though, so salute to you.
AIDAN. holy shit. at first, I was like, are you f*cking with me? are we supposed to defense this peace of shit? really? no, right? no no no no no no... no no no no no ... you are INSANE. like a psychopath. what even the hell is this. it. yes, IT. why did this happen? I really couldn't understand what's inside AIDAN's mind at first. I wanted to throw away the book, the first time. But I continued, and continued, and the chaotic scene I saw in the beginning, it doesn't compare. not even close. i really liked how he "died" in the end, though. I was happy he got his part of torture in the end, as well, before he died. At least, he actually changed his mind, though only the readers know about it, though.
forgot to add :
I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE WE SPENT HALF OF THE BOOK, ONLY TO REVEAL THAT EZRA IS FUCKING DEAD AND IT WAS AIDAN THE WHOLE TIME WE HAVE SEEN OF HIM (almost ALL, THOUGH), AND I SPENT THE LATTER HALF HATING AND CRYING OVER KADY AND AIDAN, BUT THEN IN THE END IT WAS LIKE, OH SHIT, EZRA WAS ACTUALLY ALIVE THOUGH ON SHORT STRAW, AND KADY WAS RESCUED!!! OH, AND APPARENTLY OUR ENEMY IS EZRA'S MOTHER, KID YOU NOT.
that's cold, chum. real cold.
adventurous
emotional
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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a re-read for me, I still really enjoyed it. This time however, I'm knocking down a star for the sexism en fatphobia. Wtf guys?
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes