Illuminae

“The universe owes you nothing, Kady. It has already given you everything, after all. It was here long before you, and it will go on long after you. The only way it will remember you is to do something worth remembrance.”

5 OF 5 BEAUTIFUL STARS

That.

Was.

F A N T A S T I C !

Truly, I cannot believe I just had the pleasure of reading this beautiful novel. And, I'm sorry, but can we just appreciate the cover? Because, it's beautiful just looking at it, but then watch at this beautiful thing:

Please, give a huge round of applause to the design team for this one, both inside and out. This is, without a single doubt, the coolest and most unique book I have ever read. And please accept my apologies on the gif overload and the compliments, but if you read this book, you will understand why I'm completely head over heels in love with it. So, without further ado, let us begin! *ahem, ahem* The story revolves around two main characters: Kady Grant and Ezra Mason, two teenage refugees from a terrorist attack that destroyed their home planet. Oh yeah, I should probably mention that humans have, you know, expanded to the outer reaches of the universe and colonized different planets. Awesome, I know. But back to the story. There are three ships holding thousands of refugees from Kerenza IV, but unfortunately the ship that was used by BeiTech, an intergalactic company running on deceit and corporate greed, to destroy the planet is following them and with the damage sustained from the previous battle, the refugee ships cannot just to-infinity-and-beyond-it out of there. Thus ensues our novel, but what a novel, indeed. Illuminae is told not through two perspectives, but as a casefile. The majority of the book consists of instant messages between Kady and Ezra, who ended up on different ships, with many audio recordings, video analysis, director's notes, and more to complete the story. I have to admit, going in I was hesitant about this book because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to emotionally connect to text messages and that the story wouldn't have the same empathy with me, but man was I wrong. This story is one of terror, love, death, and existentialism. I read this book in one sitting, and believe me you'll want to do the same. Though there was some melodramatics in the beginning and slightly in the end, the majority of this book is a thrill ride of life and death and it had my heart racing right along the wibbly-wobbly pages. Don't believe me? LOOK AT THIS DESIGN IT IS INCREDIBLE:

And don't even get me started about the writing. Usually, I'm hesitant to read a coauthored book simply because often it's disjoint or the story is too warped between the conflicted author's ideas, but this defied all my expectations. The book was hilarious between Kady and Ezra, but it was beyond beautiful with AIDAN's sections. OH. We HAVE to talk about AIDAN. Okay, I began to question my sanity when AIDAN's perspective started to show up. AIDAN is the artificial intelligence for the Alexander, the warship of the three fleeing Kerenza IV, and I can't help but imagine Paul Bettany's voice in my head when I'm reading its narration even though it's genderless and accentless. AIDAN over the course of about 200 pages goes from an insane, damaged AI to a questioning, semi-sentient being that seems to have emotions and thoughts beyond its programming. The reality that AIDAN presented made me question my own, and it is one of the main reasons that this book is absolutely fantastic. I'm serious, I started wondering if I was even real at this point, that's how perfectly this was executed. I know this is a long review, but believe me, I could keep going for hours about this thing. The plot was fantastic, the writing beautiful and dynamic and interactive, and the characters relatable and highly interesting. There were so many plot twists I didn't see coming, and the design of the book will stay with me for years, maybe even decades. Okay, okay, I'll shut up about it, but please, please go read it! I promise you, you won't be disappointed, and I don't promise things lightly. Share your thoughts!