Book Review: Illuminae

Title: Illuminae
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Book in Series: 1 of 3
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Released in: 2015
Pages: 602
My Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis: It’s the year 2575, and this dossier is all the files that have anything to do with the Kerenza situation and what happened afterwards. Essentially, Kerenza is…er, was… a planet on the outskirts of the universe that was attacked by a rival corporation. Survivors of the attack are evacuated onto 3 space ships, which are fleeing to a wormhole that will send them to a safe place, but it’s a 6 month journey. Only thing is, one enemy space ship survived, and is chasing after them. What transpires next is of utter confusion to most…but in reading these case files we understand that a virus overtakes one of the 3 space ships, mutating and killing all on the ship. Another ship’s AI (artificial intelligence) then takes over, overriding all commands, and doing what it thinks will be the most optimal solution to keep as many people as possible, on these ships, safe.

My Thoughts: It took me just a little bit to get into the book. You are thrown right in, without much explanation of what kind of world this is taking place, and right into the onset of the attack of Kerenza. The story is told by computer documents, case files, interview sessions, email and test conversations, etc. Such an intricately woven story, between all the sources, to tell the story of our main character, Kady. It hooked me in and I had to find out what happened! It was a bit confusing, figuring out how Kady was so involved in what transpired, and the part she played. But I loved the pace and writing style. Can’t wait to read the next one!