Illuminae

Uniquely fun and interesting novel that I makes you want to order the rest of the series right away. Took some time to get into the formatting, but I ended up loving it at the end especially someone of the beautiful compositions done with the AI.

It was very hard for me to get into this book. I was excited to read it because of the unusual way it was written, but because of that, it ended up being very hard for me to follow what was happening pretty much throughout the whole story, but especially at the beginning. I had a harder time following who characters were and what their role was in the story.

The characters also didn't feel like they had much depth, and I didn't ever really feel connected with them and engaged with what was happening in their world.

I think that the romance was a little too lovesick for me. I didn't like that their relationship was only communicated through “texting” because of the text slang and emoticons used. I felt like they didn't have true conversations and instead just talked about how much they missed each other all the time. It just felt too much like middle school / high school drama.

I think the concept of the book was interesting, but I think it would have worked better as a video game than as a book.

I think this book is best as an audiobook. The formatting of the actual book is really fun sort of a cut and past journal. I found the plot really fun. I really did not like any of the characters. This is certainly written for a YA audience.

Content warnings for my friends: There is a lot of implied language that is redacted but the curse words jumped right into my mind as I read it. There is a lot of violence disturbing images.

Wow... what a read... This book was good!

I tried to read this one in 2018, and for some reason, I wasn't liking it. I got lost with all those files and different characters. But fortunately, I gave another chance to this book and I am really happy that I did it.

I really liked the middle of the book and the interactions of Kady and Ezra, because the beginning was a little slow, even if it starts with a planet attack. The last 200/250 pages were too much for me and the MC was too lucky for my taste. HOWEVER, it didn't spoil the book, it kinda made sense.

The end was really good and for me a little unexpected.

Really recommend it to people who like sci-fi and TVShow “Firefly”.

madness in many colors.

i remembered this being good, but not this good. it's super rare a book can make me cry these days, but i was gripped until the very end with tears stinging my eyes, even if i had an inkling of a memory of how it ended.
sci-fi for people who don't, or feel like they can't, read sci-fi, and incredibly engrossing.

This is not what I had expected. I had heard so much about this book and kinda expected it to disappoint in some ways, because it is/was so hyped up. There were many twists, most of which I didn't see coming. In short this book is smart, unique and full of action.

3.5 stars

Hmm, ok I have some thoughts.

I recently realized that, although science fiction shows are some of my favorite things, I haven't actually read many (if any) science fiction books. And this series has intrigued me for a while, with its cool mixed-media format and spaceship setting. I thought I'd try it.

And wow, was this a good story! It was everything my sci-fi-nerd heart could've wanted. Plus, the way it was told - through emails, interviews, diagrams, camera footage transcripts, etc - made it even more of an experience. I really loved this.

However.

I have to call out that there is a LOT of language in this book. Plenty of d-words and h-words and misusing Jesus/God's name. There was “stronger” language as well, but because it's YA, they have those words blacked out. But honestly, reading it in context, you know what the words are. And there's just a lot of it. Enough to bump my rating down a star.
Now, if there was any situation that warranted strong language, being trapped in a damaged spaceship with a deadly plague spreading while also being pursued by another spaceship planning to destroy you- that would be it.
Also noted: there is a little mild sexual innuendo as well.

I'm going to continue reading the series. I just wanted to be clear about the content issues, for those who want to steer clear (a position I definitely respect).

I will ignore the fact that I kind of hate the ending because the rest was the most amazing, suspenseful and creative thing I have read this year.

Am I not merciful?

This. Book. Is. AFUCKINGMAZING.

It's so hard to talk about a book like this for fear of giving anything away so kindly just there as I get this Asksksksksksaaaahhhh out. Trust me, with this it's best to go in blind.

The whole book reads like a dossier/ transcript which is fantastic because it is well done. It just adds more to the sci fi effect. It's also EMOTIONAL AF. My anxiety and tears were all over the place.

I can get why someone wouldn't like this. The formatting takes some getting used to if you're not expecting it when you first open the book. I found it to be unique and exciting and just plain FUN...even though I cried. CRYING CAN BE FUN TOO.

You'll never know how happy I am that I already have Gemina...

NOW SOMEONE COME TALK TO ME ABOUT ALL MY FEELINGS.

Geez that was basic. Considering the extreme hype surrounding this book, I was painfully underwhelmed. I guess I was entertained enough, but it's a pretty forgettable story overall. I don't think the format added anything to the story. The dialogue was corny as hell, the jokes rarely/barely landed, and the end basically had a little bow on it. I'd say this won't be a beloved book for well-versed (ha) sci-fi fans, but it's a quick read and not a complete waste of time. Just know you've seen it all before, and it's very “I'm 14 and this is deep” a lot of the time.

I liked it enough I'll probably pick up the next book, mainly because I already own it, but I'm not exactly in a hurry.

Gave up on this. I hate the semi-epistolary/semi-found artifact format. I guess I'm just not ready for the post-narrative future.

I've slowly been trying to get into sci-fi, and this was a great start. I was not sure about the mixed media format, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. I ordered the next 2 books, and I might give the audiobooks a try.

“They are beyond me.These humans.With their brief lives and their tiny dreams and their hopes that seem as fragile as glass.Until you see them by starlight, that is.”

This book owns my heart and soul!!! It was total perfection and I want to frame the pages and hang them around the house.

My reading process for this book:
- Oh look, a censored word. Let's say all the curse words in our head and see which one fits best in the given sentence.
- Ohh black page, AIDAN is hereeeee :))
- Good Lord, they killed someone but my god the pages look amazing. And the format changes everytime people are mass-murdered because we're all going to hell but let's go out in styleee~
- ASCII art! Be still my CS nerd heart!
- Chat logs are so much fun to read.
- Why does AIDAN sound like Shakespeare?! Did it eat a book while self-repairs?
- Oh good god, this is horrific!
- Why am in love with the AI?
- Good Lord, he's a psycho!
- Oh no, now I like the AI again?!
- Incoherent screaming noises

Now onto the content:
- Reverse damsel in distress trope?
- AI done right.
- Girl programmer FTW! :D Go Kadyyy!
- Epistolary format <3 I didn't know you existed before today.
- The character banters

All in all, I loved this book so much that I take it out and flip the pages after every few days. I loved the character interactions a lot. Ezra and Jimmy, Ezra and Kady, Kady and AIDAN, AIDAN with anyone else. There's lots of twists and turns and unexpected things happen. A lot of people are killed in the book. A lot of feels along the way. All in all, this book ends on a good note and leaves you wanting more. So much more.

This book ripped my heart out on more than one occasion and then put it back together. It was one of the few books I read in 2018 that actually had me excited for reading, as I had previously been in a pretty long book drought. You have to read this book. The only other thing I will say is that I would like to name a future pet Jimette.

1.5 Such a slog to get through. The opening relationship-establishing dialogue is some of the worst I've ever read, and if this wasn't on the BOB list, I'd have put it down just for that. The action did finally pick up, but it sure did take 150+ pages to get there. This thing is soooo long, and then after the action finally does hit, the ending drags on forever. Being in an almost-death situation with constantly ratcheted stakes is too exhausting for 200+ pages. Also, I understand the appeal of the graphic formula, and while I didn't love it, I did get used to it, but I have to imagine that the grey text on black background would render this book inaccessible to any kid with the slightest vision issue.

Couldn't put it down! Went and bought a hard copy because reading this on a Paperwhite is decidedly suboptimal.* (And decided to just buy [b:Gemina 29236299 Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2) Amie Kaufman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480097137s/29236299.jpg 44560442] right then, since I was thoroughly hooked.)What genre is this? I see elements of: -Hard science fiction-Space Opera (meant non-pejoratively)-Military science fiction-Action-Adventure-Character study-Romance-Feminism-Horror (FTR, it was shelved at B&N under “YA Fantasy.” Wut? No.)While some would style this a teen romance in a science fiction wrapper, I think it's a lot more sophisticated than that. My perspective is that Kady is the protagonist, and her character development and motivations to become a hero are tightly linked with her romantic relationship, but there's a lot more to it than that. Kady's journal entries reveal that Ezra means a lot to her as an individual, but maybe even more as a symbol about her life and her identity.There are lots of engaging characters, desperate fights for survival, cunning military tactics, noble sacrifices, and food for thought about what it means to be a human, to be alive, to be conscious, to relate to others.Highly recommended - just make sure you have some free time so you can binge-read it once you get addicted!*The formatting is at times immersive and evocative, and on occasion gimmicky and a little annoying. Overall I liked it though. And I really need to see Super Turbo Awesome Team vs. Megapanda rightnow.)

I quite enjoyed this genre-crosser of a story. The format is a little odd in that the entire story is told through a series of hacked and intercepted documents of various kinds. But, it works. The main character is Kady, a 17/18 year-old girl. Her love interest, Ezra, is another important character and a total bad-ass. Though young, Kady is very smart and very tough – which she has to be, because this story really puts her and everyone else through the wringer. I hesitated to call this YA because it is so violent. But, with the teenage main characters what else can it be?
In addition to the romance elements (which actually don't get very sweaty as Kady and Ezra get very little time together), we get space battles, an insane computer (or is it?), a plague that turns people into zombies, and lots of action. The pace never lets up.
I wanted to give this book five stars but finally couldn't because of something toward the end of the story (sorry, can't tell as that would definitely spoil the book). So, 4.5 stars.
The audiobook was a very well done multi-voiced performance.

3 stars I never had any intention of picking this book up, and then the 3rd book came out and everyone was excited so I decided to give it a try. Meh. I got sick of the format very quickly and it put me in a massive reading slump :( I guess this book just wasn't for me. It wasn't bad... Just not my thing I guess.

Kady baru saja memutuskan Ezra secara sepihak tadi pagi. Berpisah dengan pemuda itu tampaknya bukan hal yang paling berat dalam hidupnya, karena siangnya, planet tempat tinggalnya diinvasi.
Buku ini diceritakan secara berbeda, yaitu dalam bentuk hasil sadap dokumen, termasuk E-mail, skema, dokumen militer,pesan pribadi, laporan medis, wawancara, dsb. Karena bentuknya yg berbeda, agak lambat untuk mengerti jalan cerita di awal2, namun semakin lanjut semakin bisa mengikuti.
Hal2 yang cukup menarik yg ada dlm buku ini antara lain perang, pesawat tempur ruang angkasa, komputer kecerdasan buatan (AI) yang gila serta wabah mematikan. Pemanisnya tentu saja cerita antara Kady & Ezra. Aku cukup menyukai buku ini dan pastinya menunggu buku berikutnya terbit terjemahannya.

Ahhhhhh I loved this book! I thoroughly enjoyed the epistillary style and I grew very attached to the characters. The action sequences were exciting and the art is beautiful.

One of my new favorites!!! THIS WAS AWESOME!

I don't know what I can say about this that other people haven't already.

This is an amazing book. I love how it is told in memos, analysis reports, IM/emails, and other interesting methods. The way it all looked and the movement of the text.... just amazing.

Also, the story itself! WOW WOOOOOWWWW. I thought I knew one part, but there was indeed some twists I didn't see coming.

I will be recommending this book to others and look forward to reading the rest of the series. So glad I waited until the series was finished!!

Well, that was a rollercoaster ride. Who knew, that you can experience such surges of adrenalin because of the book.

Illuminae got me from the start, right from the first page. How can you resist the book if it starts with so much sarcasm? Well, you just can't.

Sure, the story kicks off with the deaths of thousands of people, but god forbid there be cussing in it, right?

Illuminae

RIGHT NOW

Very clever format! So creative. I did not appreciate the ending. I won't say exactly why, because spoilers, but I think the ending would have been better without the last 15 pages. It would have made for a more genuine ending. But. Also. It's YA. So, I expect they'd give us a more “happy” ending than what would make sense.

I freaking loved this book. It took me two tries to really get into it, but once I got about 100 pages in, I was hooked. The layout is so beautiful and strange, it kept me wanting to read more and more. This book made me literally laugh out loud, and it also broke my heart. I cannot wait to read Gemina.

finished this in 7 hours. I think that speaks to how much I loved this book. I was a little nervous I'd hate the format of this book but it turns out that I actually love it. What a flippin' creative idea. Also, I enjoy that the swear words are censored out so it allows me to be creative and add my own in where I see a blank space.