Spaced out with Illuminae

My last blog post was of a Bookish Mix-tape inspired by Illuminae. Not everyone was able to read that post because of the large amount of *spoilers*. This post, however, can be read by anyone without worry. Illuminae is one of my favorite books because of the way it is able to draw readers into a wonderfully constructed sci-fi world. That is the main reason I suggest this book to people. Even if you are discouraged by the format or unsure about science fiction, I promise that the story is worth it. Before you even get to the end, readers will feel as though they too are floating through space with Kady and Ezra.

First off, this book had everything! Space, sci-fi, contagious diseases, zombies, teen drama, romance....everything. Some elements may seem a little cliche but Kaufman and Kristoff weaved them together in a way I have never seen before.

In addition to a healthily creative plot, the authors used a very unique format to convey the story. It is completely told through files, video camera transcripts, messaging systems, and other digital media. This format makes it easier to read since the sections are short and there aren’t endless details to distract the reader. If the story is being told on a high tech space station, then the authors made a good choice to tell the story in a high tech way. I did find though that in a few sections towards the end, the text seemed fairly similar to standard prose which distracted me a little.

Nevertheless the characters were very relatable and stood to be good storytellers! The plot flowed well and I am really interested in picking up another book by this duo.

I highly recommend this book to everyone to be moved to the top of their TBR, however I do warn that it may leave you tearing up a bit and looking over your shoulder as you pass through dark hallways. That's just how good of a story Illuminae is!

You know how sometimes you will be reading a book, and you get to that point where you decide it’s so good you just have to read until you finish it no matter how long that takes? Illuminae gave me that feeling before I even hit the halfway mark. The last book I felt that way about was Caraval which I read a year and a half ago. To finish Illuminae, I read about 350 pages in 24 hours. This book had my crying at 3:00 am and checking over my shoulder while walking through my dark house. In other words I was able to strongly connect with the characters.

If you have already read and LOVED Illuminae, as I have, then I would like to suggest these books to you as well: This Splintered Silence (by Kayla Olson), Six Of Crows (Leigh Bardugo), Aurora Rising (Kaufman and Kristoff), and The True Meaning Of Smek Day (Adam Rex).