Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Illuminae is the first book in the Illuminae Files. For twenty years, the Wallace Ulyanov Consortium has held an illegal mine on the planet Kerenza IV. Hidden at the edge of the universe undetected, the tiny, ice-covered planet housed a large population of people who lived average lives. Without warning an BeiTech, opposing company, sent four dreadnought in the hopes of quietly massacring the entire planet. The plan proved to be unsuccessful as three ships escaped carrying over 4,000 civilians. Among these civilians were ex-lovers Kady Grant and Ezra Mason. A newly conscripted pilot, Ezra rides the battle carrier Alexander, but as things start to wrong he begins to question the motives behind his orders. Meanwhile, Kady hacks through tangled webs of data to discover the truth that the military is hiding.
While the book offered multiple perspectives, Kady became the clear lead character. On the surface, Kady is your average kickass heroine. This sarcastic and smart hacker may seem though, but, like many characters, she is broken on the inside. She lost friends and family members on Kerenza, but instead of cowering, she turns this guilt into drive. Not long into their journey, things begin to go wrong, but the military isn’t providing any answers. Kady hacks deep into military data to discover the truth behind the unexplained occurrences.
Illuminae is an amazing book. Narrated through a series of hacked files, readers must piece together the story of the Kerenza refugees. This unique style of storytelling provides a mix of advantages and drawbacks. Early in the book, the plot suffers. It is information heavy and boring. It feels like reading a series of primary sources for a boring history assignment despite the interesting premise. As the book progresses, it becomes easier to read and more interesting. Big and small events amass around page 200. From there on the book is nonstop suspense and action. After page 200, the unique story format becomes a benefit rather than a burden. The words move around the page creating images that match the chaos of the story or enhance the suspense. Different genres of sci-fi, romance, thriller, and horror collide as the story is told through the eyes of multiple characters. Monumental plot twists spiral the characters from catastrophic situations to impossible. I give this 599 page book 5 stars.
The Illuminae Files
Told through a collection of hacked emails, video, and various other files, Illuminae tells the story of the survivors of the Battle of Kerezna. It tells the story of how survivors escaped the planet, how the were pursued by a BeiTech dreadnought, and how one girl fought