Book Review Discussion: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Book: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Genre: YA science fiction/horror
Rating:★★★★★
For: fun
From: bought at Costco

Short Synopsis: The story begins with enemy fire raining down on our characters who live on a small planet at the edge of the galaxy.  They are both rescued but onto two different space ships. It is now the mission of these ships to get to the wormhole that will send them to where they can get help for all the refugees... before the bad guys find them again. It will take six months to get to this transfer spot, and they fear the enemy ship will track them down before that happens. Meanwhile, a few months into this journey, something strange and crazy happens on the third ship of their crippled fleet. The events after this strange and crazy thing is what make up the bulk of this story through an investigation that is being done long after the fact.

The book is a graphic novel of sorts. Actually, I'd call it a visual novel. Lots of illustrations and ways to portray the words visually. This investigation is taking place and in order to process this event, all the documents are put together for review. We, the readers, are then privy to these documents. The documents are made up of emails, chats, surveillance camera reports, on board ship announcements, journal entries, requests for different things, logs, detailed maps and blueprints and computer data.

My Response: Awesome! I started hearing buzz about this book when it first came out and then when I saw it at the store, there was no question, I knew I had to have one! The authors came to my area on my birthday and I so wish I could have gone, but I had other things I had to go to, so sadly it didn't happen. Anyway, now having read the book, I would love to hear what they have to say about it all! And how they did this, and that and the other.

You  may think that having a bunch of documents to read would be... boring... confusing.. disconnected, etc. But no, you get the feel of the whole story. You get the voice of the characters, you get the intensity of the things going on, you get their romantic connection (even though they are on different ships) and you get the conflict. It's really amazing and like I said, so so awesome.

Beware though, this does have a horror element and it's quite violent. Quite.

Bottom Line: I loved it. This! This is the sort of book I want to write! I just, I don't know, it's just so cool! This is story is far from over and YAY for more! One of my favorites of the year for sure.

Let's Talk About: Okay, so what IS your feeling about reading a book that is made up of documents? Do you find this creative? A cop out? Cool as can be? Strange? Too weird to handle? What? What do you think?

Other Reviews:

This book is impressive and a superb start to a promising series. From Good Books and Good Wine

In many ways, Illuminae is a game-changer for the world of young adult science fiction. It bridges the gap between hard-core science fiction fans and those looking for a good story. From That's What She Read

Final Verdict: Illuminae- It's like nothing I have ever read before...and I mean that in the best possible way! From The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

A glorious science fiction read for teens, this book has romance yes, but at its heart it is a dynamic horror story set in the vacuum of space. From Walking Brain Cells