Title: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Length: 602 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: October 20, 2015
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Recommend: HECK YES!
I literally have no words for this book! I just can’t believe how amazing this book was! I remember seeing a super negative review from someone that is prone to having negative reviews on a lot of books, and I just couldn’t understand the hate for it. Then again, this person didn’t get past the first 100 pages because the format of the book was “annoying” to this person, but I personally loved it.
So if you’ve never seen how the pages of Illuminae look like, it is basically like a huge official file of what went down in the aftermath of the destruction of Kerenza IV. It had transcripts of interviews, IMs, surveillance footage, and other files that just made it seem super official. I mean, it was. I was reading everything there was to know about the fight that the Alexander, Hypatia, and Copernicus had to go through after rescuing the refugees from Kerenza IV. The main two characters in this book were Kady Grant and Ezra Mason, who just so happened to break up the day before their world came crashing down, literally.
I was literally at the edge of my seat reading this book. I didn’t want to stop to eat, to sleep, to do anything. I brought my book to the restaurants we went to on Sunday. I brought it to the dog park. I brought it everywhere. I had all of my dogs laying around me as I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to find out what was going to be the final fate of the Alexander fleet. What was going to happen to Kady? What already happened to Ezra? Did I put my heart and soul into characters that weren’t going to make it past this book? Would I survive? Was this going to be the most epic battle in all of history?
I have to say that this is now at the top of my favorite books in 2019 because holy cow. I just loved it. I felt for everyone that didn’t survive. I felt for them trying their damn hardest to make it to safety and finding that they just didn’t get there fast enough. I felt for the list of names on the casualty list from a certain battle – spoiler alert: Amie and Jay are on that list and I almost died – and could not believe that all of those lives were wiped out in an instant. I felt for what Kady and Ezra saw when they were trying to escape the BeiTech attack on Kerenza IV. I almost felt something for AIDAN, but whether it was a positive or negative feeling, I’m not certain yet.
Basically just read the damn book. Or listen to the full cast audio that has these amazing space special effects to make you really feel like you’re in their world. I may listen to the audiobook even though I finished the hardcover, just so I can see how they do certain things on it – like AIDAN glitching.
Sometimes Leelynn Reads 
My goal is to read this book at some point. I’ve see so many book bloggers rave about this book. I guess I have to check it out at some point!
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I’m so late on the bandwagon for this book honestly! I’ve had it on my shelf for at least two years and only pulled it out recently because I finally felt ready to get through it. I hope you do check it out, and I look forward to hearing what you think of it!
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I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, I am obsessed with anything Kristoff to be quite frank. So happy you loved it. I just love the format and everything about it. Can’t wait to see your thoughts on Gemina.
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I’m so glad to hear you love this series! I keep seeing people getting copies of Memento but it looks like it’s a special thing? I totally want to read that one soon. Kristoff is an author that I haven’t read yet until now, and I’m kind of regretting that I didn’t read anything from him before. Oh I need to read Gemina like ASAP!
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I know Mir already commented but I just had to say that YAY!!! You loved Illuminae! Also, I’m a massive AIDAN fan – I can’t help it. I have such complicated feelings towards that AI, but my god it’s a great freaking character. Can’t wait till you read the next one. Kady is amazing and next you meet my other fave girl – Hanna Fucking Donnelly! Woot!
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Oh you and Mir can totally come visit and comment ❤ I love hearing from both of you. AIDAN totally made me feel some type of way towards the end especially, so I can't wait to see what I feel about it (I keep wanting to say him) in the next two books. And now that I read it, I now know why everyone says AIDAN as opposed to Aidan. I thought it was just regular caps excitement lol. Oh gosh I can't wait to meet her!
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I have to say, that Dean GIF is the perfect GIF for my response to this book. xD So glad you liked it! AIDAN is a fantastic AI. He’s as awesome as he is terrifying. And as Melanie said, if you liked Kady, you will LOVE Hanna Donnelly in Gemina!
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Dean is LIFE and that Dean gif is one of my favorites! I felt like that all while reading the second half of this book so I totally get that lol. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I honestly can’t wait to read Gemina (I almost just went for it until I remembered I don’t have Obsidio) and read more about Hanna Donnelly!
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I’m sitting here staring at Obsidio now haha. I just got it from the library a couple weeks ago, and I have mixed feelings about digging into it because once I finish it, that’s the eeeeend. Of this series, at least. Then I have to move on to something like Aurora Rising lol.
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Such a good review!! I’m so glad you loved it! Now I definitely need to pick this series up!
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Thank you! And yes please do, and let me know when you read it!
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You’re welcome! And I will! ♥
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First of all, that book is not light so good job on carting it around all over.
There was a point toward the end where I almost threw it out the window, but then things were okay… glad you loved it so much! I just started Obsidio and I’m so sad that it’s ending.
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I think it may have been the same part that I’m thinking of because I remember wanting to throw my book across the room! LOL I thought I would be the only one who felt that way lol.
And oh yeah, that book gave me some much needed arm muscles ❤ Quick question, are they not selling the Hardcover for Obsidio anymore? I can't seem to find it on B&N. Thanks for visiting ❤
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I found mine on book outlet and it’s only like $7 today!
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Thank you!!!
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