Really Short Reviews: The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I've become a mostly digital reader but for this series I cannot recommend enough getting the physical books. The format of these books lend to reading the physical copy. They are seriously works of art. The design team as well as the authors deserve a slow clap for how well they turned out. Seriously.

Illuminae
(The Illuminae Files #1)
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Release: October 20, 2015
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This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Review:
Last year, this book had so much hype around it. Bloggers and booktubers couldn't praise it enough and it got starred reviews everywhere. When it kept getting a lot of buzz months after it's release, I couldn't not pick it up. And I'm so glad I did.

It was brilliant. Emotional and creepy as hell in parts but brilliant. I read it towards the end of December and it usurped every other book I had read last year to take the number one spot for my most favorite book of 2015. Bloody hell. It made me cry several times and had me on the edge of my seat. Like literally on the edge of my seat. I kept having to get up to walk off my anxiety for the characters. It killed me half a dozen times and brought me back each time to give me another heart attack.  

Seriously. This book broke me in all of the best ways. I was an emotional mess reading it and couldn't put it down. It is one of the best YA sci-fi books I had read in forever. I highly, highly recommend picking it up. And if you're an audiobook person, I can't recommend the audio enough. I got it for my reread before Gemina came out. It was amazing with a full cast and sound effects! Really just go pick this book up. You won't regret it!

    

  5 / 5 Stars!

Gemina

(The Illuminae Files #2)

Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Release: October 18, 2016

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Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

Review: 
When I finished Illuminae my first thought was "Holy hell! How do we wait for book two?". My second was "How the hell are they going to top this?".
 
Well... they did what I thought was impossible. This book is just as good as the first one in its own way. Not only did I have about five different heart attacks reading it, they topped the design of the first book! There are designs/art in this book we didn't see in Illuminae. Choosing Marie Lu to draw the illustrations in this book was A++ decision making. The whole book is gorgeous and unique but those drawings just put it over the top.

The story was full of non-stop action and drama. And parts of this book were creepier than the creepy parts of the first one. How the heck did they pull that off? I really did not see that coming. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. It is definitely one of my favorite books of this year. But I can tell you now that the wait for the next book may kill me. I have no idea what to expect in the last book of the series but I'm so there for it! If you have not read this series yet, go do so. You can thank me later.

    

  5 / 5 Stars!

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Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff