Illuminae

Title: Illuminae
Authors: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Pages: 599
Rating: 5 Stars
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Earlier that day, Kady broke up with her boyfriend, Ezra.  How silly it was for her to think something like a break up was so dramatic, considering that afternoon, her planet was invaded by an evil spaceship. When Kady and Ezra are put onto separate research ships after being attacked and fleeing their planet, the two realize that petty fights are insignificant in the course of time. Sort of like how each human is but a single soul existing until they don't.  But Kady doesn't want to just exist.  She wants to be remembered.  

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This is one of the best books I've ever read.  I was physically incapable of picking up another book for a while after finishing Illuminae.  

The cool thing about this book is that it's not told in your typical novel format, with chapters and paragraphs.  Instead, it's a book filled with files, emails, instant messages, articles, interviews, surveillance camera feed records and many other mediums.  I've never read a book that's anything like this, and it was really neat to read.  

On top of the format being super unique and different, the plot line was absolutely captivating.  It dragged me in from page one, and I literally couldn't put it down.  It takes place in the year 2575, so it's very futuristic.  The idea of what the world would be like in 5 centuries is something we can only guess at, and I think it was cool to see the new technology the authors created.  

All the aspects of the book played together very well.  The authors obviously researched a lot, as there was nothing left untouched when it came to the science involved in anti gravity and living on a spaceship.  Plus, there was biological warfare of sorts, which was very thought out and added a sense of urgency and mystery to the plot.

The storyline added to the two characters madly in love, and the beautiful typography and images found in the book made for something unlike anything ever written, and I'm so incredibly glad I read Illuminae. 

It's rather difficult to put into words how amazing and powerful this book is, and I think that might be because the book itself isn't written entirely in words.  Simply put, Illuminae is something "out of this world".