Review Detail

Wow. This book is uniquely put together. How did it even get published in the first place? My goodness. The amount of work and sweat must be totally uncountable, and I think the authors and creators deserve a healthy round of applause. Just wow.

ILLUMINAE is a book that is just stunning. It's visual, interacting, and outstanding in its genre. I have never seen or read a book quite like this. And I have never thought that I would be able to connect with its characters from professional documents and transcripts and such, but I so did. And that is an impressive feat.

Kady and Ezra are amusing and hilarious. They are both major characters, but it is Kady whose character arc is especially followed. She is a really awesome, snarky, and intelligent girl who narrative and personality dominates most of the book. She is the hero of the story. Not Ezra who is in the military and fights against a faceless, evil corporation with a ship that's hunting the innocent, but her who is the rebel messing around with the computer systems.

Ezra has his moments, but he is not in the limelight. The other person (which is a very hard label to put on, to be honest) is actually the artificial intelligence called Aidan. Now, that AI is a true character whose character development is creepy. (Well done, by the way.)

The conflict, at first, is a bit complicated to understand. Yes, the world building is hard to picture, especially for those who don't read YA Sci-Fi. Yes, the story is in a strange format that is so unlike its sister Sci-Fi novels. Yes, it's hard to tell who exactly is who and why they are so important/relevant to the story. But I assure you all that the book isn't really difficult to understand when you go with the flow. Trust me. And the story, the battle, the action, the way it is set up... It's so engaging.

Speaking of the world building, have I mentioned how complex and amazing the setting is? Seriously. It's so well thought out, and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to see the sequel and read what the authors have planned next.

In conclusion, ILLUMINAE is a visually stunning book that goes all out. It's very creative and unlike any other book I've ever read.

Rating: Five out of Five