Review
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"Prepare yourselves for Illuminae."
--EW.com
"One look at a hard copy of Illuminae and you know you're not in
for an ordinary novel experience. . . . Illuminae is a wholly
ambitious work that never sacrifices emotion or story for its
unique form."
--Bustle.com
"A truly interactive experience for the reader. . . . A
fantastically fun ride."
--MTV.com
"Brace yourself. You're about to be immersed in a mindscape that
you'll never want to leave."
--Marie Lu, bestselling author of the Legend trilogy
"Hints of romance and references to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A
Space Odyssey interweave with the text, itself an arresting
visual experience that weds form with expression and content."
--Booklist, starred review
"Stunningly creative. Smart, funny, and romantic. This is the
book I've been waiting for."
--Veronica Rossi, bestselling author of Under the Never Sky
"...a stylistically mesmerizing tale, where story and art are
interchangeable, and words act as pictures."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Nervy chicks, cute fighter pilots, lots of heart, lots of
heartbreak, a mentally unstable battleship, and even pink hair!
This book is xxxxing awesome." --Laini Taylor, bestselling author
of Daughter of Smoke and
"The characters are immediately real and with harrowing accounts,
unexpected twists, and gut-wrenching selflessness, they become
even more endearing over the course of the book. While
reminiscent of the works of Isaac Asimov and Orson Scott Card,
this work is a distinct piece that stands alone."
-- School Library Journal
"Alternately humorous, charming, horrifying and electrifying,
ILLUMINAE is unforgettable and a game-changer for its genre."
--Shelf Awareness
"You'll cheer, you'll p, you'll hang on for all 600 pages."
-- Romantic Times Book Reviews, Top Pick Gold
"Alternately humorous, charming, horrifying and electrifying,
ILLUMINAE is unforgettable and a game-changer for its genre."
--VOYA
"An edge of your seat thrill ride that left me breathless. Genre:
Undefinable. Novel: Unforgettable."
--Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures &
author of Unbreakable
"Not only is ILLUMINAE a twisting, heart-pounding story moving at
the speed of light, but it is a truly beautiful novel that
redefines the form. I have never read anything like it. And it
certainly filled the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA shaped hole in my
heart."
--Victoria Aveyard, bestselling author of Red Queen
"An exuberant mix of space opera, romance, zombies, hackers, and
political thrills, told with eccentric omb. ILLUMINAE is both
the weirdest and most heartfelt thing you'll read this year. "
--Scott Westerfeld, bestselling author of Uglies and Zeroes
"Ambitious, heartbreaking, and out-of-this-world awesome."
—Kirkus Reviews starred review
“Kaufman and Kristoff have created a fast-paced, quasi-political
sci-fi thriller that is completely unique.” —Booklist starred
review
From School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up—Kady Grant has typical problems: school, parents, and a
boyfriend she just dumped. But life spirals out of control when
Kady's planet, Kerenza, is attacked by an unknown enemy. As
destruction unfolds around her, Kady manages to escape her planet
on one of three ships. Kady is considered lucky, with her mother
on one ship and her ex, Ezra, on another. As the convoy flees
Kerenza with the enemy close behind, it is clear that the
problems have just be. A deadly virus is spreading through one
of the ships; AIDEN, the onboard computer of the lead ship, has
gone rogue; and the enemy is in close pursuit in an attempt to
destroy the last witnesses of the Kerenza catastrophe. Using a
nontraditional writing style, Kaufman and Kristoff craft the
narrative using illustrated screen s of spaceship blueprints,
interviews, data, and messages that make up the "Illuminae
Files." Despite the minimal presence of conventional paragraphs,
there is a surprisingly natural flow as elements are seamlessly
woven together to create a satisfying dossier-style reading
experience. The characters are immediately real and with
harrowing accounts, unexpected twists, and gut-wrenching
selflessness, they become even more endearing over the course of
the book. While reminiscent of the works of Isaac Asimov and
Orson Scott Card, this work is a distinct piece that stands
alone. VERDICT A great recommendation for middle and high school
science-fiction fans.—Paige Rowse, Syosset High School Library,
New York
About the Author
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Amie Kaufman is the award-winning co-author of the Starbound
series. Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of the Lotus War
series. They live in Melbourne, Australia.
You can learn more about Amie and Jay at amiekaufman.com and
jaykristoff.com.