Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman, and Jay Kristoff - Restarting February 10th 2023

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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.

[Betwixt the]

Yay, SUPER excited about this read!

[Heather]

so am I !!

[Betwixt the]

Heather wrote: "so am I !!"

I'm sitting here going... "I really really want to start it, but it's not the 22nd yet, but I want to read, but...!" I need to find a book to fill my time I think. XD

[prag ♻]

Elizabeth wrote: "Heather wrote: "so am I !!"

I'm sitting here going... "I really really want to start it, but it's not the 22nd yet, but I want to read, but...!" I need to find a book to fill my time I think. XD"

I know the feeling! I downloaded the sample on my kindle a while ago, and the preview seemed promising.

[prag ♻]

You guys started yet? I won't be able to start for a couple of days, I think. Sorry:(

[Betwixt the]

Feyde wrote: "You guys started yet? I won't be able to start for a couple of days, I think. Sorry:("

I started but haven't gotten very far yet, so no worries! :D

[Betwixt the]

Page 200:

(view spoiler)[
--Okay, so a few things of note:
1. LOVELOVELOVE how unique this read is! Though what exactly Ezra and Kady DID in the end to be so sought after remains to be seen. I have a thought, though, that perhaps this outside perspective collecting all this information...is maybe AIDAN. DUNDUNDUUUUUUUN! No, really, it seems legit.
2. WHY?!?!?! Are the ill so concerned with eyeballs? I mean seriously, EVERY SINGLE TIME it's something to do with eyeballs and people looking at them. I get they're all paranoid but I feel something even more fishy going on...in regards to eyeballs. Otherwise why would it matter so much?
3. This is intense and I'm LOOOOVING it! That is all. (hide spoiler)]

[Victoria]

I think I'll join you guys right after Christmas! :)

[Betwixt the]

Victoria wrote: "I think I'll join you guys right after Christmas! :)"

Oh, awesome! :D

[Betwixt the]

Page 308:

(view spoiler)[
--Ohmahgosh, ohmahgosh, ohmahgosh, OHMAHGOSH! That... That was... Wow, AIDAN's reeeeeeally lost it. I just hope our dear Ezra is out of the line of fire....and able to get off the ship before the virus gets that far. JEEZ, that section was intense!
--Still really dig the awesome formatting. All the little hints and extras make this read so much more entertaining than I think it would have been just written in regular prose. I mean, this way, we get what we normally wouldn't: a glimpse into the mind of a computer. It's just intriguing! (hide spoiler)]

[Betwixt the]

Page 419:

(view spoiler)[
OH MAH GOSH, no! NONONONONONONOOOOOOOO! Oh my gosh, this book. This book officially just slaughtered me. OH MY GOSH. How did I not see that twist coming?! HOOOOOW?! WHY?! Oooooh noooooooo, my heart! (hide spoiler)]

[Betwixt the]

Page 599:

(view spoiler)[
BOOK, I'm so so so sorry I yelled at you and threatened to beat you against a wall earlier! I forgive you for the heartache now! :D (hide spoiler)]

[Betwixt the]

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Heather]

Page 43
(view spoiler)[ This email that he is writing out is boring me to death! (hide spoiler)]

[prag ♻]

I'm still stuck somewhere in the beginning.
(view spoiler)[Is the whole thing narrated in interviews and emails? (hide spoiler)]

[Heather]

Feyde wrote: "I'm still stuck somewhere in the beginning.
[spoilers removed]"

Pretty much yeah

[prag ♻]

About 50%
(view spoiler)[Finally something's happening. Kady and Ezra are so cuteee<3 (hide spoiler)]

[prag ♻]

Elizabeth wrote: "Page 419:


OH MAH GOSH, no! NONONONONONONOOOOOOOO! Oh my gosh, this book. This book officially just slaughtered me. OH MY GOSH. How did I not see that twist coming?! HOOOOOW?! WHY?! Oooooh noooooo..."

IKRRRRRRRRR
(view spoiler)[Not.....Ezra? W-what? Ezra-dead? (hide spoiler)]

[prag ♻]

Done- wow! This was gooood.

The ending!?!?!?
(view spoiler)[I knew it all along. Ofcourse Ezra wasn't dead. What kind of a story would it hav been? There were no other characters. (hide spoiler)]

[prag ♻]

Done- wow! This was gooood.

The ending!?!?!?
(view spoiler)[I knew it all along. Ofcourse Ezra wasn't dead. What kind of a story would it hav been? There were no other characters. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Restarting!!!

I'm really excited to read this! It seems like an interesting concept!

[Betwixt the]

Feyde wrote: "Done- wow! This was gooood.

The ending!?!?!?
[spoilers removed]"

LOL I wish I'd been that smart while reading! Instead, I was overwhelmed with feels and couldn't think properly. :P

[Victoria]

Planning to start this tonight :)

[Kim]

I just started this maybe an hour and a half ago! I'm on page 104:

(view spoiler)[This seems like it's going to be really cool. It's really different than most books, since the story is told with different reports and instant messages and emails. It has a really awesome feel to it that I'm really enjoying.
I'm also a real big fan of Kady. She's really badass and does things her way. Though I'm still wondering why she and Ezra broke up. What didn't he tell her that made her so mad?
And why the hell did Alexander destroy the Copurnicus? Maybe there was a leak in intelligence and they knew too much? I can't imagine that it was really because there was some sort of sickness on the ship. That must be an excuse. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Ugh, this book is giving me way too any feels. It's so good!

(view spoiler)[ Looks like I was wrong and there actually was a sickness on the Copernicus... And AIDAN went cray-cray and decided to kill them all. Though, I can't really blame the computer for deciding that... It looked like the ship was going off on the deep end anyway. Especially since the sickness causes those who were sick to go on rampages and kill everybody that looks at them...
But now they finally confirmed that Kady's mom was transferred to the Copernicus. I mean, I figured that out a long time ago, since Kady was always so depressed when she talked about her mom, and would always avoid the subject with Ezra. Plus, she would always mention that Ezra is all that she has left. Like she had already counted her mother as gone. But, still, it's nice to have it confirmed.
I honestly doubt she made it, though. And even if she did, she'll be blood crazed or killed by the crazies.
Though maybe I shouldn't count her out yet? Maybe she is hiding in one of the pods... You've got to have hope! (hide spoiler)]

Oh, and I'm on page 222, by the way. :D

[Kim]

This book... Is fucking insane. It's honestly leaving me speechless.

(view spoiler)[AIDAN has gone completely off its rockers, and is now trying to kill everyone... I honestly don't understand how setting the virus loose on the ship is supposed to help save the fleet. At first, I figured that AIDAN had led the ones infected straight to Torrence and them, so he could get rid of the leaders without harming the innocent. But no. He completely set them on everybody. And now that some have escaped and are going to the Hypatia, they could be taken over and killed as well.
It seems as if AIDAN has just signed his fleet's death warrant, instead of saving it.
And I swear, if Ezra or Kady dies, I'm going to throw this damn book across the room. (hide spoiler)]

On page 339

[Victoria]

I'm so excited to start this now! The book I'm reading is pretty average, but I wanted to finish it before I started this... I may just have to ignore it :P

[Kim]

It's so good! You won't regret reading it!
Lol, but you should finish your other book. It might just help you prepare for this monster of a book :P

[Kim]

I'm done! And I have so many feels for this book! Both good and bad!

(view spoiler)[While the beginning was really slow and it was hard for me to get into it, the ending made everything worth it!
I mean, I figured that this book, being YA and all wouldn't end with a completely upsetting ending, so I did have hope that Ezra was with the refugees who initially made in onto the Hypatia (it was honestly a very desperate hope and I'm really shocked I was right). Even so, I did throw the book when AIDAN said Ezra was dead.
I also threw it when Kady's mother wasn't in the pod (like I had also desperately hoped), as well as when the Alexander had gotten hit with all of those missiles.
This poor book of mine...
Anyway, the ending! I can't believe I forgot all about Ezra's mother! And I can't believe she's the big bad guy that was the cause for all of their misfortune!
I can't wait until the sequel! I really hope it's as good as this one! (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie]

Joining this buddy read. Will be starting Illuminae today :)

[Kim]

Great! Welcome to the party! :D

[Victoria]

You finished it so fast Kim!! I got busy last night, but I'll definitely get a good chunk read today :)

[Kim]

Lol, yeah... I'm on break right now, so I had all day to sit and read :D

I'm really excited to see how you like the book!

[Melanie]

Page 9

(view spoiler)[ interesting so far! The interviews are cool and I can't wait to read more! (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie]

Page 67

(view spoiler)[Getting good! I love the chat/emails! :) (hide spoiler)]

[T.J.]

I've got tons of other stuff to do and committed to several R2Rs this week, but still... the comments on this thread have inspired me to join the party!

Just started. On page 18.

[Kim]

TJ wrote: "I've got tons of other stuff to do and committed to several R2Rs this week, but still... the comments on this thread have inspired me to join the party!

Just started. On page 18."

Yay! Thanks for joining us! It's so good!

[Dr. Andy]

I would like to join you guys! I have the book at home so I can start later today! It looks so good!

[Kim]

Andrea wrote: "I would like to join you guys! I have the book at home so I can start later today! It looks so good!"

Welcome! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[T.J.]

Page 51.
Off to a great start!
(view spoiler)[I really like Kady and Ezra. I can identify with both of them, individually. They both are types that I would have befriended and hung out with in college.

I'm also enjoying the format. Getting bits and pieces of information here and there -- from a multitude of different sources. It appeals to my research-driven heart... (hide spoiler)]

[Victoria]

Up to page 139, but I'm really unsure about whether or not I'm enjoying it... (view spoiler)[ I really like Kady and Ezra, and I love the idea of the plot. There's so many lies being told, and the systems are incredibly messed up, which gives a kind of mystery that I like. But I'm not sure if I like the way it's written. The chat logs are probably my favourite bit, because I like the interaction between all the characters. Especially James, I'm a bit in love with him! But I feel like I could enjoy this book a lot more if it was written in the conventional way... (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

I've made it to page 123 and I got to say I really love the format of this. Even though we don't have the whole picture I really like it. Does anyone else feel like their a main character of star wars while they read? I certainly do.

(view spoiler)[ Kady is so wonderful and I love her already. She is awesome and the kind of female role model I want every young girl and boy to know about. I love how she's a short girl who is this super badass hacker! It's just so awesome! :D

Ezra is growing on me. That rose message he made was super cute. I'm curious to see what will happen to the relationship thing they have going on. I'm not sure what else to really call it. T-T

You know what would be cool? If we got a perspective from the AI throughout the book. However that could totally give too much away. I think AIDAN is going rogue or at least in the process of it. Loved the Hal reference. Can't wait to see what happens next! (hide spoiler)]

[Victoria]

Up to page 264. Countdown 0 hours 0 minutes... (view spoiler)[ I'm not ready for this! Anyone could die right now, because of the way it's written. Literally anything could happen, and I hate not feeling prepared! I really like the plan that they have to override the systems, but I don't know if it'll work... The one thing I'm not liking is the romance. Kady went from hating him to completely forgiving him and being in love again - how does that work? Why aren't they just friends? That would be a lot better! (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

210. Damn this has picked up speed in lightyears. Some crazy stuff is happening and I'm having trouble processing everything. This is ridiculous, but I love it all the same!

(view spoiler)[ I hate Torrence. I fucking hate him so much. I know he's military and everything and I can respect that. However, it's like he's lost all his humanity and maybe he has. I don't like the decisions he's made or anything. Gah! Everything is going to shit!

On the other hand I have major respect and awe for Lt McCall and Captain Chau. What they've been through is terrible. Oh boy. I don't even know how else to describe how I feel about what has happened to each of them. *Cries internally*

I really like Dorian. He reminds me of a more nerdy version of Prince Dorian from Throne of glass. Precious little cinnamon roll! :)
That's all for now. Over. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Pausing for the night at 362 and I just don't know what to say right now. This book has put me through such emotional stress in the past three hours that I don't know how to function like a normal human being. There's too many feels and I can't with AIDAN. I'm so done with AIDAN.

[Victoria]

Andrea, I feel your pain. I'm on page 309, and even I'm wanting to punch AIDAN in the face

[Melanie]

Page 378

(view spoiler)[That was really sad... :( (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie]

Finished

(view spoiler)[So glad to be done with this. I know a lot of you guys loved it, but it was just not for me. The ending was great though -- loved that Ezra was still alive!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie]

Victoria wrote: "Up to page 139, but I'm really unsure about whether or not I'm enjoying it... [spoilers removed]"

I feel the same way(view spoiler)[. If it would have been written the conventional way, I probably would have enjoyed it more. The layout just really made reading it a chore for me. (hide spoiler)]