The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff -> Restarting July 14th, 2025

[Felicia]

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.

BRIEFING NOTE: 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.

[[deleted user]]

just got my copy! starting soon :D

[Jamie]

Just started!
Pg 40
(view spoiler)[I love how Ezra responds to the interviewer. Hahaha. Although I wonder what Kady asked him? (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

34%(view spoiler)[I LOVE this book. I was so intimidated because I’m reading physical and the pages were weird af and I was scared to read it. But I’ve grown used to the weirdness. And I freaking love this book.

So much has happened. But I’m counting down the pages until Ezra and Kady are together again. In person. But HOW TF WOULD THAT WORK?! With these weird ass pages! Ermahgerd. I’m freaking out. (hide spoiler)]

[Jamie]

Pg 76 (view spoiler)[There are so many details in this book I am a bit overwhelmed. All those names and pictures?! I wonder if they just randomly picked them or if they bothered to get permission for them all. (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

Okay. I’m so bad. I haven’t been updating. I’ll do a big one I guess.

I’m on page 432 right now. (view spoiler)[First if Ezra is really dead I’ll dnf this shit so hard. 😂😂😂 not really. But I’ll be SERIOUSLY pissed.

Aidan is fucking crazy. I can’t believe all the shit it’s pulling. And then Kady’s crazy ass went to the Alexander! Wtf. I guess it makes sense cause she thought Ezra was alive. And dammit he better be or I will throw a shit fucking fit. Lol. (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

Jamie. I was really intimidated by this book. But now I’ve gotten used to it. 😁

[Felicia]

484(view spoiler)[This shit is sad. Poor Kady. But she’s a badass. Going through all this by herself. Well with Aidan. But Aidan is a fucktard. (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

Finished. And I just... holy shit. This was so damn good. I am so upset I waited so long to read it. I can’t even write a response right now. Lol.

[Jamie]

I am still intimated in a way but this reads fast. I just somehow started the month with 6 brs in week and 2 are over 600 pigs and 2 others around 500 pigs do everything is slow until Monday when I am finally off

[Felicia]

Take your time chickie! I’m here when you get further! This was so damn good and I’m upset I don’t have the second book to start! I ordered it last night. 😂😂

[[deleted user]]

pg 19 (view spoiler)[ OKAY THAT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING OPENING. I like Kady and Ezra though?? I think Ezra is hilarious (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

Julianne wrote: "pg 19 [spoilers removed]"

Omg. Yasssssssss. <3

[[deleted user]]

pg 101 (view spoiler)[ OH MY GOD so whats going on why are they just killing everyone? why is torrence trying to kill people? or is AIDAN actually going rogue what the heeeeck (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

Julianne wrote: "pg 101 [spoilers removed]"

*methodically rubs chin pretending like she doesn’t know the answer*

[Jackie]

The format description kinda intimidates me....

[Felicia]

But it’s so good. 😁

Anyone wanna continue with the series? I started Gemina tonight. 😬😬😬

[Jamie]

Felicia wrote: "But it’s so good. 😁

Anyone wanna continue with the series? I started Gemina tonight. 😬😬😬"

I will want to but honestly won't likely have time this month.

[Jamie]

Jackie wrote: "The format description kinda intimidates me...."

I can't decide what to think of it. It sort of helps the story move faster but I also feel like I am missing a lot which is also frustrating!

[[deleted user]]

@Jackie I totally agree. I honestly didn't touch it for almost 5-6 days because YIKES. But I also agree with Jamie that it DOES go a lot faster with this format,


also i finished this today in one sitting (lol) and wrote down a couple of notes that ill write here

[[deleted user]]

pg 235 (view spoiler)[ Not at all surprised to hear about kady's mom. and i REALLY doubt anyone left alive in Bay 4 is still sane. Not looking good there (hide spoiler)]

pg 400 (view spoiler)[ SO HONESTLY I would read an entire book from AIDAN'S perspective. I think the AI parts are the most interesting and well written. Im also just a REAL big fan of all science fiction stuff with AI (hide spoiler)]

pg 440 (view spoiler)[ NOT EVEN SURPRISED THAT AIDAN PRETENDED TO BE EZRA. (hide spoiler)]

pg 554 (view spoiler)[ oKAY honestly kind of LOVING AIDAN even though he is clearly a homicidal rogue AI. Hes becoming very human in his emotions towards Kady and with how... sassy? sarcastic? he is being towards her. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Felicia wrote: "Finished. And I just... holy shit. This was so damn good. I am so upset I waited so long to read it. I can’t even write a response right now. Lol."

honestly. same. I just finished it and i have NO words other than why did i put it off

[Felicia]

Julianne wrote: "Felicia wrote: "Finished. And I just... holy shit. This was so damn good. I am so upset I waited so long to read it. I can’t even write a response right now. Lol."

honestly. same. I just finished ..."

Right! It was awesome sauce.

[Jamie]

Pg 171 (view spoiler)[Dang crazy violent virus!! Scary crap! (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

Jamie wrote: "Pg 171 [spoilers removed]"

Definitely! And it just gets better and better! :D

[Marissa]

20%
(view spoiler)[This book has interesting formatting. Although the book is over 600 pages, a lot of it is blank space and pictures, so it makes pages go by very quickly. I didn’t really like Kady at the start of the book, I felt that the author tried to make her too “edgy.” However, I think both characters have matured a little bit as the story continues. (hide spoiler)]

[Jamie]

Pg 234 (view spoiler)[So the one sane captain is gone, Kady's hacker riend taken, mom gone (dead/insane?!)...and 32 hours to major trouble??? Intense! (hide spoiler)]

[Jamie]

Pg 308 (view spoiler)[Crap he freed the infected?!. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

40%
(view spoiler)[Personally, I feel like the formatting of this book has gotten a little old. I am a little tired with the IM format. It has a lot of blank space and you only read the right side of the page because the left just has the repetition of the usernames. The story is alright, although it is hard to get a clear picture of what is going on from these perspectives. (hide spoiler)]

[Jamie]

Marissa wrote: "40%
[spoilers removed]"

Are you reading this as an ebook? Cause the physcial book has the name and line next to it, then the next name. No weird page gaps.

[Jamie]

Felicia wrote: "Okay. I’m so bad. I haven’t been updating. I’ll do a big one I guess.

I’m on page 432 right now.\"


(view spoiler)[Ahh hell, Ezxra better not be dead! Can't believe Aiden faked being him though! (hide spoiler)]

[Jamie]

Done (view spoiler)[Glad Ezra was alive. His mother did all this?! Man, no wonder his father ran with him!! (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

60%
(view spoiler)[I have a hard time reading all of the grey on black text. I wish it wasn’t formatted like that. In regards to the story, I like the addition of the virus and the rogue AI. It is like elements from several different sci-fi plots rolled into one. However, I feel a little lost sometimes. I forget who is who, and I definitely prefer some of the writing formats better than others. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Jamie wrote: "Marissa wrote: "40%
[spoilers removed]"

Are you reading this as an ebook? Cause the physcial book has the name and line next to it, then the next name. No weird page gaps."

I’m reading a kindle version. I changed what size the text is, and it’s a bit better now.

[Felicia]

Jamie wrote: "Done [spoilers removed]"

GIRL! RIGHT!

[Marissa]

80%
(view spoiler)[As a fan of the horror/thriller genre, I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere when Kady was on the Alexander. Anyway, wow just wow about Ezra being dead and Kady being deceived by AIDAN in order to get her help. I did not see that twist coming. After going back and checking, I obviously missed the part where he died. I am reading this on my computer, and the font on those pages where the text was formatted wavy or in circles was extremely small. Since they were technically pictures I could not make them any bigger and the Kindle app wouldn’t let me zoom in either. However, despite that, I like the second half of this book better than the first half. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Finished
(view spoiler)[Yay, Ezra is alive! I figured this was going to happen, but I was still happy when it was confirmed. Overall, I liked the second half of the book better. My biggest complaint was that the text was often difficult to read. This was especially so using the Kindle Cloud Reader in Google Chrome on my laptop. The pictures couldn’t be made any larger, and there was often text that I couldn’t even read. I also found the grey/white text on a black background wasn’t very aesthetically pleasing to my eyes either. However, I have to admit that the book’s formatting was unique. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

**************Restarting March 16th**************

[Felicia]

Yassssssssssssss.

[Dr. Andy]

p. 100 (view spoiler)[ Shit things are getting intense. I can't believe they shot Dreadnought and Prophet just like that! When the crazy ass AI told them to kill several hundred civis from the Copernicus. And what the hell is this class alpha pathogen!? (hide spoiler)]

p.200 (view spoiler)[ Damn Kady and Zhang have some mad hacking skills. Also I'm so torn up that they left Jimmy with the crazies in Hanger 4! Like who the hell does that? Why did it have to be him, why couldn't have been Sykes? Ugh (hide spoiler)]

p. 300 (view spoiler)[ Well fuck, Captain Chau is dead, AIDAN is definitely rogue, the lincoln arrived and everything that can go wrong is! And Kady's mom was sent to the Hypatia to help with Phobos but she sacrificed Kady for it. God this is so depressing, but man are my emotions bouncing from that fight scene too. And now it looks like Torrence will be next, along with the rest of the staff in CC. (hide spoiler)]

p. 400 (view spoiler)[And now Kady has come to the Alexander. This chick is insane!! I love her, but man I would've probably run away tbh. Seeing the little parts between Syra and Carlin were heartwarming until she spaced them all. I know why she did it, but man that was rough to read about. (hide spoiler)]

p.500 (view spoiler)[ Well fuck things are getting really intense now. I can't believe Kady and Aidan got the reat of the crew and civis off and to the Hypatia. Was Ezra one of them? Is he even alive?? Fucking AI playing at being him and breaking my heart. I hope Winnifred makes it through this, I really like her. The infected people are creepy as hell. I'm sad Zhang sacrificed himself so he wouldn't kill Kady. I wish he'd never been infected :( (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ God what a story. Man I am dead. And on to book 2! ALSO THOSE FUCKING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WERE HILARIOUS!! (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

Illuminae

Page 171(view spoiler)[POOR MCNULTY! 😞😞 (hide spoiler)]

Page 254(view spoiler)[TWO HOURS UNTIL INTERCEPTION! (hide spoiler)]

Page 307(view spoiler)[gosh. Aidan is fucking insane. (hide spoiler)]

Page 428(view spoiler)[totally forgot Aidan duped her. Oh shoot (hide spoiler)]

Finished(view spoiler)[UGH! I love this so much. I’m so glad to read it again. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

16% (view spoiler)[ I don't want this deal to go through but at the same time I know it has to because this is what will get everything started. Ugh my heart is crying. I want Hanna and Nik to talk more. I like their dynamic. Not sure if I want them to be together yet, but I like them individually for sure! Jackson seems flat but nice. So excited to see where this goes. (hide spoiler)]

21%- (view spoiler)[ Hanna is a badass and I love her!! I hope Ella makes it through this book and is able to team up with Kady. They'd be able to hack anything omg. I don't like the audit team, I'm glad she got rid of some of them. I hope Nik doesn't die. (hide spoiler)]

31%- (view spoiler)[ ALIEN IN THE SUIT ALIEN IN THE SUIT!! AGH THESE THINGS ARE SO CREEPY!!!! Though I'm kind of glad they're taking out the audit team. I just realized that Leanne is Ezra's mom right? Ugh evil lady! (hide spoiler)]

45%- (view spoiler)[ NIK EXPLAIN NOW OMG WTF MERRICK HES A DOUBLE AGENT HOLY SHIT BUT HANNA IS A BADASS OMG THAT LIGHT BULB EXPLOSION THING GOD WHAT!? SCREAMS INTERNALLY! Plz go back to Nik Hanna omg, I want them to work together. Cries. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

75% (view spoiler)[ HOLY SHIT OMFG!!! :OOOOOOO NIKKKKKKK YOU BETTER LIVE OH GOD YOU BETTER LIVE CRIES! AND ELLA IS SHE DEAD LIKE IDK MAN!??!?!?! BUT HANNA IS SO SAVAGE AND I'M SO GLAD SHE FINALLY TOOK OUT THAT BITCH KALI THANK YOU <3 (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Fuck man Gemina is the best, that's all bye

[Dr. Andy]

~17% (view spoiler)[ God this book is going to ruin me, I can feel it. I already have so many thoughts and I don't know how to cope. So Asha- I'm already curious about her and Rhys's past, I have a feeling that name Samaira tattooed on her wrist is somehow related. I want her and Kady to be reunited omg. Also WHERE IS NIK I WANNA SEE MY BABY. Then that opening transcript, it's good to know Hanna will most likely survive since she's testifying, but I'm terrified of all the others that might die. I don't want them too. Keep my babies safe. Might have teared up a little when Kady and her dad were finally reunited. (hide spoiler)]
About 30% (view spoiler)[ Wow Asha is going to try to work with Rhys and get him to be a spy. I don't think he's a bad person, I don't think all BT employees are, only some the rest are just following shitty orders, I wish Asha would realize that. Also, I hope AIDAN magically finds oxygen for the Mao, they need to get to Kerenza!!! I loved Ezra and Nik's little chat, I hope Hanna will give Nik a real chance too. (hide spoiler)]
50% (view spoiler)[ Tension is running high on the ship and fucking Ben is going to act like a child. Kady was so right with what she said, the real enemy is BT but Ben and his goons don't care about that, they seem to care about the power dynamic on the ship and being right. WHO GIVES A FUCK WORK WITH SYRA AND THE KIDS OR YOURE GONNA DIE DICKFACE (hide spoiler)]
75% FUCK IM SO SCARED GUYS I NEED HELP (view spoiler)[ I am like on the verge of tears right now reading the good byes the crew made to each and dammit Isaac is being a precious dad to all of them MY HEART CANT TAKE THIS! And wtf is Rhys's problem, Asha didn't give Bruno the Thermix shit or blow up Duke, IT WASNT HERE DAMMIT (hide spoiler)]
Finished (view spoiler)[ Okay honestly after I finished this I thought my brain was like defective. This book stressed me out so much and it felt like I was crashing once done. But omg Isaac Grant is the world's best book dad I swear!! He adopted Ella omg guys. Also fucking Nik and his parachute. I was so good he ended up wearing that in the Chimera. Also they all showed up at that trial amazing! Still I feel like I still have questions that aren't answered though I am pretty satisfied with that ending. (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia]

*************** RESTARTING MARCH 26th 2021 ***************

[Felicia]

Illuminae
Chapter 1-54(view spoiler)[So I’m listening to this at work. And I feel like I definitely need to follow along with the physical book. But at the same time I don’t think that? I just think it’s be easier to follow the story. I remember what happened, kind of, but I just wish I could follow along with the book.

But I still love this book. Ugh. 😩 (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 55-95(view spoiler)[UGH! Katy and Ezra are so damn adorable. I can’t even deal. (hide spoiler)]also for this section of book but also only read this if you’ve finished the book(view spoiler)[but am I remembering that Ezra is actually AIDAN? Or am I crazy? Idk. Lol. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 96-144(view spoiler)[I knew I remembered. Lol.

maaaaaaaan. This is such a good story. Like how in the world did these two come up with this story?! 😩😩 I love it so much. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 145-162(view spoiler)[Poor Katy! Dhowlynwpwenngepepdnspwpwn. 😭😭😭 (hide spoiler)]
Finished(view spoiler)[this series will never cease to amaze me. I just can’t comprehend how much time and effort it took into planning this book especially with two people working together. Tossing out their idea and making it work. Ugh. I love it so much (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ah I love these books so much! I'll start this tomorrow, I have 1 more audio buddy read to get done

[Felicia]

Aly wrote: "Ah I love these books so much! I'll start this tomorrow, I have 1 more audio buddy read to get done"

Okay! I'm taking a break to start Rule of Wolves tomorrow. And then I'll get back into this one. :)

[Aly]

Okay sounds good!