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ninetalevixen 's review for:
Illuminae
by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman
[2019 reread]
Gave this another try in Kindle for PC (rather than Kindle), and it went so much better. I remembered the main cast and what I considered the biggest twist [see original review, below], but there was still so much suspense and tension that I really didn't want to put the book down.
Initially it took me a while to really get into the flow / orient myself within the story, but overall it's an extraordinarily compelling narrative with memorable characters, heart-pounding stakes, fascinating ethical dilemmas, and of course unique visuals. The last half (or maybe third) really cinched it for me, honestly, and now I'm really excited to see how the rest of the series plays out.
The transcripts delighted me; I love Kady's and Ezra's banter/flirting and irreverent sarcasm towards authority (and of course each other). They almost perfectly embody what I love about witty, rebellious teenage protagonists, and holy ⬛ did they put my emotions through the wringer.
content warnings: Spoilerableist language (c-word + others), blood and gore, mass murder/death, mercy kills, on-page suicides, major character death(s), mentions of past child abuse
rep: Spoiler(very) minor MLM & M/M
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CONVERSION: 13.1 / 15 = 4.5 stars
Prose: 9 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 9 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 10 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 5 / 5
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 5 / 5
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[original review - 2018]
3.5 stars? Idk.
The visual concept is definitely cool, but a huge pain to read on Kindle — it wouldn’t let me zoom in in OR increase the size of the text, so I had to squint. That said, I particularly loved the setup of the action/battle scenes (I tend to get bored when they’re too wordy, and this managed to convey more information: thousand words per picture and all that) and of the quick check-ins (“time to Lincoln interception,” etc). It’s also worth noting that while I love space operas in general I’m not a huge fan of Spoilerpandemic/AI takeover stories. Some plot twists I didn’t see coming, but only one Spoiler(AIDAN pretending to be Ezra) was really interesting.
I did feel like it was a bit hard to connect with the characters — except for SpoilerAIDAN, ironically; we got plenty of its eerily humanistic monologuing — due to the storytelling medium; it felt more like cheering them on from a distance than being there with them, which works but isn’t my favorite position as a reader.
I don’t know that I want to struggle through reading the rest of the series on my Kindle; if I have a minute I’ll try pulling it up on my computer and if that fails I might check out my local library. But it’s not a huge priority; I’m not super invested in this story.
Gave this another try in Kindle for PC (rather than Kindle), and it went so much better. I remembered the main cast and what I considered the biggest twist [see original review, below], but there was still so much suspense and tension that I really didn't want to put the book down.
Initially it took me a while to really get into the flow / orient myself within the story, but overall it's an extraordinarily compelling narrative with memorable characters, heart-pounding stakes, fascinating ethical dilemmas, and of course unique visuals. The last half (or maybe third) really cinched it for me, honestly, and now I'm really excited to see how the rest of the series plays out.
The transcripts delighted me; I love Kady's and Ezra's banter/flirting and irreverent sarcasm towards authority (and of course each other). They almost perfectly embody what I love about witty, rebellious teenage protagonists, and holy ⬛ did they put my emotions through the wringer.
content warnings: Spoilerableist language (c-word + others), blood and gore, mass murder/death, mercy kills, on-page suicides, major character death(s), mentions of past child abuse
rep: Spoiler(very) minor MLM & M/M
-----------
CONVERSION: 13.1 / 15 = 4.5 stars
Prose: 9 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 9 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 10 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 5 / 5
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 5 / 5
----------
[original review - 2018]
3.5 stars? Idk.
The visual concept is definitely cool, but a huge pain to read on Kindle — it wouldn’t let me zoom in in OR increase the size of the text, so I had to squint. That said, I particularly loved the setup of the action/battle scenes (I tend to get bored when they’re too wordy, and this managed to convey more information: thousand words per picture and all that) and of the quick check-ins (“time to Lincoln interception,” etc). It’s also worth noting that while I love space operas in general I’m not a huge fan of Spoilerpandemic/AI takeover stories. Some plot twists I didn’t see coming, but only one Spoiler(AIDAN pretending to be Ezra) was really interesting.
I did feel like it was a bit hard to connect with the characters — except for SpoilerAIDAN, ironically; we got plenty of its eerily humanistic monologuing — due to the storytelling medium; it felt more like cheering them on from a distance than being there with them, which works but isn’t my favorite position as a reader.
I don’t know that I want to struggle through reading the rest of the series on my Kindle; if I have a minute I’ll try pulling it up on my computer and if that fails I might check out my local library. But it’s not a huge priority; I’m not super invested in this story.