Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Illuminae is a YA sci-fi novel which follows two teens, Kady and Ezra, who escape their home planet when enemy ships arrive to destroy it and its inhabitants. The novel is written in document style as if it were a transcript of the events which the characters endured.

The plot was richly detailed and engaging. It was very unique which made it unpredictable and made the reader much more entertained. It was action packed yet possessed a clarity throughout the entire duration of events.

The characters were quite original and unique but I felt as though they were all one dimensional and lacked the development which would have made the reader much more emotionally attached. Kady was a teen hacker, she was fierce and was often defiant towards adults and authority. Ezra was an unusual blend of intelligence and muscle.

The setting was well developed and clear. It certainly has room for additional building throughout the rest of the series. However, at no point was the reader confused or struggling to understand the story due to issues with the clarity of the setting.

The document format was interesting towards the beginning of the novel but as the reader continued it became clunky and produced gaps in the story. Whilst the plot was clear, areas like character development and subplots were lacking. I would prefer the story written in simple pros as I think the plot stands on its own without the extra hook of the format. I would have loved a psychological element as the sheer horror of the events would have been magnificent to capture form the characters' perspectives.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to any sci-fi nut.

Overall rating: 3.5/5 stars.

Review by Jess