ILLUMINAE BOOK REVIEW AND CHAT

[@elrilmoonweaver4723]

I read it - and ended up finishing the series this year - purely out of curiosity for the format. I am not against this sort of writing style. If the book delivers an engaging story and gets me hooked it's definitely worth a read. I also like the amount of worldbuilding this book provides THROUGH the various storytelling mediums it employs. Oh, Elliot, the audiobook for the second book is really good. You'll both hate and love the "Lollipop" song oh so much. XD Truly an annoying earworm and I think the authors collaborated with the audiobook studio to make this song as ridiculous and catchy as possible.

[@justcosmika7843]

I loved the mixed media/ format that the book was written in. I thought it was so unique and I was actually able to read it pretty quickly :)

[@Katertot8895]

I absolutely loved the series, and I'm definitely in the minority in that the second book is my favorite. I loved the characters in Gemina and the overall plot in that one. For people who are intrigued with the story but are not feeling the format, try Aurora Rising (by the same authors!) It's also a space adventure where everything goes wrong, but it's written in a typical book format and feels a bit Star Trek-y and I loved it!

[@jefsorchajade8121]

Personally I enjoyed the Iluminae files much more than Aurora Rising. All good reads however.

[@gymnastoman1]

Aurora is what convinced me to try Illuminae. Sooo glad I did.

[@astromoon8753]

The Aurora cycle is the reason I’m buying this trilogy! It was so good and everyone says illuminae is better so I’m giving it a go.

[@EmpressNoriko]

I’m currently reading the first book. I just happened to see it on a trip to the bookstore and was intrigued. I’m enjoying it so far, I’m just under halfway through. Guess I’ll have to come back for the second half of this video after I finish.

[@icedcoffeeandbookss]

EmpressNoriko did you finish it?

[@EmpressNoriko]

I’m ashamed to say I haven’t. I have a physical copy (I mostly buy Kindle books since I am quickly running out of room) which I started reading while visiting my parents. Got in a hurry packing and it got left behind. The next time I was there I did bring it home, but as often happens when I haven’t read something for a while it’s hard to get going again. But I plan on getting back to it soon. I got the second book on a trip to Barnes & Noble just a few days before all non-essential businesses closed down. Though personally if NY can say liquor stores are “essential” then AZ should make bookstores essential! Have you finished it? If so what did you think?

[@icedcoffeeandbookss]

EmpressNoriko gosh I hate when that happens. I’ve lost many books over the years and it hurts lol. I just finished the first book tonight (at like 1 or 2 am lol) and really enjoyed it. I rated it 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

[@muhammadabdullah6047]

It sounds interesting as an experiment to try new things. Thanks for the tbr

[@Wildcarde1]

I cant begin to tell you how much I LOVE this series. I think is has to be read to be truly appreciated, the format is so unique and amazing that not seeing it in physical forms is a crime. When you read as much as I do (100-135 books a year) something this different re energized my reading. The Second book threw me as you follow new characters(it makes sense in the end) but the last page of book 2 was worth the entire read alone. Book 3 it surely all comes together... LOVE LOVE LOVE this series and its format adds SO much. I dont really read a lot of YA but with series like this and Harry Potter it surely keeps the classification relevant to me.

[@skijumpnose]

I found it an enjoyable series, i am sure it will get made into a movie or tv show

[@meganharris6188]

So weird! I literally just finished the series. I'm also late to the game haha. I went in with low expectations but I really ended up loving it.

[@gabrielfillion2059]

I listened to this on Audible and I really enjoyed it. It did take a bit to get used to the story format, but it was really well done and I got into it. Personally, i did think Ezra had died but I was listening to it very quickly with very little downtime. My daughter was born just before I picked this one up and I had many late night feedings with Audiobooks to keep me company so I did have a lot of time to listen. So, I wasnt really aware of how much was left to the book or any other logical reasons that I, as a reader, would be able to apply and come up with thoughts. I was pulled in whole and didnt really come up for air until it was over. Plus, i was sleep deprived. Overall, great read with the unique format doing a lot to keep my attention

[@melissavines4454]

I really enjoyed Illuminae, pick up the next two books. Thought it was a fun and interesting experience. I am behind in reading up to date fantasy books since I just started reading again.

[@TheBookRefuge]

Honest critique for so many YA novels is death fake outs. I was going to point out that Kristoff does this a lot, but honestly, so many YA does that

[@user-hs7tr7zq6u]

I have ordered the book series and can not wait to read them!

[@balkisrincon]

I am glad you gave it a chance. I just read the first book myself and I liked it. SPOILERS*** I’ll say that I think you are not suppose to believe 100% that he died, I mean, you learn along the way that ADAN can lie, so I think you’re suppose to wonder. Anyway, I am excited to continue with this series 😀

[@moodybookworm7856]

I listened to this on audio. I totally forgot why they were on the ships until you talked about the planet being attacked. I was clearly also confused sometimes. Even now I don't remember *Why* Bei Tech attacked the planet. I definitely need to reread.

[@GEORGIOARCADE]

Elliot I'm not sure if this one will be for me especially with how you said the writing & paragraphs are structured. This story seems a bit complicated lol. I'll definitely have to go to the bookstore in person to see how this all looks. I like unique books but i don't want it to be all over the place. Maybe in future book reviews, you can show how some of the pages look? That way we'll have an even better idea of what to expect 👍💫💜. I won't completely write the book off without trying it first tho. Happy Reading & enjoy your day

[@vwkflynn]

If you ultimately liked this book, you'll really like the Themis Files books (I was only medium on the final book). It's a similar type of book, told through recorded interviews, in a "found footage" style. The audiobook is absolutely the way to go, it's really well acted by a full cast.

[@stranger8447]

Illuminae is the only sci-fi book i've read this year. I did listen to the audiobook and read the physical book back to back, and i enjoyed the experience. I didn't mind the format, but I agreed with the swirly texts and the block words, i was annoyed by it too 😂. There were some parts that made me emotional. I also didn't believe that Ezra died 😂. Overall, i like it.

[@melissabrown3976]

I loved Illuminae & Gemina even more! I think the format is really fun & adds so much intensity and drama to the story. What did you think of Aidan?! I really wanted to hear your thoughts on the use of the AI in the book.

[@fannihalmy7372]

SPOILER The reason I doubted Ezra being dead is bc the AI kept saying it needs to take away all hope from Kady in order for her to cooperate. How can the AI take away sg that doesn't exist? You know?

[@kevins4254]

I'm not a big YA fan but I loved this series. The format wouldn't work for some books but I thought it worked really well for this plot.

[@johane.turbib.8108]

I do love reading while listening to the audio book at the same time, one end up spending more money but it wealth it

[@shadowblackheart7556]

I wonder what you'll think of the rest of the series... Personally, I think they used the format really effectively, but at the same time they could have done so much more with the story in the next books.

[@CreatingCo]

Girl I was sitting here like "preach!!" this entire video. You hit the nail on the head of all of my issues with Illuminae. It wasn't bad and I know tons of people love it but ugh...not for me. The not really death of Ezra cinched it for me. I feel like it's become a trend in YA to not really have anything happen to the characters and it makes the stakes so low and just ends up not being enjoyable to me.

[@ebnovels]

Yeah, I enjoyed the story overall, but I didn’t love it. I’ve heard the next two make there trilogy as a whole really good, but I’m not necessarily in a hurry to pick them up 😅

[@Pari_Pixie]

Would this series be good for a 13 year old? I haven’t read it myself but I’m looking for a new series for him. I’m unsure if it’s too mature or hard to follow for a young reader?

[@danecobain]

I DNFd this one but I wouldn't say no to giving it another go!

[@ebnovels]

I can see how it wouldn’t being for everyone! I enjoyed it, but it’s not a new favorite necessarily. I really respect the authors for how they pulled off the format :)

[@danecobain]

@@ebnovels Yeah, the format was cool! I didn't like the characters or the dialogue. But I might have just been being grouchy!

[@callmeaftercoffee]

I really had fun with the first one... I have a booktalk on all three because I read them all in a row 🙈. But the trilogy did have sort of a "U" slope for me. But the blacked out words drove my brain crazy 😬, like I'd get caught up trying to place the "best" word in those spots. It really pulled me out. And omg. I didn't think Ezra was dead, but hoped I was wrong because as much as I hate when characters die (because my heart), when people come back it gives me trust issues and makes me not want to put my heart in the story 😂🙈.

[@nickieb2636]

I hear so many good things about these books - I'm so apprehensive, even hearing about all this positivity! Might give it a try, maybe it'll be like what happened to you! Also, if ANYONE knows of this book is OK on a kindle, please let me know hehe

[@deereve3188]

I read the first and second book and decided not to finish the series. I liked the format but the second book felt like first book in that they used the same 'ah hah' as the first. And it felt geared to a younger audience than myself. I liked the idea of it though.

[@samfitz9]

My following comment is going to address spoilers discussed in the video: I think maybe you weren’t supposed to believe that E was actually dead. It was just AIDEN’s assessment that Kady wouldn’t go through with it if she thought he was still alive. But AIDEN made it clear that there were things about humans he didn’t understand. So therefore it’s probable that it was just his assessment but he easily could have been wrong and Kady would have been the hero without the need of thinking everyone she loved was dead. But man, did she go through a lot.

[@Ray-td4tq]

I hate audiobooks so I read the whole series normally. I actually loved the swirly parts and images. Overall I loved the series

[@bookswithvish]

Just finished Illuminae and I wanted to hear your thoughts 😁 i thought it was good. I really liked the format, the romance and dialogue was a bit cheesy for me and i agree they were fighting and flirting at inappropriate times. I also didn’t believe about the death because they didn’t say when and how that character died so I was like no, not dead 😂 Reading Gemina now!

[@ebnovels]

I hope you like the sequels! I’ve heard the trilogy ends well 😄

[@bookswithvish]

I hope I like them too 😁 guessing you didn’t continue the series?

[@rosieblue1689]

the blacked-out words are more in the next books and they get increasingly frustrating. I just stopped making them a part of the sentence as I was reading. As far as I'm concerned, the characters never said those words. Also, the Ezra thing you mentioned is only the beginning...

[@lurdesoliveira]

"real people are anoying" 😆 true

[@TiffanyandMor]

I started reading this books 2 years ago... still not even half way. The storyline itself is interesting but the convos between the main characters are super cringy so I keep putting it down

[@jaydeepvara217]

You are just looking gorgeous..... in this red. I mean simple just wow.. and review like always best.

[@LessonIsNeverTry]

I liked the concept of the book and the beginning was fun because it felt like you were unwrapping a mystery, but I couldn't stand reading the conversations between the main characters, way too cringey.

[@grainjah]

i was gifted this book and im on page 2 and already hate how its presented. interviewer and kady horrible