oh Lordy lord lord. 
 first off you will need to know that this book is going to be different from most, if not all, books you've read. it's made up of a series of instant messages, interviews, journal entries, emails, and other things. 
 and the story is sooooo good. It gets you hooked as soon as you open the book. 
 It's 2575, and you have an introductory email from the "Illuminae Group" (where can I join!?) saying that the attack on Kerenza was not as covered up as those who were responsible for it thought it would be. and they have attached the files that recount the event. 
 we are then introduced to Kady Grant & Ezra Mason (in an interview) who were residents of Kerenza, an illegal settlement, and they each recount how they broke up that morning but still managed to survive the invasion by BeiTech corporation. 
 sadly, Ezra and Kady are boarded onto different spaceships, but not that that matters since they're broken up, right? Ezra goes onto the Alexander and she goes onto the Hypatia. they are safe in a fleet and on they're way to a gateway that will send them off to safety! 
 Phew. Survived an invasion and managed to escape the ex-boyfriend, thank the heavens. All is well. 
 HA. YEAH RIGHT. NO SHIT IS JUST STARTING!! 
 things are NOT okay aboard the ships. things are very very weird. their ships have been damaged--water is scarce, their artificial intelligence took a hit and is acting dumb. and there's a sickness going around. and if that were bad enough--a warship is in pursuit of the fleet! 
 Ezra and Kady are trying to make sense of this whole new life. the jump to the gateway is several months away and they aren't sure if they will be able to get there before the warship catches up to them. so we get to hear a story that takes place during the span of several months. 
 one of the things I really really enjoyed was the diverse set of characters. and there are plenty of characters but they all have their own personality and purpose in the story. some were really funny!! and some made me want to slap them. some were making me so sad :( 
 the entire book is very emotional so prepare yourself. some scenes are disturbing while others are hilarious! I think that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much: a lot of tragedy and a lot of comedy! 
 you also need to pay close attention to the little details; dates, notes, anything like that because they are usually important. (other awesome details are the names. if you look for them, you can find some author's names!) 
 and lastly, if you can, I completely recommend listening to the audiobook as you read! it's amazing and if you're looking for something fun, give the audiobook a go!