I started reading this book expecting one thing but I got something completely different. I had read and enjoyed These Broken Stars, but I wasn't planning on reading this book when it first came out. I had been reading a lot of Sci-Fi at the moment and didn't think it was time to pick it up. 
 Skip forward a couple of months to the present. I was browsing an airport's book selection before a flight when I stumbled upon Illuminae. First of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. As well as the formatting inside of the book. It is just begging you to read it. The summary seemed interesting, so I bought it. 
 The beginning was action-packed and exciting. I loved how the attack on Kerenza was analysed as an interview, and how we got to see both Kady and Ezra's points of view. I connected with Ezra immediately. I thought he was interesting and funny. He added a lot of humor into a serious situation. On the other hand, I didn't really feel this with Kady until the last hundred pages. I loved her spunk and independence, but I felt as if we didn't see as much of her as I would have liked in the beginning. 
 With the book's formatting, there are things you are going to love and things you are going to hate. The AI's point of view was one of my favorite POV's. It was very different and interesting in my opinion. I loved seeing the growth and development of a machine instead of a human. I felt as if the characters didn't have that growth because we didn't get the chance to "know" them before the attack. 
 The character documenting the surveillance footage also added a sarcastic tone to the story, which I really enjoyed. 
 As I started to approach the middle of the book, I thought it started to drag on a bit. Not an "OMG I can't read this" sort of drag, but more of an "I think the book could be split into two parts" drag. This book is 599 pages to be exact. Even with all the diagrams and illustrations, this is a big book. I still enjoyed it, even if it did feel slow at times. 
 The ending. The ending of this book was incredible. It had action and loss and danger. This is when I felt I could finally connect with Kady. That moment at the end is when you see how brave she is and how strong she is. Those last hundred pages are a roller coaster of emotions. And then the last ten pages are just pure perfection. 
 I can't wait for the next book to come out! I would recommend this great read for all space lovers, spaceship enthusiasts, and intergalactic soap opera fans.