Waiting on Wednesday (107)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Series: The Illuminae Files #3
Genre: Young Adult/Sci-Fi
Page Length: 608 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 13, 2018

About Obsidio (via Goodreads):

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they’ll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza’s ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha’s past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.

HOW CAN I NOT BE EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK??? I absolutely loved Illuminae and Gemina, and CANNOT WAIT to see how the trilogy concludes.

Waiting on Wednesday (38)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction
Page Length: 672 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 18, 2016

About Gemina (via Goodreads):

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

Hanna Donnelly is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik Malikov the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion. 

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own surivival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

Illuminae - Immediate Reactions

In honor of lluminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (which was released on Tuesday!), I thought it would be fun to share some of my reactions while reading the book. I was cleaning out some notes on my phone recently and found some quick notes I took while reading the book, so I thought I'd share. No spoilers though, I promise! Oh and I'm going to add some GIFs too, because why not? :D

Page 50 - so so so so good this is absolutely brilliant I can't even asdfghjkl;

Pages 68-72 - I can't decide whether I should be shaking my head, laughing hysterically at this (like what actually), both of the above, or jumping for joy that it's real. *squeals*

Page 116 - Ezra <3333333333

Page 150 - whoaaaa that just got intimate. Okayyyyyyy then...…

Page 153 - okay that is pretty disturbing...

Page 232 - omgggg they are too cute

Page 249 - aaaahhhhhh nooooooooo... THE FEELS >_<

Page 264 - JEEZ THAT WAS CREEPY >_<

Page 269 - that was pretty cool!!! ...and yet mildly disturbing

Page 275 - YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

Pages 278-279 - should not be LOLing right now but this is TOO FUNNY!!!!!

Page 300 - *face pales* oh crap….

Page 312 - AAAAAND SH** JUST GOT REAL 

Page 351 - I love how amidst all the SH** that's going down, there's an intelligent conversation about poetry going on

Page 386 - OMG omg omg OMG crying and shaking and OMG right now *wails*

Page 405 - can't decide if this is creepy or sweet

Page 495 - OH SH** OH SH** OHSH**OHSH**OHSH**OHSH**OHSH**

Page 589 - I KNEW IT … OH F***

591 - YESSSSSSSSSS

599 - *CUE FANGIRL SCREAMS* OMG BEST ENDING EVER

Happy book birthday, Illuminae!

~Alexandra

Illuminae (ARC Review)

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Genre: Young Adult/Sci-Fi
Page Length: 608 pages
Format: ARC (advanced reader's copy)
Publication Date: October 20, 2015
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Hardcover ARC received at BookCon 2015

Although I received a free copy of this book, my opinion of it is completely my own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where do I even begin with the brilliance that is Illuminae? I honestly am breathless after reading it, so please bear with me. I'll try my best to put my feelings into words.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is everything I could ever want in a book. It's use of IMs, surveillance footage, PA announcements, blueprints and so much more was a unique and exciting way to tell a story. I was wary at first because I wasn't sure how one could convey so much through those methods, but I was blown out of my mind by the artistry in which Kaufman and Kristoff pulled it off. I felt every emotion on the spectrum: sadness, anger, disbelief, joy, amusement, and even fear. I was eagerly anticipating (and sometimes dreading, in the best way possible) what new emotion the next page would evoke.

The story was told in a way that each piece of data collected could be read relatively quickly. Although everything connected fluidly, it was nice that each document was still relatively solitary, so there was always a perfect stopping point. At the same time, however, it was woven so beautifully together that I didn't want to stop. Since each piece was pretty short, I was lured to read into the wee hours of the night. A voice in my head was constantly telling me something along the lines of, "oh this next section is only 5 more pages, surely you have the time for just one more IM conversation"… which thus led me to read 200 more pages in one sitting. Oops.

I loved Kady and Ezra as characters.  Actually, I loved them all. Except for one that made me want to hide under the covers and never come out. But I won't go into detail about that little devil… Also, the pop culture references that many characters made were amazing additions to the story. Even though they did not play major roles in the plot, those snippets truly lightened the mood, even in the direst of situations.

Kady and Ezra were both such strong and admirable characters who loved from the bottom of their hearts, and were willing to risk everything (and do incredibly stupid and rash things) for the people and things they cared about most.  It was interesting seeing their interactions and actions solely via message, footage, etc., but it was surprisingly still clear and obvious how much they cared about each other.  I continued to cheer them on throughout the novel, throughout every up and down.  They went through so much, but still tried their best to be optimistic nonetheless.
AIDAN, the fleet's AI (artificial intelligence), was a fascinating character in the book. I don't want to go into too much detail (because I don't want to spoil anything), but it was so difficult to understand him. At the same time, however, I couldn't help but feel a tad bit sympathetic once I learned more about him. I have always been afraid of the idea of artificial intelligence, and for a while I was afraid of what AIDAN was capable of, but he slowly started growing on me.

What surprised me most was definitely how many feels I had while reading the book. Kaufman and Kristoff made me go insane from all the different feels. All the characters were so realistic and I felt like I could relate to all of them in so many ways. The book was devastating and brilliant and glorious and hilarious and everything all at once, and I loved every minute of it, even though the minute something would get better, I'd only be punched in the gut again. Sort of like this:

I am not usually someone who reads science fiction, but I was completely sucked into the world of Illuminae. I was fascinated by the intricacies of the spacecrafts, AIDAN, and all the different documents used to tell the story. The artwork and designs that were in the book were truly superb, and I felt like I could visualize everything that was happening vividly.

Illuminae was an absolute masterpiece. It was such a pleasure to read an advanced copy of it, and it is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I was a bit worried about reading such a long book, but it captured my attention the whole time and went by so quickly that I ultimately didn't want it to end.

Also, WHY CANT THE SECOND BOOK BE OUT ALREADY?!? Of course I'm saying that while the first book still hasn't even been released to the public, but I don't know if I can wait that long. But I must. I will be patient. I WILL. I. WILL. BE. PATIENT. Asdfghjkl; *takes deep breath* I apologize for my little [glitch], but it was just absolutely amazing and I need the next book so badly… GO READ ILLUMINAE. IT IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.

My Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪

About Illuminae (via Goodreads):

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.