Frighteningly Good Read #2:

This may not be a stock “scary book” but I will confess: being trapped on a spaceship or a submarine is a nightmare situation for me. Add any kind of threat and I am at panic level of terror. Usually I pass right by all books set it such a situation but The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff came so highly recommended by everyone that I gathered my courage to read it.

I had the pleasure of reading and listening to the audiobook and I can not imagine experiencing this story any other way. Since the audiobook is a full cast recording, a delightful one at that, it is almost like watching a movie. The experience is so vivid.

And the design of this book is beyond comprehension. A simple flip-through might give a reader the impression that it is a series of e-mails and documents but it is a multi-faceted thing that is probably best described as a printed collage. I loved it. It was, at times, confusing, but overall it essential to experiencing the full effect of the story.

As for the story:

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.

BRIEFING NOTE: 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. Goodreads

I may have said that being aboard a spaceship or submarine is a nightmare but a deadly plague on said sealed metal crafts trumps that in the order of terrifying. And when the delightful Kady and cutie Ezra are threatened my heart was in my throat.

I well and truly cannot decide which character enjoyed more – Kady or Ezra. Both are quick and witty and strong in the face of adversity. Furthermore, the AI is a creature of fascination for me. I just wanted to spend more time with them all. Thankfully, there are two more books in the series for me!

Tell me, please!

What non-traditional setting terrifies you?