

A New York Times Bestseller Brace yourself for GEMINA—t he highly anticipated sequel to the book critics called “out-of-this-world awesome” — featuring journal illustrations by bestselling author Marie Lu! 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. The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault. Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik 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 survival; 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. Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless. Praise for Illuminae: A New York Times Bestseller A PW Bestseller “Out-of-this-world awesome.” — Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Stylistically mesmerizing.” — Publishers Weekly, Starred “An arresting visual experience.” — Booklis t , Starred “A game-changer.” — Shelf Awareness, Starred Review: But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station - Rating: 4.7/5 Stars Title: Gemina (Illuminae Files #2) Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Synopsis: 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. The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault. Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik 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 survival; 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. Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless. Initial thoughts: After reading Illuminae, I had a feeling that I was going to have trouble getting through this book as I had the first, but I loved the story so much that I decided to keep going and push through the processing complications I had experienced. I really enjoy science fiction stories and wanted to see what was in store for Kady and Ezra after everything that happened in the first book. Especially after that cliffhanger that we were left with! So, with that, I jumped right into reading this book. Plot: What I liked: I missed Kady, Ezra and AIDEN from the first book as this story follows a different set of characters, but I did enjoy learning about what was happening at the station. The plot of the story was well paced and full of realistic characters that reacted as I would have expected them to in response to the pressures placed upon them. Even the protagonists were human in many aspects and showed emotion amidst stressful situations (of course some were described as being more robotic in expression, but I digress). I loved the humor that was put into the story as well as the sass of the characters. They were witty and clever, bringing out the severity of a situation while still staying real and coping using humor. What I didn't like: Again, this was tough book to get through because of the constant switching of fonts and occasional artistic texts. Though it added to the atmosphere of the story, I found it difficult to read and process. So, the book took me much longer to finish. I am assuming that Obsido is going to be the same way. Characters: Hanna Donnelly: She was so much more than just your pretty party girl. Hannah was my favorite character (Even above Kady which was weird to me) and I loved following her around and seeing just what she was going to do in certain situations. She was smart, witty, and strong and I found myself drawn to her character. Nik Malikov: The bad boy with a heart of gold. I loved Nik and I found his character really endearing and I was rooting for him. He was silly, and though he toes the line of what he should and shouldn’t say, I felt like he knew when to stop and take a step back. Ella Malikova: I loved this girl! She was sassy, but still a good person. I liked reading her thoughts on the situation aboard the station. Travis Falk and his Team: He was crazy and I thought he was a fantastic villain, and his team was very quick thinking (for the most part). I liked how they all worked together. I would equate them to a pack of dogs to be honest on how they hunted and how they showed no mercy. Overall: This book was fantastic and I seriously loved it! It was a roller coaster ride from start to finish with so much conflict riddled throughout it. I really think that the story was so well written and executed. I liked how the beginning and end come together as if in a trial setting. The first book was like a warning while the second is the actual follow through. The characters were fantastic and I actually enjoyed this book a little more than Illuminae and cannot wait to start the third book, Obsidio. Review: A great second installment in a fantastic sci-fi series - 4.5 Stars! Gemina was a fantastic continuation of The Illuminae Files with an intriguing storyline and characters, both new and old, that you can’t help but root for. Hanna, the daughter of the station captain, has little to look forward to on Jump Station Heimdall so the upcoming celebration for Terra Day is an event she has been eagerly anticipating. Before she can join the festivities she makes a pitstop to pick up some party favors for her friends from Nik, a member of a notorious crime family living on Heimdall. Little do Hanna and Nik know that their meeting saved their lives when a BeiTech assault team invades the station to prevent the arrival of Kady Grant and the Hypatia. Now Hanna and Nik must work together to evade the BeiTech forces while looking for a way to save everyone on Heimdall along with everyone aboard the Hypatia. Hanna is initially presented as the spoiled daughter of the station captain who doesn’t have a care in the world. Over time we learn there’s much more to Hanna than she presents to the world. Her father’s idea of fun was for the two of them to play war strategy games and as a result Hanna is quite skilled in the art of war. Nik is presented as the nephew of Heimdall’s crime lord who has a reputation for being able to get anything you want. Despite coming from opposing sides of the social spectrum, Hanna and Nik have a good friendship that at times is full of banter and flirting. The two work well together in the fight against BeiTech and I enjoyed how much others would underestimate Hanna. My favorite new character introduced is without a doubt Ella, Nik’s cousin and hacker extraordinaire. We also see the return of some of the characters that survived Illuminae and it was great to see them again and to learn how they fit into this storyline. In Gemina we start to learn more about the motives of BeiTech and just how far those in charge will go to cover up their agenda. The BeiTech assault team that arrives on Heimdall definitely ups the suspense factor a bit compared to Illuminae as now the enemy is in the same place as our characters while previously they were more off-page. Several of the events that occur on Heimdall surprised me in their outcomes which was a nice change from a lot of books that tend to go the easier route. The unique format of this book is by far one of my favorite aspects of this series. Having the story be told through a series of documents is something I had never encountered prior to reading Illuminae. At times throughout the story you have to turn the book itself in order to read it which definitely makes for a different reading experience. There were a few sections that were difficult to read, in particular the whisperNET IM logs as those are on a gray background with black text. Those sections did slow me down a bit as I had to read them more carefully as I had difficulty seeing the text. I enjoyed Gemina almost as much as Illuminae and I’m highly anticipating picking up the final book Obsidio. Gemina does get off to a somewhat slower start than Illuminae but once the action picks up it never slows down. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking for a unique sci-fi series.






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D**H
But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station
Rating: 4.7/5 Stars Title: Gemina (Illuminae Files #2) Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Synopsis: 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. The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault. Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik 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 survival; 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. Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless. Initial thoughts: After reading Illuminae, I had a feeling that I was going to have trouble getting through this book as I had the first, but I loved the story so much that I decided to keep going and push through the processing complications I had experienced. I really enjoy science fiction stories and wanted to see what was in store for Kady and Ezra after everything that happened in the first book. Especially after that cliffhanger that we were left with! So, with that, I jumped right into reading this book. Plot: What I liked: I missed Kady, Ezra and AIDEN from the first book as this story follows a different set of characters, but I did enjoy learning about what was happening at the station. The plot of the story was well paced and full of realistic characters that reacted as I would have expected them to in response to the pressures placed upon them. Even the protagonists were human in many aspects and showed emotion amidst stressful situations (of course some were described as being more robotic in expression, but I digress). I loved the humor that was put into the story as well as the sass of the characters. They were witty and clever, bringing out the severity of a situation while still staying real and coping using humor. What I didn't like: Again, this was tough book to get through because of the constant switching of fonts and occasional artistic texts. Though it added to the atmosphere of the story, I found it difficult to read and process. So, the book took me much longer to finish. I am assuming that Obsido is going to be the same way. Characters: Hanna Donnelly: She was so much more than just your pretty party girl. Hannah was my favorite character (Even above Kady which was weird to me) and I loved following her around and seeing just what she was going to do in certain situations. She was smart, witty, and strong and I found myself drawn to her character. Nik Malikov: The bad boy with a heart of gold. I loved Nik and I found his character really endearing and I was rooting for him. He was silly, and though he toes the line of what he should and shouldn’t say, I felt like he knew when to stop and take a step back. Ella Malikova: I loved this girl! She was sassy, but still a good person. I liked reading her thoughts on the situation aboard the station. Travis Falk and his Team: He was crazy and I thought he was a fantastic villain, and his team was very quick thinking (for the most part). I liked how they all worked together. I would equate them to a pack of dogs to be honest on how they hunted and how they showed no mercy. Overall: This book was fantastic and I seriously loved it! It was a roller coaster ride from start to finish with so much conflict riddled throughout it. I really think that the story was so well written and executed. I liked how the beginning and end come together as if in a trial setting. The first book was like a warning while the second is the actual follow through. The characters were fantastic and I actually enjoyed this book a little more than Illuminae and cannot wait to start the third book, Obsidio.
M**E
A great second installment in a fantastic sci-fi series
4.5 Stars! Gemina was a fantastic continuation of The Illuminae Files with an intriguing storyline and characters, both new and old, that you can’t help but root for. Hanna, the daughter of the station captain, has little to look forward to on Jump Station Heimdall so the upcoming celebration for Terra Day is an event she has been eagerly anticipating. Before she can join the festivities she makes a pitstop to pick up some party favors for her friends from Nik, a member of a notorious crime family living on Heimdall. Little do Hanna and Nik know that their meeting saved their lives when a BeiTech assault team invades the station to prevent the arrival of Kady Grant and the Hypatia. Now Hanna and Nik must work together to evade the BeiTech forces while looking for a way to save everyone on Heimdall along with everyone aboard the Hypatia. Hanna is initially presented as the spoiled daughter of the station captain who doesn’t have a care in the world. Over time we learn there’s much more to Hanna than she presents to the world. Her father’s idea of fun was for the two of them to play war strategy games and as a result Hanna is quite skilled in the art of war. Nik is presented as the nephew of Heimdall’s crime lord who has a reputation for being able to get anything you want. Despite coming from opposing sides of the social spectrum, Hanna and Nik have a good friendship that at times is full of banter and flirting. The two work well together in the fight against BeiTech and I enjoyed how much others would underestimate Hanna. My favorite new character introduced is without a doubt Ella, Nik’s cousin and hacker extraordinaire. We also see the return of some of the characters that survived Illuminae and it was great to see them again and to learn how they fit into this storyline. In Gemina we start to learn more about the motives of BeiTech and just how far those in charge will go to cover up their agenda. The BeiTech assault team that arrives on Heimdall definitely ups the suspense factor a bit compared to Illuminae as now the enemy is in the same place as our characters while previously they were more off-page. Several of the events that occur on Heimdall surprised me in their outcomes which was a nice change from a lot of books that tend to go the easier route. The unique format of this book is by far one of my favorite aspects of this series. Having the story be told through a series of documents is something I had never encountered prior to reading Illuminae. At times throughout the story you have to turn the book itself in order to read it which definitely makes for a different reading experience. There were a few sections that were difficult to read, in particular the whisperNET IM logs as those are on a gray background with black text. Those sections did slow me down a bit as I had to read them more carefully as I had difficulty seeing the text. I enjoyed Gemina almost as much as Illuminae and I’m highly anticipating picking up the final book Obsidio. Gemina does get off to a somewhat slower start than Illuminae but once the action picks up it never slows down. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking for a unique sci-fi series.
S**H
Liked it even better than the first
I never really planned to read this book. The first book, Illuminae, was just a three star read for me, and upon finishing it I didn’t feel compelled to continue the series. But the format got to me. These books are pretty unique in they are told through IMs, Interviews, police reports, blueprints, Unipedia pages, etc. Nagging at me for awhile now was the thought that, yeah so the story wasn’t the greatest, but the format was fun so why not give it a go? I’m pleased to say I enjoyed the story in Gemina much more. It was slow to get going and I figured it would be another three star read, but about half way through the first twist is revealed. It was pretty hard to put down after that. And that was just the first of many twists I never saw coming. The characters are still teenagers and bound to act like teenagers, but for the most part I enjoyed them. Hanna was pretty great, a feminine, pretty, “spoiled rich kid” who was also a master strategist and martial artist who wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Nik is the son of a Russian gangster, smuggler, and drug dealer, but he was entertaining and cared deeply for his cousin. Ella, Nik’s cousin, is a paraplegic super-hacker and tough as nails sort of character. They didn’t always act quite like I’d expect real humans to, but if you look at this book like it’s a Bruce Willis film, designed to dazzle with high speed car chases, gun fire, explosions and a few wise cracks, you won’t be too upset by it. And action film is a pretty accurate comparison. This book is sort of like that movie Crank, where everything is just non stop all the time. I loved the roster of the different teams, marking who was still alive and who was dead. I loved the creepy alien threat of the Lamina. I mean first of all, disgusting, but second of all, love that their part in the story wasn’t wasted. Best of all was the roller coaster ride of an ending. This book feels much darker than the first. The violence seemed a lot more personal, so if you’re looking for lighter fare, this probably isn’t for you. If you liked the first book, or even felt meh about it but enjoyed the format, definitely pick this one up. I’m already planning to pick up the third and looking forward to it.
E**S
BOOK, HOW DARE YOU End Like That?!
Rating: 5/5 Penguins Quick Reasons: I SWEAR, these books will be the death of me!; super entertaining, snarky, and heart-wrenching; complex, frustrating, endearing characters; the roMESS in this read is SO WORTH IT; OH MY PENGUINS ALL THE PLOT TWISTS OF EVER; someone please tell me you're buying me book 3 for my birthday?! AHHHHH. AHHHHHHHHH. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I feel like if I let myself, I could spend this entire review just screaming and none of you would even come close to understanding the amount of feeeeeeelings I'm feeling right now because words just.... they fail me. They fail me so hard core right now I can't even. I am so...just... GAH, THIS BOOK SERIES! I swear, it's going to be the death of me--all the plot twists and turny-loops and "you thought you knew what was coming?! you thought WRONG!" ness. Seriously, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff know how to weave a topsy-turvy, confusing, twisty tale...and keep readers enthralled throughout. This installment was absolutely no exception! These characters are super entertaining and endearing. While I found myself (inexplicably? or perhaps not, given how much I ADORED him in Illuminae) missing AIDAN through a large portion of this read. Of course, once he made his appearance (and stuck around!) I was a very happy penguin and could focus more completely on the rest of the crew, who were just as vibrantly written and stubbornly AWESOME as I'd been expecting. I don't quite know how Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff managed it, but they wrote a sequel that both stands apart from it's predecessor and yet somehow fills in at least a few of the questionable gaps. I just... I am in absolute awe. The plot is fast-paced and so twisty, you'll find your heart has broken and been mended at least half a dozen times within the span of just a few pages. No, really Penguins--this is not an over-exaggeration at all! I was on the tippity tops of my toes throughout this entire read, begging to know what was happening while at the same time trying desperately to close my eyes to the events because SO MUCH HEARTACHE! I screamed at my book--numerous times. I pleaded, and threw tantraums (over facebook chat, at least), and laughed and rallied and then fell apart all over again. Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman are BRILLIANT at writing intensely entertaining, dramatically realistic, gut-wrenching shotgun reads, and OH MY PENGUINS, I cannot wait to lay my hands on Obsidio next year. I need it. I just... If you haven't heard me wax poetic about the beauty that is Illuminae, hear me now. Pick up this series! The characters are entertaining and lovable, the plot is action-packed and so full of surprises, and you will--guaranteed!--find yourself flinging the book in anger at least once, but probably more like a thousand times, before the end. I definitely recommend this series to lovers of science fiction, uniquely formatted reads, and super epic world-saving journeys. The wormhole is open, Penguins; the fate of reality rests on your readerly shoulders now!
P**I
So good, it blew me away twice!
You know when you read an awesome book that totally blows you away? And then you know that there’s a second part to that book series, yet you’re a little skeptical that the second book can live up to the sheer awesomeness of the first book? Well, that’s how I went into Gemina, the second part of The Illuminae Files. I love the first part, and so far in 2017, it’s the measuring stick for books I’m reading. And when I heard that the second part would focus on a different set of characters, I was even more skeptical. I absolutely adore Kady and Ezra and AIDAN from Illuminae, so how could I possibly learn to adore new characters? Is it even possible? Well, it turns out that even if there’s a one-in-a-zillion chance of an alternate universe where the second book at least lives up to the first given these circumstances, then the team of Kaufman and Kristoff can pull it off. Before I go any further, please be aware of my spoiler policy. I keep my reviews spoiler-free for the book I’m reviewing, but I may have to reveal details of the previous book. You have been warned. In Illuminae, the people of the mining colony Kerenza had been attacked by BeiTech, a rival corporation. The rag-tag group of survivors flee in three ships, but are pursued by the bad guys. Also, there’s a disease outbreak that turns its victims into paranoid, bloodthirsty zombie-like people. The ship’s artificial intelligence AIDAN makes some choices to save some of the people, but ultimately, only one ship—the science vessel Hypatia—is the only one that gets away. It’s on course for the Heimdall jump station, where a wormhole can take them into core space and they can report the attack. Gemina takes place aboard the Heimdall space station. The workers and residents of the station are unaware of the exact details of what happened. Even more pressing, they’re unaware that BeiTech is out to cover its tracks. An assault fleet is headed for the wormhole to destroy the Hypatia before it can arrive and expose the attack. But first, a team takes control of the space station, killing some crew members and locking down the others. Can our two main characters save the day? This time, the reader follows the stories of Hanna Donnelly and Nik Malikov. As the daughter of the commander of the Heimdall space station, Hanna has lived a life of privilege and tactical training—she’s well versed in some martial arts. As a member of a crime family, Nik has spent some time in prison, but he and his family are breeding really scary animals that make a powerful psychotropic drug. Hanna and Nik have a business relationship at first, as she’s trying to procure some “party supplies” for a station-wide celebration, but it’s near their meeting time when then the attack on the station begins. I won’t go into many details, but they’re among the only two that are in a position to fight the bad guys. Like the first book, Gemina is told via transcripts of chats between the characters (typed emails and IM conversations, and spoken conversations via the station-wide WhisperNet), descriptions of security footage, and memos and computer logs. And like in the first book, it’s a fascinating way to tell the story, and it still works because the characters and situations are compelling. But unlike the first book, I found an even higher level of immediacy in the story. In Illuminae, they were being pursued externally by the bad guys and threatened internally by the virus. The former was the enemy threat, and the latter was an unfortunate coincidence. Here in Gemina, the enemy is ever-present on the station, and there’s another unfortunate coincidence internal threat—and these combine to make the station one really scary place, never mind the external problem of the unseen assault fleet coming. All these conflicts, mixed in with the character histories they’re trying to keep secret from each other, make this at least as compelling as the first book. Maybe more so. I fanboyed whenever there was a reference to Kady, Ezra, and AIDAN from the first book. I love when and how they were integrated into this story. My mind was blown again. And there’s a cataclysmic event revealed near the end of the book that not only blew me away, but the way in which the actions of the characters are presented on the pages blew me away. If the first book blew me away, I think that this one did it twice as much. Now it’s going to be about another year until the third part comes out, and I have high expectations for it. This series is like seeing a brand new set of stars, and Gemina deserves its spot in the sky next to Illuminae with FIVE STARS.
S**E
Strong Sequel/Companion. Riveting from Cover to Cover
Gemina was a sci-fi powerhouse and the equal of its predecessor in the series. I expected it to be lesser simply because the wow-factor of the writing style, formatting, and sheer heart-pumping excitement of Illuminae would not be there. I was wrong. New setting and characters, but same reaction. Life went on without me until I finished this one. Gemina was book two in a series and is one that needs to follow in a row. It might standalone, but it does flow forward from Illuminae even if much of the book seems to be a separate story path. The story opens with the population of the Heimdall Jump Station anticipating a big holiday and party. Many have left for the holiday, but for those that remain, the anticipated holiday has a surprise bang. A traitor in their midst has been suppressing distress calls and news out of the Kerenza system and the in-bound Hypatia. Bei Tech, the company behind the disaster needs to clear away all witnesses and make the situation go away. They send an elite strike team to take over the jump station and neutralize its workers while getting the wormhole back on line so their Kennedy Assault Fleet can destroy the Hypathia survivors. Meanwhile, a gang leader seeking a profit in the drug trade starts incubating his own cash cows and sets the chain in motion for a dark and deadly infestation in the depth of the jump station. The survival of the people on Heimdall and the people of Hypathia are depending on the commander's daughter, a gang member, and his cousin who must take down an elite ops fighting force, an embedded traitor, that which is menacing in the dark, and the ploys of Bei Tech. It's not looking good, but yet, they might make it with more luck than good, teamwork, and untried skill. Alright, if you're not already in the know, this series has an innovative, unique format. It's epistolary in nature as it is told through communications, graphics, drawings, messages, and audio transitions among other things. The adjustment to the style was easy. I would highly recommend getting these in print format because it would be tough to read some of the pages in the electronic format. As to the plot, it continues to be complex and full of intrigue. Several times, I thought I had things figured out and yeah, got it wrong. Even knowing there are twists and turns doesn't help. The danger was breath-stopping stuff and there were some amazing close calls and bad moments. The characters might seem tough to connect with due to the format, but not so. It was easy to get to know them and even see them flaws and all as they grow and come into their own. The relationship side happens with unlikely partnership moving to camaraderie to more. The romance is backburner as it should be under the circumstances. YA cautions- severe violence The end closed out this segment of the story while leaving it open-ended for what is to come. I will definitely be forging ahead with the series. Though this is classified as YA, I can easily recommend it to YA and adult readers who enjoy sci-fi adventure and intrigue.
K**G
Gripping sci-fi adventure that's better than Illuminae!
BRIEFING NOTE: After absolutely falling head over heels in love with Illuminae , I didn't think it could get any better. Hahaha joke is on you, this one is ███████ fantastic and I loved it even more than the first book. ▪▪▪▪▪ Chums, I was sucked into Gemina immediately. It builds on the action from Illuminae and starts with a court proceeding of sorts for BeiTech. The evidence provided are the documents provided by the Illuminae Group, and the briefing notes we read in Gemina are part of the official record. I thought this was such an innovative way to frame the story, and I love books that start at the end and watching how things got to that point. As the Hypatia is making its way to Heimdall, the crew of Heimdall Station have their own problem: namely a BeiTech strike team set on eliminating the Jump Station so word cannot get out about the attack on Kerenza. In retrospect, I should have seen the intense heartbreak I felt coming because of how the book opens, but no one can prepare you for the ███████ emotional rollercoaster that is reading this book, chum. Guard your hearts now. "When you fight a monster, be careful you don't become the monster." I didn't think I could love characters more than I love Kady and Ezra, but Nik and Hanna surpass my love tenfold. Their banter and sarcasm is similar in tone to the levity of Illuminae, serving as a great way to divert the tension you feel when reading the book, but it doesn't feel recycled at all. The characters all feel real and I honestly feel so deeply for them. “It’s not about what I say, right? It’s what I do that matters here.” I love stories about sacrifice and ordinary people doing extraordinary things when situation calls for it, and Gemina delivers an excellent narrative with people doing heroic things. I absolutely adore Hanna, Nik, and Ella with their Operation Thermopylae and their dedication to doing everything they can to stop the BeiTech crew... even give up their lives. I really enjoyed the tie in to war tactics and strategy, and Hanna's propensity to quote Sun Tzu. They never really lose hope and the fast friendships and devotion to one another feel so organic to me - just like how veterans who serve together are bonded by that experience. Analyst 7213 is still my favorite character and I absolutely live for his reporting on the video feeds. We get another Analyst added, 7213D, which... yes. Just all the yes. BRIEFING NOTE: As with Illuminae, I read along with the full-cast audiobook and it was perfection. I love the audiobook so much, but I definitely recommend reading this one with a physical copy because some of the mixed media included are pages from Hannah's journal - which are drawings by Marie Lu! You don't want to miss them, just like you don't want to miss the Lollipop Song, chum. ▪▪▪▪▪ In case you can't tell, I absolutely loved this book and it took almost a month for me to write this review. This book is another fast-paced adventure that answers questions about BeiTech and Illuminae, as well as raises the stakes. It is obvious the series was plotted intricately well and this book fits into the trilogy so well, and I cannot wait to read Obsidio. I don't know if my heart is ready, or if I will ever trust again, but I cannot wait to see how this series ends!
C**E
Teens surviving a shiz-storm in space - Excellent!
Actual rating 4.5 stars. It has been an age since I was eagerly anticipating a book release – and it just had to be a massive space soap opera! Maybe I’m flashing back to my childhood and the Star Wars days? Anyway, I cracked the cover and started reading ‘Gemina’ as soon as I had unboxed it. I found I was missing the characters from ‘Illuminae.’ We get a few glimpses of them, but this sequel deals with a whole new cast – and there are so many new characters! It took a bit to keep track of them all and focus on what's happening - especially with the format of collated documents. The story feels slow to start with, and was a little difficult to capture my interest, especially after my disappointment at not reading more about Kady and Co. After I got past the first 100 pages, I settled into the new environment, got to know our protagonists Hanna and Nik, things started to get better and better. The anty just kept getting one-upped. Just like ‘Illuminae’ I was completely engrossed. Hanna is a real balls-to-the-wall kind of girl. A cross between a pampered princess and an Amazonian. She called to all the joys I have about reading a take-no-prisoners heroine. Only because I wish I could be that kind of person, instead of passing out after one push-up. I appreciated the humour mixed into the narrative and laughed out loud man many times. Though sometimes it felt forced and unnecessary. But I can understand the characters need to crack a funny – to release tension and teenagers are always inappropriate and the worst of times. But still… Nik – I guessed his backstory well in advance, something about how he was written gave it away. But I still really liked him, even if he was predictable. If I had to nit-pick I’d say he was the weakest part of the novel. Ella was cute and reminded me of Iko and Winter from the Cinder Chronicles rolled into one. The plight of the teens under terrorist attack, a bio threat, wormhole issues, incoming destroyers… it was all enough to reduce you into a puddle of your own making. The tension builds and builds, the pace quickened expertly. For such a large novel, I flew through the last half in a matter of hours. Such an expert mix of action, adventure and science fiction. Even with the mixed format of collated documents, you still got a sense of urgency and multiple points of view which only added to the story. That ending tough – by the time I got there, I thought anything could happen and wasn’t certain about any predictions… I like to be kept guessing, so the conclusion was simply brilliant. I’m desperately hangry for the next release ‘Obsidio’ to be dropped next year.
F**E
Beyond awesome
I ordered this book by mistake because someone gave me the book 1 Illuminae on Spanish and my inner self was driving crazy on having a trilogy in 2 different languages... but I need to recommend everyone to read it in english! The jokes will always be better in the original language, and the chemistry of the characters is beyond awesome. It's one of the first Sci-fi books that has been able to trap me in the last 3 years.
S**D
One of the best YA books I read
This is one of those books I read on one day and that is quite something, considering the page count is about 660. I just was not able to put it down, it was just too good. I mean, yes, it was not easy at times to get your hopes up when things went well only to be politely reminded by the authors that this is not the way it works. But still I had to keep going and going and going. This book was one of my most anticipated reads this year, if not the one I wanted to get my hands on the most. I already said it about Illuminae, but the style of the book again is one of the things I loved the most. Although I can’t really say that because I can’t chose which aspect is the best really. I can understand why this is not for everyone yet I am grateful that not every book is the same and only has chapters named after the person that is telling the story or numbers (This is a totally acceptable way to do it but I still crave for chapter titles deep down in my heart). I was actually always looking forward to finish the surveillance camera parts as fast as possible to enjoy the other styles of telling the story again. Especially the graphics and illustrations of the happenings outside the station which brings me to something that I will forever cherish about the books. I know that I have some advantages over other readers when it comes to the physic parts of the book as I have a degree in Physics. Nevertheless, I think the authors did an amazing job in waving theoretical physics into a story for young readers although I can admit it can be a bit much when you are not familiar with the topic at all. I am happy that readers can learn about the multiverse theory, wormholes and more fun facts about space. I get enthusiastic when reading it or writing about it, so I just better stop now, but it’s so cool. Apart from the realistic descriptions of space, I find the plot to very believable, especially because the main characters of the story don’t get everything right and have to fight very hard to get out of situations (alive). And they have to deal with losses and uncertainty which I think they do very realistically in certain aspects which is first and foremost the language. I realize that all the blacked out words can be a little annoying sometimes, especially when you can’t figure them out (well, I’m not native speaker and don’t know all the swear words) but to me they are just so much more genuine and comparable to real life conversations. Ok, maybe not the swear words, but in general the way the characters speak and act feels way more normal, I mean, how often do you have a conversation where you don’t find the perfect words at the first try or it takes some time to finish a thought and speak it out loud. But I actually wanted to talk about the plot. The fact that it is SciFi with real life physics, inventions and problems (personal ones, not that it happens so regularly being ambushed by elite soldiers) is a perfect combination for my taste. Having grown up with Star Trek and so on, the story just transports me back to those years and I just wish to go explore the universe on a spaceship or a space station (and I want to see a wormhole, for real). All in all, this book was somehow too much for me. After the last sentence I had so many feelings, I was happy to be finished as I knew the ending but the way there was also very exhausting because getting your hopes up and all just to have them crushed. But the worst feeling was the fact that now I have to wait another year (!!!!!) to read the next one which is making me quite sad. I knew before reading that 660 pages will not be enough and I was right, I want more, right now, I need the next book. What’s left to say?!
E**V
A wonderful sequel
Well, wow! I read Illuminae a few months ago and I thought it was an impressive work overall, even if I didn't completely love it as most people seem to do. But this book... well, it was absolutely mind-blowing. I still had Illuminae quite vivid in my mind, so I was able to jump right into the sequel and be more comfortable with a genre I usually never read. The story immediately grabbed me and from the start I never wanted to put this book down. The plot was amazing: it was even more fast-paced than in the first book, and the explanation behind the title really blew my mind. Crazy, but great. I also really liked the drawings. In the first book, I enjoyed the pages from Kady's journal because they made her more relatable and more alive, and I loved that in Gemina something similar happened with Hanna's drawings. They were beautifully done, but they also gave a true feeling of who she was, and made her all the more real to me. Talking about the characters, I really liked all of them. In Illuminae I wasn't completely sold on Kady and Ezra, but in this book I was drawn to both Hanna and Nik. They were badass and realistic at the same times, and their relationship, even if a little cliché, was fun. I also really loved Ella, Nik's cousin, who despite her disability was probably the most badass of them all. She was utterly fantastic! I can't wait for the third book.
M**A
Great book
4.5 stars for the corner. Otherwise the book is great :)
S**E
Otima edição
Formato interessante, linda edição, hardcover perfeito, chegou rápido, esperando o volume um chegar
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