Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2)
By: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff and Illustrated by Marie Lu
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format: Print ARC
Source: Friend
My Rating:
Summary:
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.
My Thoughts:
Last year Illuminae BLEW ME AWAY. I wondered- could this companion ever compare? The answer is YES. Gemina was incredible- we get all new characters this round (though the ones we love do appear) and a new story line. I will say that, because of the character switch, I struggled a teeny tiny bit just getting used to the new voices. It’s like when there is a new Doctor in Doctor Who– I sort of mourn that I’m not seeing the old characters. But it didn’t take long before I was wrapped up in this story.
I really think that Kaufman and Kristoff work magic creating these books- I have no clue how their minds come up with this stuff but it is incredible. It has the feel of old science fiction but it brings it up to our day and age and gah- it’s just perfect really. I’m amazed that with the format being as it is (transcripts, emails, surveillance video, etc) the reader still connects deeply to the characters. It really says so much about the talent of the writers to accomplish this. Beyond that Gemina is HUGE- yet- it is such a fast paced read you’ll actually wish it were longer.
The characters- especially Hanna- were badass. She might be pampered but no one will keep this girl down. She was fierce and a force to reckon with and that she was never a push over. Nik I had a little bit more trouble really getting a connection with but once I did I fell in love with him. His chemistry with Hanna was perfection.
There are some really great and complex side characters-my favorite being Nik’s cousin Ella. She brought humor to the story and was just such a great character. I think her relationship to Nik really helped me get his character.
Gemina was action packed and there were many twists I didn’t see coming. The big bad in this one wasn’t a virus but an alien. I will admit- the virus idea scares me more but these aliens were NASTY. I wouldn’t ever want to encounter one. The descriptions were spine tingly and really vivid (for better or worse).
As I mentioned before the story was presented in transcripts, emails and the like. I really love this technique and I feel it works so well for these books. I love seeing the story unfold through all these methods and it give the story a great dimension.
Final Thoughts:
You really need to read these books to get a feel for how amazing they are. Any details I can give will just take away from the excitement of the reading experience. Go get these books!
Giveaway
This giveaway is provided by Penguin so is US only.
I really liked the black pages with white writing. I know it’s a huge waste of ink, but they looked so pretty!
Thanks for the giveaway. 🙂
I really didn’t think I would be able to read Illuminae but it was fasinating to see the plot shift thriugh the differet forms.
I can’t wait to read these they look so great!
I’m most excited for the series because of the method of presentation. Transcripts and emails sound brilliant and different.
I mostly love that a lot of people thought the format would make it hard to connect to the story and characters but honestly by the end of it you forget you are reading it in a different format at all 🙂
I love these books with a sickness and can’t wait for book 3. I’m dying to see how it all ends.
Thanks for sharing your review!
The security cam transcripts are often my favorite. They just lend the perfect level of remove for me to really get the full picture.
I love epistolary novels that are told in a variety of ways. I sometimes question whether people would still use email and chat this far of a future that so much looks like ours today, but I can get over that because I loved the story so much. I’m super excited for Gemina!
Yay, I’m so happy to hear this was good! I can’t wait to get a hold of it myself and read it. Illuminae was probably the most interesting book I have ever read. It was definitely different than most.
I agree that the formatting of these books is so incredibly interesting. I love learning about the story through emails, transcripts and the like!
I love the unique format of this series, you never know what you are going to get from one chapter to the next.
I absolutely loved reading Illuminae! The format and writing style of the book was against the norm and was very interesting to read.
I really loved the pages that had the spaceship blueprints and website pages, and I, of course, loved the interview pages.
So excited to see your positive review! I’ve been dying to dig in to Gemina, but there’s a part of me that feels nervous because it has different characters. I think what I love the most about the writing format is how well it can tell a story in such odd transcripts and tidbits, but still makes perfect sense and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. That takes true talent! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. 🙂
I am a fan of graphic novels, so I find the format very artistic. I also love how the format makes the book feel even more mysterious. It adds so much suspense.
It’s just so different and unique!
The whole thing is just so unique and cool!
I liked how the pages that have different content like blueprints are structured differently! Like I’m holding a (huge well organized) file!
I love how there is a collection of files, blueprints, etc… it really makes me feel like I’m going along their journey and it somehow brings a note of authenticity to the story!!
The Transcripts! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I love when the text doesn’t go in a straight line, but is crooked sometimes, like when AIDAN was speaking in Illuminae! I think its so cool! (I also imagine how much of a pain it must have been for the people who worked on laying out this book design wise haha, as a graphic designer, I think about these things XD)
I really loved Illuminae and after reading your post I really am looking forward to reading Gemina!
I love that it’s such a unique look. Many of my students are reluctant readers; this doesn’t look like a “typical” book so it’s less threatening!
I’m so excited to read Gemina! I picked up Illuminae because of all of the hype, and I absolutely LOVED it! I love the unique format – I absolutely flew through it. I especially loved that part in Illuminae where the sentences were formed into shapes. I can’t actually remember what was going on at that point, but the story was captivating and it was visually stunning.
I haven’t read Gemina yet but the way you describe it sounds awesome. Thank you
I love all the mixed media. I’m such a sucker for it. It’s so different and it gives me a different reading experience.