Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Book Review
Hey everyone! So I recently re-read and reviewed Illuminae, and now I’ve re-read Gemina! AHHH I loved it just as much, if not more than the first time around! I’d even go so far as to say I think I prefer it to Illuminae?
This will be a spoiler-free review!
Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff, Marie Lu Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 18th 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 659
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.
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.
So I’m assuming you’ve read my review of Illuminae, but just in case here’s a recap:
- VIRUS IN SPACE
- Rogue AI
- SPACE
Okay cool we’re all caught up.
So whilst Illuminae followed Kady on her escape from Kerenza with the other survivors, in Gemina we find ourselves on the jump station Heimdall, where the guys in Illuminae are heading for. Heimdall hasn’t heard anything from Kerenza, so we find Hanna and Nik, our main characters, living life as ‘usual’ aboard the space station, until the next wave of the BeiTech attack.
This installment doesn’t have a virus – but it does have something else rather deadly upping the stakes. Yes, more deadly than the Elite BeiTech team! (Can we talk about how hard it is to write reviews on sequels that are spoiler-free?!)
It’s thrilling and keeps you hooked on the edge of your seat. I felt there’s a lot more going on in this one than in Illuminae as there were a lot more ‘footage transcripts’ and chats between the main characters which made it feel more like a normal novel with added elements mixed in. So I definitely think I enjoyed this one more than Illuminae, which may be an unpopular opinion? I really liked the new characters and their links to existing ones. Also the whole, you know, mortal peril to the entire universe added a lot of tension! (I’ve recently watched Valerian so you may find some Valerian gifs in here…)
Fast paced, action packed space thriller – keeps you at the edge of the page!
Just like Illuminae, Gemina is pieced together using video footage transcripts, chat records, and documents collected by the Illuminae Group on the attack on Kerenza. This time there are even court testimonials on either end of the book so we get a hint of where the narrative is at, with the attack on the Heimdall and Kerenza being in the past. Again it’s really well done, constantly drawing you forward to read more. The way that the different mediums are presented and laid out really makes you keep reading on for more. Though I’ll be honest – I’m not a huge fan of AIDAN’s narrative sometimes… especially when I have to turn the book this way and that to read it haha.
I can just imagine Nik and Hanna walking in like
Some of our faves make a little return in this which is nice. I really loved Hanna, I liked that she wasn’t like Kady at all. Her strength wasn’t in computers, it was actual physical strength and fighting. YES for badass women! It didn’t seem forced either, I believed that with her backstory she would have the skills that she did. I liked the way she developed as well, she started off with the impression she was quiet, aloof, and full of herself, but that soon changes!
Ah Nik. I do love Nik! Though I’ll be honest the thought of a throat tattoo really is distracting for me when I’m picturing him. I just can’t get on board with that hah. I really liked his story and his past. Gotta love a bad boy!
How much else can I say without spoiling it? I liked the variety of the BeiTech team, one of which was so driven by her emotional response of rage and I fully believed that it was a likely response for her character. Overall I think the character development was brilliantly done!
Ah so I LOVED this book too and I’m hoping I love Obsidio as much. Which is your favourite?
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14 Comments
This series is high on my TBR. The books sound very original and I think I will enjoy the story.
Yes you will! It’s so interesting and visually different too.
While I agree that AIDAN’s sections could make for tricky reading (the audio REALLY helped in this respect), it’s actually one of my favorite characters. There’s so much interest in it’s strict logic, but then it starts to evolve, which I think you really see if you pay attention to the Error messages that pop up. Obsidio definitely made for some developments in AIDAN’s story.
Gemina was maybe my second favorite. I think Illuminae would be my first, though it may be tied with Obsidio. It’s hard to pick because there’s so much to weigh that it becomes impossible.
Oh god, the _____. No wonder 7213 had a hard time with the footage. 😷
Oh my gosh yes I love the error messages! It’s so interesting how it (he?) develops! Does the identities of the analysts have a bearing on the book? My head with numbers is weird so I couldn’t tell you how many analysts there were or what numbers haha.
There’s a second introduced in Obsidio which the text will point out to you, but I noticed quicker with the audio. Their identities are interesting. 😏
I NEED to read this book! I absolutely adored Illuminae and own the entire rest of the trilogy so I have no clue why I haven’t already ughh. The new characters seem awesome and YAS to Hanna being a badass! Also, i’m OBSESSED with all of those Valerian gifs! I recently watched the movie too and really enjoyed it! Lovely review! :))
Yes you dooo! I haven’t had a chance to get into Obsidio yet but loving it so far! YAS VALARIAN! It was such a long film but I loved it! Thank you x
bahaha i’m just realizing it but it WAS a long film danggg. I loove Cara Devilinge tho! (I totally butchered her name whoooops)
I need this book in my life right now! I loved Illuminae! But I’m waiting for my next long road trip to listen to the audio book because Illuminae was fantastic!!
I keep hearing things about the audiobooks! If I ever reread (AGAIN) I’ll definitely listen to them haha.
They are so amazing! I suggest listening to them! 😊
I have seen so many people loving this series lately, especially as the finale book was recently released! I actually just went and bought the first book so I cannot wait to finally read it. The plot sounds absolutely spectacular and hooking, but I also really like seeing that there are great characters to go along with it too.
I recently read this book and I loved it, too! The whole series has such an amazing writing style, and the characters in it are so complex and imperfectly perfect, it’s hard not to love them. I have a similar review for Gemina (https://priyajoarder.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/gemina/) and I was so frantic after I finished it, I ordered Obsidio straight away!
How did you enjoy Obsidio?!