Gemina (Illuminae Files_02) | book review
This book is the second novel in the Iluminae files series (following the first book: Illuminae). Now-a-days it can be hard to find a second book that is just as good as the first. But this book blew my mind and might even be considered better than the first. I fell in love with these new characters just as I did in the first. I'm already dying for the third!!
Information
Title: Gemina (Illumanae Files_02)
Author(s): Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Illustrator: Marie Lu
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 saga that began with Illuminae continues on board the space station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of BeiTech’s assault. Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter, Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while they 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 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 may 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." (Goodreads)
Spoiler-free Review
If you skim through the books reviews of others regarding the book in Goodreads, you will see that over and over again people simply put that they love it! And the same is true for me. Gemina is a sci-fi, adventure novel, with a dab of romance, and plenty of twists and turns. The fun thing about this series is that it is a collection of files--journal entries, chat logs, surveillance footage transcripts, charts, diagrams, and more. If you aren't familiar with this series then I would definitely suggest you run over to a book store right now and at least flip through the beautiful and unique pages.
The book picks up right where the first one left off, but is documented through the journey of two new main characters, Hanna and Nik. The character development throughout this series has really been phenomenal. You would think that files meant to be presented to a court would not contain the true feelings and emotions of the characters within; however, Kaufman and Kristoff do and wonderful job of creating bonds, describing histories, and allowing readers to become immersed in this interesting intergalactic world.
During the time in which I was reading the first book in this series, Illuminae, I often felt very lost and confused. Since these books are a collection of files, they often dive right into terminology and space jargon that might be common-place for the courts reading through these testimonies; however, for a new reader, they can be overwhelming and confusing. That being said, I found that this second book did a lot better job making things appear more clear and clarifying some of the confusing parts mentioned in the first book.
I am definitely awaiting the day that another novel in this series comes out. I love the fast paced way you can flip through this book. It brings a whole new experience to reading and is a wonderful way to change up your routine with a new writing style. This is a book that I would definitely recommend to all readers!
Check out my February Reads post to see more books that I am planning on completing before this month ends. Do you have any suggestions for me?
