I received this for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 18th 2016
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads
The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.”
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:
Illuminae was, by far, one of my very favorite reads of last year. It simply blew me away. Of course that meant Gemina was one of my most anticipated books of the year. So, when asked if I wanted to be on the blog tour, I jumped at the chance!
As with Illuminae, I’m not sure I can adequately express my love for this book. I’m in awe of how Kaufman and Kristoff tell such an incredible story in this unique format.
I have to admit, I had two reservations going in:
- The ARC doesn’t have the final art (by Marie Lu!!) yet. I thought this might mean the story wouldn’t be as complete.
- I fell so hard for Kady and Ezra. Would I care as much about different characters?
I needn’t have worried. I was drawn into Gemina as quickly and thoroughly as Illuminae. These books, I just can’t get enough. I resented any interruption to my reading time, including meals and work!
Even though Gemina focuses on different characters than Illuminae, the overall story doesn’t lose any momentum. The action and adventure are just as intense. I fell just as hard for the new characters introduced. We learn more about the incidents of book one, as well as being introduced to a whole host of other issues (if you’ve read book two, you see what I did there?)
Basically this book is crazy amazing and I simply cannot wait to see the finished copy and listen to the audiobook. This is the rare book where I’ll read the finished copy in the same year I read the ARC!
Don’t forget to check out the Illuminae Files website!
Giveaway:
Thanks to the publisher I have ONE finished copy of Gemina to giveaway! US/Canada only. Use the rafflecopter to enter.
Rachana
I’m really glad to see you enjoyed Gemina! I read Illuminae (a month ago maybe??) and fell in love with it..I can’t believe I waited so long to read it haha. But on the upside, it’ll still be relatively fresh in my mind when I read Gemina (which sounds pretty awesome!!).
Susan
I LOVED Illuminae! Cannot wait to see how the story continues.
Jen
I loved ILLUMINAE. Can’t wait for this.
Valerie Pennington
I freaking love Illuminae and I can’t wait for more!!
Christina C.
1) Because of Illuminae 2) The great reviews. 🙂
Lily M.
Hi!! Thank you so much for this awesome opportunity 🙂 🙂 Just recently I bought Illuminae and it came with no dust jacket :'( the jacket is a big part of a book. I think Gemina will be awesome to have and to read the two books one after the other, thank you so much 🙂
Anne C
Everyone loves this series and I am excited to read it!
Chandni
I’m super excited for Gemina because Illuminae was so great!
Stacy Renee
I recently read Illuminae and loved it! It helped me get out of a really big reading slump! 🙂
Virginia
I’m excited for Gemina because of how unique and innovative the writing style/format is. Illuminae was one of my favorite books last year!
Maria Malaveci
I loved Illuminae…..!
Autumn
I loved Illuminae so much and I know Gemina is going to be amazing! I haven’t been this excited for a sequel in a long time.
Dianna
I haven’t read Illuminae yet (it’s on my shelf). I’ve been waiting for the sequel because I just know it will drive me crazy not to have the next one to read.
Alice @ Arctic Books
I love scifi and I adore the unique structure! I can’t wait to read this one; I love Jay Kristoff’s work already so I can’t wait to see what he and Amie have in store for us!