Review: Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (no spoilers, just gifs and a giveaway)

Rating: all the stars

Pub Date: October 18, 2016

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: young adult sci-fi space adventure mind fuck

Format/Source: ARC, BEA

Status: book 2 of The Illuminae Files
Link: Illuminae review

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.

Review:

TL;DR aka Gemina in a single gif

I'm a bit of a jerk when I read sometimes so really really early on, I was all 

Because I thought I'd figured everything out, which means that

of course, through their writing, Amy & Jay were basically were like

This was a feeling I had REALLY early on

And it pretty much never went away.

And I'm pretty sure I screamed this a time or twelve

When you read it, you'll understand why this is hilarious

LOLOLOLOLLIPOP!

It's kinda like this.

Me yelling this---v

directly led to me doing this---v

SCARY DO NOT WANT PLZ STAHP

There's a scene like this & it's awesome

Actually me reading that scene

But then I was all:

And then my brain went all

But then

Eventually I was just

In general, there was a whole lotta this:

With a healthy dose of

when I guess things or when the characters did
something I expressly told them not to, but they
didn't listen to my very sound advice.

And a smidgen of

<3

And now I'm sitting here with over a year to go until Illuminae 3 and just...

So the only solution I can think to remedy the unfairness is

Because

Bonus round:
Mary casts characters with gifs

Totally something Nik would do

Hanna, trying to figure out what tf is going on


Sassy computer genius Ella

I discovered the movie Lockout when the preview played on a dvd, but I found the gifs really applicable for Nik & Hanna. I actually love Maggie Grace as a fancast for Hanna. She's pretty and princessy (see Lost and Taken) but when push comes to shove, she can be tough and get the job DONE (see: Lockout and Taken 2).

Nik really does smoke. Don't smoke, kids.
Also Hanna wears a suit like that. Sort of.

Purchase Links:

   

About Amie:

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae (with Jay Kristoff) and These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, and Their Fractured Light (with Meagan Spooner.) She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and her favourite procrastination techniques involve chocolate, baking, sailing, excellent books and TV, plotting and executing overseas travel, and napping.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, their rescue dog, and her considerable library. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

Author Links (Amie):

   

About Jay:

Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of The Lotus War trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy. Part 3, Endsinger, is out now. He's also co-author of the upcoming Illuminae (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015, and Nevernight, the first part of a new fantasy trilogy kicking off in 2016.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings. reviewer's note: this is true

Author Links (Jay):

   

Giveaway:

Open to US & Canada. Entrants must be 13+. Giveaway is open until 12 AM CST August 9. I reserve the right to disqualify any entries that are not in accordance with my giveaway policies as stated in the Review & Site Policies tab at the top of the page.Good luck!

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