Gemina: The Illuminae Files: Book 2 (Illuminae Files, #2)

by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

‘Wholly unique and utterly captivating.’ Marie Lu

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, the two 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 apart 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.

Picking up about five minutes after Illuminae ends, Gemina is an electrifying sequel.

• ISBN10: 1780749813
• ISBN13: 9781780749815
• Publish Date: 20 October 2016 (first published 18 October 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Rock the Boat
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 672
• Language: English

Reviews

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.5★ Audiobook⎮ The primary reason this wasn’t a five-star audiobook for me is probably because it wasn’t able to match up with its predecessor, Illuminae. Make no mistake, Gemina was absolutely incredible, but it was still a sequel and the problem with sequels is that they almost never live up to the memory of the original.

Illuminae was easily my favorite audiobook of 2015 and definitely the one I’ve recommended the most since initially hearing it. Gemina, on the other hand, is more likely something I’ll remember in relation to Illuminae, like a little sister. Illuminae set the bar so unbelievably high that it’s almost unfair to Gemina to even have to be in the same series. This is clearly a Marcia Brady/Jan Brady situation in the way of books, but what can you do?

The characters were distinct, but not overly memorable, with one exception: Ella Malikova. She may have been a secondary character, but she absolutely stole my heart. Honestly, I would have preferred her in a primary role over Hanna, who too closely resembled Lilac LaRoux from Amie Kaufman’s These Broken Stars. Both of the protagonists felt recycled from Kaufman’s earlier series, but Ella’s originality makes her stand out in my mind more than either of them. And just as I was beginning to warm to Hanna and Nik, Illuminae's protagonistnic duo Kady Grant and Ezra Mason (aka my beloved babies) strolled in and stole the show with very minor appearances. It was wonderful to see them again and I always enjoy crossovers between installments featuring different characters (another signature of Amie Kaufman’s work).

As for the storyline, Gemina was on a great track until it came to the point in the story involving the Gemina particle plotline. That’s where it derailed some for me. That part of the story was introduced so late in the book that it felt rushed, thrown together, and… half-assed. It’s definitely an amazing concept, but I really wish it had been explored earlier on in the story and given more development since it was obviously integral enough to give the book its name. As it was, I was left a little underwhelmed and frankly, confused.

At this point, you’re probably wondering why I rated this audiobook at 4.5 stars and the answer is simple: This was a great book. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are among my favorite authors for a reason. Their individual writing is super and together they are spectacular. This series is without a doubt one of the most creative works I’ve ever experienced, particularly on audiobook. Big sister aside, Gemina could definitely hold its own and I take some responsibility for allowing my unbelievable experience with Illuminae to influence my perception of Gemina.

Narration review: Are there actually people out there who chose to pick up Gemina in traditional book format? Even after seeing the rave reviews (including mine) about the Illuminae audiobook? Hands-down, this series is the best audio production I’ve ever experienced. We all know how crazy I go over the slightest hint of a sound effect. Well, Gemina nearly blew my mind. It had sound effects coming out the wazoo (what is a “wazoo”, anyway?). This audiobook is a multidimensional experience that puts you in the middle of the action. It’s like 3-D glasses for your ears. Work with me here.

And the cast. Did I mention there’s a full narration cast? I can’t imagine how much this audiobook cost to produce, but it was so worth it. For these 12.5 hours, my ears were pampered like they were at a high-end luxury resort. This audiobook spared no expense. It had all the bells and whistles. I’m telling you, my audiobook-loving heart almost couldn’t take it. ::faints dramatically::

And I’m not even going to detract anything from the rating for having the “lollipop song” stuck in my head for a solid three days straight. Aren’t I merciful? ♣︎

[empressbrooke]

I liked this sequel more than I liked the original book. This one felt less like a melting pot of other sci fi stories, I thought the three main characters were more interesting than Ezra and Kady, and I also thought that some of the quirky formatting was used a bit more cleverly than it was in Illuminae. As for the last line, "You wanna know how it ends?" YES, YES I DO.

[jnikkir]

Holy ███, that was good.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

3.5 stars

I still love the format of the book, and some of the characters are great. However, I felt like I was reading a slightly different version of ILLUMINAE. I guess there's only so much you can do with people on a space ship/station being attacked and having to fight. You have similar action scenes and characters filling similar roles (your hacker, your physical fighter, your commander, etc.) I guess I"ll be the black sheep on this one, but it was just good, not great. Full review to come.

[littleread1]

Review to come. For now, my feelings, in order while reading: Excitement, dread, disgust, shock, horror, shock, WTF OMG NO, sadness, elation, shock, vomit, shock, relief, TOO SOON RELIEF DAMMIT NO, vomit, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE END?

That last line? NOT COOL GUYS (talking to the authors). I mean, it is BUT NOT COOL. We need to have a chat. And by chat I mean you need to tell me all about book 3 and who I need to bribe/kill/sleep with to get my hands on it early.

[Chelsea]

What I Loved

Gosh. This book was just as good, if not better, than the first book. I can’t even explain to you why. There were problematic parts but I was just SO entertained the whole way through that I couldn’t help but give this book five stars. There wasn’t a single chapter that wasn’t filled with action. I found that this book even had a few horror elements (the gross worms if you’ve read it) which I actually liked even though I was terrified. It was nothing too horrible this is a YA book after all.

I feel like the format of this book was less exciting this time. We’ve seen it already in Illuminae so it was just something I was expecting in this book. I can tell you that’s it’s easy to read. I’ve heard some people express some concerns about how it must be hard to read something that’s not your typical book format. I personally found it really easy to read and I really enjoyed reading it because it was so much quicker. Those tiny little details that you don’t often care about aren’t there so it’s much quicker to get to the juicy parts.

Basically the entertainment value in this book beat out everything else about it.

What I Didn't Like

I think this book was a teeny bit predictable at some points. Other times the logic behind some things were way over my head. I still enjoyed reading it though and the ending itself wasn’t predictable which I was happy for.

Also I was NOT a fan of the creepy worm things. They were terrifying and I could have done without them.

This book also lacks in the character development a little bit but that’s because of the format it’s written in so I didn’t really mind. Plus there’s so much action happening in such a short period of time that I don’t think much character development is even possible.

Who I'd Recommend To

I’d recommend this to any young adult sci fi lovers. There’s so many sci fi elements packed in there with that action that you won’t be able to put it down!

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Initial reaction:



I read an advance copy of Illuminae last year and totally loved it! I could not wait to get my hands on Gemina and when I found it at ALA over the summer I was SO excited! Gemina is told in the same unique format as Illuminae, which I was really looking forward to. It also did a lot of other things the same as Illuminae, which I didn't love so much.

Gemina introduces two new main characters - Hanna, the captain's daughter, and her drug dealer, Nik. Hanna was a great character, strong and fully capable of handling herself. There were times when I wondered why a spoiled captain's daughter would know so much about certain things and she seemed a little too knowledgable at times. Her backstory mostly explained these things, thankfully. Nik was also a fun character, although he seemed very similar to Ezra to me. One thing that I noticed throughout both books is that every person in this universe seems to have taken sarcasm classes at some point because almost everything they say is snarky. It is amusing though. The romance between Hanna and Nik was cute, but it just wasn't on the same level as Kady and Ezra.

The storyline of Gemina crosses paths with Illuminae, which was awesome! I was concerned about a second book not having the same main characters as the first, even though it worked for the Starbound Trilogy. The big bad was also really different. Instead of a terrifying zombie virus, this time we have some kind of weird space worm parasite thing. While kind of scary in concept, it didn't end up packing the same punch as the virus from Illuminae. I did think the invasion of the ship by unknown troops was really well done, though. Like with Illuminae, I never felt like I knew exactly what was going on until the end. I love to be kept guessing!

Unfortunately, the rest of the story was quite predictable. I was really disappointed to see that Gemina used many of the same tricks as the first book in the series. There were several times when something happened that was supposed to make me sad or anxious where I didn't have much of reaction at all because I already knew what was going to happen (and I was correct). I'm sorry to say that most of the big reveals were extremely predictable because they followed a pattern very similar to Illuminae.

That isn't to say the book was a total loss though! World building is definitely where this series excels. The format that the book is written in makes it extremely easy to feel like part of the world and it's really easy to picture the ship that the characters are running around. I'm sure it'll be much better once the final art is included too!

Overall I liked Gemina but it did not blow me away like Illuminae did, mostly because it felt much to similar. I did enjoy some of the new characters and there were a few reveals that did surprise me. I also loved being immersed back in the world the authors created. I will definitely still read the next book to see how it all wraps up, but I'll probably go in with lower expectations next time.

[kimbacaffeinate]

The tale begins in the middle of a UTA Tribunal against BeiTech Industries in the form of transcripts. They are entering in documents that pertain to the alleged attack on Jump Station Heimdall. Grab supplies and get comfy because you aren’t going to want to set this down.

Gemina unfolds using different formats, some are instant messages between people on the ship, others are emails and some are documentation or footage of events that transpired. As we move through these formats, we begin to learn about the ship and characters on board. We meet Hanna Donnelly, the ship commander’s daughter, her boyfriend Jackson Merrick an Orientation Officer, and Nicholas “Nik” Malikov, an unregistered civilian along with his cousin Ella.

The characters are well-developed and I easily connected with Hanna, Nik and Ella. We also get to spend time with the BeiTech team leader and a few key soldiers allowing us to grasp their mission and ruthlessness. Their leader and Hanna play a game of cat and mouse that was addictive to witness. We do engage with some key characters from Illuminae thrilling me.

Hannah is busy with important things like getting party drugs for Terra Day and a new outfit to knock the socks off Jackson but danger is coming. It will come from within the ship and with the arrival of unexpected guests.
When an élite BeiTech team strikes the ship, Nik and Hanna are thrown together to defend it. Meanwhile, Hypatia is headed towards the Heimdall, with news of the Kerenza invasion. All of this is playing into BioTech’s hands. Thankfully, for us, Hanna is not just a pretty face. She may appear to be a spoiled, self-absorbed teen but she is her Daddy’s daughter.Game on!

If you read Illuminae and thought the virus Kady dealt with was scary, wait until you see what is lurking in the cold sublevels of the Heimdall. OMG…I shiver just thinking about it, and the back-story about why they are there is fabulous. And nope, I was not at all surprised to learn that years from now humankind is still stupid.

Prepare to get your geek on. Doctor Who fans will squeal when you hear the lines space-time continuum. (Squee) While, Hanna and the gang are trying to take back the ship, BeiTech is opening a wormhole as part of their mission. Only there is a malfunction. This thread was brilliant, geeky enough to make you drool, but not so high-tech that others cannot hack it.

Kaufman and Kristoff took these threads and twisted them together creating intense action scenes, mind-blowing twists, carnage and more all while allowing us to connect to these characters. We witness friendships deepen, see those we trust betray us and witness the birth of romances. At its heart, this is a science fiction thriller, but the characters give it heart and a little swoon.

Copy obtained at BEA2016 This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Beth C.]

Space station Heimdall. The keeper of the wormhole that should allow the Hypatia - and everyone on her - to finally reach safety. Unfortunately, Heimdall has just become a target for Bei-Tech, as the company frantically attempts to prevent any communications about their activities. When a team of killers is smuggled aboard Heimdall to with the mission to destroy her, all hell breaks loose - along with some creepy slithery things and an unlikely partnership that might be the only thing that keeps everyone on board Heimdall (and maybe the universe) from death. Picking up right after Illuminae, Gemina digs deeper into the events orchestrated by Bei-Tech - and it will keep you on your toes.

First - if you've have not read Illuminae, it's not an absolute requirement, but it would certainly be helpful. There are a lot of references back to that first book that might not make sense. Plus - it's just a seriously amazing book, so...there's that. Also, the book’s format is the same as Illuminae – composed of transcripts, emails, and schematics (among other things), it is not your everyday novel. But the format enhances the story in a way that standard format would not.

As for Gemina - wow. My brain was mush by the time I finished it. So much crazy sciency stuff, a bit of old-school horror, plus some romance and a few psychopathic killers - once the book starts, it simply does. not. stop. There is violence, but it doesn't feel gratuitous in any capacity - it's literally kill-or-be-killed here. I must confess, I was a little anxious about whether book two would be as amazing as book one, simply because the first book was so unusual and exciting that it blew me away. But...my fears were absolutely unfounded. Kristoff and Kaufman make a terrific writing team, and I think they must have some sort of crazy alien mind-meld going on. Devastation will ensue if they don’t write together again after this trilogy is (*sob*) complete.

Long story short? Get this. Read it. Maybe cower under your blanket if you’re reading at night with a flashlight. Definitely double-check your vents. But READ GEMINA!

[Sam@WLABB]

I read and loved Illuminae, and I read and loved Gemina.

Gemina focuses on what was happening aboard the jump station, Heimdall, and picks up where Illuminae ended. We have a new hero, Nik, and a new Herione, Hanna, who are both as kick-ass as our Illuminae heroes. I developed a lot of respect for Hanna, and I sort of liked Nik from the get-go. I will also say, that I am a HUGE Ella fan. I loved her snarkiness, and also her strength of character. She could have been all boo-hoo, feeling sorry for herself, but instead, she was a powerhouse.

Once again, Kaufman and Kristoff bring us on a wild ride. My nails were bit to the quick by the time I finished this book. Talk about plot twists! There were several and I loved them all. There is a lot of cool science talk in this one, and I was pretty stoked every time they spoke science to me. (I have an engineering degree and taught chem and physics. I 3 science) Gemina has a similar format to the last book, although I think there was more narratives of surveillance footage, but this did not take away from the story at all, because I love that guy -- he's hilarious.

All I have to say is, I need 2017 to hurry up, so I can find out how this all ends, and another round of applause for Kristoff and Kaufman.