REVIEW: Gemina

Title: Gemina; The Illuminae Files_02
Author(s): Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Publisher:Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781925266573

UNSPOILED:
Illuminae, the first book in the trilogy by Kaufman and Kristoff came out last year. Anyone who knows me, knows how massively obsessed I was with that book. (Review HERE) It was flat out the best book I read all year, probably the best book I'd read since reading WAR AND PEACE in 2014.

I said it. You need to be muthafreakin' Tolstoy to compete with Illuminae.

Needless to say, my expectations for Gemina were rather high... And I'm very very very very very relieved to say that it totally lived up to them. I loved Gemina, and I read it in one short gulp. The book follows a new set of characters on the Space Station Heimdall, rather then (initially at least) continuing to follow the adventures of the Hypatia. We have Hanna (sassy rich girl), Nik (sassy criminal boy) and Ella (sassiest tech guru, cousin of Nik, and my personal new hero). The characters are all very likable and the plot is so thrilling and so much fun.

It starts off relatively slowly in comparison with Illuminae, but the emphasis really is on relatively since Gemina still manages to have at least two books-worth of plot jammed into it. It just also has a little breathing room at the start. Not a bad thing.

The format still worked really well for me, and I loved the addition of Hanna's beautiful diaries. I could have read so many more pages of her random thoughts about her life and living on the station.

Now, close your eyes O delicate ones who don't want to be...


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SPOILED:
Basically my only issue is the same issue that I had with Illuminae. In both books the male lead (Ezra and Nik) appear to die, only to then turn out to have not died. Both times......... I wanted them to stay dead...

I know. I'm a horrible, unromantic, mercenary beast. I have no heart. I am without feeling and should be trapped in a small room and fed only rice crackers until I repent.

But also think how GREAT that would have been!

I really do love both Ezra and Nik (but I mean, like, obviously hashtagteamezra if I had to choose). Great, fun, interesting characters. But also I'm kinda super rarely into romance plot points, and I feel like the death could have been more interesting.

At one point in time whilst reading Gemina, I thought for a moment that it was Alternate World Nik who was alive, and that he and Hanna would end up in the same place, and I was super into THAT because I thought 'Oh how awkward, to have them be the same but not the actual same- what would you do?' and I know that there are tons of readers who ARE super into romance, and I think that that is a valid lifestyle choice, so this isn't a criticism per se, since this particular choice WAS written really well, but just an observation.

Also again for the record- I am all about Ella. I want an Ella t-shirt, Ella spin off book series, Ella branded stationary. Hell, I want an Ella Pop Vinyl, and I don't even collect them thingz.

RANDOM BITS

• Hypatia was a Greek mathematician (and a bunch of other awesome science stuff) who was murdered by a mob.
• Heimdall the space station is named after Heimdall the Norse god who guarded the gateway to Asgard, currently being played in the Thor movies by Idris Elba. You're welcome.

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