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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
the ending was so confusing and it felt kind of like a knock off of the first one rather than like a sequel.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As everyone knows, I only write the most intellectual notes about the books I read. For example: "Slay the house down boots, Houston, I'm deceased." That is an actual note I made for my review of this book.
Clearly, I enjoyed this. I didn't like it as much as Illuminae, possibly because I loved Kady and Ezra so much, but I did still enjoy it. The stakes were just as high as they were in the first book, and the writing was just as great.
I love the whole multi-media thing this series has going on. A story being told in a collection of files isn't something that's done very often, and it needs to be done right. It's a delicate format. But the authors did an amazing job with it. I really need to read more books like this.
In my opinion, the romance moved a tad fast, but I allowed it because I loved it so much. They're literally perfect OMG.
My only other issue was some science stuff that I just wasn't understanding, but I think they dumbed it down as much as they could and it just wasn't clicking.
I can't wait to finish this series!
Clearly, I enjoyed this. I didn't like it as much as Illuminae, possibly because I loved Kady and Ezra so much, but I did still enjoy it. The stakes were just as high as they were in the first book, and the writing was just as great.
I love the whole multi-media thing this series has going on. A story being told in a collection of files isn't something that's done very often, and it needs to be done right. It's a delicate format. But the authors did an amazing job with it. I really need to read more books like this.
In my opinion, the romance moved a tad fast, but I allowed it because I loved it so much. They're literally perfect OMG.
My only other issue was some science stuff that I just wasn't understanding, but I think they dumbed it down as much as they could and it just wasn't clicking.
I can't wait to finish this series!
I just realised I never actually reviewed this book and found my review in drafts 0.0 WHOOPS Well anyone who knows me probably knows my love for this book but here you are anyway XD
I love it, I love it, I love it - The whole book just blew my mind, it's everything I could have hoped for and so much more.
Gemina is everything I want in a sci fi: Kick ass characters, sass, banter, killing, space talk, epic action, race against the clock (I have realised that those pages with the count down? Yeah they give me anxiety and I'm not even in the god damn book), Artificial intelligence, super cool computer hackers, missiles, drugs, and cows, freaking cows.
I didn't know how the amazing Amie and Jay could top Illuminae but they did. Still told by a series of IM chats, headset convos, transcribed video recordings, and the main character Hanna's drawing diary the formatting takes it above and beyond. Marie Lu's artwork is beautiful, there is a gunshot that is at the corner of the pages with a blood stain slowly getting bigger which continues to freaked me out the whole time as I was just waiting for the book to get shot, the whispernet convo's and ALL THE CAPS convos are just THE BEST, hell I even want the audio to the lollipop song because I'd like to be annoyed with the rest of the characters.
Okay I can't speak rationally about this books it's just to good so sorry everyone that hasn't read Gemina (P.S GO READ IT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOW)
My serious god damn reaction all through the book
WHOOOOO I like the new characters
Ohhhh Drug dealers and space mafia wasn't expecting that
Hanna you amazing girl your drawing are melting my heart pls go on
Nik and Ella's banter is THE BEST
^^^^ all caps *pew pew*
OH GOD don't give me a count down till the Hypatica arrives this is a different type of torture
Vent crawling would be super hard work, also I'm glad to see oh characters sleep and try to eat and go toilet
JACKSON! *punches Jackson* but is also relived because Nik *heart eyes*
Ella's logs and her talk to her bestfriend was cool and I must know who this friend is
The descriptions are wonderful I mean un-colours and not colour as a descriptive word doesn't seem like it would work but it did
When they spoke with Kady for the first time I may have yelled
When Aiden showed up O' Captain, My Captain how I love that crazy computer
When Nik Died! *screams forever*
When Nik didn't actually die *scream in happiness forever*
The whole chapter that reads from Nik's and Hanna's responses at the same time *mind blown*
Reuniting with everyone
Ella saving them
Jackson Killing them
Jackson not actually killing them
Not only was this book just phenomenal, it's making such waves in the reading community and is getting so many people interested in reading. The formatting makes this book the best thing you could ever give a young kid who isn't to keen on reading.
I love it, I love it, I love it - The whole book just blew my mind, it's everything I could have hoped for and so much more.
Gemina is everything I want in a sci fi: Kick ass characters, sass, banter, killing, space talk, epic action, race against the clock (I have realised that those pages with the count down? Yeah they give me anxiety and I'm not even in the god damn book), Artificial intelligence, super cool computer hackers, missiles, drugs, and cows, freaking cows.
I didn't know how the amazing Amie and Jay could top Illuminae but they did. Still told by a series of IM chats, headset convos, transcribed video recordings, and the main character Hanna's drawing diary the formatting takes it above and beyond. Marie Lu's artwork is beautiful, there is a gunshot that is at the corner of the pages with a blood stain slowly getting bigger which continues to freaked me out the whole time as I was just waiting for the book to get shot, the whispernet convo's and ALL THE CAPS convos are just THE BEST, hell I even want the audio to the lollipop song because I'd like to be annoyed with the rest of the characters.
Okay I can't speak rationally about this books it's just to good so sorry everyone that hasn't read Gemina (P.S GO READ IT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOW)
My serious god damn reaction all through the book
Spoiler
WHOOOOO I like the new characters
Ohhhh Drug dealers and space mafia wasn't expecting that
Hanna you amazing girl your drawing are melting my heart pls go on
Nik and Ella's banter is THE BEST
^^^^ all caps *pew pew*
OH GOD don't give me a count down till the Hypatica arrives this is a different type of torture
Vent crawling would be super hard work, also I'm glad to see oh characters sleep and try to eat and go toilet
JACKSON! *punches Jackson* but is also relived because Nik *heart eyes*
Ella's logs and her talk to her bestfriend was cool and I must know who this friend is
The descriptions are wonderful I mean un-colours and not colour as a descriptive word doesn't seem like it would work but it did
When they spoke with Kady for the first time I may have yelled
When Aiden showed up O' Captain, My Captain how I love that crazy computer
When Nik Died! *screams forever*
When Nik didn't actually die *scream in happiness forever*
The whole chapter that reads from Nik's and Hanna's responses at the same time *mind blown*
Reuniting with everyone
Ella saving them
Jackson Killing them
Jackson not actually killing them
Not only was this book just phenomenal, it's making such waves in the reading community and is getting so many people interested in reading. The formatting makes this book the best thing you could ever give a young kid who isn't to keen on reading.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let me start by saying I loved this book, okay? I just didn’t love it quite as much as Illuminae.
But that’s really only a marker of how mind-blowingly good Illuminae even was for me, because this sequel is in some ways just as good, and in fewer ways even better. The main couple in this one have a much more fleshed out romance arc and just as much chemistry as Kady and Ez. The excitement of the plot is still ratcheted right up to max levels and the plot twists are still jaw-on-the-floor good. The humor is still there and still made me laugh out loud but maybe not quite as pronounced.
So what didn’t like then? For me, the stakes just didn’t feel quite the same. In Illuminae, I truly felt like every character I loved was at risk of being lost simply because the stakes were localized to their ship, their fleet, this one moment in a vast universe of time—slightly more realistic in terms of potentially losing main characters. But in this one the stakes are quite literally the universe imploding and everyone dying—of course they’re not going to fail! So for me, a lot of the drama and tension from book 1 just wasn’t there. It was still nail-biting at times don’t get me wrong, but not a constant stream of anxiety like Illuminae was for me.
I also just didn’t care for as many of the side characters here as I did in book 1. I cried SO hard at some deaths in Illuminae, and here I didn’t tear up once. Is that a marker of a bad book? Of course not, I’m a rare crier. But that’s part of what made book 1 so incredible for me. I also wondered whether I felt disconnected from the side characters’ deaths because of the weird alien creatures that are the problem on board in this installment, rather than a plague which to my mind is far scarier? Idk.
I still adored this book and will eagerly scoop up the third book as soon as I’m able.
But that’s really only a marker of how mind-blowingly good Illuminae even was for me, because this sequel is in some ways just as good, and in fewer ways even better. The main couple in this one have a much more fleshed out romance arc and just as much chemistry as Kady and Ez. The excitement of the plot is still ratcheted right up to max levels and the plot twists are still jaw-on-the-floor good. The humor is still there and still made me laugh out loud but maybe not quite as pronounced.
So what didn’t like then? For me, the stakes just didn’t feel quite the same. In Illuminae, I truly felt like every character I loved was at risk of being lost simply because the stakes were localized to their ship, their fleet, this one moment in a vast universe of time—slightly more realistic in terms of potentially losing main characters. But in this one the stakes are quite literally the universe imploding and everyone dying—of course they’re not going to fail! So for me, a lot of the drama and tension from book 1 just wasn’t there. It was still nail-biting at times don’t get me wrong, but not a constant stream of anxiety like Illuminae was for me.
I also just didn’t care for as many of the side characters here as I did in book 1. I cried SO hard at some deaths in Illuminae, and here I didn’t tear up once. Is that a marker of a bad book? Of course not, I’m a rare crier. But that’s part of what made book 1 so incredible for me. I also wondered whether I felt disconnected from the side characters’ deaths because of the weird alien creatures that are the problem on board in this installment, rather than a plague which to my mind is far scarier? Idk.
I still adored this book and will eagerly scoop up the third book as soon as I’m able.
Please stretch and hydrate before reading this book. I read the whole thing in a day because the suspense is real, the characters are awesome and world of this series is just insanely good. I flailed and thrashed and cried and thrilled reading this. I exclaimed aloud at points like... dude full body reading experience right here. Get the first one, read the first one then gulp down this tankard of pure awesome laced with win and near perfection because omgf screaming worlds of good.
I liked the aliens concept, but the story gets complicated and hard to understand.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief
Minor: Animal death, Child death
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes