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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
No
This was an amazing read. I cannot state how much the audio complements the physical book itself so given the choice I would definitely balance both.
The action kept amping up and I found myself 100% invested. I love the characters and found myself rooting for their survival.
Spoilers ahead:
Non central character deaths hit me harder. Something about the lack of humanity in the "sick" on the ship vs the lack of humanity on the auditor team. When people died it was a conscious and deliberate choice. Then they spun around and got mad when people defended themselves and killed their own team. Infuriating - and very good villain mentality.
I will say the fake out death was MILDLY, so miniscule in size, annoying. The Iluminae had your heart going as Katy thought Ezra was dead. When Nik was killed I was skeptical, and being proven right I just accepted it. If it happens a third time (trilogy thus far), it'll be less forgiving.
The action kept amping up and I found myself 100% invested. I love the characters and found myself rooting for their survival.
Spoilers ahead:
Non central character deaths hit me harder. Something about the lack of humanity in the "sick" on the ship vs the lack of humanity on the auditor team. When people died it was a conscious and deliberate choice. Then they spun around and got mad when people defended themselves and killed their own team. Infuriating - and very good villain mentality.
I will say the fake out death was MILDLY, so miniscule in size, annoying. The Iluminae had your heart going as Katy thought Ezra was dead. When Nik was killed I was skeptical, and being proven right I just accepted it. If it happens a third time (trilogy thus far), it'll be less forgiving.
Series Spoiler-Free Review: https://youtu.be/0cqiSLIMk-M
Series **Spoiler** Review: https://youtu.be/LvOQC5pfSyI
Series **Spoiler** Review: https://youtu.be/LvOQC5pfSyI
Woohoo! That was awesome! I really love this series, and it was one that I originally wasn't even going to try because I didn't think I'd like the format. I can't wait to read Obsidio now, I'll be requesting it from my library tonight. Next step, buying all three volumes to have a permanent place on my bookshelf.
P.S. does anyone else out there want to see this series on the big screen?
P.S. does anyone else out there want to see this series on the big screen?
EDIT AFTER RE-READ: AKJWIAHSKSBDIW. My brain. It is blown. I need book 3.
---------------
Whew. That was quite the ride. I... am not completely sure how to review it. But I'll say this. It's brilliant and you should read it. And Nik and Hanna are awesome and I love them. Especially Nik.
So read it. Please. And give me the sequel???
... my arms and fingers hurt... Reading this book is a workout people. Be warned.
Oh and for the BEST Gemina experience, read the book whilst listening to the audiobook. GENIUS.
Review to come??? MAYBE??? Who can say, really.
I need a nap.
---------------
Whew. That was quite the ride. I... am not completely sure how to review it. But I'll say this. It's brilliant and you should read it. And Nik and Hanna are awesome and I love them. Especially Nik.
So read it. Please. And give me the sequel???
... my arms and fingers hurt... Reading this book is a workout people. Be warned.
Oh and for the BEST Gemina experience, read the book whilst listening to the audiobook. GENIUS.
Review to come??? MAYBE??? Who can say, really.
I need a nap.
actual rating 4.75
I liked this one just the tiniest bit less than Illuminae but I still loved the heck out of it. It was very Mass Effect and I am 100000% okay with that because Mass Effect is life. The wormhole was very Star Trek and KADY AND ERZA AND AIDAN AND JUST GAH. MY children. I did not love Hannah and Nik and much as I loved the two mains in Illuminae but I did like them and HOLY CROW ELLE IS MY CHILD. She is a beautiful little hacker queen of sass. Also, Jackson...I do not hate him like most do. I actually found him to be super interesting. Overall this book was fantastic, not as amazing as it's predecessor but it was still a fantastic, fun, sci-fi romp with all of the elements that I love in my sci-fi.
Video Review - https://youtu.be/lGaDjg5cG0M
I liked this one just the tiniest bit less than Illuminae but I still loved the heck out of it. It was very Mass Effect and I am 100000% okay with that because Mass Effect is life. The wormhole was very Star Trek and KADY AND ERZA AND AIDAN AND JUST GAH. MY children. I did not love Hannah and Nik and much as I loved the two mains in Illuminae but I did like them and HOLY CROW ELLE IS MY CHILD. She is a beautiful little hacker queen of sass. Also, Jackson...I do not hate him like most do. I actually found him to be super interesting. Overall this book was fantastic, not as amazing as it's predecessor but it was still a fantastic, fun, sci-fi romp with all of the elements that I love in my sci-fi.
Video Review - https://youtu.be/lGaDjg5cG0M
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
tense
NOT expecting a multiverse twist? i also do appreciate the commitment of this series to killing off characters and then bringing them back ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ doing it TWICE in the same book to the same two characters killed me a little bit
This book really enthralled me and hooked me into it’s story. It’s another sci-fi adventure set in the same world as Illuminae. (Review here). Gemina is a companion novel to Illuminae - characters from Illuminae appear in Gemina in the last third of the book. Gemina is basically a collection of files by the Illuminae group - just like book 1- sent to authorities on the atrocities committed by a cooperation. This book explores another sci-fi phenomenon (?) where the first book centers around AI, this book has another focus that will be too spoilery to share here, so read on to find out.
Gemina follows another pair, Hanna and Nik and like Illuminae is a character driven story, told by IMs, surveillance footage, and chatlogs.
Again the visuals in this book are amazing - better than the first book; the visuals are made by Marie Lu! Now I admire her for her ability to style such text to make the story so interesting to follow.
Recommendations
Do read the Illuminae files it’s definitely a great YA science fiction book series.
Overall Rating: 86%
SPOILERY DISCUSSION
This mostly has my thoughts when I was reading the aforementioned book.
WHAT. Merrick is Operative Rapier? Talk about back stabbing.
I can’t believe that Hanna set up the sensor rig with the sugar and oxygen whilst taking the call with Falk. That’s serious badass-ery.
What the heck? So they managed to create two alternate realities now? So Nik is alive? Or could this be the two wormhole problem thing earlier on? Or the hermium rod?
Finally we learn about the Gemina particle. It’s created when things from two different but parallel universes crash together and annihilates.
When Merrick actually gave one of the last few files and everyone just died, I was like what the heck. I was so happy when it turned out that they in fact didn’t die but it was all lying on Merrick’s account.
That’s all I have to say. Feel free to approach me and talk to me !
Gemina follows another pair, Hanna and Nik and like Illuminae is a character driven story, told by IMs, surveillance footage, and chatlogs.
Again the visuals in this book are amazing - better than the first book; the visuals are made by Marie Lu! Now I admire her for her ability to style such text to make the story so interesting to follow.
Recommendations
Do read the Illuminae files it’s definitely a great YA science fiction book series.
Overall Rating: 86%
SPOILERY DISCUSSION
This mostly has my thoughts when I was reading the aforementioned book.
Spoiler
The thing that crawled out of the cows was disgusting?! Turns out that was Lanima which they got injected with. Lanima feeds on brain waves and cause people to drool? The slime from these creatures can be taken as dust - a form of drug.WHAT. Merrick is Operative Rapier? Talk about back stabbing.
I can’t believe that Hanna set up the sensor rig with the sugar and oxygen whilst taking the call with Falk. That’s serious badass-ery.
What the heck? So they managed to create two alternate realities now? So Nik is alive? Or could this be the two wormhole problem thing earlier on? Or the hermium rod?
Finally we learn about the Gemina particle. It’s created when things from two different but parallel universes crash together and annihilates.
When Merrick actually gave one of the last few files and everyone just died, I was like what the heck. I was so happy when it turned out that they in fact didn’t die but it was all lying on Merrick’s account.
That’s all I have to say. Feel free to approach me and talk to me !
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Okay so my experience reading this book was sub optimal because I read it during a Readathon, but like the book itself wasn't bad. I definitely preferred the first one. I think it utilized the formatting more cleverly and the build up for the romantic sub plot was more believable. These characters felt like rehashed versions of the first book and there was way too much "video footage analysis." They used it sparingly and well in the first book, and for this one, it was like every other chapter. Definitely broke the immersion that the formatting is supposed to provide. The plot twists gave me whiplash, and the fake-out deaths didn't hit as hard because I knew the author's MO from the first book. I think I probably will read the third for kicks, but the first book was much better. I wish the author had taken the second in a different direction.