A review by lawbooks600
Gemina by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman

adventurous medium-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

4.0

Representation: Black and Asian characters
Score: Eight out of ten.

Wow. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff deliver. Again. 

After reading and enjoying The Aurora Cycle and Illuminae I wanted to read Gemina, and headed in with high expectations that I'll enjoy it as much as the previous four works from these authors. I saw Gemina in a library, picked it up and glanced at the blurb, making it seem intriguing. When I closed the final page, it was enjoyable.

It starts with Hanna and Nik living on a space station in the middle of nowhere named the Heimdall, while Kady is headed to the Hypatia to warn them of the upcoming BeiTech invasion in the opening pages. Again, I'm not sure where to begin with Gemina, but I'll try, it's similar to Illuminae in terms of almost everything. The pacing is fast even though it's above 600 pages, but it doesn't feel like it, and the plot is even more engaging as the stakes increased again, I'll tell you why later. The characters are likable and they're people I can root for, but they're not the most relatable, still, the worldbuilding is on point for a narrative set hundreds of years in the future. I can imagine humanity developing advanced technologies like wormholes and huge spaceships when they reach that time. Sometimes Gemina can slow down, but that can allow for characters to start relationships like when Hanna started hers with Nik, and the dialogue is entertaining as always. Oh, and AIDAN the AI is back, but doesn't play a critical role unlike in Illuminae. Gemina is like Illuminae since it too is not a book--it's another collection of files, including surveillance footage, DMs, group chats, diagrams, computer screens (sort of) and text art, which looks even better and made me enjoy the narrative more. The conclusion is enthralling as Hanna and Nik save two universes from destroying themselves, escape the BeiTech assault and now all I must do is read Obsidio to discover what happens next.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings