Clemmie Judges

GEMINA

BOOK INFO

Title: Gemina

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Pages: 659

Publication date: October 18th 2016

Description: Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna's social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

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, Hanna and Nik 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 in two 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.

Warning: Spoilers from the previous book

STORY

The one problem I have with Illuminae is the ending; the fact that Ezra Mason is alive. It takes away the weight of the story. We see Kady, and she's just found out that the person she's been texting isn't actually her boyfriend (who she hasn't seen in months, who she's been dying to meet for months, and who's her entire hope.)

That's it. She's got no one left. Her mom's dead, friend's dead, Ezra's dead, and she might be dead in a few minutes. There's just her and the AI that killed hundreds of people.

She could given up. But she doesn't.

And it's not because of some grand act of heroism. No, not that. It's because she has to at least try, right? What else is there to do? At least someone else will get a happy ending, even if it's not her.

That's what I love about Illuminae. The hopelessness. The bleakness. And how, despite the lack of lights at the end of the tunnel, Kady Grant still stumbles forward. 

Then, we find out that Ezra's actually alive, and we've been lied to this whole time. It's a great twist, don't get me wrong, but instead of enriching the story, it makes me like the story less. Which is a shame.

The story's not really about Ezra and Kady's love for each other. It's about Kady wanting to save the only person she still cares about. I wouldn't call this a romance. It's more of longing and desperation and wanting. It reminds me of Kimi no Nawa.

Now, what about Gemina, then?

The story is great, don't get me wrong. Higher stakes. Charming characters. Some of the executions are flat, others are rushed, but other than that? It's got a solid structure, chum.

Except for one thing, though. It's not believable.

Now, I understand that as a reader, I have to hold my suspension of disbelief, but sometimes it's just too much. We've got a kid fighting against the whole BeiTech team. And surviving each time. Yes, she's the captain's daughter, but she's also 18 at most! Yes, she uses brains more than brawns, and yes, the strategies are clever, but the more things pile up, the more... well... 

Another thing I dislike is the lack of Kady Grant in this book. It keeps on teasing you again and again and yes, eventually, she does appear, when that happens, it's wayyy late in the book. I get why, though. The focus should be on the main character, which is not her. But still. Her name's in the description of the book. There should be more. 

So much set-up and so little pay-off. 

Now, this last one might be more of a nitpick, but I've always liked the tonal shift in Illuminae. The first half of the book is figuring out what's going on, whilst the second half is all about the zombie stuff. (I don't recall the book ever giving them a name, but I'm calling them the z word.) We don't just get zombies right off the bat. There's suspense. 

With Gemina, there's no build-up. The bad guy comes crashing in and bam! There you go. Now, here's a greatly-executed string of actions scenes. 

I have to say, though, that besides those problems I've listed, everything else is great. 

No, really. They are.

Rating: 8/10

CHARACTERS

Now, this is where the problem lies. 

With Illuminae, the main conflict has always been the angry zombies. Yes, sure, there's BeiTech and AIDAN—back when he's perceived as an antagonist—but those zombies have always been the main focus.

I see it less as a sci-fi story and more of a zombie story that just so happens to take place in space.

Thing is, we got to know the characters long before they died. We bonded with them, and we saw them bonding with Kady. It's why their deaths—to me—are soul-crushing. Even though their deaths don't affect me directly, they affect Kady, which in turn affects me. 

Gemina, on the other hand, doesn't explore the characters as much as I'd like them to. And even when they do, something about the exploration pales in comparison to the book's predecessor.

Another problem ties back to the story aspect of this review; how unbelievable they are.

With Kady, the zombies can't think straight. Yes, she can be OP at times with how good she is at hacking, but even that's not so unbelievable. Her mentor's been complimenting her at how good she is at what she can do. 

But Hanna and Nik, on the other hand? Erm, no. It could be believable, had the book gave them more injuries, more signs of exhaustion, more doubt. But there is none. You'd think that, at one point, they'd stop and think, "Hey, why don't we just leave? Abandon everyone and save our own asses?"

I'm not saying they should do that. I'm saying it's weird that they never—not once—considers that. They're just like, "Yeah, let's save everyone."

With Kady, on the other hand, it was never about saving everyone—not at first. It was about Ezra. That's what makes her believable, and, to me, a good character. I've always preferred selfish motivations over selfless ones when it comes to fiction. Take Guardians of The Galaxy, for instance.

Don't get me wrong, the characters are still fun—not memorable, but still fun. But compared to the first book? Yeah, no. They are still good, though.

Rating: 7/10

DESCRIPTIONS AND DIALOGUE

I put these two together because, honestly, they're both great. No doubt about it. They're the best aspect of this book. They're the one thing that's as good as Illuminae. All of the details within speech and texting style—argh! I love love love it!

There's not much else to say, really. I mean, c'mon. You've read the first book. (If not, then what are you doing here?) You know how good it is.

Rating: 10/10

OVERALL

Rating: 8/10

Good for: Someone who loves gun fights; enemies to lovers; space-time continuum stuff; hand-to-hand combat; badass ladies.

Not good for: Someone looking for suspense or Kady Grant and Ezra Mason; horror; bleak stuff; something like the first book.