Continuing with our buddy read of the Illuminae Files, we have the book 2 – Gemina – discussion for you! Instead of a part by part discussion, we did a whole book discussion and then a brief Q&A at the end. Ariel’s comments and notes are in bold-italics. Let’s start off with the synopsis!
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.
Content Notes: Some graphic descriptions of violence, grief of a loved one.
General Discussion
(whole book)
This was a really strong sequel to the first Illuminae files book. The plot kept its momentum, and the unique format was just as enjoyable as before. Story and character-wise, Gemina picks up at a very different point in space than where Ezra and Kady were in the first book. There are a few nods to Aiden and Ezra and Kady and the characters of the first book, but the new characters take a life of their own. Nik, Hanna, and Ella all have a vastly different threat to deal with, but it doesn’t slow the series’ momentum down in the slightest.
It took me a while to get into the story because I wasn’t expecting new characters (Yes, I did not read the synopsis before starting the book)! When Issac Grant was revealed to be the one on Heimdall, his relationship to Kady (he is her dad) finally got me interested in this narrative.
The conclusion was stellar. There is a dual narrative occurring at the same time that really can only be fully grasped in the format that is these novels, and it was really cool to switch back and forth between audiobook and ebook to hear and see what each one included in a different way. Following along in the book with the audiobook made for an even more immersive experience
Absolutely agreed! This was a more artistic book than the last one, partly because hanna is very creative. I listened to the audiobook and followed along with the book and I really enjoyed how both enhanced the experience. I remember that one scene where there was a lot of shooting and there was no way I would have added those sound effects in my head. I don’t think I would ever be able to just listen to an audiobook when the book is in the format that this series is written in.
My major hesitation about this story was the relationship between Nik and Hanna. He’s really flirtatious from the start and makes it clear his attraction to Hanna from the start. Hanna is dealing with her own relationship issues of her own, and is forced to choose between Jax and Nik. Nik and Hanna’s dynamic seemed a little forced as the plot went along in order to create a more moving finale, and it did not resonate with me nearly as well as Kady and Ezra did.
I agree. The chemistry that Kady and Ezra have is pretty seamless. Nik and Hanna are thrown in together and it seems like one of those getting-together-in-times-of-hardship narratives. The kind of flirtations between them made it seem more like a YA novel than Illuminae had been. That is not to say that Gemina does not have dire situations but it just feels like Illuminae was more serious in the execution of the plot.
Q&A with Ariel
[minor Spoiler alert!] Ariel, what are your thoughts on the multiverse theory? I have not read a lot of books situated around that and the only one I can remember is The Fold by Peter Clines and then my mind goes to Interstellar, the movie.
Most of my familiarity is with comic books, the Justice League and especially the Flash have major storylines surrounding the multiverse. Also, my favorite Spiderman movie (Into the Spider-Verse) is centered around this concept. I think it’s a fascinating concept and I think Gemina portrayed it succinctly in a clever way.
After bioware attacks and alien parasite worms, never mind the human invasion aspect, how likely are you to want to live in space?
Lol, not very! But we also deal with our own set of malware issues and pandemics, so I’m sure there’ll always be human problems where there is humanity, space or otherwise.
Were there any aspects of this book which were hard to engage in for you? I found the world wormhole situation a bit hard to grasp at the beginning. That’s part of world building though.
[minor spoiler] but the parasite descriptions were really gross! I also felt like the plot didn’t really pick up until a good third of the way through. It was a sequel but also kind of like a first book because we had to get acclimated with the characters.
That’s all for our discussion for Gemina! You know we love describing our reading experience to you! Here is a summary of our read:
Interested in reading Gemina and adding to our discussion? Find it on all retail stores. Here are the Amazon links for your convenience.
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
Or find it at your local library!
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