Book #31: Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

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.

I didn’t get into this book as quickly as I did with Illuminae. I think it’s because there was no Ezra.

Okay, in all honesty, it was Hanna. I didn’t care for her character in the beginning. She was snobbish and just didn’t have an enjoyable personality. That said, she did grow on me.

The story is also slower to get rolling. Illuminae starts right off the bat with the invasion on Kerenza. In this one, there’s the droning of day to day life for Nik and Hanna in their respective social circles. We get bits and pieces of the world around them and what is being done to hide Hypatia and the remaining survivors, but the real heavy action doesn’t take notice until about 25% or 30% into the book.

The audio, which I opted for like in Illuminae, is just as good as the first book’s. All of the original cast is there with some others for the people of Heimdall. The audio really pulls you into the story and there’s an added bonus. “Lick your Lollipop”, the song that’s shoved into Heimdall’s system due to a virus, is there too! Not the whole song, unfortunately, but I am looking for it.

It makes the fight scenes and moments of anger over the song that much more hilarious. I really loved that detail.

The story has an interesting sci-fi twist that I found enjoyable. It confused me when I read other people’s opinions, so I’ll leave it alone here. Just know that I think Doctor Who would be proud.

All in all, the book was great! I can’t wait to get the third book in audio to listen to. Just have to wait for my library to pick it up. Ugh.

Final Rating: 4/5 (DEFINITELY GET THE AUDIO)