Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Nov 08, 2016 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, fanboy-goes-squee, sci-fi, 2016-shelf

Who says that art is only one thing? I think it can often be two! :)

There's one hell of a fantastic SF story in here, full of action and fantastic SF concepts building upon what we got in Illuminae and taking off even farther and faster (or deeper in the gravity well of a singularity) than the first novel.

And then there's also a thing that I hesitate to call a gimmick simply because the artists STILL pull off one hell of a hat trick with the layout.

Layout? What's so big about the layout? Um. Eve ...more

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Nov 25, 2015 Justine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2017-read

This would have been only so-so for me as a print book, but as an audiobook, it was excellent. The format of the print book is very creative, but it is just not for me. As a full cast audio? I loved it.

I wasn't sure about the story when I first started this. It was a bit slow to take off and I wasn't liking the bratty, privileged protagonist, Hanna Donnelly, all that much at the beginning. However, around about the 30% mark the story really starts moving, and Hanna shows herself to be more than ...more

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Nov 03, 2016 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

Told like the first one in an epistolary format as an analytical brief put together for an inquiry, this one follows new characters aboard the Heimdall, the jumpgate station that the Hypatia was headed for at the end of the first book. We have Hanna, the spoiled daughter of the station commander who has used military training as a bonding mechanism with her since she was little. Think John McClane from Die Hard in fashion clothing. We also have Niklas, a criminal gangster with a heart of gold wh ...more

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Apr 24, 2018 Veronique rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read2018, favourites

When I read The Illuminae Files, I was pleasantly surprised by the format, combining text with graphics in a kind of modern take on an epistolary novel. It was only later that I found the audio, which amazingly enough proved to be outstanding too, but in a very different way. For this second instalment, I decided to do the reverse, opting for the audiobook first, then the paperback - I wanted to see if my experience would differ... Well, not really. Maybe this was because I already knew what to ...more

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Feb 03, 2017 Suzanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This was just so good - totally engrossing - it felt like an experience more than a book. I really don't know what format is best - the print book with the variety of text or the fantastic audio. I'm SO glad I finally decided to read this series.

Note: I didn't like this one quite as much the second time around, but that may have been my headspace. ...more

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Apr 16, 2016 Lata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-f-h, x2017-read, auth-f, kids-and-ya

I enjoyed the full cast audio and the story in this second book. This is a fast-moving story, with plenty of action and quipping and an interesting and not soppy relationship that develops between Hanna and Nick. (view spoiler) I am definitely waiting ...more

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Dec 07, 2017 Robyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017

4.5 stars that I’m rounding up. A whirlwind of an innovative book, very action packed.

11 likes · Like · see review

May 31, 2020 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, science-fiction

Totally brilliant!

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Oct 30, 2016 Christina Pilkington rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I didn't like this quite as much as Illuminae, but it was pretty close!

We follow a new set of characters, but the stories from the first two novels are still very much intertwined. The Aidan sections in this book were so beautifully written and some of my favorite sections to read. I thought that was a clever way to link these two stories.

The unique layout and structure of the novel was just as fantastic as the first one for me. In fact, I think I liked that aspect of the book even better than ...more

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Oct 25, 2017 Amber (Books of Amber) rated it really liked it

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

I wasn’t too sure about Gemina before I read it because I was on the fence about Illuminae. In the end, I picked it up because I was in the mood for something written in a style such as this, and I knew that I’d at least somewhat enjoy the story. What actually happened was I ended up liking Gemina a lot more than Illuminae because I felt more connected to the main character, and I feel like the story flowed better.

I think the greater use of

...more

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Apr 28, 2023 jovena s rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 18, 2017 Leticia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, 5-stars-fiction, own-physical-copy, owned-paperback, books_read_2017_not_comics, books_read_2017_fantasy_scifi, the-reading-quest-mage, 600-700pages, disability-rep

This book was as fun as Illuminae, and Illuminae was a lot of fun. As I previously warned I'm spoiled for badly written and boring sci-fi after this series.
...more

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