ALA Booklist (Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Rich daddy's girl Hanna, House of Knives gang member Nik, and his computer-savvy younger cousin Ella get caught in the battle onboard jump station Heimdall, where BeiTech Industries is eradicating any signs of its earlier deadly attack on a small mining outpost. This "clean-up" includes destroying the Heimdall, its residents, and the outpost survivors traveling on inbound spaceship Hypatia. Hanna, Nik, and Ella may be the only ones able to prevent BeiTech from succeeding. The Illuminae (2015) sequel is actually the documents from BeiTech's trial, including e-mails, surveillance footage, transcripts, chat logs, schematics, and diary entries. The authors are truly adept at creating darlings and demons using nontraditional narrative forms, and the parallel conversations late in the book are seriously clever. Kaufman and Kristoff are even better at pacing, keeping track of characters like air-traffic controllers, and using competing countdown clocks to indicate impending doom. The gory addition of the jawless, parasitic lanima pushes the book to the border of sci-fi and horror. A riveting addition to Kaufman and Kristoff's space saga. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This new installment in the blockbuster Illuminae trilogy is getting serious publisher promotion, including a national author tour.

School Library Journal (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 6 Up-While the first book in the series, Illuminae , followed the account of the Hypatia , the only surviving spacecraft of the Kerenza colony attack, as it hurtled toward the Heimdall space station for sanctuary, this sequel describes the experience of Hanna, who lives aboard the Heimdall. She is the daughter of the space station commander, and while this remote post is fairly quiet, her world unravels when agents attempt to seize control of the space station in order to destroy it and ensure no witnesses survive. Hanna finds an unlikely ally in Nik, an unsavory gang member who deals "dust" in the space station, as they attempt to defend the Heimdall, save the Hypatia , contain vicious alien creatures, and fix a rip in the space-time continuum. The narrative is presented in a dossier-style compilation of emails, journal entries, diagrams, and transcripts. These documents serve to convey the deeply satisfying story line in a creative and engaging way, making this series an exceptional recommendation for discerning and reluctant readers. The characters are intensely believable, and it will be easy for teens to share in Hanna's losses, betrayals, and accomplishments. Kaufman and Kristoff have woven such an intricate and compulsively readable tale that fans can revisit the text and make new discoveries each time. VERDICT An excellent choice for science fiction lovers as well as those new to the genre; a must-have for library collections. Paige Rowse, Needham High School Library, MA

Voice of Youth Advocates

Space station Heimdall has been invaded by a special forces team, which quickly takes control of the station and murders its captain. The only ones who can save both the station and the universe are three young people:áHanna, spoiled daughter of the station captain; Nik, an ostensibly tough guy; and Ella, Nik's brilliant, handicapped cousin.Gemina is less a sequel to Illuminae (Penguin Random House, 2015/VOYA August 2015) and more a companion novel. Though it features two new heroes, its genre is exactly the same: science fiction/action/romance. Gemina is an intimidating 600+ page tome; however, it is told through a series of emails, chat room transcripts, diary entries, summaries of surveillance footage, and other ephemeral documents, making it a speedy read but, unfortunately, also gimmicky. The main characters are annoying, snarky cardboard cutouts whose conversations are filled with futuristic slang and nonstandard word spellings. Hanna is an unrealistically talented martial arts fighter; Nik is an obnoxious wise guy and flirt; and Ella is a master hacker whose brilliance stretches the boundaries of believability. Yet, Gemina is still an addictive, page-turning, must-read because the action and thrills suck the reader in completely. Though the authors use gimmicks to attract readers, they are geniuses at keeping readers engaged. If it were not for the page count, it would be a quick pick for reluctant readers. As it is, it will probably appeal to fans of action-adventure stories who do not mind clichÚ writing.Cheryl Clark.