Horn Book Review
As spaceship Hypatia nears Jump Station Heimdall, the corporation BeiTech plots to forcefully take over Heimdall and destroy witnesses on Hypatia. Only station chief's daughter Hanna and crime-syndicate member Nik stand in their way. Told through documents and transcripts (like predecessor Illuminae), the story's well-timed tension, twists, heartache, and humor will keep readers hooked as the intricate plot unwinds. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
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.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2016 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
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 © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
