LIFEL1K3 - Review

Author: Jay Kristoff

Genre: Sci-Fi

Format: Hardback

Pages: 402

I've sat on this review for a minute because I needed time to wrap my around a lot of things. Mostly the last few pages where everything sort of just socks you in the gut. But, also I needed to organize my thoughts, because I didn't want to spoil anything major. Bless my roommate for sitting on this and not spoiling the end for me. She managed to read this last year, but sadly I never got around to picking it up. It was well worth the wait, and I'm glad to only have small wait before diving into DEV1AT3. Which will push every other book I'm reading to the bottom of the pile in May.

The best place to start is probably by saying the robot battle at the start of the book totally distracted me from the fact this is Anastasia Romanov re-telling. I was so distracted by robots and Lemon-freaking-Fresh that I missed all signs pointing to that direction, until Zeke showed up. Then I realized what was going on, and I can't believe Jay Kristoff got me attached to an Anastasia Romanov re-telling. I have a lot of reasons why I usually avoid this area of re-telling. The biggest one is a feel like it's one that's sort done a lot, but I'll let you know it's never been done like this. 

Only Jay Kristoff thought robots would make that story more interesting. They did though, because by the time I realized what was happening I was already invested in the story. I couldn't just stop. I needed to make sure Lemon and Cricket survived this book! Because they are precious and needed to be protected at all costs. ALL COSTS!

LIFEL1KE was the first book I've read that was all Jay Kristoff's writing style and all his world building. He did not disappoint me one bit. In fact I'm looking forward to jumping into his other series at some point. Because I'm the world's slowest reader and it takes me ages to get through books. Even ones I loved as much as this one.

As I sit here I'm trying to find something I didn't like about the book, but nothing is honestly coming to mind. Every part of LIFEL1K3 is on point: the world building, the characters, the plot. Yeah, I wasn't overly excited about the Romanov connection, but that's more my hang up than anything else. Once I'd gotten into the heart of the book I stopped caring about that. I was so focused on Eve's journey, on praying Lemon and Cricket make it out alive, and on trying to figure out what terrible thing Zeke was hiding. I knew it was something, he was trying too hard, and I was enjoying how much we kept shooting him. Which he deserved. Every single time.

Cause he's a lying lair who lies.

Before I wrap this up I do want to talk about Eve for a hot second. I was really happy that her character grew the way it did throughout the entire story. Honestly I shouldn't have been surprised, all the characters in the Illuminae Series are solid. But, I still worried a bit as more of Eve's past was unveiled that she was going to turn into some whiny ball of angst trying to figure who she is. Bless Jay Kristoff for not letting that happen. Bless him for having her pull up her big girl pants and realize things sucked, but people wanted them dead and she'd panic later. Because I adore our main character and I didn't want that to change.

I mean she's not Lemon Fresh, but so few of us are.

This book ran me through a gambit of emotions and was so well thought out. I'd love a prequel series one day about War that destroyed the world, or how the people started rebuilding after. There so much I want to know about things that laid up to where we meet Eve. It's all brilliant. In fact if life hadn't of hit in the face so hard I probably would have tore through this book faster than I did. Sadly, I kept getting book blocked life.

I'm super excited for book 2, DEV1AT3, that comes out this May! Excited to see what kind of trouble everyone finds themselves into next, and I'm still worried about Lemon and Cricket. I realize no one is safe in the hands of Jay Kristoff.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: Whatever gets this books in your hands! It's amazing and my friends have been troopers listening to my gush about this book over the last month that I've been reading it.

HAPPY READING!!