LIFEL1K3 – Jay Kristoff

LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: May 29th, 2018
Publisher: Knopf BFYR
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal/Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Action, Robots, Romance, Friendship

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BLURB:

Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it. But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.

My socks are knocked off and across the room.

The moment I finished this book, I stared at it for a minute. Or fifteen.

I can’t believe this worked for me. First of all, I have a love/hate relationship with Jay Kristoff. Illuminae was fine, but Nevernight – for me anyway – was catastrophic. I could not stand his pretentious and complex writing style.

Second of all, I read very few science fiction books. When done well, as is the case here, they work fine, but most of the time the jargon confuses me and I’d much rather read about a world I can connect to better than a science fiction one.

And finally, robots do not make good love interests. That’s what I used to think anyway. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I could never truly forget that the person I’m with is made of metal, and that even if he’s sweet and gentle, he’s probably not waterproof.

Above everything, though, this is a first in a new series, and you know how info-saturated those can be sometimes, the authors info-dumping us in every new chapter. But such was not the case with Lifel1k3, thank goodness.

I enjoyed the cast introduced here. Eve is the main character, down to earth and serious, but not too serious that she can’t comprehend humorous situations. Lemon is her best friend. This gal is quite the character. I don’t know anyone in real life with a personality like hers, so I can’t say she’s realistic at all, but she is entertaining and a really good friend.

Ezekiel is a lifelike, an android who knows more about Eve than she herself does. His appearance changes everything for Eve and Lemon. He’s the love interest I was telling you about. I have to say, no human boy talks the way he does, which only reinforces his non-human status. But, er, I swooned. A little.

The other thing is… THERE ARE SO MANY TWISTS TOWARDS THE END. Shocking twists. Ones that will make you stop reading and tear up a little. I can’t wait for more.

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