Synopsis

On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.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.

Even if those secrets were better off staying buried.

Review

“Your father gave me life. But you were the one who made me live”

Now I finished Lifel1k3 today and I don’t know if I must LOVE or HATE Jay Kristoff! It was genius but evil because now ….now …WHAT DO I DO????????
Diabolical.

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And that ending!

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That ending!

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It’s not human to leave us on such cliffy Mister Kristoff !!!!!

 

5 stars and more. Even if the suspense is killing me.

 

To begin with here is something I sent to Jay Kristoff after going to his blog and seeing no date for Lifel1k3 number 2 ( I edited some parts of the mail as I don’t want you to scream spoiler)!

“Hi Mister Kristoff,

I hope I won’t bother you *if I do well, too bad* but I just HAD to write to ask about the date on Lifel1k3 number 2.
You see I had never read one of your books but saw them everywhere. My blogger’s friends raved about them and I was like: “OK what’s this fuss about now?”.

When I attended YALC London this year they had great discounts and I bought Lifel1k3 because the UK cover is just gorgeous * and I saw many good reviews but details details*.

I finished Lifel1k3 today and NOW I GET IT!!!!

Holly crapola! It was genius but evil as now I don’t know what will happen of Eve! What choice will she make? What development can we expect? And what will Ezekiel’s next move be? And Miss Fresh why was she so important to that “beast”?
And ….
So many questions!

So yes I am asking about the release date as I did not see it on your blog * I may need other glasses you never know*.

Just know that you gained another fan! Respect here and I can’t wait to read your other books in the coming months.”

This should tell you all about my feverish and desperate state of mind just hours after I finished Lifel1k3!

It was my first Jay Kristoff and like the first cigarette is rumored to *I don’t know I never smoked* it went straight to my head. And my heart. And my blood pressure. And…

You all were right! His books are incredible! I bet Shanah @bionicbookworm and Wendy @birdiebookwormblog are doing a happy dance plus pat on the shoulder right now reading these lines! They are the most fervent Jay defenders!

 

Now where was I about Lifel1k3? Let’s try to make sense and convince you to read it!

First of all I never read science fiction. Or I can count on one hand what I would call sci-fi.
The thing is reading about robots, humanoids or androids or… is NOT my favorite genre

Yet now that I’ve read Lifel1k3 I’ll never say never anymore because all is in the author’s talent!

Some other books have opened my eyes on LGBTQ stories well Lifel1k3 opened my eyes to sci-fi.

 

Why is it genius?

Because it’s packed with action upon action and mixes old tales with new world*how Jay Kristoff succeeded in writing Moby Dick in a sci fi story shows how the man must be crazy yet talented*

Because nothing is as it seems and everyone has secret. Sometimes they even don’t know they have BIG secrets. So you are following everything and feel like a wrecking ball going from one side of the pinball machine to the other. Sometimes hitting a big target and you earn 1000 points. These are usually when you had guessed right but these are scarce moments. In other words: extinct like the Dodo.

Because the characters are fantastic.
They are and feel real, even the bots and droids.
Moving even the bots and droids.
Funny even the bots and the droids!
They make a crew of misfits. Banter is flying and sarcasm the ruling money!
I love Miss Fresh and her perpetual devil may care attitude paired with big loyalty and fun banter.
I adore Eve with her courage determination huge heart and caustic remarks. The more desperate the situation the more come back she dishes.
I love Zeke. Blue eyes drop dead gorgeous and indestructible Zeke. I don’t care he is a droid I want to marry him.
I love Cricket the little mechanica Oops I said he was little! Pant less and “man parts” less I don’t care he was adorable.
Kaiser the loyal dog robot…

Basically everyone was easy to love. Well not the bounty hunter, not…not the villains.
Yet some villains have excuses. But they still had a choice.

 

And among all the “epic”, the action, the love, the hate, the fear, the courage arises a fundamental question: what makes someone human? Is it being born human with 100%flesh and bones? Coming from a womb?
Or is it being able to love and care for others?
And if you say that robots were programmed to love in this book isn’t it what our upbringing do? Programming us slowly to behave in certain way? To be kind? To love because we are showed how to by our mothers?
Can’t we develop feelings for robots?

“We just want to protect you Evie.”
“And I want to protect you too. What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s wrong because we are not human. We exist to serve you.”

So what is being human really?

 

Have you read this book? Or any book by Jay Kristoff?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie
 

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32 Comments

    1. I know Wendy!!! Nevernight will be the next but I try to wait closer to the release of the next one and then binge read!

  1. Wonderful review Sophie! I haven’t read any book by Jay Kristoff earlier so I was a bit skeptical about choosing this book. Also, I am not a sci-fi fan. But I am so glad you enjoyed this book. I have heard mixed reviews about it though, but your review is making me want to read this.

  2. Wow, okay, I need to take a deep breath and light a cigarette after just reading your excitable post on this one … and yet another reason to bump this book up onto my I Must Buy list and soon … if it’s that good it had you writing to the author like, tout suite! 😉

    1. Hi Alexandra yes “tout de suite” is the word! I tend to be over enthusiastic when a book amazed me 😉 Truly I did not expect this book to be that great!

  3. I’m glad you popped your Jay cherry, but you need to read the others too! Lifelike is probably my least fave of his books so far. Go read Nevernight!! Immediately!! (Although, if you aren’t keen for cliffhangers, maybe leave it and Godsgrave until closer to November next year). FYI, in case he doesn’t get back to you, Lifelike 2 will be coming out in May 2019, and he’s currently writing Lifelike 3. He announced all this at the Lifelike book launch in May here in Australia. xx

  4. LOLOLOL welcome to the Kristoff train, he’s so cruel indeed!! This review remind me that I haven’t write my review of this book, how preposterous!! I’m glad you liked this book Sophie. Miss Lemon Fresh is definitely my favorite, can she be my BFF???

    1. Hahaha Laura I always swear I will wait but always end up breaking my oath so …we’ll see if you hold yours!

  5. I can’t wait to try Jay Kristoff! I’ve heard wonderful things about him but the only story I’ve read of his was a short Halloween one. It was so damn impressive so I can only imagine what an entire novel will be like!
    Wonderful post, Sophie ❤️

  6. I love Jay Kristoff’s books! He’s a evil genius and also quite sadistic. He loves torturing his readers! You must read his Nevernight series. It was amazing! I haven’t read LifeL1k3 yet, but i’m hoping to read it next month. I’m glad you loved it! Great review! 🙂