LIFEL1K3 (Lifelike)

Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Page count: 416
Goodreads: See here!
Plot at a Glance:
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.
Reviewed:
This was the first full novel I’ve read by Jay Kristoff, and it certainly will not be my last.
I knew I liked the style he brought to Illuminae, Gemina and Obsidio, and I’ve been meaning to give his solo work a try, so when an advanced copy of Lifelike landed in my hands this weekend, I set aside everything I was doing just so I could dedicate myself to this. Which is probably a good thing, as it turns out this is a story that demands your attention from page one, and doesn’t let up on the gas until the very end.
Pitched as Romeo meets Juliet, meets Mad Max, meets X-Men, with a little bit of Blade Runner thrown in for good measure, Lifelike is just as frenetic, character-driven and fast-paced as all the above descriptors would imply.Thematically, the story explores the usual sci/fi tropes – the meaning of life; a world devastated by violence, and artificial variants of humanity – but it does so with awesome characters and a breath of fire that made this book difficult to put down!
One thing I’ve begun to learn is fairly indicative of a Jay Kristoff novel is his penchant for action filled sequences that are unflinching in their imagery and evocative of the action movie genre as a whole. This was no exception. The opening scenes alone establish this world as one of brutality and violence towards human and machine alike, and equally lights the fuse for that breakneck pace.
The entire story takes place over the course of only a few days, which should tell you something about the pace of this book. While full of almost constant movement, this story is grounded by the strength of its characters and the unexpected places Kristoff explores along their journey.
All of the main cast of characters were fablous and instantly memorable characters. I especially loved the friendship between Eve and Lemon though. One thing I appreciated about their dynamic is that so often in YA stories, the “best friend” character is eventually sidelined into what is clearly a role of lesser import to the world at large. Kristoff pays special attention to Lemon throughout the course of the story, and it is clear that her role in later additions will only expand from here.
The development of all the characters is quite well done, particularly in how twisty so much of it is. There were aspects I called early on, but just as many aspects that totally blindsided me. One character’s journey in particular really wowed me and made me anxious to get my hands on book 2!In a way, I think this book is as much an origin story for the villains as it is the heroes. It appears Kristoff has used this first book as a launching pad for a number of greater character moments set in this universe and I’m so excited to see where it goes next.
The worldbuilding is surprisingly tight too. In a lot of post-apocalyptic set stories, we the reader are privy to nothing except: “the world has ended,” because in a lot of those stories the fact that it’s ended at all is the most important aspect. Kristoff is a bit more ambitious and sets the bulk of the plot squarely between corporations vying for control of what resources remain in the irradiated wasteland of America, post-explosion, and also in the rise of artificial intelligence and the exploration of what it means to be human.
That being said, I appreciate that in this story there’s no true robot uprising. There are only a handful of Lifelikes (androids) in comparison to human beings, but their existence at all creates quite the quandary for the characters that is explored over the course of the story. It’s a softer opening than one might expect for a story that thematically tackles the implications of artificial life.
I could go and and on about how I enjoyed this all day, but I think this is one book that really speaks for itself. If you’re a fan of sci/fi or action driven stories, make sure you put this book on your reading list for 2018!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 = 5/5 stars!
Thank you Netgalley, and Knopf Books for Young Readers for approving me for a Review Copy!
Have you read this? What did you think? What other books are you excited about for 2018?
xoxo
Nice post – this looks intense
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Thanks, DJ! It definitely is, but in a really good way!
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I love 5 star reads! Great review.
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Thank you! Me too!
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I can’t wait to read this book eventually! I love Jay’s work and I think this one will be a fantastic read!
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I bet you’ll love this Tiana! Hopefully you do anyway. 🙂
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Ok first off, WONDERFUL review! seriously, I have a galley sitting on my Kindle that I’ll be p/u in the next few days & your review is making me reconsider reading more than 1 book whilst reading this one haha! I love all things Sci-fi and this will also be the first full length solo work of his that I’m reading *super stoked* so glad to see that in a post apocalyptic world, Kristoff pulled off giving us more layers to the plot. I’ve read a few sci-fi books this year that were very much just that: the end of the world, nothing here to look at LOL! glad you enjoyed LIFEL1k3 🙂
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Thank you! I’m loving that this review is making you think about picking up your galley copy. I hope you love it. I feel like it’s a really great “first book” of his to pick up. Very enjoyable.
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Ahhh! that’s awesome, can’t wait 🙂
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I think i’d very much like this!
I usually find post apocalyptic stuff stressful, but with all the action this might be something different…
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The action is a little stressful at times, I won’t lie, but it’s always very compelling and fun to read too, Norrie. 🙂
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Fab post. It’s great to get a 5* read! Excellent review.
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Thank you! And yes, 5 star reads are the best!
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This book title always gives me a brain fart. Really need to check it out.
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Haha I totally understand that. The first time I saw this book title I had to do a triple take and a lot of head scratching as I tried to figure it out.
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My dyslexic brain just jumps out the window for a bit.
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Not heard of the book before. Sounds really amazing.
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It was definitely great!
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YAY 5 stars!!! Brilliant review Bentley 😉 I now know what to read if I want action.
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Yes absolutely, look no further than this book! Thank you!! ^_^
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I have yet to read anything by Jay Kristoff, but I think I should change that soon!
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Yes!! He’s great! I’m actually going to be reading Nevernight by him pretty soon too.
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Sounds like a really cool book! Thanks for sharing!
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You’re welcome Heidi! 🙂
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Really enjoyed your post. Thank you!
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Thank you Allie! 🙂
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Great review, probably not the book for me. But, I think destroying electronics with the power of her mind is my new favorite superpower.
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It was a pretty kickass power, especially considering how useful it ended up being, and the way it worked into a number of plot twists!
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Awesome review ❤ with amazing gifs
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Thank you, Priyasha! ❤
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This sounds like it’s right up my alley! Awesome review👍👍
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Thank you!! Glad I put it on your radar! ^_^
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I have to say the standard end of the world rise of the machines trope is getting a little old. So it’s nice to see authors creating something different.
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Absolutely, Terri!! Variety is the spice of life, so I love when authors take a familiar trope and throw some curveballs in.
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great review! i couldn’t continue with the nevernight trilogy. it was slow-paced and too graphic. so i wasn’t excited about this book. but your review piqued my interest!! i’ll definitely check it out!!
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Thank you!! To be fair, the action in this one can at times be a little violent, and I’ve not yet read Nevernight, but I think this one is a little tamer in comparison.
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you’re welcome! i wouldn’t mind a little bit of violence!
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This sounds SO GOOD!! I just read Nevernight and Godsgrave by JK last month and was blown away… so I NEED to get my hands on this book as soon as it’s out. I can feel myself loving it already 😀
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I bet you will! I actually just had a friend reach out to me last night asking to buddy read Nevernight with me, so I’m going to be starting that in a week or two. I can’t wait!
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This book has been on my TBR for awhile now. It looks fantastic! Great review 🙂
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Thank you, Megan! It was fantastic! I hope you like it. 🙂
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I haven’t read anything he’s written yet but it sounds right up my alley!
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I can not wait to get it.
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Great review, I’ve been having this book on my radar since I first heard about it a couple of months ago and I absolutely love sci-fi and post-apocalyptic world. So I will see if I can check this one out from the library when it comes out. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
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Katiria, if you love sci-fi and post apocalypse worlds, this is the book for you! I can’t wait until you get to read it! You’re sure to really enjoy it. Have fun!
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Great review!
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Thank you, Aislynn!! ❤
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I was very excited for this one but…I read nevernight, it started off great but in the end, it couldn’t surpass my expectations. Hence I am very skeptical going into this. I will give it a try tho 🙂
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