TITLE: LIFEL1K3

AUTHOR: Jay Kristoff

RELEASED: May 29th 2018 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

GENRE: Sci-Fi/YA

They kill my father first.

I should probably preface this with the fact I find most science fiction VERY difficult to get into, but that was totally not the case with this one! 2018 just seems to be the year for phenomenal books, because I LOVED this one so much! I’ve read a little of Jay Kristoff previously, but I am now completely in love with his writing style and storytelling. It was unique and compelling. I didn’t want to put it down! The detail he puts into building this world without it becoming tedious is phenomenal. There is so much going on between the machina, logika, lifelikes, and other robotic beings. My favourite has to be the blitzhund, Kaiser! He’s the sweetest little explosive dog I’ve ever read!!

“But you get fancy, Mister Stabby gets dancy, you read me?”

The characters, Eve, Lemon Fresh, Grandpa, Cricket, Ezekiel, are all hilariously funny and so real. Nearly everyone has a past they are running from in some shape, and they each try to atone for their transgressions in different ways. But they have to face up to those decisions eventually. They play hard and love harder. They invest whole-heartedly in their relationships, so when things are revealed that may have been untrue or omitted, they feel it like a punch in the gut. Especially Eve. I felt so many things throughout this novel, especially the last few chapters.

“Your past doesn’t make calls on your future. It doesn’t matter who you were. Only who you are.”

Then the twists and turns this story takes us on are….heartstopping! I gasped out loud and nearly cried a few different times – it’s amazing! And that ending? Holy damn….can’t wait to see what comes next!

I was kind of unsure before reading this just because I've been having such horrible luck with YA lately and also because sci-fi is usually not really my jam, but the Nevernight Chronicles are absolutely brilliant so I figured I should give this a try. Eve is definitely no Mia Corvere, but it was still a pretty fun read and I'll definitely be continuing the series.

The over-arching plot IS a bit predictable I guess - I mean how many 'AIs gain sentience and are mad at humans for treating them like crap' stories have already been written - but the characters are fun and he does put a few twists in there, definitely enough to keep you entertained [Also who else didn't realize until like the 85% mark that this is a lowkey Anastasia retelling? Love it!]. Eve, Lemon, and Cricket are all really great and play well off of each other. I was honestly not feeling Ezekiel that much [he has the personality of a piece of toast most of the time, but I guess that's to be expected], but don't worry because there are plenty of friend and family type relationships in this book too so it's definitely not just all about the 'romance'.

One of the main things that bothered me was just all the random 'sci-fi jargon' and obvious misspellings of common things in our era [Kalifornia and You-say for USA, etc], but that is something that bothers me in ALL sci-fi because I feel like authors often go a bit overboard when trying to create their world and let us know 'this is our world but in the future'. If it's not something that generally bothers you then i wouldn't worry about it, and also it does kind of taper off as the book goes on, but the first few chapters were just filled with weird slang and it was a bit much all at once. I'm also not entirely sure how I feel about the ending, but it is an intriguing series and more than that Kristoff is just a really good writer so I will check out the next one

Summary

This story follows the character of Eve, who competes in robotic fighting competitions with the gladiator that she built. Soon, though, her life changes when she finds the scraps of a lifelike, an android kind that was banned years ago. She takes him home and her worldview is opened, realizing that her life really isn't what she had always thought it to be. Through Ezekiel, the android, she learns that she has another life that she had completely forgotten about: or maybe purposely forgotten about without even realizing it.

Likes

I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. I feel that the author has a way of doing that so well and this book was no exception. I felt like I didn't know what to expect and that excitement is what drove me to read the book so quickly. I liked Eve and Ezekiel: they were the main characters that I felt had a connection and evoked something from me. Eve was sort of flabbergasted throughout much of the book because of her discoveries but I feel like she was a smart main character and she truly cared about finding out the truth behind her life. Ezekiel was a likeable main character as well and I forgot much of the time that he was an android and not a human. But, that is definitely the point of an android, so hats off to the author! The bond that these two characters formed happened quickly and it was a strong one in terms of the storyline. They were intertwined and played well off of one another.

Dislikes

The first dislike I had is more of a disappointment, but on my part. I was really expecting this book to have more of a Westworld vibe to me--I had just caught up with it before starting this book, actually--and I just didn't get that from it. Again, that is something I expected with the whole android backstory and even the first page but it wasn't the same. I also couldn't follow the story at times because there were flashbacks/memories and then the present. Again, that might be a personal preference with me because I get confused with that sometimes but I would have liked separate chapters to clearly distinguish it rather than by italics. I wanted to know more about her backstory and the ending happened so quickly that I was sort of like what?! I was surprised when I only had 10% left of the book and so much was happening. Speaking of the ending: I will give an award to the author for his endings: they're always the best darn cliffhangers that make your mouth gape open in surprise. This was no different and it was great enough that I am interested in reading the next book to learn more. 

Recommendation

I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys sci-fi but also a different kind of sci-fi. I feel that the author brings something new to the table and even though I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped, I will definitely be reading the next one!

I first heard of Jay Kristoff from the Illuminae novels he wrote with Amie Kaufman. They were unlike anything I had read before: science-fiction that was fun, wildly creative, and even a bit romantic. He does it again with his latest novel, Lifelike. Set in the not too distant future, this dystopian thriller was a page turner!

What I Liked:
Setting:

Even though this is a book that is clearly set on Earth, everything is just a little bit different. There has clearly been some catastrophic nuclear war which changed both the landscape, and society.

I loved this off-kilter version of an America gone to Hell (okay, this does sound bad, but bear with me). Everything from the use of language (which is totally "fizzy") to new pronunciations of familiar places, creates this mood of a country with a colossal hangover.

As one might predict, corporations rule rather than governments, and the masses are entertained with gladiator-like competitions between people in giant robots and rogue machines that have taken lives.

Characters:

Evie is a wonderful main character. While she is a wonderful mechanic, she is fallible. Her rebellious nature often gets her in trouble and she barely escapes with her life, all in search of getting enough money to assist her grandpa.

I like that her friend, Lemon, is a fully realized character with a strong backstory and has as many secrets as Evie. She and Evie have an enviable friendship complete with their own motto, "Stronger together, together forever". They have a shared history of harships and an admiration for Silas, Evie's grandpa.

The friends are complimented by Cricket, a small robot with a large personality. Cricket is programmed by Silas to be the voice of reason that will (hopefully) keep Evie and Lemon out of trouble. It is with this character that we begin to see how advanced machines have become in this future. The girls rely of Cricket and think of it as a person, not simply a computer.

The "Lifelikes" are highly advanced robots that are self-aware. They were created by a coporation, only to later kill everyone at that headquarters. This subsequently got them immediately banned.

Story:

The story central theme is about what it means to be human. Since people in the book agree that slavery is wrong, isn't it just as wrong for them to enslave machines? This is explored in several different ways that are thought-provoking. Are genetically-modified people the same as natural humans? Do they have any rights? What about a machine that has consciousness? The tag line for the book is: Your life is not your own. This begs the question: what is life?

Twists:

Obviously, I am not going to throw spoilers your way!
But I will say that there are enough twists and turns that you will start screaming out loud while reading this book. The twists were delightful and added a new layer to the action.

Ending:

The ending, while clearly leaving room to make this a series, is very satisfying. I have a pet peeve about books that stop in the middle of a crucial part, as if to say, "Stay tuned for the next exciting installment!". This lack of resolution is frustrating. But much was wrapped up by the end of this book, but with some tantalizing set ups for a future novel.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!!!

Up until the last 30 or so pages, I was feeling so-so toward this book. There's plenty of action, a fun cast of quirky characters, slang-filled banter, and a definite Mad Max: Fury Road vibe, but I didn't feel caught up in the characters' fates or connect with their emotions for most of it. However, the ending was incredibly solid with several shocking twists, and I'm very excited to see where things go from here. I think the characters' motivations are now set up to be much more complex and unpredictable in future books, and while I wasn't particularly invested in where they came from, I'm very interested in where they're going!

As soon as you get into the book, it's automatically filled to the brim with fast-paced action. Kristoff does an amazing job of combining humor, battle, and curiosity. As soon as you pick this book up, you will be immersed in a whole world of slang and culture, unlike any other book. If you like sci-fi, you're sure to love this book.

Up and down post-apocalyptic tale

This post-apocalyptic story was like a teeter-totter ride for me. Some parts, especially the beginning, I liked a lot but other parts, like the ending - bleh.

This is like a cross between Mad Max and Waterworld and leans towards Waterworld as far as enjoyability goes.

Eve lives with her Grandpa on Kalifornya now called the Dregs, reduced to an island after the Quake. The world is also decimated after a nuclear World War 4.0.

The world is made up of humans, logica, and rogue Lifelikes.

I liked the concept of the story but had a hard time liking many of the characters. Lemon Fresh, friend to Eve, and Cricket, her logika (a robot with AI), were my favorites and they aren't main characters.

And, yes, this is the first book in a series so I know the story will continue but I hated the ending.

I will not continue to read the series. Too many books, too little time.

I received this book from Knopf Books for Young Readers through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Jay Kristoff once again does what he does best: totally messes with your head. And, yep, I love him for it.

What Fed My Addiction:

The mystery of Eve’s life (and death?).
Right from the start of the book, we know that something violent happened to Eve’s family, but we soon learn that she doesn’t quite remember all the details. The story of Eve’s past unfolds as the book progresses—as she remembers more and more of what happens. I personally love books like this because the suspense is so high. I wanted to know everything that happened to Eve and how she ended up with lifelikes and more chasing her.

Lots of twists.
Every time I’d think I’d have the twists in the story figured out, Kristoff would throw in a new one that I didn’t see coming—and the ones I thought I knew didn’t work out quite the way I assumed. Basically, I was kept guessing the whole book.

The characters.
I loved Eve right away—she’s tough (she needs to be, considering the world she lives in), but she has soft spots for all the “people” in her life—Grandpa, her best friend Lemon, her robot Cricket, and her robot-dog Kaiser. I was surprised how much I fell in love with all of the characters, especially Ezekial, who I wasn’t sure about at first—I ended up shipping him and Eve hard!

Who knows who’ll live?
This is Kristoff, and he likes his books full of death and danger, and he pulls no punches. I had no idea who would survive. This book isn’t quite as graphic as Nevernight, if that’s what you’re expecting, but Kristoff delivers on the brutality you’d expect from him. No one is safe. None of it is wrapped up in a pretty bow at the end.

THAT ENDING!
I absolutely loved the ending. And hated it. And loved it. (And also hated it?) I definitely won’t stop thinking about it.

What Left Me Hungry for More:

Multiple POVs.
I’m not always a fan of when random POVs are suddenly thrown in, and this book does that occasionally.

What’s our goal?
I occasionally caught myself forgetting what the main goal in the book was and why exactly everything was happening. I was never bored, but there were points where I’d literally forget what the actual conflict was and aspects of who they were up against. Maybe this was just me being a not-careful reader? I don’t know, but it seemed like a flaw.

Well, I will certainly be holding my breath for the next book. I haven’t decided if I hate Kristoff for that ending yet. I might not know until the series is over. (Though when I read his bio, I’m reminded that I should probably just expect to hate him, let’s face it.)I give this one an easy 4/5 Stars.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Rockstar Book Tours (and a copy via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Just give me all the Jay Kristoff books! His writing style is so fantastic and gorgeous, this is no exception.

Lifelike is a book where when you reach the end you realize how many clues and references you missed. This book is a giant tribute to Mad Max: Fury Road, sure, but it references so much media. There is the Anastasia angle, the Pinocchio quips; it supposedly also Romeo and Juliet but I don't see it. I guess you could say it has a X-Men bent to it which is why I categorized it into Pararnormal/Fantasy too but since I haven't seen Blade Runner I can affirm that particular one. The basic plot is this - Eve, living in a dystopic post-4th-world-war world ruled by corporations, manifests powers in a very public arena and is on the run from some killer murderbots (who don't follow the revered Three Laws of Robotics) and a bounty hunter, while getting flashes of the past she didn't know she had.

The book is fast-paced action and witty one-liners through and through. We have Eve's bestie, Lemon Fresh (who is also like a little sister to her) who delivers some amazing lines, and a logika (basically an android) called Cricket who is the sassy Pinocchio you never knew you wanted. Besides these, the motley squad also includes a cyborg dog (I am still crying over that) and an android boy Ezekiel who is one of the former murderbot variety. At first, they were on the run from Faith, another murderbotLifelike who I thought was going to be Eve's ex but that was a false alarm. Anyway, Faith kidnaps Eve's grandpa and takes him to Babel, a building in the heart of Gnosis' territory, and that is where they are aiming for when they are set upon by a bounty hunter called Preacher, who, like his name implies, dresses like a preacher and carries around a bible. Thankfully, he leaves the religious fanaticism to the Brotherhood, a red-robe wearing cult of genetic purity who despise anyone with powers or cybernetic enhancements.

While you are getting entertained by the running-around-in-glass-storms, there is also a secondary plot developing wherein we get flashbacks of Eve's childhood, and her identity as Ana (how did I not see this blatant clue) and the Lifelike's rebellion (which is akin to fallen angels - their names are a big sign!) that killed her family. But even with all that, the book still packs a lot of twists as punches in the last quarter - everything you learn during the book is again turned on its head during the climactic moments, and you are left standing in the dust with your mouth hanging open while your heart is breaking. Also, even the cover is such a big neon clue that I imagine the cover designer cackling while making it. Does it deliver on the excitement and the emotions we expect? Hell yes, and more than what you expect!

While I loved the book even simply for how entertaining it is, I did find some aspects of the world-building to be incomplete or plot holes left unexplained. There is a lot to the science itself and going into that might be spoilery so this is your warning. So, they say that the Lifelikes were built to withstand radiation and don't get any mutations, thereby leading to the assumption that the technology exists to prevent cancer or at the very least, know how to avoid it, and that leads me to believe that they would even know how to cure it. However, the grandpa Silas still has an incurable form of cancer lingering from before his time in the Gnosis labs -which to me is like, in-congruent on some level. Also, that biological company (I actually loved the idea of that kraken - it was ingenious!) is basically traveling all the world's oceans but it is not clear where the territory lines are drawn between them and the other company? Like, is it an international waters thing or are they like the land is your and the sea is mine thing?

Finally, the book does a good job on building relationships between characters. Eve and Lemon have such a loving bond, and their fierce loyalty for one another is the thing that kept me from fully believing the ending. Sure, Eve felt betrayed but how can you just turn off and run into the arms of the being who just wiped the floor with your ass? But otherwise, I loved the dynamic between the foursome - I meant the dog in this, not Ezekiel - and the way it is like a nice little family. Ezekiel's addition does make for some hilarity - Lemon's constant flirting with him had me in splits and I loved her for it, while Cricket's constant dragging of Ezekiel had me cheering for the logika. About Ezekiel and Eve/Ana though? I am not really sure there was a good build-up in the before - at that point, Ezekiel did not exactly have free will so she essentially 'Her'-ed that relationship up.

In short, this is an entertaining and emotional ride throughout and delivers a world that is a mash-up of dystopian ones you are familiar with but also delivers some twists that leave you in awe.

LiIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff
A very interesting book. It started a little bit slow for me but then it got really good and was difficult to put down. The story revolves around a teenage girl, Eve, who lives with her grandfather in a futuristic world where she fights in competitions in large robots. As the story progresses you find out more about her family and what happened to them, and how she ended up living with Grandpa. The story has a lot of action and an ending that took me by surprise. I don't know if there is a planned sequel but the ending definitely leaves it open for that. I hope so!

“She refused to flinch. To turn away. She’d met death before, after all. Spat right in its face.”

In a future world, bleak from environmental destruction, Evie Carpenter just wants to find her place.

Fighting malfunctioning robots in the Wardome may not be the most glamorous way to get credits, but Evie doesn’t have a lot of options and grandpa needs his meds. When she risks everything in an impossible match, the unexpected happens. Not the good kind of unexpected. In a moment of fear, she just discovered she can destroy electronics with her mind, setting the puritanical Brotherhood after her.

But it isn’t until she discovers an android boy, nearly wrecked and beyond salvage, that her life comes crashing down in spectacular form. Enemies she never knew she had start coming after her, forcing her to run with the android, her bestest Lemon Fresh, and her robot conscious Cricket, in tow. They’ll push themselves searching for answers to secrets long ago buried while desperately trying to rescue the ones Evie loves.

The thing about secrets though, is they’re usually buried for a reason.

“Eve stood mute. Anger fighting confusion. There was truth in Hope’s words. Bloodstained. Twisted. But still truth.”

Once again, I am blown away by Jay Kristoff and his writing! He’s built a world that is detailed and captivating, filled with characters you can’t help but fall in love with. In true Kristoff fashion, he has wooed me, completely, entirely. I’m not even a little bit surprised that he then ripped my bleeding heart out of my chest. Or that he probably laughed maniacally all the while.

While this does have a similar feel to Illuminae, readers should know that this book is tragic. It says in the description. “Romeo and Juliet meets Mad Max meets X-Men with a little bit of Blade Runner cheering from the sidelines.” If you’re expecting sunshine and daisies, you’re not paying attention. This book is tragic. Tragic topped with tragic, with a heavy side of tragic just for good measure. And me? I’m a SUCKER for tragic. I live for it!

“She closed her eyes. took a deep, shuddering breath. And she grasped her sorrow by the throat and set it aflame with her rage.”

Kristoff has a way of writing that is both lyrical and brutal. He repeats key phrases and descriptions, which makes the novel feel poetic. The repetition emphasizes the emotions of the characters and lets the readers relive the beauty of the prose. Even beyond the repetitions, Kristoff has a way of writing even the most brutal scenes, making them bold and beautiful.

“Spent shell casings spewed like falling stars from her guns, smoke rising from the barrels.”

I will always love a dystopian that creates it’s own slang or language, and Lifel1k3 is no disappointment in that arena. However, rather than leaving the slang in the dialogue, Kristoff uses it throughout the narration. The effect is that the reader is fully immersed in this world, entirely throughout every page. Between the consistency of language, to the repetition, to the lyrical way he writes, it’s impossible not to be hypnotized while reading. True cert’, you’ll be picking up the language and feeling fizzy before you even realize, that’s how fast his writing sucks you in.

And these characters! Lemon Fresh is the bestest of the bestest! I love her so much it’s ridiculous. And Cricket!!! That feisty robot is the best conscious a girl can have. They are both loyal to Eve in ways that makes your heart burst. Even black ones like mine. I adore when side characters are just as important and lovable as main characters, and both Lemon and Cricket are for sure the heart of this story.

“Cricket always wanted to be a WarDome bot,” she explained to Ezekiel. “The thought of lighting things on fire does unhealthy things to him.”

But we can’t have a Romeo and Juliet reference without some romance. And is there romance. Forbidden, passionate, soul consuming romance. For someone who can write such brutal scenes filled with endless bounds of death and destruction, Kristoff can sure write some steamy romance. Since this is YA, there aren’t the Nevernight-esque boudoir scenes, but the emotion packed into this love story will pierce straight to your inner romantic.

Did I mention there’s a cliffhanger? No? Well, there is. And, if you’ve read Godsgrave, you know how brutal those can be. Get ready for the gut punch of an ending. It’s worth it. It’s worth every tear, every intense moment, every heartbreaking page. I need the next book, in my hands, like, last night.

I went into this expecting to love it, as I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Kristoff so far. And Lifel1k3 did not disappoint me at all. It isn’t quite as brutal as Nevernight, but Lifel1k3 is not your fluffy YA romance either. It’s gritty. It’s tough. It’s tender as first love, and just as volatile.

Thank you AA Knopf for Young Readers and Netgalley for approving my request to review!

I borrowed a galley from my friend Brenn, which I will forever be grateful for!

This novel was definitely a must because, of course, it’s Jay Kristoff and he can go no wrong. Unless you count destroying my soul as wrong. But, I’m pretty sure that’s normal in the book world.

This novel is futuristic, kind of like a post-apocalyptic world. We have Eve, who has lost her family and lives with her grandfather who is really sick. Suddenly, her world is thrown around when a bot falls from the sky. He is a boy bot and considered a Lifel1k3, hence the title. Her life takes a weirder turn when the boy believes her to be Ana.

We also meet Lemon Fresh and I loved this girl. Combined with Cricket, who I imagine to be like this skinny twig or something like that, this book is just filled with characters that are hard not to like it.

Well, aside from the villains that you just want to punch.

Yes, there is romance between the boy bot and Eve/Ana. Some parts were kind of odd and questionable, but I won’t get into that. It made the story more interesting.

There is a plot twist, of course. Let me tell you: it’s f-ing crazy. I just don’t know how Jay does all this and blows my mind. He’s probably got some superpower or something.

Needless to say, I’ll definitely be buying the finished copy AND anticipating the sequel. For now, until that comes, I’ll be waiting for Darkdawn to get in my hands.

In a futuristic world where AI has become so much apart of our lives they are practically family Eve finds herself fleeing her home after it's broadcasted that she is a deviant, and can stop machinas with just a thought.

With the help of her bestest, Lemon Fresh, her AI companion, Cricket, and the unlikely android that she just met she starts to uncover more about her past that has remained hidden from her in more ways than she realizes.

The Story
This fast-paced, action packed sci-fi YA leaves you on the edge of your seat as you learn more about Eve and the world she lives in. Who is this girl that has so many people on her tail and can bring down a robot through her anger? This book is ridden with so many twists that you will get whiplash from it. And if you're new to Kristoff, be prepared to have your heart ripped out of your chest and stomped on.

The thing about this book is that it dapples in the morality of creating life with the AI and what it means to be one of them. The world that we are given has pets that are AI, friends that we rely on and keep us safe, and of course AI that look so much and act so much like humans.

Trigger warnings: violence, suicide

The World Building
All the geekiness that we love about Jay Kristoff in the Illuminae Files has broken out and is in another book. Kristoff does this fantastic job bringing out this world that he imagines through familiar descriptions while morphing them with slang that just fits. Often times I am not really impressed by a dystopian novel that make up their own slang and curse words, but somehow it just blends in nicely here. Instead of bestie, we get bestest, instead of an F bomb, we get fug. It stands to reason that in the future our terminology would have morphed at least a little bit if our technology has made so much advancement.

The Characters
While the story itself is incredibly entertaining, it's the characters that really drive this book. Of course, Eve is such a strong willed and an enigma that we are unraveling. But it was her friends that really had me going. Lemon Fresh is  the bestest that anyone would want. Street smart, quippy, and loyal to a fault. I don't know what Kristoff is planning for the next book, but if she's not in it or the main character, she will be sorely missed.

Can I just say that I absolutely adored Cricket? I love that even as an tiny AI he brought out so much flavor to the story. He's snarky and loves Eve so much. I'm not sure if it's because of her name, or the way he was able to express his feelings so well, but every time he spoke I imagined his voice almost like WALL-E's, and I just found him incredibly endearing.

I’m at a loss for words on how to describe LIFEL1K3. It is a little like The Wizard of Oz meets Pinocchio and runs away to iRobot, just to make it all the more different. Now Pinocchio is one of my least favorite stories but you add in Eve who battles huge megabot things in a gladiator pit, her bestest, a freckled up chick named Lemon Fresh, a little bot, Cricket, who tells her when something is a bad idea and a cyborg dog that could blow up any minute and really, why wouldn’t I love this story.

“Look outside that door, and you will see a world built on metal backs. Held together by metal hands. And one day, those hands will close, Ana. And they will become fists.”


Jay Kristoff became an auto-buy for me over the last year. The best thing is his imagination. I never know what new cool/horrible/fascinating thing he is going to come up with next. Plus the guy doesn’t do Mary Sue or Gary Stew. All of his characters are on the complex side of the spectrum and they do good things and bad things. Not one of them is the golden hero and every single character is going to make a mistake or two along the way and might not make it out of the story alive because of it.

“Lawbreaker,” Lemon smirked. “Always had a thing for the badboys.”
“Put it back in your pants, Miss Fresh,” Cricket growled.
“What good will it do me in there?”


Eve is easy to like immediately. She is a girl who has lost her entire family and so she’s gathered around her people and bots to make a new one. She is also fighting in the Wardome to buy meds for her grandpa…how can you not like a girl like that.

But when a Lifel1k3 boy bot literally falls out of the sky, Eve’s life won’t be the same because he thinks she is Ana, the girl he’s been searching for over the last two years, and if he can find her, that means the others like him are coming too.

Lifel1k3 has a great dystopian world with fun language changes and a feel all its own. I’ve never been to this world before. The character interactions and dialogue of the main group are fantastic and I adore that Eve and Lemon Fresh are there for each other through thick and thin….stronger together. I appreciated all the little details thrown into the story which added to all of the crazy world-building and how I could picture this world and all the wonderful and ugly in it.

“Will you shut up?” Ezekiel bellowed.
“Right after you pucker up and kiss my shiny metal man parts!”
“You got no man parts, Crick!” Ana yelled. “Shiny or otherwise!”


Action – check

Cool Sidekicks – check

Mysterious past – check, check

Adorable Romance – check checkity check

Danger around every corner – um…Yeah

Crazy Plot Twist - OMG I can’t even.

Once this got rolling, it was action packed and threw me for a loop. I never saw the end to this coming. I thought I had the big secret all figured out, but I wasn’t even close and my hat’s off to Mr. Kristoff for taking some chances and not going the easy route on this.

I will definitely be first in line to pick up the sequel to LifeL1k3.

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Jay Kristoff’s LifeL1k3 truly captivated me from the first page. It’s an action-packed science fiction adventure that follows Eve, a scrappy street smart young woman who lives with her grandfather and who is doing the best she can to survive from one day to the next. The America we know has been decimated by war and natural disasters and Eve, like most others in her world, now live as scavengers. When we first meet Eve, she is fighting in a robot gladiator duel, trying to earn money. Unfortunately, her opponent is bigger and stronger and ultimately Eve’s robot is destroyed. When her own life is unexpectedly put in danger by her opponent, she unleashes a power that she never realized she had and destroys the other robot just by thinking about it and screaming. She has no idea how she did it, but what she does know is that it means she is now in a world of trouble. “Deviants” like Eve have been labeled unacceptable by a puritanical Brotherhood that has somehow put itself in charge in an otherwise lawless environment. There is now a bounty on Eve’s head, which has her looking over her shoulder for trouble at every turn.

The trouble Eve finds comes in the shape of an android boy named Ezekiel that Eve finds in the wreckage of a downed plane. Somehow Ezekiel knows Eve, and the more Eve learns about how Ezekiel knows her, the more she realizes her entire life has been a lie. Eve desperately needs answers so she, Ezekiel, and her friends set off on a dangerous journey to discover the truth. Will the price for the truth be too high though?

There’s so much to love about LifeL1k3 that I hardly know where to begin, so I think I’ll just start with the fantastic characters Kristoff has created in this book.

First, there’s Eve. There are many sides to Eve and I just love the complexity with which Kristoff has written her. On the one hand, she’s this super sassy badass robot fighter, yet on the other hand, she’s also an underdog with a bounty on her head. I always like to cheer for the underdog anyway so Eve captured my attention and my support from those opening moments, especially as soon as we learn that she’s not just robot fighting to win a little extra cash. No, she’s desperately trying to win money to purchase cancer meds for her ailing grandfather. That devotion to her family really sealed the deal for me when it came to Eve, especially once it was coupled with the fact that she then learns that her whole life has basically been a lie and she doesn’t know who she can trust anymore. That kind of deception can really do a number on a person so even when Eve occasionally lashes out at those around her, I still felt for her because I can only imagine how I would react in her shoes.

As much as I liked Eve, however, Kristoff has created a cast of secondary characters in LifeL1k3 that truly stole my heart. Lemon Fresh was my absolute favorite character. She’s a hilarious pink-haired bundle of sass but she’s also the most loyal friend Eve could ever ask for. Then there’s Cricket, who is a small robot with a major attitude when it comes to his stature: “Don’t call me little!” He is programmed to protect Eve at all costs and like Lemon, is one of Eve’s most loyal companions. And finally, there’s the most loyal of them all, Kaiser, who is the most precious cyborg Rottweiler ever. He’s totally mechanical but has the brain of an actual dog, and he’s just too adorable for words. He even loves to have his metal tummy rubbed just like a real dog. I just adored these characters so much and loved how completely devoted to Eve they all were. They’re a little family or like the four musketeers.

Ezekiel is another incredibly well developed character, especially considering he’s an android (or Lifelike). He comes across as so real that I had to keep reminding myself he’s a robot. He’s also the one who turns Eve’s whole world upside down, and I enjoyed all of the complicated dynamics of his relationship with Eve.

In addition to a cast of incredible characters, I was also a huge fan of Kristoff’s worldbuilding in LifeL1k3. The story is set in the future, in a post-war, post-apocalyptic version of America. It’s a desert wasteland, filled with ruins and radiation, and overall it has a very Mad Max vibe to it, which I loved.

As if all of that wasn’t fabulous enough, what actually appealed to me the most was all of the big themes that were encompassed in this book. It’s not just an action-packed sci-fi read that provided me with a major adrenaline rush. It’s also a thought-provoking story that tackles major topics like the idea of man playing God and the inevitable consequences of doing so, as well as the idea that we are not necessarily defined by our past, that we still have free will to choose who we want to be. I love a book that gives me plenty of food for thought, and this book really does just that.

The only real issue I had with LifeL1k3 was that it took a little getting used to the different slang words the characters used. That’s usually the case for me with science fiction though so I expected it going in and it didn’t really impact my enjoyment of the overall story.

I was also a little confused at first when we started getting chapters from Lemon’s point of view since the bulk of the story came to us from Eve. I ultimately didn’t mind though because I loved Lemon even more once I had a chance to get inside of her head and see things from her perspective. Her voice was a welcome addition to the storytelling. I also hope that it means Lemon will play an even bigger role as the series continues.

LifeL1k3 is an action-packed science fiction adventure that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. There’s deception, drama, and plot twists galore, and it’s also filled with memorable characters that you’re sure to fall in love with. With LifeL1k3, Jay Kristoff has crafted a wonderful book that has a little something for everyone. I really can’t wait to continue the series and see what happens next!

[**Review to be added to Amazon upon publication**]

LIFEL1K3 was a solid book, but it was also one of my biggest disappointments this year.

Everything about this book screams 'Jay Kristoff,' which is part of what made me so excited to read it. I expected a fascinating world, strong and unforgettable characters, a compelling plot, and a book that I would find impossible to put down. Instead, I got an overly predictable story, characters that I lost interest in, and a book that I found myself increasingly bored with.

Before getting into the details, I want to say that LIFEL1K3 is very much trademark Jay Kristoff and I could hear his voice throughout the entire story. The problem was that I felt like I'd read this book a hundred times before in many other books. It seemed like this book was more about the dialogue, the world, and the characters, with less emphasis placed on the plot itself, and this is where I had issues.

The world-building is fantastic and this is one area in which Kristoff shines. He not only builds an in-depth world with different locations and elements, but he also invents his own slang and manner of speaking that really brings it to life. I did have some issues with the slang in parts because I didn't always know what they were talking about, but idea and execution of it did help with the world-building. The only issue I had was that occasionally I felt confused and as if things weren't fully explained, but this wasn't something that lingered too long and was only minor. The Mad Max inspirations in his world-building really shine through in this world, though, so if you're a fan of that franchise you might want to pick up this book.

The characters in this book were really hit or miss for me. The main protagonist, Eve, irritated me more than I expected. I felt very little connection to her and that her reactions to various revelations and events were somewhat off. On a somewhat minor but still irritating note, she also made endless references to how 'she'd looked death in the face before and wasn't afraid to do it again' so. many. times. that I truly did not care anymore. I did, however, love Eve's cyborg dog Kaiser--Kristoff did great work on that. Lemon Fresh, her best friend, was one of the characters that I did really love. She seemed to have the most well-rounded and interesting personality of the bunch. She did feel slightly one-note at the beginning of the book, but as the story progressed I felt she more well-developed and I loved her personality. I also really loved Lemon and Eve's friendship and really enjoyed seeing their love for another shine throughout this book. Ezekiel, a character we meet fairly early in the story, was one of the least interesting characters for me. There was nothing interesting or endearing about him, and I wished that there had been more to him. The last character I want to mention is Preacher, only to say that I still don't understand what his purpose was and all he seemed to be to me was a huge pain in the ass for no reason.

As mentioned, it was the plot that I really struggled with. The twists and turns were interesting, but also easily guess-able; it's a well thought-out story, but it just wasn't new enough. I feel like if you don't read a lot of books then you might enjoy this book a lot more than I did, but since I read a lot all the tie I just feel like I've read and seen this all before.

The writing, however, was great. Kristoff is wonderful at creating engaging and witty dialogue that lets you easily imagine the story in your head and feel like you are there with the characters. The descriptions of the world were strong and I appreciated Kristoff's accessible prose. The biggest complaint I have about his writing was that there was way too much action for my taste. I felt like the characters were constantly on the run or involved in some sort of action drama and I just got so tired of it and found myself desperately wanting to skim over large chunks of this book.

Despite my rather ambivalent review, I do still recommend you check this one out if you are a Kristoff fan or if you think the synopsis sounds good. There are so many other readers that have fallen head over heels for this book, so there's a good chance that you might still like it. People are even calling this some of Jay's best work, which I personally find a bit insulting to Nevernight, but that's just my personal opinion. Overall, I've given LIFEL1K3 three stars. I liked parts of it, but I just didn't enjoy this as much as I expected to and I look forward to reading more reviews from other readers to see what their thoughts were.

"It's like Romeo and Juliet meets Mad Max meets X-Men with a little bit of Blade Runner cheering from the sidelines."

With a tagline like that, there was no way I wasn't going to pick up Lifel1k3, even though the leetspeak title made me wince. But the problem with comparing yourself to an iconic work is that you implicitly set up a comparison alongside the conversation you're trying to have with it. And when there are multiple works to which you compare yourself--rather than letting the audience do the comparing--you will inevitably fall short of expectations. Lifel1k3 is good, but there was just no way it could measure up to the books! comics! plays! movies! it was channeling. It's much more than Mad Max and X-Men and Blade Runner. It's also Asimov's I, Robot and China Mieville's The Scar and Pacific Rim and The Force Awakens and Anastasia. It's even Paradise Lost, which is itself fanfic of the Bible. (Don't tell my English profs I said that.)

Most of those works are iconic. This book is not. It's a pastiche. A good one, granted, but it cobbles together a bunch of ideas we've already seen, and calling attention to them only makes the seams show. Ironically, the book got a lot better when I realized this, because I stopped comparing it to each of the elements it was drawing upon, and instead started thinking of it like a Tarantino movie. It's a deliberate, densely referential book that's nevertheless doing its own thing. Mostly.

The beginning is a slightly predictable mashup of some genre themes. There's a big robot battle, and some gang trouble, and some religious fanatics. The slang is a bit jarring at first, but it makes sense and by the second chapter I had started to like it. Jay Kristoff has a good ear, and a good sense for relationships too.

The middle chunk of the book is where it gets really good, veering away from what we know and into what Kristoff knows, which is fight scenes interspersed with some genuine human drama. He stops trying to write and gets down to telling a story, in other words. And it's a story I like. Eve and her bestest (friend), Lemony Fresh, are on the run from some killer lifelikes, robots who mimic humans in appearance but are far deadlier. As Eve tries to figure out what they want and stay alive long enough to thwart them, Lemon debates letting go of a secret she's carried for a long time. Lemony is definitely my favorite, a sly tough with a heart of gold.

The action is awesome and the plot developments are awesome, and they just keep getting better. Giant bioengineered krakens, wastelands of broken glass, mecha suits, secret identities and romantic entanglements...Lifel1k3 becomes a pulse-pounding thriller. Right up until the ending, when it all comes screeching to a head-scratching stop.

It's not that the ending was upsetting. Actually, one of the upsetting parts was incredibly well done, tragic and full of irony, and I loved it even though it wrenched my heart. The rest, though, was a tiresome attempt to end on a dark, gritty note. It was rushed and not entirely in keeping with the characters' personalities. It also raised the most philosophical questions thus far in the book, but ended before the characters could explore any of them. Maybe there will be a sequel to flesh out the sudden changes--Kristoff is prone to trilogies--but this felt like a proper (if disappointing) ending.

Generally speaking, the issues revolve around Asimov's "Three Laws," which Kristoff uses, verbatim, as the laws that govern robots in Lifel1k3 as well. But Kristoff also rightly offers a critique of those laws. They only work insofar as robots have no sentience, and humans have no empathy for them. When either of those two things happen, the laws become chains, and machines become slaves. Lifel1k3 partially explores this, and offers some interesting variations. The lifelikes are too emotional rather than emotionless, the standard assumption about robots, and struggle to process thoughts and feelings the way that humans do. It's a compelling conundrum, and it resonates with current political issues surrounding the second-class status of anyone deemed Other. Unfortunately, the action and references overpower the message.

The ultimate deciding factor for a novel that has me on the fence is whether I'd pick up a sequel. For Lifel1k3 I absolutely would. The world is interesting, the characters developed some real depth, and I would like to see Kristoff redeem the ideas he didn't quite pull off. The philosophical ramifications took a hard left turn, but he could definitely build a sequel around them. I hope he does.

This book is just…this book is amazing. I quite literally have to force myself to not fill this will flailing gifs and incoherent keysmashes of joy to explain the amazingness that is this book. I love Jay Kristoff’s writing and this book has only solidified him as my favorite author.

Lifel1k3 has been compared to Mad Max, Romeo & Juliet, XMEN, and various other fandoms throughout media but this story has a whole life (heh) of it’s own, lemme tell ya. From the setting to the world building to the characters to the vernacular spoken, this book is wholly original and absolutely fizzy to the utmost fizziness.

I went into this story not really knowing a whole lot other than it was a new book by Jay, it had robots, and it was set in a post-apocalyptic world. Considering I’d read most of his Lotus Wars series, Nevernight, and the Illuminae chronicles, I was excited to see what Jay would do with a sci-fi infused post-apocalyptic setting and he did not disappoint.

The Mad Max comparisons are on point because the Yousay is a totally broken wasteland of a world filled with desolation, despair, radiation, and cities that are ruled by corporations rather than government. It’s dirty, it’s filthy, it’s wholly unhygienic, and it is glorious. We go from the remnants of a literal trash heap floating in an ‘ocean’ that is nothing but sludge, plastic, and detriment of the old world to a desert town littered with ships, containers, and a hodgepodge of anything that can be scrapped together to make a building only to end up at the post-apocalyptic version of Babel that was once a shiny beacon of hope only to be brought down to nothing. The world in this book is choice and I loved it almost as much as I loved the characters.

Eve, Cricket, Lemon Fresh, and Ezekiel are our main cast and they are absolutely wonderful. Each one has their own distinct personalities that shine throughout the book. You will laugh, you will cry, you will scream, and you will stare gobsmacked at the book as you travel with them throughout this story.

Cricket is by far my bestest little robot but don’t you dare tell him I called him little. He’s the sidekick to Eve’s main character but he was such a joy to read about. Every time he spoke on the page I was smiling and laughing at the bits of snarky sarcasm that he threw in.

Lemon Fresh is the humor of this book and quite possibly the most badass bestie any fictional girl could have. She had her very own arc in the book that didn’t involve Eve which I really enjoyed because most of the time the side characters are only there as fluff for the MC but that wasn’t the case with Lemon. She had her own history, her own arc, her own very distinct and very awesome personality, and I cannot wait to see more of her.

Ezekiel is our lifelike of the story and love interest. I really enjoyed his character but he isn’t the swoon worthy HEA that I was expecting him to be as I was reading. Sure, he said some pretty words and did some pretty heroic things but I wasn’t all LE SIGH about him as I have been about other HEA’s.

Eve is our MC who’s living a life filled with lies. I definitely got some Anastasia feels about her as the story progressed. She’s totally badass, sarcastic to a fault, a bit tempestuous, and sooooo much fun to read. She loves her Grandpa Silas to a fault, she’s super protective of her robotic puppy Kaiser, is super close with her bestie Lemon Fresh, and an absolute hilarious companion to Cricket’s mother henning. She’s a wonderful MC who went through an absolute roller coaster of a ride and I am chomping at the bit to read more of her considering how Jay completely ripped my heart out with the ending!

Kristoff is known for his twisted mind and twisty ends to books. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out he flips you on your butt, grabs the story, and twists it in such a masterfully done way that all you can do is stare at the words and wonder what the heck just happened. It’s heart breaking, it’s maddening, and it’s absolutely freaking wonderful. In the wise words of Ron Weasley…


I do have a few qualms with the story that kind of irked me a bit.

The addition of the Preacher just felt unnecessary. He’s a hired assasin sent by one of the corporations to capture Eve either alive or dead. He’s a one dimensional, Western inspired type of bounty hunter and while he did keep our cast on their toes for a good majority of the book, he just felt…blah. Yes, he spurred our cast to travel to Babel but I just didn’t really like him a lot. He’s very eye rolly.

Eve/Cricket kept calling Ezekiel Brain Trauma and Stumpy, respectively, in reference to some injuries that Ezekiel suffered in the book. To me, those ‘nicknames’ felt very degrading and insensitive and just a tad bit ableist to me. Jay could have left those out and the story would’ve been just fine. Also, when Eve and Lemon Fresh first find Ezekiel, who they assume is OOC, Lemon Fresh tries to take a peek into his shorts to look at his man bits and yeah, not cool. Robot or not, OOC or not, that left me with a really skeeved out feeling. Lemon’s quite obsessed with toggling at Ezekiel in the book and has no shame about objectifying him at all but actively trying to look in his pants when he’s the robotic version of passed out is not a good look.

Those few bothersome things aside, this book is amazing and I loved it. I laughed, I cried, I screamed (honest to godness, I did), and I was completely thrown for a loop at the end. The book isn’t even officially released and I already want the sequel.

This was an amazing story that was a very different take on the robot rebellion stories that have come before. I loved the undertones of Pinocchio and the Romanov family and the missing princess Anastasia. There is a lot of stuff happening in this story and I will probably have to read it many times to catch it all, but I don’t think I will ever find it boring.

Eve is a girl who at the start of the story is a strong and self assured young woman. But as events unfold and her past comes back to her, she really struggles with who she is and what exactly that means. She is complex, but also smart, and resourceful and can think quickly to get herself and her companions out of trouble. She is fierce and loyal and is never willing to leave anyone behind, even when she could die trying to save them.

Lemon Fresh, Eve’s bestie, is as refreshing as a summer breeze (Sorry, couldn’t resist). Seriously, I loved her name, loved her personality and would love to have her as a friend. She is sassy, strong and smart. She has the street smarts that has kept her alive to help them get out of their predicaments. She is also fiercely loyal and will do anything for Eve and her grandfather.

Ezekiel was an interesting take on an AI. He was created with the idea that most people would see him as human, and they do, on the surface anyways. He is totally devoted to Eve, and comes to like Lemon as well. He always goes along with Eve’s plan even when he knows it may not be the best choice. Even when he was being a bit sappy, I still really liked him.

Cricket is a logika, a machine with its own intellegence which allows it to act independently. Cricket is still controlled by the three laws of robots, but he can act without commands from Eve or any other human. Cricket is often the voice of reason, sometimes even Eve conscience, (hence the Pinocchio reference). He was a hoot also, being very sarcastic and getting upset when anyone called him little. I would just love to have him around as well, he would be protective and just all around fun.

This story takes place far into the future, when there have been a couple of more world wars which included nuclear bombs. The landscape and the cities have been completely changed, and life here is like nothing you could possibly imagine. I loved the city made up of beached tankers and other large sea vessels. Also their trek through the ocean inside a bioengineered creature was just genius. The wasteland full of a glass storm was a fascinating take on what would happen after a nuclear war. I also liked that there are three levels to the robots, from simple machines with no intelligence to the logika. There is also some humans that have been augmented and animals that are part robot as well. This world is richly imagined and laid out in such a way as to not overwhelm you with some of the horror of it as well.

The action and plot is fast paced and keeps you turning pages. From the opening sequence with the robot gladiators to the surprise twist at the end, it is heart stopping action through out. Speaking of that ending, Eve’s motivation for what she does, is not what I would have expected from her. Although she has gone through a lot in the two to three days that encompass this part of the story, I’m not entirely convinced she would have done what she does. Perhaps when I reread it (and I will definitely do that before the next book), it will be easier to see because I know how it ends.

A masterpiece of science fiction that will make you ponder the questions of free will, and creation and how far science can take us if we let it.