Book Review: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Title: Obsidio Series: Illuminae Files # 3 Written by: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Published: March 13, 2018 by Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

This series conclusion was everything I was hoping it would be. Amazing, thrilling, and emotional. I loved the two previous books in the Illuminae files and I was nervously awaiting it’s finale. It did not disappoint.

For one thing, the characters in this series are amazing. I’ve always been super impressed on how these books are able to balance the character development and the plot but it does that so well. The characters are complex and likable. They’re sweet, funny, and romantic. In two and three books you get really connected to them and their struggles. There’s a lot of characters in this book and they are all really fantastic. Of course I loved Ezra and Kady, they were amazing in the first book. Hannah and Nik won me over in the second book. It was great to see all of them again and have them working together. And then there is AIDAN who is a great anti-hero and what up to his old tricks in this book. But there were also some great new characters. Asha and Rhys didn’t get as much screen time but they still made a big impression. And that’s just the main characters.

The real heart of the story is with the characters. A lot of this book was about exploring the idea of right and wrong, good an evil. It’s about doing whatever it takes to make sure that people survive. It makes for really odious characters and that’s one of the reasons I love them. But it goes deeper than that. It’s a book about family and found family. It’s about survival and people who will do whatever they can to make sure they and everyone’s else survives. The characters in this book are underdogs. They are people who no one expects much from but when push comes to shove they do amazing things and save the day. It makes them easy to root for because of that. I’ve always wanted them to succeed and in this book that was all heightened because it’s the last book in the series.

Of course the plot was heightened here too. The stakes here are incredibly high. Every book in the series has been about saving the world and saving people and that was the case here as well. I mean it’s a pretty epic space opera which I am always here for. And just like the other books in the series there was a lot to this book. Tons of perspectives and differing opinions which made for a complex and interesting story. There were lots of surprises and twists throughout the book which had me either crying or wanting to throttle the book and throw it across the room. And of course a thrilling conclusion that had me on the edge of my seat totally reeling. This is one of the most unique books I have read in a long time and that’s not just because it is written in an epistolary format.

And like the other books in the series, I listened to the audiobook for Obsidio. If you haven’t heard me raving about the audios for this series they are some of my all-time favorites. You wouldn’t think that this format would work in audio but they have been able to do that by having a full cast, sound effects, and plenty of other tricks to make it one of the most immersive audiobooks I have read in a long time. I do like to still flip through to book to see the images but there actually weren’t that many here so it worked incredibly well in the audio format.

Obsidio was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. It was an amazing conclusion to a brilliant series with great characters, a thrilling plot, and a truly unique read.

I give Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 10 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! If you are a fan of science fiction and have not read this book you are missing out. But even if you don’t like Sci-Fi still read it. It’s unique and interesting and you will seriously love it. It’s brilliant!

There you have it, my thoughts on Obsidio. Have you read it? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!