Book Shelf: Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

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. 

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Review:

Obsidio is the third and final novel in the Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman, bringing this thrilling saga to a close in fast-paced and spectacular fashion.

Alongside the other Heimdall refugees, Kady, Ezra, Hanna and Nik have commandeered the Mao and are headed towards Kerenza. With the jump station destroyed, Kerenza is their only hope but seven months after the invasion, what will they find when they get there? Kady’s cousin Asha Grant is one of the few who survived the initial attack, and ever since has been forced by BioTech to do their bidding. Kept from their families, the survivors are forced to mine on BioTech’s behalf, but they know the day will come when their usefulness will no longer be enough to keep them alive….and that day is coming sooner than they think. As part of a ragtag group of resistance members Asha is fighting to survive and when her ex-boyfriend, Rhys Lindstrom arrives planet side working for the enemy, Asha must decide if she’s willing to bring him to their cause and if she can trust Rhys with her heart again. Time is running out for those who dare to stand against BioTech and they’ll need to fight with everything they have his they hope to beat the pharmaceutical company who has no qualms about destroying everyone who stands in their way.

Alas, after three thrilling novels, Obsidio brings the Illuminae Files to an end. This series has been an introduction to Jay Kristoff’s writing for me and an action packed, engaging and riveting read with each exhilarating instalment. As with its predecessors Illuminae and Gemina, Obsidio unfolds through emails, radio transmission, security footage, schematics, reports and detailed graphics that depict the story in such a different but engaging way. This series is a really rare reading experience and highly intriguing with its unique structure that dares to different while still successfully telling a fast-paced tale.

Obsidio introduces readers to two new voices in the form of Asha Grant and Rhys Lindstrom. Unlike our previous couples, I don’t feel Asha and Rhys had as large a roll as Kady and Ezra and then Hanna and Nik did in their novels given that Obsidio marks the accumulation of all that the previous characters had worked towards. In Obsidio we still see Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik, Ella and their various fellow refugees continue to remain front and centre as they fight to stand against BioTech. We spend a lot of time bouncing back and forth between the Mao spaceship and the mining planet of Kerenza.

I personally quite liked this well-rounded view of the story as I came to understand what was going on so much more easier. Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman include a lot of surprises and unexpected developments in this instalment as they build the tale towards its final chapter. The Illuminae Files have been a really unique reading experience and the journey we’ve undertaken with the characters has been one of I have very much enjoyed.

Building to a thrilling ending, one that will no doubt leave readers satisfied but sad to see the series come to a close, Obsidio was a forward moving and action packed tale with adventure, humour and resilience woven into its pages—a great conclusion by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman and highly worth a read!

Rating:
Source: Purchased by me
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 14th 2018
Buy: Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: A fitting ending to a truly unique series.