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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
This whole series has so much going for it and Obsidio is no different. There are so many small and big things I love about this book and the whole trilogy and I'll never be able to bring it all (slightly concisely) into one review, but I'll try.
First of all, I was hooked right from the first page on (again). I was very interested in how the would combine the characters from Illuminae and Gemina, have them dealing with all their trouble and also include new characters who have their own adventure. Especially because it's a boy + girl + in some way romance in that adventure it could easily have been repetitive or too similar to what they did before, but it wasn't! And I'm so glad about it!
I think one of the most original things this series does with the characters and their romantic stories is that none of these characters have found each other only through the plot and have fallen in love while they are also trying not to die. That seems always highly unlikely for me and in these three books all the protagonists have known each other before. Some have even been in a romantic relationship before. And now they are thrown into all this trouble and have to deal with that AND their personal lives because yes, they exist too, and it makes things more complicated for sure but they still have non-adventure lives and people.
I think this series really acknowledges the deaths and destruction and trauma basically everyone has witnessed and it shows how differently everyone deals with this stuff. Some hide, some get angry, some just cry, and some just don't know what to do at all.
This, and many other tiny and bigger things, humanise all of the characters more than sci-fi usually does. In Obsidio - but also in the other two parts - we see what the "enemy" thinks and how they lead their lives and what relationships they have and the jokes they make, etc. It's not *just* people dying by the thousands (it's also that, though), it is actually shown who these people are and it's made clear that most are just there because they are doing their job.
That's also why I absolutely love the ending (no spoilers, though!). It's incredibly sad for different reasons but it's also hopeful and shows the good and bad sides of people (and not-really-people if you get what I mean).
Generally, I think this lives up to book 1 and 2 brilliantly and brings closure to basically all the main characters. Sure, I'd love to see more of basically all of them and now that everyone is either dead or alive for sure it would be great to actually explore their relationships but everyone got a proper ending. And one that makes sense for them and for the story itself.
I also noticed how very little of the book is actually focused on romance even though there are three couples/could be couples. It feels very appropriate and not "omg, we need more kisses and shit or it's not YA enough" (or whatever). As I said above, yes, there are romantic stories, but there is so much more and the romance is thrown into a bit everywhere, but that's it.
That said, I think the emotions of all the protagonists are so well-written even though this trilogy is mainly composed of transcripts, chats and logs. I said this in the reviews of the other two books but that surprised me AGAIN because that must be hard to achieve and I love how complex and different and original every single person is.
In retrospect, I'd actually love to also have a version written like a normal YA book because all of the characters (especially the teens) are so interesting and I'm sure that would be great to read.
Also, can I again please say how beautiful the layout is??? It's still so stunning and cool and I want to read many more books like that.
This is already getting rather long, but just let me say once more how much I love Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik, Ella and now Asha and Rhy. They are all great and especially the chat logs with all or some of them (apart from Asha and Rhy) together are hilarious.
I also really appreciate how diverse this bunch of teenagers is (different backgrounds, classes, skin colours, one disabled person). This also goes for everyone else. A lot of people have PTSD and there are some explicit "no hetero" moments and I loved. Really cool.
So, all in all, this was a brilliant end to a trilogy I thoroughly enjoyed and I wish there was more of it but I'm also glad there isn't because each of these books ripped my heart out 100 times. So intense.
First of all, I was hooked right from the first page on (again). I was very interested in how the would combine the characters from Illuminae and Gemina, have them dealing with all their trouble and also include new characters who have their own adventure. Especially because it's a boy + girl + in some way romance in that adventure it could easily have been repetitive or too similar to what they did before, but it wasn't! And I'm so glad about it!
I think one of the most original things this series does with the characters and their romantic stories is that none of these characters have found each other only through the plot and have fallen in love while they are also trying not to die. That seems always highly unlikely for me and in these three books all the protagonists have known each other before. Some have even been in a romantic relationship before. And now they are thrown into all this trouble and have to deal with that AND their personal lives because yes, they exist too, and it makes things more complicated for sure but they still have non-adventure lives and people.
I think this series really acknowledges the deaths and destruction and trauma basically everyone has witnessed and it shows how differently everyone deals with this stuff. Some hide, some get angry, some just cry, and some just don't know what to do at all.
This, and many other tiny and bigger things, humanise all of the characters more than sci-fi usually does. In Obsidio - but also in the other two parts - we see what the "enemy" thinks and how they lead their lives and what relationships they have and the jokes they make, etc. It's not *just* people dying by the thousands (it's also that, though), it is actually shown who these people are and it's made clear that most are just there because they are doing their job.
That's also why I absolutely love the ending (no spoilers, though!). It's incredibly sad for different reasons but it's also hopeful and shows the good and bad sides of people (and not-really-people if you get what I mean).
Generally, I think this lives up to book 1 and 2 brilliantly and brings closure to basically all the main characters. Sure, I'd love to see more of basically all of them and now that everyone is either dead or alive for sure it would be great to actually explore their relationships but everyone got a proper ending. And one that makes sense for them and for the story itself.
I also noticed how very little of the book is actually focused on romance even though there are three couples/could be couples. It feels very appropriate and not "omg, we need more kisses and shit or it's not YA enough" (or whatever). As I said above, yes, there are romantic stories, but there is so much more and the romance is thrown into a bit everywhere, but that's it.
That said, I think the emotions of all the protagonists are so well-written even though this trilogy is mainly composed of transcripts, chats and logs. I said this in the reviews of the other two books but that surprised me AGAIN because that must be hard to achieve and I love how complex and different and original every single person is.
In retrospect, I'd actually love to also have a version written like a normal YA book because all of the characters (especially the teens) are so interesting and I'm sure that would be great to read.
Also, can I again please say how beautiful the layout is??? It's still so stunning and cool and I want to read many more books like that.
This is already getting rather long, but just let me say once more how much I love Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik, Ella and now Asha and Rhy. They are all great and especially the chat logs with all or some of them (apart from Asha and Rhy) together are hilarious.
I also really appreciate how diverse this bunch of teenagers is (different backgrounds, classes, skin colours, one disabled person). This also goes for everyone else. A lot of people have PTSD and there are some explicit "no hetero" moments and I loved. Really cool.
So, all in all, this was a brilliant end to a trilogy I thoroughly enjoyed and I wish there was more of it but I'm also glad there isn't because each of these books ripped my heart out 100 times. So intense.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A thrilling and satisfying finale to such a unique and beautifully written trilogy. So many twists and turns and nonstop action. It's amazing how well the format works for telling the story, yet still including great characters and emotional scenes.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
What a roller coaster of emotions this series was. It was a little too dark for me at times. I had to put the book down and take a break many times. Ultimately, I knew the formula for how things would play out based on the first two books. This is both positive and negative. It pulled me through to the end, but also didn't surprise me. I may re-read the series someday, but for the most part I see this as an entertaining, heart wrenching one time read.
Oh my goodness, I just finished Obsidio last night and I have so much love for this series. Honestly the Illuminae Files series has had me hooked from the start...I have even got my husband hooked on this series as well, which is great as we can actually discuss a book together which never normally happens.
Illuminae: ☆☆☆☆☆
Gemina: ☆☆☆☆☆
Obsidio: ☆☆☆☆☆
"Live a life worth dying for."
I re-read this book. Again. And I'm not even sorry. I love this series so much. Whenever I feel like it I am going to just re-read this series. I don't care. This series, along with The Dark Artifices, is my favourite series of all time. It is so good. I love it to pieces. And I'll forever love it. It's just so good.
I love the format of this book. The mixed media. That's something I've never encountered in a book before and it was a magical experience. It was done so perfectly, it was like reading a normal book. There's no confusions caused by the way the book is written. None.
In this book we are introduces to two new characters. Asha and Rhys. I liked them, but since this is the only book they're present in, I haven't been able to establish the same connectation that I have with Kady, Ezra, Nik and Hanna. Nik and Kady remain my favourite characters in this series. All hail the king and the queen!
The plot in this book is so well done. From beginning to end I was engaged in the story and that thing does not change even when I re-read this book. I had the same experience every time that I read this book. The same magical experience. Even though I know how this book ends, I still am concerned about the characters and their fates, I still feel that concern that I felt the first time reading this book.
In the last, I don't know, ten, maybe twenty pages, I was grinning like an idiot. I love this characters so much and their interactions are everything.
This series is amazing. There are times when you cannot help but laugh, and then there are time when you feel like you wanna cry. But there are also times when you feel like punching something. Essentially, while reading this masterpiece, you go through a big rollercoaster of emotions.
I think I've raved about this book enough. But I cannot help it, I have nothing bad to say about this series. It just is that good!
"Every story needs its hero. And its villain. And its monster."
Gemina: ☆☆☆☆☆
Obsidio: ☆☆☆☆☆
"Live a life worth dying for."
I re-read this book. Again. And I'm not even sorry. I love this series so much. Whenever I feel like it I am going to just re-read this series. I don't care. This series, along with The Dark Artifices, is my favourite series of all time. It is so good. I love it to pieces. And I'll forever love it. It's just so good.
I love the format of this book. The mixed media. That's something I've never encountered in a book before and it was a magical experience. It was done so perfectly, it was like reading a normal book. There's no confusions caused by the way the book is written. None.
In this book we are introduces to two new characters. Asha and Rhys. I liked them, but since this is the only book they're present in, I haven't been able to establish the same connectation that I have with Kady, Ezra, Nik and Hanna. Nik and Kady remain my favourite characters in this series. All hail the king and the queen!
The plot in this book is so well done. From beginning to end I was engaged in the story and that thing does not change even when I re-read this book. I had the same experience every time that I read this book. The same magical experience. Even though I know how this book ends, I still am concerned about the characters and their fates, I still feel that concern that I felt the first time reading this book.
In the last, I don't know, ten, maybe twenty pages, I was grinning like an idiot. I love this characters so much and their interactions are everything.
This series is amazing. There are times when you cannot help but laugh, and then there are time when you feel like you wanna cry. But there are also times when you feel like punching something. Essentially, while reading this masterpiece, you go through a big rollercoaster of emotions.
I think I've raved about this book enough. But I cannot help it, I have nothing bad to say about this series. It just is that good!
"Every story needs its hero. And its villain. And its monster."
Great follow up to the first two books in the Illuminae Files.
You knew it's fictional from the onset, but that can't save you from shedding tears for a psycho AI or going soft on an overbearing nagging old dude. The multi-layered intricate build-up of personalities for those characters adds extra cherries on top of this ridiculously innovative and energetic novel. I'll give the series a standing ovation if there's such a thing in book reading.
It's entertaining to the extreme.
It's entertaining to the extreme.
Buon coronamento della saga, che più che una trilogia è un grande libro raccontato in tre puntate.
Rispetto ai personaggi introdotti nei primi due capitoli, i nuovi sono un po’ sottotono ma probabilmente più umani e verosimili. Tornano i protagonisti dei capitoli precedenti chiaramente, con la giusta quantità di spazio a loro dedicato.
C’è da commentare lo stile? È sempre il bel progetto grafico, curato ed anche ben adattato in italiano.
Soddisfatto della saga, coinvolgente, frenetica ed appassionante.
Rispetto ai personaggi introdotti nei primi due capitoli, i nuovi sono un po’ sottotono ma probabilmente più umani e verosimili. Tornano i protagonisti dei capitoli precedenti chiaramente, con la giusta quantità di spazio a loro dedicato.
C’è da commentare lo stile? È sempre il bel progetto grafico, curato ed anche ben adattato in italiano.
Soddisfatto della saga, coinvolgente, frenetica ed appassionante.
This was a wonderful, thoroughly enjoyable trilogy.
I love that the book still managed to surprise me! I said this in my review for Gemina as well, but the books tend to follow a pattern in both plot and character relationships. I've also said that this doesn't bother me because I enjoy it a lot! Keep em on coming!!
That said, I'm glad this book is the last installment. It was a well-done wrapup of the story overall.
I think the Rhys/Asha dynamic was my least favourite out of the three, but there were still some things I could appreciate. I thought Asha was a very strong, well-written character, for example. I liked her a lot more than Hannah, actually!
But Kady/Ezra will always have a very special place in my heart. I guess one of my complaints about this book was that there were too little moments for these two...!
(Also... yo.... can mr Grant please adopt me as well. He was so so sweet for Kady but also the rest of the gang...cry...)
I love that the book still managed to surprise me! I said this in my review for Gemina as well, but the books tend to follow a pattern in both plot and character relationships. I've also said that this doesn't bother me because I enjoy it a lot! Keep em on coming!!
That said, I'm glad this book is the last installment. It was a well-done wrapup of the story overall.
I think the Rhys/Asha dynamic was my least favourite out of the three, but there were still some things I could appreciate. I thought Asha was a very strong, well-written character, for example. I liked her a lot more than Hannah, actually!
But Kady/Ezra will always have a very special place in my heart. I guess one of my complaints about this book was that there were too little moments for these two...!
(Also... yo.... can mr Grant please adopt me as well. He was so so sweet for Kady but also the rest of the gang...cry...)