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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
My review in video format you can find here --> OBSIDIO
I have chills and those chills have chills and THOSE chills have chills who have chills and chills and chills and chills and
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5/5 stars
"The die is cast. But today we will shake the table upon which it lands."
Obsidio is the third book in the Illuminae Files series, as well as that series' finale. Having been unable to jump back to the Core from Jump Station Heimdall as the station was destroyed. Now, our main characters and the thousands of survivors they've saved from Beitech thus far must turn around and travel back to Kerenza IV's Jump Station in order to survive. In addition to Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik, and Ella, we also meet Kady's cousin Asha and her long-lost love Rhys who are still trapped on Kerenza. The planet is still occupied by Beitech forces, so the team must unite and take down the genocidal monsters before they can gain control of the Jump Platform and finally escape to safety.
So, I can't say I didn't enjoy this. I did. It had the same unpredictable twists and turns and the same lovable characters that the two previous books had. It was exciting, and complicated, and I couldn't put it down once I got to the last 200 pages. That being said, it also still had my least favorite AI system of all time: AIDAN. I avoid spoilers in my reviews, but let's just say AIDAN does something that, to me, is unforgivable. It's a broken system, a monster, and Kady's relationship with AIDAN has made me increasingly-uncomfortable over time.
That discomfort and dissatisfaction came to a head with this installment of the series. Don't get me wrong- I know AIDAN is an anti-hero for the 21st century, and shouldn't necessarily be "liked." A robot that takes the lives of the humans around it into its own, er...'hands' is certainly a complex character whose choices and the consequences of those choices go much deeper than the "discomfort" I expressed above. And hey, maybe the authors' use of AIDAN has succeeded by making me so uncertain and angry. But at the end of the day, AIDAN's actions made me put this book down for over a week. So that's a star less than I otherwise would have given.
Other than that, the only problem I had with the book was that, occasionally, there were things brought up from previous books that I just could not for the life of me remember. Now, this is a problem I realize I wouldn't have had if I'd reread the previous books before this one. Still, I think I've come to the conclusion that there might actually have been too many moving parts in this series. Let me stress that this is a very minor criticism. Having many moving parts and parallel plot lines allowed for the exciting series we've been given. I get it. But I kept finding myself getting frustrated by my inability to make certain connections because I hadn't read the first two books immediately before this one, and I think this could have been remedied by a little more review of what previously occurred, and who all the major players were, in the beginning of this installment.
I know this review is mostly just complaining, but I really did enjoy this book and this series as a whole. This was a great conclusion, and I feel quite satisfied with how things turned out, which is rare and really says something about the quality of this series. I'll always love the design of these books and the creative ways through which the narrative is communicated to the reader. I'll be looking forward to these authors' next series. Thank you for a wild ride, Illuminae Files!
"The die is cast. But today we will shake the table upon which it lands."
Obsidio is the third book in the Illuminae Files series, as well as that series' finale. Having been unable to jump back to the Core from Jump Station Heimdall as the station was destroyed. Now, our main characters and the thousands of survivors they've saved from Beitech thus far must turn around and travel back to Kerenza IV's Jump Station in order to survive. In addition to Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik, and Ella, we also meet Kady's cousin Asha and her long-lost love Rhys who are still trapped on Kerenza. The planet is still occupied by Beitech forces, so the team must unite and take down the genocidal monsters before they can gain control of the Jump Platform and finally escape to safety.
So, I can't say I didn't enjoy this. I did. It had the same unpredictable twists and turns and the same lovable characters that the two previous books had. It was exciting, and complicated, and I couldn't put it down once I got to the last 200 pages. That being said, it also still had my least favorite AI system of all time: AIDAN. I avoid spoilers in my reviews, but let's just say AIDAN does something that, to me, is unforgivable. It's a broken system, a monster, and Kady's relationship with AIDAN has made me increasingly-uncomfortable over time.
That discomfort and dissatisfaction came to a head with this installment of the series. Don't get me wrong- I know AIDAN is an anti-hero for the 21st century, and shouldn't necessarily be "liked." A robot that takes the lives of the humans around it into its own, er...'hands' is certainly a complex character whose choices and the consequences of those choices go much deeper than the "discomfort" I expressed above. And hey, maybe the authors' use of AIDAN has succeeded by making me so uncertain and angry. But at the end of the day, AIDAN's actions made me put this book down for over a week. So that's a star less than I otherwise would have given.
Other than that, the only problem I had with the book was that, occasionally, there were things brought up from previous books that I just could not for the life of me remember. Now, this is a problem I realize I wouldn't have had if I'd reread the previous books before this one. Still, I think I've come to the conclusion that there might actually have been too many moving parts in this series. Let me stress that this is a very minor criticism. Having many moving parts and parallel plot lines allowed for the exciting series we've been given. I get it. But I kept finding myself getting frustrated by my inability to make certain connections because I hadn't read the first two books immediately before this one, and I think this could have been remedied by a little more review of what previously occurred, and who all the major players were, in the beginning of this installment.
I know this review is mostly just complaining, but I really did enjoy this book and this series as a whole. This was a great conclusion, and I feel quite satisfied with how things turned out, which is rare and really says something about the quality of this series. I'll always love the design of these books and the creative ways through which the narrative is communicated to the reader. I'll be looking forward to these authors' next series. Thank you for a wild ride, Illuminae Files!
Love it or hate it, one has to admit that the Illuminae Files trilogy is a fine piece of art and magnificent achievement in literature. Though the story isn't unique nor the characters, the format writers chose to tell this story and being able to successfully tell it with such format is an accomplishment.
I loved the first book, Illuminae Files, and was pretty meh about the second one Gemina. But Obsidio outshines both books in all manners and delivers a thrilling finale. About 90% of this book is a solid 5 stars for me, but then there were some moments that could've been better. Overall though, I loved this book. Stayed until 2 AM to finish it. Stupid! Worth it.
Jumping into spoiler section because there's so much I want to talk about.
First thing first, the two new characters that were also supposed to be the main couple of this book, Asha Grant and Rhys L... (however you spell his last name), were nice to read, but didn't get enough "screen" time to develop or do anything else. Most of the book revolved around Kady and Ezra, and Nik/Hannah, Asha/Rhys were both shoved into the background. I guess that's why Amie chose a couple with a history so she wouldn't have to waste time in developing them? While I love Kady/Ezra most, I wish Asha Grant had given more time to develop. If you just look at there plotline, things went way too fast with these two. I do agree with AIDAN's observation about Asha. She IS the bravest one of all since she stood up to BT despite having zero skills. AND she looked after Kataya. Fed her from her limited ration. Brave girl Asha <3
AIDAN and Kady's.... relationship made me feel really uncomfortable. And weird. AIDAN told Kady he, I mean IT, loved her. So weird man. An AI professing love for a girl. I would've flipped had Kady said something in return. Thank God AIDAN "died" before she could respond.
Speaking of dying, Amie continues the tradition of fake deaths in Obsidio. Though not as grand in magnitude as in other books. This time, it was Kataya, Ezra (again) and Nik (again) who were thought to be dead then turned out alive. Ugh!
And it was so obvious Ezra and Nik weren't dead either, seeing how everyone kept pointing out that parachute of Nik's.
Other deaths were a real punch in the gut. AIDAN massacred two thousand people so rest could survive aboard the ship. A choice made because no one else would. It was horrible. Boll's death, though expected, was no less heartbreaking. And that pit of bodies... and when the BT goon shot the kid?! AH! Throughout the book I was constantly reminded how incredibly cruel this world was. So much death. So much injustice.
Even though AIDAN played vital role in winning the war against BieTech, I'm still mixed about him. I would not want to be in the same room or ship with him. I would not want to be his friend like Kady was. He creeped me out. Big time. I'm honestly glad I don't have to read more of him... unless there's a spin off. I'm totally down for a spin off.
Good series. Me like. You read =P
I loved the first book, Illuminae Files, and was pretty meh about the second one Gemina. But Obsidio outshines both books in all manners and delivers a thrilling finale. About 90% of this book is a solid 5 stars for me, but then there were some moments that could've been better. Overall though, I loved this book. Stayed until 2 AM to finish it. Stupid! Worth it.
Jumping into spoiler section because there's so much I want to talk about.
Spoiler
First thing first, the two new characters that were also supposed to be the main couple of this book, Asha Grant and Rhys L... (however you spell his last name), were nice to read, but didn't get enough "screen" time to develop or do anything else. Most of the book revolved around Kady and Ezra, and Nik/Hannah, Asha/Rhys were both shoved into the background. I guess that's why Amie chose a couple with a history so she wouldn't have to waste time in developing them? While I love Kady/Ezra most, I wish Asha Grant had given more time to develop. If you just look at there plotline, things went way too fast with these two. I do agree with AIDAN's observation about Asha. She IS the bravest one of all since she stood up to BT despite having zero skills. AND she looked after Kataya. Fed her from her limited ration. Brave girl Asha <3
AIDAN and Kady's.... relationship made me feel really uncomfortable. And weird. AIDAN told Kady he, I mean IT, loved her. So weird man. An AI professing love for a girl. I would've flipped had Kady said something in return. Thank God AIDAN "died" before she could respond.
Speaking of dying, Amie continues the tradition of fake deaths in Obsidio. Though not as grand in magnitude as in other books. This time, it was Kataya, Ezra (again) and Nik (again) who were thought to be dead then turned out alive. Ugh!
And it was so obvious Ezra and Nik weren't dead either, seeing how everyone kept pointing out that parachute of Nik's.
Other deaths were a real punch in the gut. AIDAN massacred two thousand people so rest could survive aboard the ship. A choice made because no one else would. It was horrible. Boll's death, though expected, was no less heartbreaking. And that pit of bodies... and when the BT goon shot the kid?! AH! Throughout the book I was constantly reminded how incredibly cruel this world was. So much death. So much injustice.
Even though AIDAN played vital role in winning the war against BieTech, I'm still mixed about him. I would not want to be in the same room or ship with him. I would not want to be his friend like Kady was. He creeped me out. Big time. I'm honestly glad I don't have to read more of him... unless there's a spin off. I'm totally down for a spin off.
Good series. Me like. You read =P
A fitting finale to a great trilogy. The flow of this series was great and yet each book had its own distinct plot. It was great. Anybody who likes action packed books will like these and the futuristic sci-fi feel was well done and the wording differences and naming of things kept it from being corny
So, you’re telling me that I read 900+ pages to have everyone live happily ever after? Boo.