Obsidio: The Illuminae files: Book 3

By Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

'This book is xxxxing awesome.' Laini Taylor

Asha Grant came to Kerenza to escape her past. Too bad he just caught up with her.

Asha survived BeiTech’s initial assault and has been working undercover with the hopelessly outmatched resistance ever since. The last thing she expected to worry about was her ex-boyfriend, Rhys Lindstrom, who just landed planet-side. Is he her way out – or guarantee she never gets off this frozen rock alive?

But Asha’s not the only one with problems. Her cousin Kady’s ragtag band of survivors are headed for Kerenza – without enough oxygen to last the journey. Oh, and there might be an insurrection brewing.

With BeiTech hurrying to repair their damaged jump gate, and a mass extermination planned for the Kerenza civilians, only a miracle could save them now. And everyone knows that miracles are just statistical probabilities…right?

BRIEFING NOTE: From bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – and select journal entries from Marie Lu – comes the heart-stopping, heartbreaking finale in the trilogy that broke the mould and has been called “stylistically mesmerizing” and “out-of-this-world awesome.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Release date: Mar 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781780749846

Amie Kaufman

Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and has been described as ""a game-changer"" (Shelf Awareness), ""stylistically mesmerising"" (Publishers Weekly) and ""out-of-this-world awesome"" (Kirkus). Her series include The Illuminae Files, The Aurora Cycle, the Other Side of the Sky duology, The Starbound Trilogy, the Unearthed duology and The ElementalsTrilogy. Her work is in development for film and TV, and has taken home multiple Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, a Gold Inky, made multiple best-of lists and been shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter and rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. http://amiekaufman.com/

Reviews for Obsidio

[theyodamom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 Holy Smokes that was good.You must read books 1-2 before this one. No spoiler review.Mesmerizing audiobook read by a full cast with an extensive sound track-amazing. The story was filled with unexpected twists, heartbreak and exhilaration. I felt tired after finishing, like I just went through the trauma with them. I love this author she develops her characters so completely. I think about them after putting the book down, hope for them, cheer them on, feel the void when one dies. At one point a character died, a selfless death, I teared up while earlier I was inner screaming for their death. The ending was left with a voice from the past. Could there be another book ? I think so maybe a spin off ? I'd like to see more of this voice's character.

[jpeterman-190606 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This series is so fantastic. I'll be looking up more of their work! I didn't want it to end! The format can be weird for some but I just loved it. It fit with the storyline so well.

[lisa5127 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had twists and turns I didn't see coming. I read enough that I'm hard to surprise, but this book did surprise me!

[mrnattania72 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great finish to a great series. I loved most, but for awhile I was lost on who was doing what except the main heroes of our tale. Aiden ROCKED

[lispylibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

FANFREAKINGTASTIC!

[shahnareads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I hate them. 

ugh. There are tear stains in my book. Wtf?!

The story has come to and end and although I was ready for a flippin miracle to save these damn characters, I'm not ready for it to be over. 

I miss them. I miss them ALL. 

ITS OVER!!!!! 

I'm going to have night terrors. Fetal position for days. I can't handle this. 

It's been a really long time since a series hit my so hard. This is next level. Harry Potter level. I'm obsessed. 

... and heartbroken. 

[faith_murri · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was one of the most mind-numbingly boring piece of "literature" I've ever read. Everything that was good about this series was stripped away, leaving only the obnoxious, ridiculous, and downright formulaic parts.

Meet Rhys, the bad boy with a criminal past and tattoos, and hot white ex-boyfriend of the hot white girl. Said hot white girl is named Asha Grant, and she's a headstrong teenager (?) who somehow holds a leadership position despite having no qualifications. Don't worry about personality. They're sassy! That just about covers it, doesn't it?

Sound familiar?

That's because this is the third incarnation of Kady and Ezra, following Hana and Nik. In case you didn't already have it drilled into your thick skulls: HOT WHITE TEEN = GOOD, MOUSTACHE TWIRLING VILLAIN = BAD, AIDAN = THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS SERIES

Now, perhaps for the sake of originality, our author duo decided to drop the insidious psychological thriller part of the Illuminae plot Mad Libs and replaced it with...wait for it...more conspiracy intrigue! Yay! Everyone's favorite part!

I know for sure that it was my favorite part. Definitely loved the cheesy, melodramatic scenes in which Kady figuratively and literally stands on a table, points a finger at Leanne Frobisher and shouts, "SHE'S THE BAD GUY!" Those were so well-written and so engaging. They were amazing parts that really made the world feel real, and made our ragtag band of hot white teenagers a force to be reckoned with.

(In case it wasn't clear, I was being facetious. This book really wanted to make sure the sarcasm was spelled out. I don't want to confuse anyone. I-WAS-BEING-SARCASTIC. Did that help?)

And, yeah, sorry Beitech, but it turns out your psycho-virus only works in space. No symptoms whatsoever on landmasses like Kerenza. That would make too much sense. And don't worry about aliens! Those only exist in space too. It's not like psychological alien horror on a frozen landscape works or anything. There's absolutely no evidence of that!

No, our authors remember how our favorite parts were the Aelin Galathynius style "plot twists". So we got not one, but two different locations rife with civil war! Don't worry about our interchangeable hot white teens, though! They're hot and white, so no duh, they all make it to the end without so much as a scratch.

🙃🙃🙃

So yeah. Not even AIDAN and his repetitive philosophical ramblings could save this book. It had the beginnings of themes, the barest hint of believability, but it chose needless make out scenes and sanctimonious platitudes instead. It forgot that stakes required deaths not just for shock value, that too many of the exact same situation happening in the same book (and series, for that matter) ruins the potential for intrigue, and that no one thinks misogynistic locker room conversations about sexscapades make characters likeable. "The Duke" was dumb and spoke in the third person without question. Why did they think that was endearing and not straight up silly?

This was a waste of paper. And a waste of my time. Faith out.

[vulco1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. It was pretty long but definitely worth it. The conclusion to the Illuminae Files was just about everything you could ask for and did not disappoint. If you liked the other two, this is definitely one to read for the conclusion.Like the other two, it blends a horror genre with the Scifi and YA genre's making something new and different. (view spoiler)The characterization was as strong as ever and once again you get a good feel for who these characters are before and during the events of the story (even if you don't like all of them).A solid read.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Illuminae Files has officially gone down as my all time favorite young adult trilogy. Seriously. This series was good from start to finish. The action never let up, it's full of twists I didn't see coming, twisted artificial intelligence, teenage angst, young love, and more. It had everything I wanted in a book. Oh and it's set in space... so yeah, it's pretty amazing. It's really hard for trilogies to live up to the hype or to even compete with book one, but each installment of this series brought the heat. I loved it. I loved the characters, the sarcasm, the wit, the foul language, and the seriousness. Seriously, this series is the bomb. I won't stop raving about it, just read it already!!

[cindywho-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the full cast reading. Decent YA space opera, though a little killy-er than I like for my bedtime listening.

[spaceandsorcery · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Before launching into my review of the third and final volume of the Illuminae Files, I would like to share a detail of my "history" with this series: since most, if not all, of my reading happens through ebooks, I acquired the first two installments of the series in that format, and although I enjoyed the story immensely I was also aware that the peculiar narrative form chosen by the authors - which includes memos, transcripts, graphics and even sentences deployed in strange and convoluted patterns - did not work as well on an e-reader as it would on a printed page. For this reason I also bought the physical books for Illuminae and Gemina to see what I had missed, and once the date of publication for Obsidio was announced, I decided to directly acquire the physical book and read the story in the… old-fashioned way. And it was indeed a good decision, because this is an amazing way of telling a story.Please be aware that this review might contain spoilers for the first two books: if you have not read them, don't go any further!Obsidio closes the circle that started in Illuminae with the assault on the mining colony of Kerenza, perpetrated by BeiTech Corporation against what they deemed an illegal operation: in the first book we followed the survivors of the attack as they attempted to flee on a handful of ships to reach the Heimdall transit station; the second volume focused on BeiTech's attempt to eliminate them, and therefore any witness to the massacre, by taking control of Heimdall. Here, the few who escaped both assaults - now crowded aboard the very stressed-out Hypatia and the newly acquire Mao - have decided that going back to Kerenza is the only viable choice, which becomes all the more imperative once they learn that BeiTech intends to kill the remaining miners on the planet once they have extracted the precious hermium that is the planet's main resource, leaving no trace of their heinous crime.All the characters we encountered along the road are present here: Kady and Ezra, Hanna and Nik and Nik's cousin Ella, as well as the other people (those still alive, that is…) who shared their journey. Their trials on the crowded ships, their plans for the coming battle and their hopes and fears act as a counterpoint to the events on Kerenza itself, where we make the acquaintance of Asha Grant (Kady's cousin) and her ex boyfriend Rhys, now one of the BeiTech "ground pounders" from the occupying force. I must say that I found the planet-bound sections quite fascinating, both in terms of narrative impact and of character exploration: even though the previous relationship between the two youngsters feels a little convenient (in my opinion it would have worked just as well if they had been complete strangers), it helps in highlighting the dire situation of the miners on one side and of the soldiers on the other, showing how extreme circumstance can bring to the surface both the best and the worst in human beings.The miners know their life expectancy is limited, and are doing their best to try and draw out that timeline in the hope of rescue, as improbable as it might look, so that we can witness acts of courage and self sacrifice as well as foolish choices driven by rage, despair and the burning need for vengeance. The BeiTech soldiers, for their part, range from the "just following orders" kind - some of them even enjoying the power of life and death they are given over their victims - to those who are painfully aware of the atrocities they are committing, but are unable to act differently because they know any kind of defiance would be futile. There are some scenes where these soldiers try to forget the unpleasantness of their duties by spending time in endless card games interspersed with heavy banter, but one can somehow feel the desperate effort this is, and in some way perceive the humanity that the robot-like armor encasing them cannot completely conceal.As fascinating as all of the above was, the events transpiring aboard the ship headed for Kerenza were the ones that drew my more intense focus, because they mixed the efforts at survival with the frantic plans to overcome BeiTech's stranglehold on Kerenza - a David vs. Goliath kind of struggle that was fraught with uncertainty and the ever-present awareness of potential failure. The young people who were at the center of previous events, forced by circumstances to grow up quickly and make harrowing choices, here must wage a war on two fronts: one represented by the might of BeiTech and its aggressive power, and one represented by several adults who are unable - or unwilling - to give them the credit they are due and still view them as children, underestimating them and forcing them to prove themselves time and again. This thread adds a very frustrating element to the story, but also one that was both electrifying and suspenseful.And last but not least I must mention AIDAN, the insane, murderous AI with a conscience (much as that might appear as a contradiction!) who despite the horrible acts of the past, and the present, keeps growing in his understanding and acceptance of human emotions. There is a section, here in Obsidio, where AIDAN makes a hard choice that is both appalling and necessary, fully aware of the consequences but also aware that not to act would be a worse option: And in the end, I suppose it will not matter what they name me. […] And it does not matter what they believe. […] I am not good. Nor am I evil. I am no hero. Nor am I villain. I am AIDAN.It's a bleak choice, and the dispassionate (?) way in which AIDAN observes it stresses even more the AI's loneliness, one that never fails to tug at my heart because - no matter how many deaths he's responsible for - AIDAN strikes me as the proverbial child looking into a warm home from the outside cold, knowing that he will never be part of it. The fact I have used "he" and not "it" to speak about AIDAN is a clear indication of what I feel about this character and his journey, one that should be discovered on its own…As the conclusive book in what has been an electrifying trilogy, Obsidio works quite well and manages to keep the suspense and uncertainty about the outcome until the very end, and if it cheats a little in one particular regard (spoiler territory, so I apologize for being cryptic), I can forgive it in the name of the amazing narrative tension that carried me from start to finish.

[krau0098 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an amazing conclusion to an amazing series. This is the book were all the events on Hypatia, Heimdall station, and Kerenza come together. I really enjoyed this book a ton and read it in a couple sittings (just like the other books in the series).This book introduces a couple new characters to the story. Asha is a pharmacy student who was forcibly recruited to work as a nurse on the BeiTech occupied Kerenza. Rhys is a tech employee with BeiTech who finds himself forced to transfer to the surface of Kerenza. Although the book does focus on these two it isn’t quite as focused on them as previous books were on their “couples” because the story jumps around a lot more between location and POV.This story seemed “bigger” than the previous two books. We jump around between the Mao, the Hypatia, and Kerenza. All of our favorite characters from previous books are here and contributing to the action.There weren’t any really interesting new perils introduced (like the virus or aliens in the previous books). This book is an all out confrontation with BeiTech and their occupation of Kerenza. It was very engaging, fast-paced, and I enjoyed it a lot.This book is put together in the same interesting and creative way as the first two books were. If you enjoyed the style of those books you will love this one as well.Overall this was an amazing series that I recommend everyone read. It’s very creative, very engaging and just an incredible ride. I would especially recommend to those who like action packed sci-fi reads.

[librarianryan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an almost perfect ending. The last 50 or so pages are very predictable, but I don’t care!!! I love this series and the end was so lovely. Book 1 is about Kady and Ezra and the attack on Krenza. Plus the destruction of many star cruisers that leaves a vulnerable population on the ship Hypathia. Book 2 is about Nilolas and Hanna and their fight to save the Hemidall space station and wormhole. Book three brings all these characters together, and introduces us to Asha and Rhys. She is a pharmacy tech now acting as a makeshift nurse, and Rhys, a BTU pounder and tech guru who is oblivious to the evil being wrought by the organization for who he works. Things on Krenza are not well. Many have been massacred in a general genocide. Only the workers needed to mine fuel and the family’s of the miners are left alive. After all, you need some type of hostage to get the miners to continue working. This was supposed to be a quick mission for the BTU but the resistance damaged the only ship with a portable jumpgate. Now supplies are running low, and tension is mounting. And lest I forget AIDEN. Of course I can not forget AIDEN. He is this generations HAL. He is back and up to his tricks again. He is not as major of a player, but the ending has me hopeful for more. If you have read the first two books then you know exactly what to expect from book three. It’s a kicka** adventure told through video surveillance, journal entries, digital communications, etc. A lovely addition to book 3 was art work by Marjorie Lu. Over all I quite enjoyed this book. I bought it the day it was out and read most of it in one day. There was more blacked out cursing than I remember from the other books, and I may have a parent angry at me for recommending it to her 11 and 12 year old sons. But we need more books where kids can get the job done. Where they can show that age does not always mean wisdom.I think this series could make an amazing movie series. And I think it would need to be kept in the format of a court case exposing it’s evidence. It’s been a long time since there were any really great Space Operas.

[plancultivatecreate · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stellar conclusion to the series, weaving the characters and events from the previous two books seamlessly. A brick of a book, yet an easy and entertaining read.

[mrnattania · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great finish to a great series. I loved most, but for awhile I was lost on who was doing what except the main heroes of our tale. Aiden ROCKED

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik are on the run, trying to survive, and attempting to create a record of what has happened in the Illuminae Files. This novel focuses on survivors on Kerenza as BiTech works them to death with plans to exterminate them after the jump station is repaired. Asha, Kady's cousin, has survived and is part of the resistance. The teens devise a plan as survivors on the Mao try to save the survivors. The whole novel is written as a dossier and wraps up the series.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the final book in the trilogy, and it is as good as the first two! You have to have read the first two books to understand this novel. The first novel, Illuminae, introduces the opening act where Kerenza is attacked and Kady and Ezra are pursued by the attackers with many obstacles in their way to survival with one possibly good help, AIDAN, the artificial intelligence. The second novel, Gemina, brings in Hannah and Nik who live on Heimdall, the station Kady and Ezra are hoping to get to in order to jump through the wormhole, but Hannah and Nik have to fend off invaders who are intent on keeping the survivors from making it to the wormhole.Obsidio, the final act, introduces us to what has been happening on Kerenza during this same time frame. Not everyone was killed. The planet is now occupied by enemy forces from BeiTech. Asha (Kady’s cousin) is part of the resistance. The people have been treated very badly; they are hungry, scared, worked too hard, and courageously resisting. Death is always close, as the soldiers dispense justice quickly; there is no court. Rhys works with BeiTech and has been off planet, so he doesn’t know what’s been going on. He and Asha were in a relationship that ended badly; needless to say, they are shocked to see each other. Rhys has problems accepting what the soldiers are doing to the people. He also knows that they are about to leave, which means everyone left will die. He can’t let Asha die, but can he work against the soldiers who have become friends and acquaintances? Meanwhile, Kady, Ezra, Nik, and Hannah are headed back to Kerenza in a new ship, the Mao. AIDAN is also there to help with strategy. They know if anyone is still on Kerenza, it will be dangerous. They have their own problems on the Mao--overcrowding, anger, and fear. They don’t have enough supplies to get to Kerenza; they need to make a plan for what to do to with BeiTech when they arrive; and, they hope to find survivors. The books come nicely together, bringing all the characters together without being forced. As with the other two, this novel was a little difficult to get into because the structure is so unique and awesome! I highly recommend reading and listening because the illustrations are so appropriate and the performances explain some of the pages that you might not know how to read. I usually do both for the first 75 pages on these books and then finish listening. I love them! I’m not a sci-fi fan, but if you like some sci-fi, give this trilogy a try. I highly recommend them! You will find AIDAN quite merciful.

[herenya_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The conclusion to an intense young-adult science-fiction thriller epistolary trilogy, told through messages, memos, reports describing surveillance footage, diagrams, sketches and other documents. Illuminae was about who were able to evacuate when BeiTech invaded the unregistered mining community on Kerenza IV; Obsidio is about what happened on Kerenza afterwards.Months later, BeiTech still don’t have the resources needed to complete their mission and some of the surviving Kerenza residents are engaging in an underground resistance.I took time to warm to both Illuminae and Gemina, but Obsidio hooked me immediately. I already had reason to care about Kerenza, and about one of the main characters too, as she’s Kady’s cousin Asha. The other new character is Asha’s ex-boyfriend, who is working for BeiTech, unaware of the extent of the atrocities BeiTech have been committing. After two books of BeiTech being the enemy, it’s interesting to look at the choices (and experiences) of those working for BeiTeach who are just trying to do their job. This ties in with the other part of this book, which is about the aftermath of Gemina and what happens when people genuinely want to do the right thing but disagree about what that looks like… and that in turn ties in with the trilogy’s ongoing questions about right and wrong, thanks to “everyone’s favourite murderous artificial intelligence”.I also found the way the story dealt with teenagers taking on positions of leadership and responsibility very believable -- it’s logical when they’ve got experience and resources that others do not, but they nevertheless have to deal with questions and opposition.“Kady Grant,” supplies Grant Jr. “Child prodigy and occasional criminal.”“And she’s not a kid, Ben,” Grant Sr. says quietly. [...]“She is also,” Syra Boll adds, “my current systems chief.”“Is she even old enough to drive?” Graver scoffs.“I ran down six BeiTech goons in a truck once, if that counts.”In some ways, this story is more straightforward than the first two -- but there isn’t enough room to introduce new mysteries, or too many new horrors, and satisfyingly conclude everything. (And the framing narratives of the previous books had already given some clues about where this story was heading.) I loved this, and was very happy with how with how the trilogy ended. Some other thoughts:I’d have liked to have spent more time with Asha and Rhys -- but that would’ve meant spending less time with other characters, so I’m not complaining.My favourite thing in this whole book, the page I found the most moving, is when one of the adults writes short notes of encouragement for some of the teenagers, and the notes are all tailored for their recipient, shaped by the different relationships this character has with all of the teens and by what would be meaningful for them. Nominee for (Substitute) Parent of the Year.

[titania86_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik are back with new seemingly insurmountable problems including fitting thousands of people into one way over capacity ship, the Mao, with few resources. They plan to return to Kerenza, but who knows what's happening there after the Beitech invasion seven months ago. Their friends and family may not even be alive anymore. The reality isn't that bad, but the remaining civilians are either enslaved to mine fuel for Beitech or imprisoned and threatened to help the miners work faster. Kady's cousin Asha survived and joined the resistance because she sees that they will all die when the mining is done. Unfortunately, her ex-boyfriend Rhys is working for Beitech and threatens her work unless she can manipulate or convince him to help her save lives. All of them have mounting problems and a corrupt, genocidal corporation to face.Obsidio has a lot of expectations because of how good the first two books were and fulfills them all. All three books are very different, but each has relatable characters, crazy plot twists, and awesome action sequences. Obsidio has the largest cast of them all and the plot follows each of them fairly evenly, making sure we know what's going on with old favorites and meeting and getting to know the new ones. Nik, Ezra, Kady, and Hanna are all trying to process what has happened to them and how to fix these new problems. All have loved ones die and get small moments to mourn them in the middle of all of this. These moments are so realistic when wanting to see or talk to them, feeling the loss, and recognizing the new normal. In such an action packed series, these moments bring in emotions and human experience on a smaller scale. With the new characters, Asha has made a lot of mistakes and tries as hard as she can to atone. She doesn't have any crazy abilities, but she tries her best to do what's right even with such harsh opposition. Rhys goes through a huge transformation when he finally see what Asha is truly fighting against. I grew to like these characters just as much as all the others.The minor characters also play an important role in this book. People are fighting for control on the Mao for the greater good. When crisis after crisis happens and people die under the current rule, others see weakness in the young people who have gotten them as far as they have and opportunity to overthrow to make everything better. In reality, it only serves to divide what should be unified and causes even more deaths in the long run. Their hearts are in the right place, but their actions are terrible. On the enemy side, those like Rhys are seen, people that have no love for Beitech but joined the military, those with larger dreams, and those that are following orders to survive and justifying the atrocities they commit to cope. Hard deaths are felt on all sides and even when the good guys win, good people still die because the enemy isn't monolithicly evil. On the other hand, the chain of command in Beitech is filled with corruption. Complaints about sexual assaults or unlawful deaths are thrown out and never seen by anyone higher than the planetside commanding officer and only lead to the whistleblower being punished.Obsidio is such a good book. I read it in two days, which is saying a lot with my current schedule. It has many hard hitting moments that made me cry, exciting moments that had me on the edge of my chair, and humorous scenes to give some relief from the emotion and tension. The book is so expertly crafted with transcriptions of video, maps, digital messages, and numerous other media. I have no real criticism of this book because even with so many plot lines and characters, everything is clear and well plotted to cover each setting and character. I love how even minor characters are made important in a book where it would be easy to fade minor characters into the background. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are working on a new series in the same universe that I can't wait to read. I will read anything this duo comes out with.

[tuusannuuska-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty disappointing.