10 Reasons to Read Obsidio by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff – Book review and Discussion

Obsidio is fantastic closure to the series with lots of actions, twists and turns, a perfect rollercoaster ride in space. Me and Toni both enjoyed reading this together and we both wanted more books in this world. Here is 10 Reasons to Read Obsidio and I’m sure you won’t regret it but make sure you’re reading this in order.

Previous books in series –

Illuminae (Book 1)

Gemina (Book 2)

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, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.

From bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff comes the exciting finale in the trilogy that broke the mold and has been called “stylistically mesmerizing” and “out-of-this-world-awesome.”

Review

Obsidio is a thrilling rollercoaster ride and fantastic wrap up of The Illuminae Files trilogy that revolves around another two couples Asha and Rhys planning to save survivors and their own lives before BeiTech obliterates Kerenza; at the same time our four favorites- Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik taking the survivors of Heimdall, Hypatia, Alexander back to Kerenza to take over Beitech’s jumpgate. The story is about justice, survival, courage, sacrifice, desperation and determination, conscience, ageism, the responsibility of war, love, betrayal, friendship, trust, and second chance.

10 Reasons to Read Obsidio

1. Plot

I keep this on the top as I liked the plot of this last book even more. There are so many things going on with the simultaneous setting of Kerenza and Travis Falk’s container ship, Mao.

It started with Asha Grant, Kady’s cousin, who survived BeiTech attack on Kerenza and has joined a resistance group but when she meets her ex, Rhys, who works for BeiTech, she plans to get him on her side and make him help her and survivors get out of the planet but it’s not as easy with their past, broken hearts, conflicts, and secrets between them.

At the same time BeiTech’s jump gate, Magellan, in Kerenza orbit is almost repaired and as soon as it starts working they are going to obliterate Kerenza and its survivors. Survivors of Heimdall, Hypatia, and Alexander are now traveling on Mao that will bring them to Kerenza around the same time jumpgate will be ready but they don’t have enough ration, water or O₂,then there is resistance from people, and power struggle on the ship. They will need more than just AIDAN’s help to take over Magellan, fight dreadnought Churchill, and ground troop of BeiTech on Kerenza.

It was as thrilling and tense as it sounds and also super complex and highly unpredictable.

2. Amazing format and writing

It’s the same as the previous two books with the usual email exchange, chats, Illuminae analysts’ transcript, Hanna’s graphics, and of course AIDAN’s black pages… but we also have something new with note exchanges between Asha and Rhys, notice board for underground workers and circulars between miners. It’s amazing to see such unique format and authors keep adding something new in each book.

Writing is super engaging and there are many perspectives with all characters together in one book. I enjoyed AIDAN’s philosophical poetic narrations most. This time pace is different than previous books. It’s slow-fast-slow-fast making the story a perfect rollercoaster ride.

3. New and Old Characters

Let’s start with New characters. Me and Toni had a lot to discuss about Asha and Rhys even though they are not our favorite characters of the series.

Asha is compassionate, resourceful, and smart character. Even though she is part resistance group, she never is reckless. We see her vulnerability from the beginning of the story. She is not tech expert like Kady or fighter like Hanna. She is ordinary normal person like all of us and as Illuminae analyst said that makes her more hero for what she did in the book to survive and help those who needed help to survive.

Toni didn’t like Asha’s idea of using Rhys and saying “I hate him but I trust him” but I think I could understand her perspective and actions and decisions. A direct snippet from my and Toni’s chat on what I said in Asha’s defense for using Rhys- If my ex is working for people who killed half the population I sure won’t like my ex even though he didn’t know what were the orders or they didn’t sign up for it or he didn’t do it. To be honest, Rhys knew they were going to wipe out all Kerenzanians once they got their Hermium! Right or wrong what Beitech did is horrible and people like Asha have the right to grab any chance they could get to get away from this hell show. To her credit, she didn’t lie to him or gave any false hope.
 
Her backstory and video recordings give more clear view of her character. It was emotional to read what happened to her and what made her break up with Rhys and never return his emails. I loved her for taking care of little girl who survived, keeping her hidden, giving her own portion of food to kid.

Rhys is good. His story isn’t as interesting as Asha but I liked his mental conflicts about whether to help Asha or be loyal to his comrades. What I said about him above might make him look bad but at the same time, I understood his point too. It was great to see the perspective of people who joined BeiTech and were part of the invasion team through him. I liked how author showed they too are humans, they didn’t sign up to kill people, not following orders wasn’t an option for them, how they lived with the burden of killing half the population, and how they too can change given the chance.

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Ella, Nik are absolutely amazing. They aren’t always together because of their different expertise. Half time they are in team of two while the other time they spent as couple, Ella is in hospital area most of the time but when they work together to save one of the team member, they make hell of a team. I have to laugh when resistance leader on Mao didn’t keep them in mind when he planned to take over the captainship.

I have to mention Issac Grant. His presence and support is heartwarming and his parental nature often made me laugh. His chat with Ella brought happy tears in eyes.

4. AIDAN

Now my favorite murderous philosophical AI deserves seperate space. He gets some amazing lines in book. His deadly sense of humor, poetic rendition, his love and obsession for Kady everything about him is perfect. What he did in the book makes him villain. He even call himself a monster of this story but at the same time I get his point. No one else would have done what he did. It’s sad he was seen as monster than one who saved many lives. What Toni said in email is perfect – “it’s like dilemma of 2 alpinists who are stuck on a high mountain. One of them has a broken leg, the other one tries to pull him down, only miscalculates something and lowers him over a crevasse and now he has to decide whether to cut the rope or not. When you ask people, most say I would never cut the rope. I once asked a real alpinist and she told me ‘You have to cut the rope and even more, I would never go to mountains with somebody who wouldn’t. You have to save at least one life. Not necessarily your own’.”

5. More than one monster of the story

So AIDAN is not only one who is monster of the story. Yes, the main monster has been BeiTech from the beginning and the characters were fighting team of them in each book but here the monster is within and outside as well. This story didn’t need alien creatures or bioweapons to create zombies. Humans are enough to create horrors. Ben Garver is one, Commader of Churchill, BeiTech troop on Kerenza, some miners… they all did horrible things that made them monster of the story.

5.There is more than just survival

While previous stories has main theme of survival, this one focus on justice, responsibility of war, first duty to conscience, Ageism, and second chance. There are some great scenes that highlight these themes and they are best part of the story as well. If I go in details about these themes, it will make this post even longer.

6. There is so many emotions

The story is rollercoaster not just in pace but in emotions too. Horrors on Kerenza, desperation of people, pitiful situation on Mao, tiredness, anxiousness added more tension to story but there are touching conversations, lovely romantic moments, witty banter, and sarcasm that gave light breathing space making me laugh and smile and shed happy tears.

7. Lots of Twist and Turns

There are many twists and turns. Few I could predict, some are clear at certain points but there are many surprises that I couldn’t anticipate and last 200 pages are filled with such surprises.

8. Brillaint last 200 pages

Ella and Issac’s chats, Issac’s letter to all young characters, their last face to face conversations, the execution of the plan that they kept super secret until now and one by one the way they rolled their die and made them fall on their own term and shook the table if they didn’t fall in their own terms… every best things happened in this part.

9. I so much love the End

What a mindblowing end! It was great the way everything was wrapped up. Those courtroom scenes are great. Even the last page is also a surprise.

10. Nothing negative I can think. If you’re fan of Space opera, I don’t know how you cannot love this book and series.

Okay, I have one complaint. Why the hell there isn’t a spinoff series?

Overall, Obsidio is thrilling, mindblowing, action packed, full of twists and turns, a perfect rollercoaster ride in space that I wish never ended.

Quotes from Obsidio

“Live a life worth dying for.”

“Every story needs its hero. And its villain. And its monster.”

“I am not good. Nor am I evil. I am no hero. Nor am I villain. I am AIDAN.”

“There’a billion different versions of you out there, in a trillion different universes. And I still can’t get over how lucky I am that, out of all those versions, you’re the one that’s mine.”

“Good luck, everyone.
Good luck to us all.
And may we meet again on distant shores.
Some place fine and far from here.”

“Miracles are statistical improbabilities.”

“You believe there is always an alternative. Always a chance for a miracle. But I told you once before that miracles are statistical improbabilities. There is no such thing in real life.”

“I have heard it said
that evil is simply a point of view.
The villain is always the hero in his own story.
And the definitions of “wrong” and “right”
ever shift on the inconstant tides
of human morality.
But can such measures even be said to apply to me?
I am clarity.
I am necessity.
I am inevitability.
But am I evil?”

“The die had been cast and no power of man could prevent it from landing where it would. Roll of the dice is unpredictable, unstoppable.
[…]
There is a moment just after the die is cast and before it lands upon the gaming table in which the smallest breez may change its course- the way it rolls and comes to rest.
That is what we must do today. we must give our all to ensure that when the die does comes to rest, it favors us.
[…]
The die is cast. But today we will shake the table upon which it lands.”

“Have you noticed
all the moments we live
and all the miles we walk
never seem to get us anywhere but dead?”

“AIDAN: I HAVE NEWS THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED
DISTRESSING.
Grant, Kady: ok
Grant, Kady: keeping in mind that i am also currently running at 9% capacity, due to lack of sleep, fear of impending death and having to deal with the boneheads here on the bridge, please be gentle with me as you break this news.
AIDAN: YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE.”

“Would you kill one person to save one thousand? And by logical extension, would you not kill one thousand to save one-thousand-and-one?”

Book Links

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon.in |Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

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