Review: Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Title: Obsidio

Series: The Illumine Files #3
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: March 13, 2018
Pages: 618
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source/Format: Audiobook
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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."

This author duo has ruined me for all other science fiction authors. I will be forever comparing all future sci-fi reads to The Illuminae Files and the duo's other god-tier sci-fi series, The Aurora Cycle. Their combined writing style is my preferred brand of heart-stopping, jaw-dropping science fiction. There is just something magical about their writing that clings to my heart and casts a spell over me.

Again, I may sound like a robot repeating points from my review of Gemina but it can't be understated how innovative and fun the epistolary format of this series is. It is such a genuinely unique experience. And the audiobooks of this series are outstanding. I initially read the hardback copy but listening to the audiobooks is an entirely different experience.

I was absolutely in love with the overall plot of this series from the very start. I loved the conclusion and the journey from start to finish was incredible. This series boasts so many of the things that I love about space stories: excellent battle scenes, corrupt companies, biotech plagues, rogue AI, space stations, space colonies, spaceships, and the list goes on. I love how the authors incorporated so many amazing ideas into the story.

The characters in this series were fantastic. I loved the found family aspect that was present in each of the books. The reader really grows fond of each of the main characters throughout the course of the story. I loved how each character was distinct and vibrant to the reader.

The romances in the story were subplots so they didn't get a lot of page time. At least, not in a traditional love story sense. There is plenty of romance but it is more subtle. The characters express how much they mean to each other through actions and words while they are in dire situations. There isn't a lot of time for making out when you are fighting for your life. That said, I felt that the chemistry between each of the couples in the story was strong and written beautifully. I loved all of the banter as well. It really put a smile on my face.

Overall, this is an outstanding finale of a perfect series. I couldn't have asked for a better ending. That ending was so perfect and it got my brain whirling about possible sequels. I doubt there will ever be a sequel but one can dream, am I right? If you like your science fiction dosed with lots of explosions, excellent fight scenes, questionable AI, and characters that you would definitely want on your team when things get dark then this series is perfect for you. I hope and wish and pray to any and all gods with all my might that this author duo decides to write us another epic science fiction masterpiece.

Do you read books in an epistolary format? If so, what do you like about them? If not, what is stopping you?