Publisher: Knopf Books
Page Count: 615
I may not always be up to date with all the latest book releases, but I really was looking forward to the finale to the Illuminae Files. I previously reviewed Illuminae (review here) and Gemina (review here) on the blog and even though I really struggle with talking about sequels, I could not pass up the chance to rave a little about this one. While there won’t be any spoilers for Obsidio, I do think it’s better if you have read the previous books in the series before continuing on.
I should probably start by saying that I was not one of the many people who hyped Illuminae. I enjoyed reading it, but it was really only during Gemina that I came fully on board with this series. Obviously the format is a lot of fun and the characters definitely grow on you over time, which makes Obsidio such an enjoyable conclusion to it all. Whereas the previous books mostly focused on one couple during the story and only lent cameo roles to the others, Obsidio truly brings it all together. In my opinion, it took away the spotlight from Asha and Rhys a little bit, but not enough to really make me mind since I was already invested in what the other characters were up to.
What I enjoyed most about reading Obsidio was the fact that you really get answers for all your questions. It adds another layer of depth to the characters (AIDAN is still my fave and I won’t back down on that – I have a soft spot for AIs), provides a lot of action, gives you the necessary conclusion, but still doesn’t close the door on this universe forever. It really was a wild roller coaster to read this book and I devoured it in one day, but sometimes I almost wished the stakes were higher or that the consequences were more devastating and lasting. That’s not to say that you won’t have a wide array of emotions coming your way while reading, but that tiny evil voice in the back of my mind just maybe expected even more cruelty (at least targeted towards the main characters). But if I ignore that tiny detail, and that’s really all it is, then it ended absolutely beautifully. I love when my series end as if they were tied up with a neat little bow, making sure I won’t have to worry about the people in it, even if I will always love reading more about their lives.
I realise this is a super short review, but books like this are always best experienced first hand. Just get ready for some hard hitting moral questions and a final adventure that really does the Illuminae Files justice.
Fazit: 4.5/5 stars! A very satisfying conclusion to the Illuminae Files!
Have you read Obsidio or other books in the series? Do you plan to? What are your thoughts?
Life and Other Disasters 
This is off-topic, but the title reminds me of a Harry Potter spell.
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Sorry, your comment ended up in spam for some reason and I just saw it. Yeah, I guess it does sound like a spell. Speaking of HP, are you playing Hogwarts Mystery?
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I don’t have a tablet, and I don’t have enough space on my phone for it. I want to, though. 😢
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It is fun and infuriating at the same time. I would prefer if I could pay for a full version and didn’t have to wait energy to refill or for missions to start.
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Apparently that’s a criticism shared by many.
Oh well, though. Just means more time to read, write, and watch Netflix.
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I know, but it’s fair criticism. You can’t finish any task in one go.
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How annoying. Imagine if you had that with a Mario game. It wouldn’t be as popular now as it is.
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I loved Obsidio so so so much! Looking back now, I can see some of the issues you brought up that I didn’t really notice before. But still, when I read it at the time, I thought it was fantastic 🙂 Great review!
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Don’t get me wrong, I loved it too!! There just really were those tiny things that didn’t make it a full 5 stars. But it’s still amazing 😀
Thanks for stopping by!
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Great review for this book Kat, and I’m really glad you enjoyed Obsidio as well. I get what you mean about this book taking the spotlight away from Asha and Rhys a little, I didn’t end up loving them the same way I loved Kady, Ezra, Hanna and Nik, but I did enjoy seeing more of what the other characters were doing while Asha and Rhys were fighting on Kerenza (especially AIDAN).
I thought Obsidio was a great ending to the series though. It was pretty much everything I’d hoped for and more. 🙂
Again great review. 😀 ❤
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Thanks so much, Beth! It’s not that I didn’t appreciate having more time with the already established cast as well, but I think we all would have loved Asha and Rhys more had they’ve been given more page time haha.
I still found that it was a really good conclusion to the series and am glad I got to read it 😀
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That’s all right. 🙂 Yeah I think after having full books developing Kady and Ezra and Hanna and Nik it would have been nice to have the same for Asha and Rhys.
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*whispers* They could have done Obsidio with just Asha and Rhys and then a FOURTH book with all of them together for the final battle haha
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I definitely wouldn’t have complained about having a fourth book in this series! 😀 ❤
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Me neither!
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[…] Kat at Life and Other Disasters […]
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I am so happy you enjoyed this book so much – to be honest, I am so nervous about reading it, because I feel like I will be devastated and everything will be cruel and deadly, so…I’m kind of glad it wasn’t THAT cruel for you, somehow that makes me feel a tiny bit better? If that makes any sense, haha. I’m so glad everything tied up kind of neatly, it’s so frustrating when it doesn’t! 🙂 Lovely review, Kat! ❤ ❤
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It wasn’t flawless, but as far as series endings go, I think you will be very happy with this one. The stakes are more personal and less universe-big. Don’t be nervous!
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Haha I’m a bit of a masochist when it comes to my finales (I enjoy the crushing feels that some sad endings have) so I think I get you about tiny evil voice in your head. 😉
Excellent review! I’m so glad that the conclusion was satisfying for you; it’s kind of what I require in my finales, so I’m pretty excited get started on Illuminae now. 🙂
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It’s not that there weren’t emotional and intense things happening, but for my dark soul, it just wasn’t enough on a personal level for the main characters haha
I hope you will enjoy the trilogy as well! I had a lot of fun with it, especially because of the format and I really do appreciate those satisfying conclusions as well.
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Awesome review! Yeah it did take away the spotlight from Rhys and Asha a little- but I also didn’t mind cos I was so invested in the other characters too. I totally have a soft spot for AIDAN too! I do get what you mean about the stakes (but I ended up being so emotional about it that I didn’t mind that either). So glad you loved this too!!
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I am glad you liked my review, I really enjoyed reading yours as well. I didn’t necessarily mind that Asha and Rhys weren’t a big focus, but they could have easily had their own book and then a fourth one with all of the couple together. I just feel like they were pretty cartoonish and not as fleshed out as the other characters. But AIDAN just kept getting better and better.
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