August 13, 2018

Review: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3)
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf BYR
Publication Date: March 13, 2018
Pages: 615
Format: Hardcover/Own

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, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

Review: I really loved this! I thought this was one of the best endings to a series I've read in a while. I had a few small issues with it, but nothing that severely impacted my overall feelings of it. 

I wanna start with something I thoroughly enjoyed throughout this book. And that was the Star Trek references in there! We obviously got a little bit in Gemina when Ella typed out the Enterprise, so I was excited finding more stuff in here. I'm such a huge Trekkie and I was all kinds of happy reading some well known lines from some of my favorite Star Trek movies! The first big quote I saw that I immediately knew was "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Which is well known from The Wrath of Khan when Spock sacrifices himself to fix the Enterprises warp drive to get away from the genesis blast. The other big but small quote is at the end of the book when the group is at the restaurant and toasts "To Absent Friends." Which is pretty well known from the beginning of The Search for Spock when Kirk is doing the toast after arriving back at Earth without Spock. These quotes made my heart so happy. I love Star Trek and I think these quotes just fit in so well with the events happening and specifically how they were placed. 

I really loved everything with Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik. They are all just trying to survive, doing what they can to help, barely sleeping in some cases to get themselves, the crew, and the ship ready for the upcoming battle once they get to Kerenza IV. I love how Kady and Ezra are solid again in their relationship after everything in Illuminae. I love that Hanna and Nik finally really admit that they like each other and want to see where things go between them. I also loved the bonds Kady and Hanna built and Ezra and Nik built. It was great seeing them build friendships with everything that's happened. I also really enjoyed the fact all of them stepped up when they needed to! 

Guys, I need to talk about Kady's dad. Isaac Grant. OMG. Such a sweet caring man. This guy only ever needed to worry about Kady (his daughter), Asha (his niece) and Ezra (being Kady's boyfriend and all) after all the events that went down. But this guy just goes beyond that and brings all the characters we love into the Grant family. I loved this quote when he's talking to Ella: 

"I said it to Hanna, and I'll say it to you and your cousin Nik," he says quietly. "You still have people who care about you......I would never presume to take your father's place, but I know he loved you, and I'll do my best to stand in his shoes while we get through this-and longer, if you want. You still have a family, is what I'm saying." - pg. 432

This legit made me tear up. He has such a big heart. Kady is lucky to have such an amazing man as her father. I also loved these notes we see from Isaac Grant to Ezra, Kady, Ella, Nik and Hanna. 

Isaac's Note To Ezra:

"Son, you've got this. You think Helena and I would have invited just anybody into our home? You're our family too. Helena loved you, and you know I do, too. Come back safe. Because you know there's no way I can handle Kady all on my own." - pg. 437

I especially love how he calls Ezra son. It's incredibly sweet how he talks about Ezra as if he's already married to Kady.

Isaac's Note To His Daughter (Kady):

"I'll be on the radio the whole time, baby girl I'll be with Yulin in Engineering. I have to say, when we used to have talks about your future, commanding a battle fleet isn't quite what I imagined, but I know you can do this. I'll be with you every step." - pg. 437 

Isaac's Note To Ella:

"I'll be in touch every minute, Ella. There's no way I'm letting anything happen to you, and I demand a rematch when this is over. If you think I'm letting a fifteen year-old beat me at cards, you got another thing coming." - pg. 437

Isaac's Note To Nik:

"Nik, you are what your actions make you. Not what other people say you are. You've decided who you are, in the face of a world that wanted to tell you otherwise. I get the impression maybe nobody's ever told you they're proud of you. I am, Nik. I'm proud to know you." - pg. 437

Isaac's Note To Hanna:

"You have this Hanna. Your father would be so damn proud of you right now. He knew exactly how incredible you were. We used to talk about it, late at night, these women we were raising. Just how far and how fast our daughters would exceed us. He loved that." - pg. 437

Like I just can't handle how great of a man Isaac Grant is. He lost someone too but here he is not dwelling on it and instead trying to make sure the others who lost someone still have a family and knows someone loves them. 

Now let's talk about the think they know it all adults, Ben Garver (Heimdall's security chief) in particular. Acting like Kady, Ezra, Hanna and Nik have done absolutely nothing in saving people and that they shouldn't be listened to or have to take orders from. I was so aggravated with him! First of all. Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik are like what 17, 18 area. Legally adults or about to be. They are trying their damn hardest to do what needs to be done and Garver is just being a complete ass cuz he thinks he knows better and shouldn't have to take orders from them. And then instigating a mutiny. I am pissed at what he did to Captain Boll. Did he really think people would follow him after what he and his small group did? I don't feel bad for him getting locked up and he even admitted it wasn't worth it later on. What a tool. Everyone always says 17-18 year olds need to act like adults but then when they actually do they say they're just kids and they don't have to listen to them or respect them. 

I wasn't the biggest fan of Asha and Rhys. I did quite like having Asha's POV actually down on Kerenza IV and seeing the BeiTech occupation from that POV. I just wasn't a huge fan of Asha and Rhys as a couple. Asha was determined to help the resistance fight against BeiTech and try and get a signal out for help. Rhys was a part of BeiTech. He got sent to military school a while back and ended up with BeiTech. He never expected to find his ex on Kerenza IV. It was kinda predictable that he would help her and go against BeiTech eventually. But the whole fact they seem to have gotten back together. I mean. I get why Kady and Ezra are back together. They had a stupid fight and break up that after the invasion of Kerenza IV, was moot. Why throw the relationship away when the reason for the break up is gone. But Asha and Rhys. They haven't been together for a while, and while I guess they never officially broke up in the past, it seemed like Asha was doing just fine by herself now. So while there might have been some feelings left between them, I feel like this was more of a lets put them back together so our other set of mains have a happy ending. It didn't feel as genuine of a pairing as Kady & Ezra and Hanna & Nik. I mean, I felt like Asha's love and caring for that little girl she was hiding and protecting (Katya) was more genuine than her reunion with Rhys. 

I do have to say I was not a fan of the AIDAN story line. It seemed like he stopped doing awful things and was evolving a bit, but then goes right back to his murderous ways. And then the idea of AIDAN, an AI, loving Kady. This was just a weird angle and it kinda creeped me out a little. I do however like that AIDAN sacrificed himself and the Churchill to destroy the Kenyatta and give Kady and the Mao clearance to make it to the Magellan instead of sacrificing the entire ship of people she fought so hard to save. Better AIDAN than all of them, despite Kady's resistance of it destroying itself. 

I do feel like the end was satisfying. The whole story with Ezra's mom is brought full circle. The group fights to take BeiTech's mobile jump platform Magellan and Kerenza IV. I liked how at least one BeiTech soldier became an example and laid down her arms after seeing another child get shot, others followed suit. I liked that after the battle, the group took their time getting all the information and evidence they needed before turning it in for the tribunal. I found it so funny how after all that she authorized, Ezra's mom still tries to act like if she knew Ezra had been on Kerenza IV, she would have done something. Clearly not. You condone mass murder if your sons life isn't at stake? No wonder why him and his dad were hiding from her on Kerenza IV in the first place. She sounds like an awful human being. I definitely think she got what she deserved, especially the bit with Ezra saying she is not his mother anymore and that the people he stands with and fought with are his family now. And then the fact we find out Isaac Grant actually becomes Ella's legal guardian. He kept his word about making sure everyone still had family.