Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Title: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #3)

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Knopf Books 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 618

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; In Case You Missed It - 2018

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.

And we come to the end of The Illuminae Files! After a slight dip in book two, I’m back to another 5 star rating for this volume. I loved seeing all three of our main couples come together to repel the BeiTech fleet on Kerenza and get the truth out there. I probably didn’t really need the added “twist” about Frobisher (seriously, who didn’t see that coming?), but loved all the other turns of the plot. We get a big massive science fiction action adventure story with some great lively characters. I loved seeing Kady and Hanna really take charge and lead the entire crew. I loved seeing Ezra, Nik, and everyone else support them. We get happy endings, while also acknowledging all of the losses. This entire series felt like the best of the Battlestar Galactica television series. No “plan” from the beings here. Just action and survival. I will miss this series greatly.

The Illuminae Files

• #0.5 Memento

• #1 Illuminae

• #2 Gemina

• #3 Obsidio

Next up on the TBR pile:

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Title: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2)

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Knopf Books 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 659

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.
     The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.
     Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.
     When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
     But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.
     Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

I am totally in with this series. Kicking myself for not reading it sooner! For the second book, we switch to Heimdall to meet two new characters and follow them through a harrowing action story. Hanna and Nik are fun characters (arguably Nik is way more fun than Ezra from Illuminae). We get another badass young woman who takes the rescue of the station very personally. We follow Hanna and Nik as they go up against an elite extermination squad and some unwanted newborns. I know that some people will be very grossed out by the aliens, but I loved the horror fun. This is my book series! I cannot wait to see what happens in the third book.

The Illuminae Files

• #0.5 Memento

• #1 Illuminae

• #2 Gemina

• #3 Obsidio

Next up on the TBR pile:

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Title: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Knopf Books 2025

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 608

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; 52 Books - Secret in Title (totally fudging this one)

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
      The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
     But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

I remember when this book came out and I was very intrigued, but so busy with other things that I forgot about it. Years later, I picked it up at a used book store and finally started reading it. And I read it in 2 1/2 days. Yep! 600 pages in 2 1/2/ days. I could not put this one down. I had to see what was going to happen. I had to see if Kady and Ezra ever got back together in person. I had to see if the AIDAN just decided to kill everyone. I had to know the outcome of the story. More than anything, this is a space action adventure story. We are dumped right into the action and it never really lets up. Even at the end, we hare hurtling toward the unknown. I loved the mixed media/document style of the book. My favorite parts were the sections of AIDAN’s internal logs. Those were fascinating. This fast paced adventure was exactly what I needed this week to get me out of a bad head space.

The Illuminae Files

• #0.5 Memento

• #1 Illuminae

• #2 Gemina

• #3 Obsidio

Next up on the TBR pile: