A Dream Within A Dream: Obsidio Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

OBSIDIO (The Illuminae Files #3)

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Release Date: March 13, 2018

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 608

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Description:

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.

Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Audible, Goodreads

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

GEMINA (The Illuminae Files #2)

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Release Date: October 18, 2016

Pages: 608

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Description:

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.

ILLUMINAE (The Illuminae Files #1)

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Release Date: April 25, 2017

Publisher: Ember

Pages: 624

Formats: Paperback

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, TBD,  Goodreads

Description:

It certainly filled the Battlestar Galactica-shaped hole in my heart.- --Victoria Aveyard, bestselling author of The Red Queen

Read the New York Times bestselling blockbuster that critics are calling -out-of-this-world awesome.- The first in an epic sci-fi series unlike anything else out there.

Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the worst thing she'd ever been through. That was before her planet was invaded. Now, with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating craft, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But the warship could be the least of their problems. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their biggest threat; and nobody in charge will say what's really going on. As Kady plunges into a web of data hacking to get to the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: Ezra.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents--including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more--Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Brace yourself, because you're about to be immersed in a mindscape that you'll never want to leave.- --Marie Lu, author of the bestselling Legend series

Prepare yourselves for Illuminae.- --EW.com

You're not in for an ordinary novel experience. . . .- --Bustle.com

A truly interactive experience. . . . A fantastically fun ride.- --MTV.com

I have been waiting anxiously for this book to release for about a year now. The first two books absolutely blew me away and I couldn't wait to see where Obsidio would take us. To be completely honest, I was crushed when I found out that this was only a trilogy and the final book in the series. I love this series so incredibly much that I want and wish that it would keep going. But it's not, so I'll attempt to wrangle my thoughts and emotions into a somewhat coherent review. Please bear with me.

As I mentioned before, this is one of my favorite series of all time. It has been ground-breaking, genre defying, and a uniquely original experience unlike any other I've ever come across. And I loved every second. I do have to admit that I was slightly disappointed in this final installment though. I think it has to do with some aspects of the plot that were present in the first two books but lacking in this one. I don't do spoilers, so I can't say much more. I'll just say that the first two had me on the edge of my seat, my mouth gaping open, and reading as fast as I could to see WTF was happening. That didn't happen with this book. There weren't any super unexpected twists or huge obstacles. It was straightforward in its approach. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that at all - I guess I was just hoping/expecting for that extra something I saw previously.

I do want to mention a few things that I especially loved about this book in particular. I love that we meet a whole new group of characters in the story, namely our main characters - Asha and Rhys. There have been a hero and heroine in each novel and they filled that role. An unexpected turn that I adored was our previous beloved main characters returning and uniting as one to finally take down BeiTech. I was so happy and excited to see Kady and Ezra, Hanna, Nik, and Ella again. It tied in together nicely with our new heroine (Asha) being cousins with our main heroine of the series (in my opinion) - Kady. I loved seeing them meet and work together to plan their final and only shot at making it back alive and making BeiTech pay for what had been happening on Kerenza IV. It was full of action and adventure, uncertainty, bravery and courage, sacrifice and hope. The story was packed with all of these things and more - from our main gang to other characters we haven't even gotten to know. I do have to admit that I may have cried a few times throughout the book, and those who read it can probably figure out when. It was a solid finish that wrapped up the series nicely and with total closure for the characters and the reader.

As I said above, this series has been mind blowing and ridiculously awesome. It's not like anything you've read or seen before - I promise. This series will remain one of my favorites of all time and I know I'll be re-reading them several times in the future. I honestly can't recommend or praise this book or series enough. It's perfect for any type of reader, regardless of your genre preference. Just pick up this series and dive in. I promise you won't regret it.

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World, and Illuminae, the first in a new series starting in 2015. She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and her favourite procrastination techniques involve chocolate, baking, sailing, excellent books and TV, plotting and executing overseas travel, and napping. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, their rescue dog, and her considerable library. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

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Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy. Part 3, ENDSINGER, is out now. He's also co-author of the upcoming ILLUMINAE (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015, and NEVERNIGHT, the first part of a new fantasy trilogy kicking off in 2016.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.