Unearthed (Unearthed #1)

I picked this book up on the promise of a poster at a bookshop. I said i want to read that book! Now ive read it im not so sure. (I didnt realize at the the time that it was YA but this is not my first…) they say dont judge a book by its cover!

I really never felt comfortable with the toggling viewpoints of the protagonists. There was way too much interior monologue (and too repetitive IMHO).

I was also not understanding the world for too long which made me constantly search for some grounding.

Finally the tech need for an energy source fell flat for me. The Earth has an infinite energy source in the sun, so unless thats gone out theres no need to search the galaxy for more (were switching to solar rapidly already!)

All in all Id say the book is a bit of a clunker. Slow build up (with an unreasonable amount of repetition) combined with an unsatisfactory ending.

I had some really high expectations for this book. The cover looks amazing and the co-authors are also pretty fabulous. Whats more, the premise sounded really exciting; almost like a sci-fi Indiana Jones sort of adventure. Also, the last amazing YA sci-fi I had read was Gemina, so I was really looking forward to this one. Even though this book was good, I cant say that it lived up to expectations.

Amelia and Jules were fairly likable although not all that complex as individuals. They each had their own endearing quirks and charm but their backstories were pretty limited in that any reference to their past had only to do with their motivations of the now. Theres not much to know about each character besides their intentions and their current feelings, which made it kind of hard to tell what kind of people they would be outside of a dire situation.

And I have to admit I wasnt all that invested in their romance. I understand that those who face the same danger are brought closer together simply based on their need to survive and rely on one another, but their connection just didnt feel all that natural, and it kind of felt like their torrid romance was more the focus of the book rather than the actual plot of adventure and discovery. On nearly every page the two are thinking about the other and it gets boring real quick.

Speaking of boring, thats what this book was: boring. All the way up until the exciting end, the story was really slow going. The authors spend half the time setting up the lore of this futuristic world but dont really go into detail and give much explanation. The world-building is almost there but didnt quite make it. Who are the Undying, really? And whats with the space expedition that failed? I cant really tell you.

And then the other half is spent on montaging past or accelerating through scenarios that SHOULD be suspenseful and adrenaline-inducing. Too often the puzzles were glossed over and the traps were repetitive and not all that interesting. The focus, as I said before, was too much on Mia and Juless ever-shifting relationship and their distrust of but yearning for one another.

The ending was the saving grace for this book. It was action-packed and thrilling and the very end (the very last paragraph) was actually a huge shock that makes me want to read more.

There are problems with this book, sure, but its by no means bad. Its well written, the characters are cool and relatable, and the mystery of the Undying keeps you wondering. Its just kind of boring, is all. Ill read the next book and hopefully, theres more action and excitement!

This was highly entertaining from beginning to end. I love the whole Tomb Raider aspect of the story. The characters were well developed as well except I didn’t like the romance at all. It was so quick and even though I liked the characters I didn’t sense really any chemistry between the two of them. I have felt that way in the last series by these two authors. The romances are like love at first sight and I just don’t believe in that concept. The story and plot though was excellent. I felt like I was apart of the journey and I found myself trying to piece together the puzzles and mysteries. I thought the world building was really put together as well. I have been finding that I highly enjoy stories set in space because space is so endless and there are hundreds of possibilities. I would highly recommend this to any looking for and easy Sci-Fi read because it is quite easy to understand and tons of fun. Looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up!

What an incredible book. So fast paced I couldn’t put it down: in about three hours I was breathless, shaking, and desperate for a sequel. I knew a twist was coming when there was so few pages left and so much that had to be resolved… but I didn’t expect it to end like THAT.

I loved everything about this book. The characters were fabulous: I was instantly connected both with Jules and Amelia, despite them being so different. While both started with somewhat selfish goals, they were shown to be more selfless than was shown on. They made me feel for them, and the plight of our planet Earth, which had declined so far.

The authors truly managed to create a compelling world. Using a catastrophe of such a massive scale to turn mankind’s eyes away from the stars, to scorn curiosity and search only for short-term relief; that was insanely clever. We can see that Kaufman and Spooner have such a smart view of anthropology and archaeology, looking back on our own species as scientists. Weaving math into a new language was brilliant.

The logic tests were fun to follow, and I can see why many people have called this book Indiana Jones in space. I need a movie of this, and a sequel!

It was amazing. Had me in the edge of my set and book 2 answers all the questions you are left with

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member