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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This could've easily been a single book, but the most interesting part (after hundreds of pages of stale, will-they-won't-they-trust-each-other plot) comes at the very end of the book. When you don't have enough story to sustain two books, it shows on the page. This suffered badly from filler. I would've been more interested in it if the storytelling had been tighter.
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“When we allow ourselves to explore, we discover destinations that were never on our map.”
I don't know how I feel about this book. I love Amie Kaufman's & Megan Spooner's Starbound series to DEATH and I CAN'T FREACKING WAIT for Obsidio, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff's Illuminae Files trilogy final book this month, so I was pretty excited and with high expectations for this book - because, honestly, another trilogy from these two amazing writers AND it's a Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft IN SPACE! What's not to be excited about?
And sure, the book is fun and entertaining. I liked the whole concept (even though at times I would be a little confused) and it was a quick read - I found myself enjoying the mystery & puzzle solving aspect of the story. But I though the 'challenges' were too easy, the whole thing didn't make much sense and, idk, although I loved the main characters, I wasn't as invested in them. The plot twists weren't as surprising as in the previous trilogies and some I could see coming a mile away. The ending, though, had a "The Arrival" kind of feel that left interested in knowing what will happen next.
But what I think really threw me off was the romance aspect. In the Starbound trilogy, the romance between the main characters were nicely done, it felt natural and well timed. Here, it felt insta-lovey and forced, and it dominated too much of the book, eclipsing some other, more important aspects. I think the authors kind of inverted the order of the things with Mia and Jules - if they started out distrusting and kind of hating each other (like it happened later on) and then, due to everything they went through together, they started developing feelings, I think I would have digged it and it would be more believable. But right off the bat, both of them felt too lovey dovey towards the other, and it messed up the dynamic and the tone of the novel.
Still, on it's own, both characters are realistic and relatable and I loved them both (just not together, at least not in this first installment).
Well, let's see where this is headed in the second and final book! Crossing my fingers that Amie and Megan will manage to surprise me and make me fall for this series as much as I did the Starbound & Illuminae trilogies!
3.5 stars
Ehhhhhh. It wasn't as good as some of the other books they've written, but I'm still going to read the next book.
Ehhhhhh. It wasn't as good as some of the other books they've written, but I'm still going to read the next book.
EXPLAIN THAT CLIFFHANGER
EXPLAIN IT NOW
I NEED EXPLANATIONS
WHAT THE HECKITY HECK I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2019?!?!??!?!
EXPLAIN IT NOW
I NEED EXPLANATIONS
WHAT THE HECKITY HECK I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2019?!?!??!?!
Spoiler
Also it's time travel, right? ... Or maybe I've watched Interstellar too many times?
This is swashbuckling science fiction you’ll enjoy immensely, and you’ll find comfort in the fact that there’s a second book in the duology. Based on how this one ends, that second book is necessary.
Amelia Radcliffe is a scavenger. Because climate change has rendered the United States largely uninhabitable without scavenging things from space, people like Amelia are necessary if people are to live.
Jules Addison is a young man who landed on a planet once populated by an ancient civilization who left puzzle and mathematical clues for humans to help them prevent the destruction of their race. He’s crucial to the book because his dad originally decoded broadcasts left by this civilization to warn humans of their pending doom. Jules and Amelia make an unusual team by every measure. She’s the scavenger who landed on the planet to find things of value that she can return to Earth to ransom her little sister from a life of drudgery and horror. He’s the academic who wants to study things and preserve the treasure he finds for future generations.
But it is this odd pairing that makes the book fun. Amelia is a fiercely strong independent young woman with real street smarts. He’s the bookish genius who will fail and die without her. But she needs him to decode the messages they find as they explore the ancient structures built by that alien civilization.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and its narration. Alex McKenna exhibited a bit too much vocal fry to suit me, but it didn’t render the book unreadable. Steve West was the perfect Jules Addison with that British accent that was real indeed.
Amelia Radcliffe is a scavenger. Because climate change has rendered the United States largely uninhabitable without scavenging things from space, people like Amelia are necessary if people are to live.
Jules Addison is a young man who landed on a planet once populated by an ancient civilization who left puzzle and mathematical clues for humans to help them prevent the destruction of their race. He’s crucial to the book because his dad originally decoded broadcasts left by this civilization to warn humans of their pending doom. Jules and Amelia make an unusual team by every measure. She’s the scavenger who landed on the planet to find things of value that she can return to Earth to ransom her little sister from a life of drudgery and horror. He’s the academic who wants to study things and preserve the treasure he finds for future generations.
But it is this odd pairing that makes the book fun. Amelia is a fiercely strong independent young woman with real street smarts. He’s the bookish genius who will fail and die without her. But she needs him to decode the messages they find as they explore the ancient structures built by that alien civilization.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and its narration. Alex McKenna exhibited a bit too much vocal fry to suit me, but it didn’t render the book unreadable. Steve West was the perfect Jules Addison with that British accent that was real indeed.
I wasn't really in the mood for Sci-Fi when I picked this book up but I had to read it this month for The Biblio Squad. So I found the beginning to be a bit slow and when I finished I wasn't sure what to rate this book but now that I've slept on it, I really enjoyed this book and there wasn't anything I didn't like, so it deserves 5 stars.
It's an interesting story and has it progresses so much gets revealed and added on top of an already hectic story and I was really amazed with where it went and I really want to read the next one because Shit just got real.
Mia was a good character and she is very resourceful and does get out of most situations by talking her way out. She also cares so much for her sister and it's beautiful.
Jules was also great and total opposite to Mia. He studies most of the time and doesn't have a lot of experience with treasure hunting and all that outdoorsie stuff but he did really well.
They made a good team and it made for an excellent story.
It's an interesting story and has it progresses so much gets revealed and added on top of an already hectic story and I was really amazed with where it went and I really want to read the next one because Shit just got real.
Mia was a good character and she is very resourceful and does get out of most situations by talking her way out. She also cares so much for her sister and it's beautiful.
Jules was also great and total opposite to Mia. He studies most of the time and doesn't have a lot of experience with treasure hunting and all that outdoorsie stuff but he did really well.
They made a good team and it made for an excellent story.