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neveroutofbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The story was fun and fast paced during the second half, but the first half was repetitive and dull. The cliff hanger at the end really showed me that this book should only be one and it was split for no good reason but money. Sorry, but my ire was raised. I tried to rate the book based on the story and writing and not the greed.
truequeenofchaos's review against another edition
4.0
This novel was sold by the authors as “Lara Craft or Indiana Jones in space”, and while the crazy action/archeology scenes definitely seemed reminiscent of that, it didn’t quite live up to that level of awesomeness. This might be due to the fact that I couldn’t entirely wrap my head around one of the main puzzles in the temple. It’s just much easier to understand when I’m watching Indiana Jones solve it on a screen. But I will admit that I loved the whole archeology aspect of it, and I can personally say that I’ve never read a book about that. So props to Amie and Meagan for originality!
As for the first half of the story…it was kind of putting me to sleep. It’s not that it was slow or anything, because it was definitely pretty fast-paced. I just wasn’t digging the writing style and couldn’t connect with the characters at all. I have no idea why this was the case, but I just found the characters annoying and their instant attraction to each other didn’t help with this. But a little ways after the halfway mark, Unearthed really started to pick up!! There were just even more dire and crazy situations and I finally started to NOT hate the characters.
But towards the end, there were SO MANY PLOT TWISTS. Of course a bunch of them were predictable, but for the most part I was being shocked page after page. Quicksilverwhom is precious and I love would be very disappointed that I honestly didn't see that ending coming.
But seriously. That ending was crazy and shocking and what made me really enjoy the book.
Characters - 13/20
Plot line - 14/16
Originality - 15/16
Writing style - 10/16
Pace - 12/16
Ending - 16/16
80/100
4/5 stars
I'd recommend this novel to anyone that's a fan of sci-fi or the authors themselves. However, this cannot compare to The Illuminae Files. It was honestly very close to being a 3.5 star read but that ending really saved it. Now I’m very eager to see where things will lead in the next book.
As for the first half of the story…it was kind of putting me to sleep. It’s not that it was slow or anything, because it was definitely pretty fast-paced. I just wasn’t digging the writing style and couldn’t connect with the characters at all. I have no idea why this was the case, but I just found the characters annoying and their instant attraction to each other didn’t help with this. But a little ways after the halfway mark, Unearthed really started to pick up!! There were just even more dire and crazy situations and I finally started to NOT hate the characters.
But towards the end, there were SO MANY PLOT TWISTS. Of course a bunch of them were predictable, but for the most part I was being shocked page after page. Quicksilver
But seriously. That ending was crazy and shocking and what made me really enjoy the book.
Characters - 13/20
Plot line - 14/16
Originality - 15/16
Writing style - 10/16
Pace - 12/16
Ending - 16/16
80/100
4/5 stars
I'd recommend this novel to anyone that's a fan of sci-fi or the authors themselves. However, this cannot compare to The Illuminae Files. It was honestly very close to being a 3.5 star read but that ending really saved it. Now I’m very eager to see where things will lead in the next book.
malreynolds111's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advance copy from netgalley for a honest review. I was pleasently surprised by this book. Every time I though that I had the plot figured out there was another twist. Great start to a new series. Can't wait for the next book.
rachelbookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this book upon the knowledge that I was attending a book signing by the two authors and I am so glad that I did so. Pure Sci-Fi stories do not usually rise to the top of my TBR, but this action-packed romp had delightful twists and turns. I cannot say I expected the ending or many of the obstacles in front of the two protagonists, but that’s what made it so enjoyable. The tests were fun, Mia and Jules were both well developed and great to read about, and the ending was entirely unexpected. Great job to both authors and I look forward to the next installment. I’m not sure why this book took me so long to get through. I basically stopped reading it halfway through for no reason, but that loss of momentum was probably why it was docked a star. This story was easy to visualize and I see why it was optioned for a movie before its release. I recommend this to anyone looking for a lightly humorous adventure in space with strong protagonists.
bookmarvel's review against another edition
4.0
7/17
Not a fan of the romance, I feel like it’s just a bit unnecessary. It started from the very beginning and just grew.
7/21
Pretty mad at the twist plus cliffhanger ending, if you want to read it (which you totally should) you want to have the second book with you too. But it is a super cool book about aliens and their technology and language and world and stuff.
I kinda take back what I said about the romance, like it was a way that Mia and Jules became closer, but I think that it could’ve been just a strong platonic bond that formed over their journey and it didn’t necessarily have to be romantic. This is just the way my aro brain works now, noticing when romantic relationships don’t need to be romantic for the plot (or just complaining about them all the time, not sure which one).
Not a fan of the romance, I feel like it’s just a bit unnecessary. It started from the very beginning and just grew.
7/21
Pretty mad at the twist plus cliffhanger ending, if you want to read it (which you totally should) you want to have the second book with you too. But it is a super cool book about aliens and their technology and language and world and stuff.
I kinda take back what I said about the romance, like it was a way that Mia and Jules became closer, but I think that it could’ve been just a strong platonic bond that formed over their journey and it didn’t necessarily have to be romantic. This is just the way my aro brain works now, noticing when romantic relationships don’t need to be romantic for the plot (or just complaining about them all the time, not sure which one).
moonchildthereader's review against another edition
Dnf at 25%. This wasn´t my cup of tea, so I´ll leave off a rating, but basically, I wasn´t very interested in the story and I feel no urge to continue, and I have other books I would rather read.
haaayls's review against another edition
5.0
Let's just get it out of the way, this book was amazing. Unearthed is described as Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones.. In space. Like how can it get any better?
Unearthed is told from the POV of two MCs. Mia and Jules. Mia is a scavver who ends up on Gaia to try and get her hands on Undying tech to get money is order to help her sister. Jules on the other hand, is an academic who went to Gaia to help his father.
I loved the characters immediately. The way their relationship grew and the way their friendship was constantly tested, made me love them even more. While they both had very different personalties and thinking strategies, eventually they managed to work together to survive on a dangerous planet. There was a romance aspect to their relationship, however is wasn't cringey and didn't destroy the book!
Initially, I found the book difficult to get into but I'm not sure if that was the books fault. I felt the first part was very slow moving for me, but once I got about 1/3 of the way in, I read the remaining 2/3 in one sitting. Occasionally, I felt like I was overrun with information and often had to re-read bits and pieces but it wasn't necessarily bad. Once I understood the writing techniques, I managed to read it just fine.
As I said, the first 1/3 of the novel was slow moving, but the rest of the novel had a variety of twists and turns and some that I definitely did not see coming. And the ending? Holy crap, I can't wait for the second book and I'm somewhat mad about it, in the sense that I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS HOW DARE YOU!!!
The settings were also really well described and the puzzles Mia and Jules came along were so well done. At some points, the descriptions were so accurate I felt like I was trying to figure out the puzzle with them and there was a couple of scenes I was so nervous for them! Kaufman and Spooner have absolutely nailed this novel.
If you haven't read this book, you absolutely need to, especially if you are a lover of sci-fi, Lara Croft or Indiana Jones! It's a very fun novel with an interesting new take on saving the human race.
Unearthed is told from the POV of two MCs. Mia and Jules. Mia is a scavver who ends up on Gaia to try and get her hands on Undying tech to get money is order to help her sister. Jules on the other hand, is an academic who went to Gaia to help his father.
I loved the characters immediately. The way their relationship grew and the way their friendship was constantly tested, made me love them even more. While they both had very different personalties and thinking strategies, eventually they managed to work together to survive on a dangerous planet. There was a romance aspect to their relationship, however is wasn't cringey and didn't destroy the book!
Initially, I found the book difficult to get into but I'm not sure if that was the books fault. I felt the first part was very slow moving for me, but once I got about 1/3 of the way in, I read the remaining 2/3 in one sitting. Occasionally, I felt like I was overrun with information and often had to re-read bits and pieces but it wasn't necessarily bad. Once I understood the writing techniques, I managed to read it just fine.
As I said, the first 1/3 of the novel was slow moving, but the rest of the novel had a variety of twists and turns and some that I definitely did not see coming. And the ending? Holy crap, I can't wait for the second book and I'm somewhat mad about it, in the sense that I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS HOW DARE YOU!!!
The settings were also really well described and the puzzles Mia and Jules came along were so well done. At some points, the descriptions were so accurate I felt like I was trying to figure out the puzzle with them and there was a couple of scenes I was so nervous for them! Kaufman and Spooner have absolutely nailed this novel.
If you haven't read this book, you absolutely need to, especially if you are a lover of sci-fi, Lara Croft or Indiana Jones! It's a very fun novel with an interesting new take on saving the human race.
bmg20's review against another edition
3.0
“The worthy will rise into the stars . . .”
In a time when resources on Earth are limited, power grids are failing, and families are only allowed to have a single child, the discovery of an extinct alien race possessing the technology to make life a little less uncomplicated is a shining beacon of hope. Of course, traveling to a different galaxy to a planet named Gaia is the only requirement. Amelia Radcliffe is a scavenger, on Gaia illegally with the intent to obtain as much tech as she can to not only buy herself a ticket off the planet but to also buy her sister back from the servitude contract she’s locked in. Jules Addison is a scholar and is on Gaia with the hopes of decoding more of the alien language. His father, Dr. Elliott Addison, was the first to decode the message received from the alien race, and the first to realize that while their technology may benefit life on Earth, it may not be for the best in the long term. Jules seeks to find evidence that his father was right and to find out what dangers lie with the technology left by this race of mysterious beings. The two end up teaming up to work their way through the alien temple in hopes of uncovering a solution to both of their issues.
First things first, I read very little YA these days but there was something extremely fun about this book that I enjoyed right off the bat. I found positive and negative aspects both in this story but I felt they balanced each other out, still making this an entertaining tale. It was very Mission to Mars (2000) meets Indiana Jones and while there was a budding romance that built up quickly, it never overtook the plot like some YA romances tend to do. I honestly didn’t buy how quickly they reached the point that they do by the end of the novel, but for some reason, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment as a whole. The characterization was nicely balanced with snarky, badass Amelia and prim and proper Jules, although at times it was hard to differentiate between the two because each would tell the story from their point of view in alternating chapters. The inclusion of puzzles as the duo worked their way through the alien temple was a ton of fun, although it was often vaguely written and hard to visualize exactly what they were dealing with. There was a lot of internal dialogue that I felt could have been cut out a lot, resulting in more actual conversation, and towards the end, I felt like stuff started getting to be a bit repetitive and/or drawn out for no particular reason leading to that inevitable cliffhanger. My overall enjoyment certainly lessened by the time I finished but the cliffhanger ending was incredibly curious without that predictable reveal of “I knew that’s what was happening” sort of reveal.
Despite this being yet another typical “teenagers save the world” sort of story, this puzzle of a plot is enough to get a reader invested into sticking around for the second part of this novel that won’t be released until 2019.
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In a time when resources on Earth are limited, power grids are failing, and families are only allowed to have a single child, the discovery of an extinct alien race possessing the technology to make life a little less uncomplicated is a shining beacon of hope. Of course, traveling to a different galaxy to a planet named Gaia is the only requirement. Amelia Radcliffe is a scavenger, on Gaia illegally with the intent to obtain as much tech as she can to not only buy herself a ticket off the planet but to also buy her sister back from the servitude contract she’s locked in. Jules Addison is a scholar and is on Gaia with the hopes of decoding more of the alien language. His father, Dr. Elliott Addison, was the first to decode the message received from the alien race, and the first to realize that while their technology may benefit life on Earth, it may not be for the best in the long term. Jules seeks to find evidence that his father was right and to find out what dangers lie with the technology left by this race of mysterious beings. The two end up teaming up to work their way through the alien temple in hopes of uncovering a solution to both of their issues.
First things first, I read very little YA these days but there was something extremely fun about this book that I enjoyed right off the bat. I found positive and negative aspects both in this story but I felt they balanced each other out, still making this an entertaining tale. It was very Mission to Mars (2000) meets Indiana Jones and while there was a budding romance that built up quickly, it never overtook the plot like some YA romances tend to do. I honestly didn’t buy how quickly they reached the point that they do by the end of the novel, but for some reason, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment as a whole. The characterization was nicely balanced with snarky, badass Amelia and prim and proper Jules, although at times it was hard to differentiate between the two because each would tell the story from their point of view in alternating chapters. The inclusion of puzzles as the duo worked their way through the alien temple was a ton of fun, although it was often vaguely written and hard to visualize exactly what they were dealing with. There was a lot of internal dialogue that I felt could have been cut out a lot, resulting in more actual conversation, and towards the end, I felt like stuff started getting to be a bit repetitive and/or drawn out for no particular reason leading to that inevitable cliffhanger. My overall enjoyment certainly lessened by the time I finished but the cliffhanger ending was incredibly curious without that predictable reveal of “I knew that’s what was happening” sort of reveal.
Despite this being yet another typical “teenagers save the world” sort of story, this puzzle of a plot is enough to get a reader invested into sticking around for the second part of this novel that won’t be released until 2019.
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
dannimaxwellbabcock's review against another edition
4.0
More like a 3.5 star rating, but over all good. I just felt it was a bit slow and info dumpy, but I did enjoy it. AND WHAT EVEN WAS THAT ENDING