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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Simply being on the planet of Gaia is illegal, the last thing scavenger Amelia Radcliffe, "Mia" to her friends, needs is the interference of a self righteous, and a bit bumbling, academic - namely one Jules Addison. It is with some hesitation and a few secrets that the two team up to reach one of the Temples left behind by the planet's former occupants, The Undying. There are puzzles to solve, and mercenaries to dodge - and everything seems to want to kill the pair. I appreciated the cli-fi and dystopian elements, as well as the continued moral ambiguity in study and exploration for it's own sake, and needing to make giant technological leaps with disregard for the consequences to save a dying planet. As an adult reader found a few of the plot twists a bit predictable. This did not deter me from running head first over the cliffhanger of an ending. This is a fabulous Indiana Jones style adventure, full of twists, and betrayal, and will have all readers screaming to the stars for book two.
I loved the Starbound books so no surprise I really enjoyed this one as well! Devastated at the cliffhanger ending of course, but this was such an interesting read and really enjoyed the space exploration archaeology stuff in it. I’m so excited for the next book and cannot wait for the rest of this series.
WHATWHATWHATisthatending !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, though. I've got theories. And now that I'm finally writing a review after finishing this book back in AUGUST, I don't remember much about the book itself. But I did enjoy it a hella lot. It really is Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones in space. Mia and Jules are polar opposites. They care about different things. One wants to preserve the history and restore his family name, and the other just wants to survive and save her sister. They make an unlikely duo, but it WORKS. This is a slower-paced novel that wasn't always easy for me to follow (this is why I'm not a science fiction person), but I was intrigued by everything. It had the feel of the past but was set in the future. It was full of intensity and discovery and archaeology fun. And I'm dying for the sequel!
Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!
Seriously, though. I've got theories. And now that I'm finally writing a review after finishing this book back in AUGUST, I don't remember much about the book itself. But I did enjoy it a hella lot. It really is Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones in space. Mia and Jules are polar opposites. They care about different things. One wants to preserve the history and restore his family name, and the other just wants to survive and save her sister. They make an unlikely duo, but it WORKS. This is a slower-paced novel that wasn't always easy for me to follow (this is why I'm not a science fiction person), but I was intrigued by everything. It had the feel of the past but was set in the future. It was full of intensity and discovery and archaeology fun. And I'm dying for the sequel!
Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!
Review originally posted eons ago on my blog / allieereads.com
The Almighty Duo are back at it again! Kick-ass female protagonist? Check. Awesome as hell male protagonist? Check. Breath-taking, edge-of-your-seat action? Check. Space? DOUBLE CHECK.
Ok, so if you don't know by now, I'm an Australian book blogger, so I was lucky enough to get my hands on this book last year! I was honoured to be able to attend the Dymocks Melbourne book launch and signing event on November, 27th of 2017...where I met Amie and Meagan (briefly) and they signed my book!!!! *fangirling*.
I remained cool and calm and completely collected.
I thought to wait to review Unearthed until its international release, so we can all join hands and kumbaya together because damn this book held me hostage. I have to preface this review by stating that this book is a fantastic, compelling, deeply intricate and intense read.
Kaufman and Spooner are an incredible writing team, and the writing of this novel is impeccable. The characters, the universe, the conspiracy, and the action, are intricately written with a universe that is multi-faceted, unique and slightly dystopian. The reader is dropped into a universe where Earth is dying, people are fleeing their cities because of lack of resources, and space exploration as one of the only possible ways for humans to continue to exist. With space exploration comes the prospect of space or planet colonisation, if it is found that Earth cannot at all handle human life. Unearthed tells the story of Amelia Radcliffe and Jules Addison, in the aftermath of the International Alliance (IA) intercepting and decoding an alien transmission thought to have been long-ago extinct. As a result, raiders like Amelia and academics like Jules, bombard the planet Gaia as stealthily as possible in order to either get the treasure to gain money or, in the case of Jules, figure out the meaning of the secret message in the alien transmission and what it might mean for the future of Earth.
I am finding it quite difficult to articulate coherently how much Unearthed caught me by surprise and left me in utter awe. Amelia Radcliffe is a very strong and courageous woman who has such an incredible strength of will and conviction. One of the qualities I absolutely adored of Mia, was that she was unafraid to be afraid; she openly states her fear but uses her fear as a strength to continue with her mission and help Jules. She is not abrasive, which I enjoyed, she was strong-willed and believable. I adored her character and I adored the snippets of personal history that is shared, in order to create a three-dimensional, fully developed character.
Jules Addison is the male protagonist in Unearthed and I love him. Where do I start? I might have to say that Jules Addison has now made my top five of the most incredibly adorable male leads in a novel. He is such a unique and interesting character, and I felt that his character development was slightly more flushed out than Mia’s. I would describe him as a quiet badass, who loves archaeology, loves history, but most of all, he loves his father. He has such courage that the reader observes in small increments until he is falling into a space portal and you think, damn, he is stronger than he thinks. Jules grew up in quite a privileged position, with academic parents in Oxford, with education and with an abundance of resources, as those with some money do. Thus, Jules and Mia are from opposite sides of the socio-economic border, and it does show in instances of hilarity.
Unearthed is a fast-paced read, where action abounds and conspiracies threaten to overwhelm. As I was reading this novel, I was getting hardcore Indiana Jones slash Lara Croft vibes with a side dish of Star Trek, and it was completely and utterly compelling. Thus, I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend everyone who is a fan of YA, a fan of sci-fi and a fan of incredibly written and complex narratives, to read Unearthed and leave me a comment on what you thought.
The Almighty Duo are back at it again! Kick-ass female protagonist? Check. Awesome as hell male protagonist? Check. Breath-taking, edge-of-your-seat action? Check. Space? DOUBLE CHECK.
Ok, so if you don't know by now, I'm an Australian book blogger, so I was lucky enough to get my hands on this book last year! I was honoured to be able to attend the Dymocks Melbourne book launch and signing event on November, 27th of 2017...where I met Amie and Meagan (briefly) and they signed my book!!!! *fangirling*.
I remained cool and calm and completely collected.
I thought to wait to review Unearthed until its international release, so we can all join hands and kumbaya together because damn this book held me hostage. I have to preface this review by stating that this book is a fantastic, compelling, deeply intricate and intense read.
Kaufman and Spooner are an incredible writing team, and the writing of this novel is impeccable. The characters, the universe, the conspiracy, and the action, are intricately written with a universe that is multi-faceted, unique and slightly dystopian. The reader is dropped into a universe where Earth is dying, people are fleeing their cities because of lack of resources, and space exploration as one of the only possible ways for humans to continue to exist. With space exploration comes the prospect of space or planet colonisation, if it is found that Earth cannot at all handle human life. Unearthed tells the story of Amelia Radcliffe and Jules Addison, in the aftermath of the International Alliance (IA) intercepting and decoding an alien transmission thought to have been long-ago extinct. As a result, raiders like Amelia and academics like Jules, bombard the planet Gaia as stealthily as possible in order to either get the treasure to gain money or, in the case of Jules, figure out the meaning of the secret message in the alien transmission and what it might mean for the future of Earth.
I am finding it quite difficult to articulate coherently how much Unearthed caught me by surprise and left me in utter awe. Amelia Radcliffe is a very strong and courageous woman who has such an incredible strength of will and conviction. One of the qualities I absolutely adored of Mia, was that she was unafraid to be afraid; she openly states her fear but uses her fear as a strength to continue with her mission and help Jules. She is not abrasive, which I enjoyed, she was strong-willed and believable. I adored her character and I adored the snippets of personal history that is shared, in order to create a three-dimensional, fully developed character.
Jules Addison is the male protagonist in Unearthed and I love him. Where do I start? I might have to say that Jules Addison has now made my top five of the most incredibly adorable male leads in a novel. He is such a unique and interesting character, and I felt that his character development was slightly more flushed out than Mia’s. I would describe him as a quiet badass, who loves archaeology, loves history, but most of all, he loves his father. He has such courage that the reader observes in small increments until he is falling into a space portal and you think, damn, he is stronger than he thinks. Jules grew up in quite a privileged position, with academic parents in Oxford, with education and with an abundance of resources, as those with some money do. Thus, Jules and Mia are from opposite sides of the socio-economic border, and it does show in instances of hilarity.
Unearthed is a fast-paced read, where action abounds and conspiracies threaten to overwhelm. As I was reading this novel, I was getting hardcore Indiana Jones slash Lara Croft vibes with a side dish of Star Trek, and it was completely and utterly compelling. Thus, I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend everyone who is a fan of YA, a fan of sci-fi and a fan of incredibly written and complex narratives, to read Unearthed and leave me a comment on what you thought.
Archaeology! In space! What’s not to love about that?
In brief: Mia and Jules are two teens on a deserted alien planet, after secrets that could make or break the future. The problem? Mia wants to loot the temples for profit, Jules wants to study them for knowledge, and circumstances have forced them together.
Full disclosure: this was a reading copy which I received through work, with the expectation that I would like it enough to review it and then order it for stock. Since it’s a Kaufman-Spooner collab, I don’t think I need to worry about it going unordered. The book will be out January 9, 2018.
Thoughts: I haven’t read one of Kaufman and Spooner’s novels before and from all the talk online, knew to expect something noteworthy in the SF vein but nothing else. Having read this, I think I see why their books get so much buzz. The characters feel real and interesting. The world-building rocks. The writing is strong enough to not only carry the characters’ voices and keep me flipping pages, but also to build this oppressive, tense mood through the adventure. There’s diversity and talk about inequality without becoming One Of Those Novels. The plot is tight and unexpected things happen almost continually.
I’m not going to talk about the story much because that tight plot means that everything after about chapter two is a spoiler and books are never as interesting if you know what twists are coming. I will say that I enjoyed the read a lot, more than I expected to, though I didn’t love it. (See: not the target audience, kind of picky when it comes to ratings.) Would heartily recommend, though, even if you’re not a Kaufman-Spooner fan already. They might just make you one.
Warnings: Threats of sexual assault.
7/10
Full disclosure: this was a reading copy which I received through work, with the expectation that I would like it enough to review it and then order it for stock. Since it’s a Kaufman-Spooner collab, I don’t think I need to worry about it going unordered. The book will be out January 9, 2018.
Thoughts: I haven’t read one of Kaufman and Spooner’s novels before and from all the talk online, knew to expect something noteworthy in the SF vein but nothing else. Having read this, I think I see why their books get so much buzz. The characters feel real and interesting. The world-building rocks. The writing is strong enough to not only carry the characters’ voices and keep me flipping pages, but also to build this oppressive, tense mood through the adventure. There’s diversity and talk about inequality without becoming One Of Those Novels. The plot is tight and unexpected things happen almost continually.
I’m not going to talk about the story much because that tight plot means that everything after about chapter two is a spoiler and books are never as interesting if you know what twists are coming. I will say that I enjoyed the read a lot, more than I expected to, though I didn’t love it. (See: not the target audience, kind of picky when it comes to ratings.) Would heartily recommend, though, even if you’re not a Kaufman-Spooner fan already. They might just make you one.
Warnings: Threats of sexual assault.
7/10
Kaufman and Spooner are pros at givings us quality duos. I loved Jules and Mia. I will admit I got a little bored during some of the puzzle and action sequences. I didn't always feel totally connected to what was going on in terms of stakes for those bits, and some weren't particularly exciting for me? I bought Jules and Mia's "I wants," their driving factors. But those factors while always at play, didn't always feel as active in some of the sequences I personally found a little slower. But that ending! Great ending, and based on what it sets up I think the second book will be a little more my speed.
Definitely YA, though thankfully the romance isn't of the annoyingly unnecessary or overeager variety. The story is fun and fast-paced, and quite intriguing. The plot twist was a major twist (to me) - totally didn't see it coming. Huge downside? Cliffhanger. Not even a "half-off but scrambling up" cliffhanger with some sort of resolution, but a "barely hanging on by a single fingernail and one big toe" kind of ending.
Having said that - I did enjoy the story, and this will make it on to my shortlist of sequels to read ASAP.
Having said that - I did enjoy the story, and this will make it on to my shortlist of sequels to read ASAP.