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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Well now, I have to say this is very different than the first book. Like many others I was disappointed in them getting away from the alien archeology that made the first book so great. The first third of this book just kind of felt off because of the shift in direction. By the 2nd third I was hooked in for the ride though. Mia and Jules are still great protagonists even in the early goings of this sequel, and I love reading their interactions and conversations.
In the end the book wrapped up nicely, even if a little too cleanly. I'm rounding up to 4 stars, but it's closer to 3.5 to be honest
In the end the book wrapped up nicely, even if a little too cleanly. I'm rounding up to 4 stars, but it's closer to 3.5 to be honest
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
More of a 3.5 I think. Don’t get me wrong, I love Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner but for some reason this didn’t really land with me (as much as I love Jules and I loved the first book). Maybe it was the predictability of it or the overall plot driven nature of it all, but wasn’t my favorite.
It wasn’t as spacey as I liked about the first book, but that was just the nature of the story. It was much more YA than I remember the first book being and the romance, though developed, still seemed oddly spontaneous and out of place at times. I missed the sci-fi, constant action of the first book and though I am satisfied with my reading experience and the ending, I’m a little disappointed with just HOW easy it all seemed (and yet frustrating beyond measure).
I’m glad I finally mustered the willpower to just pick up this book and finishing it after so long and I’m excited to see what’s next for Amie and Meg.
“Onward, if you dare.”
It wasn’t as spacey as I liked about the first book, but that was just the nature of the story. It was much more YA than I remember the first book being and the romance, though developed, still seemed oddly spontaneous and out of place at times. I missed the sci-fi, constant action of the first book and though I am satisfied with my reading experience and the ending, I’m a little disappointed with just HOW easy it all seemed (and yet frustrating beyond measure).
I’m glad I finally mustered the willpower to just pick up this book and finishing it after so long and I’m excited to see what’s next for Amie and Meg.
“Onward, if you dare.”
This was a good conclusion to the story that commenced in Unearthed. It lacked the fun Indianna Jones in space vibe of the first book as Jules & Mia return to earth in a desperate race to stop the Others from taking over the planet but somehow I liked it better. Jules & Mia are a great team and cute together (altho it takes them a good long while to sort out their does he/she 'like' me angst).
"Our planet is an insignificant speck, when set against the scale of our galaxy. But the fact that we are tiny, and alone, and yet we survive--that does not make us insignificant. It makes us magnificent."
So... controversial opinion here, but I liked this more than the first book. I know - I know! - but it's true. And that's not to say that I disliked the first book; I actually found it quite fun. The whole "Indiana Jones in space" vibe was super interesting to me. I loved reading about Jules and Mia cracking all these codes and puzzles in this 50,000 year old temple, and after the cliffhanger ending, I was pretty intrigued and ready to pick this one up.
Then I made a silly mistake. I added it on here to mark as currently reading, and the top reviews that were showing on the page were people saying they thought it was a let-down. So it sort of sucked the wind out of my sails, and every time I would go to pick it up to read, I just sort of felt like I needed to prepare myself not to like it. Which is so dumb - I'm so mad at myself for going into this expecting it to be disappointing. It put me in such a weird reading slump where I wanted to be reading but just... didn't at the same time, and I feel so silly for letting other people's opinions impact mine so much before I even started this book! But the first night I really picked it up and sat down to give it a chance, I read 200 pages in one sitting.
Guys, I really enjoyed this sequel, okay? My biggest issue with the first book was that it just focused too much on the 'insta-love' trope between Mia and Jules. They were busy thinking about how hot the other one was when their lives were literally on the line. But this book! There's so much other stuff going on, and 3 other major new characters to focus on as well, so there wasn't a lot of time for that. Don't get me wrong, they're still thinking about how their relationship will handle it all when the world either, y'know, ends or survives, but any time either character started thinking about it too much, they reeled themselves back in this one and would think something like, "I don't have the time to think about it right now." Which was a nice change! They felt more mature in this one, definitely. It was good character growth, which I suppose is to be expected when saving the world is on your shoulders.
I know some people also thought this book had too much of a 'happily ever after' ending, and... well, yeah, it sort of did. But man, sometimes I just like reading a story where things work out! I like it when our heroes win sometimes! I'm down for a good angsty story every now and then, but a happy ending never hurts once in a while. I thought the ending of this tied things up quite nicely, honestly. (Though I would not object to / would love to someday see a little novella or short story about everyone's lives post-world saving, and seeing how much Earth changed in the end, etc.)
Overall, I really liked some of the changes in this book. I liked seeing Mia and Jules grow up a bit. I really liked getting to know Neal and Dex and Atlanta more; I thought they all were interesting additions to our cast of characters. Part of me missed the book being set in space a bit, but I also really enjoyed the road trip sort of aspect of this one. It was different than the first book, yes, but it also felt like a natural follow up. The first book was focused a lot on getting back to Earth, and this one was all about saving it once they got back. Glad I finally got out of my head and read it!
Undying was always going to be at least a 4 star read. I’ve come to expect that much from Amie & Meagan. Even with that appraisal, however, I can’t help feeling disappointed.
The Summary
(Super big spoilers for Unearthed are in this review.)
Mia and Jules are trapped aboard the Undying ship, heading to Earth, with…the no-longer-dead Undyings. Who also happen to look very human. It’s a race against the warship to warn and hopefully save all of humanity from an alien invasion.
The Analysis
The best part of the first book was the mystery, and the mystery of the puzzles Jules and Mia needed to solve. There is mystery in this book too, but most is predictable enough that you’ll guess it long before all is revealed. And so, for me, this book fizzled. It has strengths, but it didn’t meet the standard set by the first book.
Where the book loses out, it makes up for it with speed, a dash of romance and a cool backstory.
Less experienced authors would stretch this series out for three or more books. As a duology, the authors set the perfect length for this story. It moves at just the right pace, with just the right amount of action
The will they, won’t they of Jules and Mia’s relationship simmers for most of the book, at no cost to the story. It doesn’t feel ill-timed in the face of many probable deaths, either.
The history of this world is really interesting, and sets a good example in showing how faulty memory becomes over time. Though distinctly sci-fi, the history of this Earth feels like something that could happen to our Earth. This adds to the experience.
If you loved Unearthed, this is a must-read. But if you are looking for a pitch-perfect follow-up, prepare for a slight disappointment toward this otherwise strong book.
The Summary
(Super big spoilers for Unearthed are in this review.)
Mia and Jules are trapped aboard the Undying ship, heading to Earth, with…the no-longer-dead Undyings. Who also happen to look very human. It’s a race against the warship to warn and hopefully save all of humanity from an alien invasion.
The Analysis
The best part of the first book was the mystery, and the mystery of the puzzles Jules and Mia needed to solve. There is mystery in this book too, but most is predictable enough that you’ll guess it long before all is revealed. And so, for me, this book fizzled. It has strengths, but it didn’t meet the standard set by the first book.
Where the book loses out, it makes up for it with speed, a dash of romance and a cool backstory.
Less experienced authors would stretch this series out for three or more books. As a duology, the authors set the perfect length for this story. It moves at just the right pace, with just the right amount of action
The will they, won’t they of Jules and Mia’s relationship simmers for most of the book, at no cost to the story. It doesn’t feel ill-timed in the face of many probable deaths, either.
The history of this world is really interesting, and sets a good example in showing how faulty memory becomes over time. Though distinctly sci-fi, the history of this Earth feels like something that could happen to our Earth. This adds to the experience.
If you loved Unearthed, this is a must-read. But if you are looking for a pitch-perfect follow-up, prepare for a slight disappointment toward this otherwise strong book.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Definitely followed the one-thing-after-another plot and events sequence of the first book, neither the characters nor the reader really get a chance to take a step back and slow down, though it holds your attention very well. The time-travel aspect was interesting , as there are already so many other physics-theories about how time passes in different parts of space that it seemed like they put in extra work to make one of their own. The romance aspect was a bit more grounded this time, mostly because there was somewhat more of a foundation for it compared to the insta-love of the first book. Overall it was a fun duology and rather creative, I appreciated all of the ancient technology and science-fiction centered parts of the first one, which were somewhat lost in the relationships as this one read more like a heist novel that parades across Europe. It kept me interested and wrapped up the story neatly, a lot of fun.