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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Trigger warnings: violence, death of a friend.
So it's probably no secret by now that archaeology in space ticks basically all of my boxes. And in the case of [b:Unearthed|25446297|Unearthed (Unearthed, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495338043s/25446297.jpg|45210048], I was hooked from page 1 and loved every second of it. The premise of this - terracotta warriors are found on planets all over the galaxy - was SO GREAT but unfortunately this just...didn't work for me.
It took a long ass time to get going, and there was a lot of focus on how space travel worked and how time passed during space travel. And honestly? I didn't give a shit. Does Star Wars dedicate time to telling us about how the Millennium Falcon can travel at light speed? Nope. It just does. Same goes with Doctor Who. It's just wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. Sci-fi doesn't NEED explanations of how things work. Just tell the audience it works and most of them will go along with it.
This felt bogged down by the scientific details and that got in the way of me caring about the characters. It also made the story feel incredibly slow. Will I read the next book in the series? I mean, probably. But on the whole, this was just sort of...meh. And that makes me sad because I was so very much hoping I'd love it.
So it's probably no secret by now that archaeology in space ticks basically all of my boxes. And in the case of [b:Unearthed|25446297|Unearthed (Unearthed, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495338043s/25446297.jpg|45210048], I was hooked from page 1 and loved every second of it. The premise of this - terracotta warriors are found on planets all over the galaxy - was SO GREAT but unfortunately this just...didn't work for me.
It took a long ass time to get going, and there was a lot of focus on how space travel worked and how time passed during space travel. And honestly? I didn't give a shit. Does Star Wars dedicate time to telling us about how the Millennium Falcon can travel at light speed? Nope. It just does. Same goes with Doctor Who. It's just wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. Sci-fi doesn't NEED explanations of how things work. Just tell the audience it works and most of them will go along with it.
This felt bogged down by the scientific details and that got in the way of me caring about the characters. It also made the story feel incredibly slow. Will I read the next book in the series? I mean, probably. But on the whole, this was just sort of...meh. And that makes me sad because I was so very much hoping I'd love it.
Getting stuck in traffic while holiday is horrendous, but mostly manageable when you have a book as captivating as this.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief
Loved reading this book again! Such a great read, loved seeing Lyra and Niall's early interactions!
*First Read November 29th, 2018*
Wow, this book was so freaking fantastic! I loved the world, the characters, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen next!
*First Read November 29th, 2018*
Wow, this book was so freaking fantastic! I loved the world, the characters, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen next!
Now that was surprisingly awesome!
Why surprising? Well, I struggled at the start. My biggest hurdle? Physics. I'm more of a biology nerd and never quite reached the same level of "ahh, I get it" with physics. My brain couldn't fully immerse itself in the story while part of it was still trying to understand how time worked. The first third of the book was a lot of setting up the world and trying to explain time dilation and what it meant for relationships with other people. And to be honest, I still don't completely get it, but I think it eventually became just a Thing to Accept rather than something I could understand.
But then things started to look up, and my engagement in the story gradually increased the more other mysteries arose. Physics, I'm not sold on, but throw in some ancient history, computer hacking, and even some paranormal-biology mash, and I am there. There were so many threads working through this story, slowly connecting, and Snyder managed to make them all work while keeping me hypothesising on all fronts straight through. I loved it. My brain was positively tingling with all the puzzles thrown around for it to work out. And I'm so proud of myself for working one of them out a while before the big reveal.
Adding to the excitement was a lot of action. With not just one threat to consider once on the new planet, Lyra and co. were kept on their toes. People actually got hurt in this, including Lyra. People died! The ending was particularly intense, so much so that I may have shooed away my mom...
Lyra herself was great because she was real. She didn't know what she wanted to do and didn't let others box her in. She tested boundaries and had some snark about it her, but she was also very aware of her adolescent status and who had authority. She also reacted to what was happening, showing fear and grief and so on. It was inspiring to read about a teenager who did get freaked out and feel woozy, but who also tried to help regardless.
I loved her relationship with her parents, who actually acted like parents. They kept an eye on her, set rules and punished disobedience, and they showed they cared about her in many ways, sometimes too much. I also loved how her mom was clearly In Charge while her dad had to sometimes rein in his pride when she did something reckless but with great results.
There was a hate-to-love romance in here that I, naturally, was very happy about. It was a gradual thing at first, and I loved how Lyra almost didn't know what was going on. Somehow, Snyder managed to capture the giddiness of a new relationship and the heat while also countering it with...well...parents. Awkward sex talk anyone? But seriously, Lyra and her special friend were so adorable and so supportive of each other, and I loved it.
So yes, surprising. And while the ending brought some answers, there is still so much to resolve, so I'll be anxiously awaiting the second book. If you like your sci-fi with some action, mystery, and a dash of romance, consider trying this out.
PS – I've been to Xi'an and here are some warrior replicas that made their way to my mom's garden in South Africa!
Why surprising? Well, I struggled at the start. My biggest hurdle? Physics. I'm more of a biology nerd and never quite reached the same level of "ahh, I get it" with physics. My brain couldn't fully immerse itself in the story while part of it was still trying to understand how time worked. The first third of the book was a lot of setting up the world and trying to explain time dilation and what it meant for relationships with other people. And to be honest, I still don't completely get it, but I think it eventually became just a Thing to Accept rather than something I could understand.
But then things started to look up, and my engagement in the story gradually increased the more other mysteries arose. Physics, I'm not sold on, but throw in some ancient history, computer hacking, and even some paranormal-biology mash, and I am there. There were so many threads working through this story, slowly connecting, and Snyder managed to make them all work while keeping me hypothesising on all fronts straight through. I loved it. My brain was positively tingling with all the puzzles thrown around for it to work out. And I'm so proud of myself for working one of them out a while before the big reveal.
Adding to the excitement was a lot of action. With not just one threat to consider once on the new planet, Lyra and co. were kept on their toes. People actually got hurt in this, including Lyra. People died! The ending was particularly intense, so much so that I may have shooed away my mom...
Lyra herself was great because she was real. She didn't know what she wanted to do and didn't let others box her in. She tested boundaries and had some snark about it her, but she was also very aware of her adolescent status and who had authority. She also reacted to what was happening, showing fear and grief and so on. It was inspiring to read about a teenager who did get freaked out and feel woozy, but who also tried to help regardless.
I loved her relationship with her parents, who actually acted like parents. They kept an eye on her, set rules and punished disobedience, and they showed they cared about her in many ways, sometimes too much. I also loved how her mom was clearly In Charge while her dad had to sometimes rein in his pride when she did something reckless but with great results.
There was a hate-to-love romance in here that I, naturally, was very happy about. It was a gradual thing at first, and I loved how Lyra almost didn't know what was going on. Somehow, Snyder managed to capture the giddiness of a new relationship and the heat while also countering it with...well...parents. Awkward sex talk anyone? But seriously, Lyra and her special friend were so adorable and so supportive of each other, and I loved it.
So yes, surprising. And while the ending brought some answers, there is still so much to resolve, so I'll be anxiously awaiting the second book. If you like your sci-fi with some action, mystery, and a dash of romance, consider trying this out.
PS – I've been to Xi'an and here are some warrior replicas that made their way to my mom's garden in South Africa!
3.5
I really enjoyed the overall story and the mystery of the Terracotta Army
I really enjoyed the overall story and the mystery of the Terracotta Army
I enjoyed the first part much more than the second, and I could have done without the teenage love story, but I liked this space adventure. I never would have put terracotta soldiers and outer space together before!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It takes a while to get going, but once it did I flew through it. Whilst it was a bit cringy in a couple of places, I liked all of the characters and the mysterious element of the terracotta soldiers is interesting enough that I'll definitely be reading the next one.
Full review to come but wow, just wow this book was FANTASTIC!!