This was a good read. Once I understood how much introspection each character/perspective had, it became more enjoyable. The second half of the book was way better. I loved the action and trying to figure out what was going to happen

***Note: Deciding not to review this book since I am no longer interested in books by one of the authors in light of recent events, and I just need to get this book off my feedback list.***

I did not finish this book, much to my dismay. I really love this author duo, but this time it just wasn't for me. Maybe I was in the wrong mood? I might give it another try someday, and if I do I will come back and update this review. For now, though, it's shelved as a DNF.

I struggled a little to get into this book, and I admit that I skimmed over a few parts, but in the end, while clearly not-mind blowing, it was entertaining enough.

The dynamics between Mia and Jules is, overall, one that worked well throughout the novel. They have their moments of snarky banter, they peel their layers gradually to each other (sometimes because external circumstances don’t really give them a chance, and sometimes voluntarily), and they get to really look at each other, past their completely different backgrounds. While Jules was introduced at first as perhaps completely lacking common sense—seen through Mia’s eyes, of course he would come across as some unprepared, pampered rich kid who had no clue what he set his feet into, he is actually more savvy than that; and, conversely, he soon learns to see past the ‘filthy scavver’, and see the actual human being behind the mask. Both are also less ‘gender-coded’ than one would expect, which I appreciated, and make use of skills such as linguistics and mathematics to get out of various pinches, which is always cool in my eyes.

The plot itself was OKish. I would’ve liked more details about the state Earth was in and the bigger plot—in terms of the science in the science fiction part, it wasn’t developed at all, and the portal bit felt like a hasty shortcut and let’s be done with it. The puzzles and exploring and spelunking in alien temples were interesting, yet I felt a little distanced from it all, as they demanded a fair share of description to become something easy to picture. The beginning and the ending were more exciting in that regard; the middle dragged. Probably would’ve dragged less without the romance. (Yes, there is a romantic relationship, of course. It’s a young adult story, so having a bit of romance is as much a surprise here as finding a Tube station in the heart of London. I don’t have much to say about it. My personal sense of priority is much more geared towards “more escaping the dangerous situations, less snogging and finding the other person hot”, and even as a teenager, romance left me cold. I’m not a good target audience for this.)

The story picked up again in the last third, and the reveal at the end was something I half-expected and somewhat hoped for, so that’s that. I’m not sure if I’ll be interested enough to read book 2, but maybe if it’s available at the library?

This book has no substance, just a series of action movie scenes. The characters play that "he can't know what I know"-"what she doesn't know is" game constantly and that is a super obnoxious method of exposition. I gave up.

This is Indiana Jones in space, and I loved every minute of it. I can't wait for book two! I even enjoyed the romance, which, if you know me, is VERY rare.

Amelia Radcliffe is a long way from home, on Gaia, trying to scavenge enough technology from the alien planet to both send her home to Earth and also to free her illegal 14 year old sister who has sold herself into bondage. We only become aware later that the reason she is illegal is that she's a second child and the entire of Earth now has a ban on more than one children. Resources are at a minimum. Gaia is the last hope for resources that last.

Jules Addison comes from a completely different world to Mia. For starters, he comes from a richer lifestyle, in Oxford. He is an only child. His father is an academic. Actually, he is <i>the</i> academic. I absolutely loved the chapters where we got to hear the differing points of view of the person who managed to decipher the old language of the Undying and begin all of the stuff that has started to both Mia and Jules' exhibitions.

This story unfolded for me with perfect pacing, amazing characters, lots of URST, banter, danger, everything I'm looking for in a good space opera. I honestly have nothing bad to say about it.

Mia will do anything to pay off her younger sister's debt so that she can be free, even if that means risking her life to join a scavenger team that will send her to a dangerous alien planet to loot pricey artifacts from the Undying temples. Jules is willing to do anything to prove that his father is not crazy and assumes a fake identity to go on a mission to the famous alien planet to find the one artifact that will prove to the world his theories. Little did Mia and Jules know that they would have to rely on each other for survival and battle a conspiracy.

Kaufman and Spooner originally joined up to write one of my most favorite ever series, Starbound, so when I saw that they were writing a new science fiction series there was no doubt that I was going to get my hands on it. And it doesn't hurt that the cover is so eye-catching! Yep, the plot, the authors. the cover- basically, Unearthed was the complete package guaranteed to lure me in.

Unearthed is about two strangers on a quest to excavate a temple on an alien world, which is a pretty cool concept in general, like an alien version of Indiana Jones. I will say though, that I did find the story a little slow when I first picked it up. Sure, a lot was going on and it was one non-stop adventure but at times I found my attention lagging a little in the beginning. The second half of the book was fast paced and engaging, and I kept turning the pages to know what was going to happen. I was just as stressed as the two main characters, the tension was out of control!

That ending, though! I can't believe they would do that to me! I need the next book as soon as possible since I am shocked and completely loving it. If this ending doesn't make you desperate for answers, maybe nothing will... I will be counting down the days until I can buy the next book in the duology and see where this mystery goes next.
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This book was so good for the hard-core science fiction nerd in me. And the cute romance that blossomed between our two main characters made me swoon! Really enjoyed this one and CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL AFTER THAT CLIFFHANGER!!!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Scavenger Mia is willing to do just about anything to ensure the safety of her sister back on Earth; even if that means stowing away on a rocket ship to an unknown alien planet to try and find artifacts to sell for a high price.

Jules Addison on the other hand has the adventure for the unknown planet in his blood. His father is sitting jail because he decoded the alien message that led everyone to this planet. Jules hopes that he can work fast enough to save the human race from the unknown terror that could possibly be unleashed; the message inside the message that only he knows about.

When Mia and Jules' paths cross, they know that they really cannot succeed at either of their end goals without each other, even if that means lying and deceiving one another. Will Mia be able to save her sister can will Jules be able to save Earth before it's too late?

This book will appeal to many different readers. It has a little bit of everything; romance, adventure, science fiction. Told through alternating chapters, readers will get to explore this new world through both character's eyes. While in many cases I find this way of storytelling to be distracting and I often prefer one narrator over another, that wasn't the case with Unearthed. Both Mia and Jules had interesting aspects to their voices keeping me engaged throughout. The book will leave readers hanging on the edge of their seats to find out just exactly what is happening on this alien planet, and what the spiral glyph really means. Recommended for libraries where books by Kaufman and Spooner are popular, as well as libraries were science fiction is popular.

I think anyone who are fans of light sci-fi that's fast-paced will enjoy this book. Oh, and if you're a fan of romance in your SFF! The premise is really interesting, but I found that the plot went in the direction I expected it would and by that I mean, extremely predictable. I was surprised at the lack of worldbuilding because I've read some of Kaufman's previous works (like the Illuminae files) and thought she did a really good job of worldbuilding in those books. Not so much here. I felt that the story needed a lot more details for me to fully understand and become invested in the universe. But perhaps that will be better in the next installment! I think this was okay but maybe a younger audience would do better with it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

I love these authors together. not as much as I love Kaufman with Jay Kristoff, but I still adore their writing.

I received a digital advance reader copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

the story is fun and interesting. there's a lot of science, adventure, action, and romance - basically what you'd expect if you've read their other trilogy. while some of it bears similarities - space opera, alien threat, military threat, girl/boy romantic leads - it is a very different world still. I really enjoyed it and am very much looking forward to the sequel!

All I have to say is, when is the next book out! Talk about a cliffhanger! Kaufman and Spooner do an excellent job racheting up the suspense and action in this fantastic new series, featuring alien landscapes, dangerous ancient puzzles and plenty of twists and turns.

Three stars: An entertaining archaeological adventure in space, but watch out for a brutal cliffhanger.

Mia is excited to be one of the first humans ever to set foot on Gaia, a distant planet that was once home to an intelligent species known as the Undying. Mia is in a race against time to loot some of the archaeological finds in order to pay her way back home and rescue her sister. She doesn’t expect to run into trouble right off the bat. Luckily, she bails herself out with the help of an Oxford grad named Jules. Mia and Jules find themselves as unexpected allies with differing goals. Mia wants to plunder the planet, while Jules wants to preserve and study. Jules and Mia encounter more trouble and soon find themselves racing to solve puzzles in order to save their skins. What were the Undying hiding and why?
What I Liked:
*Unearthed is interesting and entertaining. It reads like an Indiana Jones adventure set in space. There are strange puzzles with booby traps, hidden messages and a huge treasure at the end.
*I enjoyed exploring the world of Gaia and uncovering the secrets of the Undying. There were plenty of puzzles that needed to be solved and lots of suspense. I was constantly wondering who the Undying were and what happened to them. Then there was the conflicting messages, would the Undying technology bring salvation to Earth or apocalypse?
*Mia and Jules, the main characters, are complete opposites. Mia is a street smart girl who is forced to loot and plunder to save herself and her sister. She may not have a full education but she is plenty smart. She manages to solve puzzles and save their skins a few times. Jules is Oxford educated and brilliant, but surprisingly he isn’t uptight or snobby. I also liked that he was athletic. Together, Mia and Jules make a great team, once they learn to trust each other.
*The world building is well done. I liked being transported to a vacated planet. On this desolate planet, there are lots of secrets, clues and hints of a deceased society. It felt like the pyramids in Egypt but in space.
*The ending is fast and chaotic and crazy. The final paragraph was a jaw dropper for sure. I wanted more.
And The Not So Much:
*This one ends in a big dramatic cliffhanger that was so frustrating. Just when things exploded and got interesting the book abruptly stops with a statement that changed everything. ARGH! I hate cliffhangers. Despise them.
*The romance didn’t work for me. Everything was in place, and I thought I was going to get a terrific antagonistic romance, but it never felt right. Yes, there was attraction and all that, but I just didn’t feel it. I especially didn’t like that it went back and forth, they liked each other and trusted one another, and then they didn’t. I also thought it moved a little fast.
*The pacing was off. Parts of it plodded along, and I found myself struggling to read it. Finally, it picks up in the final portion and gets exciting, and then it explodes and I was completely into it, until the cliffhanger.

Unearthed is one of those books I am still not certain as to how I feel about it. Parts of it were thrilling and entertaining, while other portions were slow. The romance was off and I never thought it worked. Things finally pick up with a fast and furious climax and a stunning finish that ended with a big disappointing cliffhanger. The ended frustrated me. I am so done with cliffhangers!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I’ve never been more amazed and more angry at a cliff hanger. I want to be mad but it was genius. Also, everyone is mad and comparing it to Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. I've never seen any of those movies. Anyways, because I haven't seen any of those movies or read any of those stories this was new to me. As a pair of fresh eyes, I was blown away. I was so surprised and super fascinated by it all. I also loved the sweet romance. It was secondary to all the action but still there and still sweet. I really enjoyed Mia and Jules. I loved these two kids hard core. I wish they had more time together. Undying, can't come fast enough!

I highly recommend this! I love sci-fi and anything to do with space is a plus. This was so good!

Mia is taking the biggest risk of her life to try to earn enough money to save her sister from her self-imposed fate. Jules is trying to save whatever artifacts he can from scavengers like Mia, along with proving something to himself, his father, and the world. Both are in grave danger, from vicious scavengers, from the government back home on Earth, and from the environment on the alien planet. When the unlikely pair team up for safety, they find out just how far they can go - and just how much they can mean to each other.

Kaufman is one of my favorite authors, and this one does not disappoint. This is perfect for fans of her Starbound series and the Illuminae series, and has plenty of danger, adventure, intellect, and romance to create a solid story with likable characters. It's going to be a long wait for book 2.

Unearthed was a massive disappointment and probably a sign that, though I love Kaufman and Spooner separately, perhaps their teamwork doesn't click for me.

Unearthed was, for me, overly repetitive, lacking in character development, and one of those books where I was continually figuring things out before the characters.

The audio narration was great, but that wasn't enough to make this book work for me. Perhaps it would be more fun to readers more into adventure, series of puzzles, and newer to sci fi.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is definitely one of my most anticipated reads for 2018, and I absolutely couldn't wait to get started on the book. I have read two books from the Starbound series by these authors in the past, as well as Amie's Illuminae series (co-written with Jay Kristoff), and I enjoyed all of these books immensely, so I knew I would enjoy this book as well. And I did!

The story is told from alternate viewpoints between Mia, a scavenger who has traveled to an alien planet to look for loot to sale, and Jules, a scholar who wants to study the alien culture before scavengers like Mia destroy it all. Mia is a survivor; she does what she has to do it make it through the day to day, and wants nothing more than to take care of her sister, the only family she has. Jules is the brains, wanting to know more and more about the ancient world that could eventually save the dying Earth. When these two form an unlikely alliance, they are pretty much unstoppable.

I've never really been much of a sci-fi fan, at least not until recently, but the more I read the genre, the more I enjoy it. (At least books like these, anyway.) I love the whole alien planet, and being in outer space. This book has all that, and also has a bit of an Indiana Jones feel through the first half of the book, which was interesting, but also a bit slower-paced than the second half of the book. That's where the action really kicked in. But that ending... that ending is what really got me. (Seriously?! How could the book possibly end that way??) Gah. What a great way to ensure I'll be over here pining away for the rest of the year waiting on the next book to be released! *grin*

Overall; If you can't tell by all the gushing I did above, I really enjoyed Unearthed! Especially the last half of it, and after that ending, I will definitely anticipating the release of the second book. Lucky for me I still have the Illuminae and Starbound series to read this year, both series I am starting over so I can read them from start to end, so I'll at least have something to keep me busy while I wait! If you're a fan of either of these series, or just a fan of sci-fi in general, do check out Unearthed when you can!

Happy Reading!!

4/5 stars.

Wow, what a cliffhanger ending! It left me desperate to know more about the aspects that were unanswered, but I'm sure the authors plan to address those things in the sequel.

Kaufman and Spooner definitely have a talent for creating sci-fi worlds and three-dimensional characters. I thought Mia and Jules were cute together, and each of them really demonstrated character growth by the end. They both had to make difficult decisions in order to overcome challenging obstacles throughout. I thought Mia's tie to her sister and Jules's relationship with his father gave the two characters added depth and motivation.

The planet Gaia was an exciting environment. It's ancient temples were full of traps, and scavengers roamed about, seeking treasure. I enjoyed reading about Mia and Jules when they deciphered the different puzzles - although some of the details were difficult to fully picture in my mind. The authors also explored portal-jumping and the icy poles of the planet in addition to the interior temple settings.

I withheld one star from my rating mainly because there were several chunks of the book that dragged slightly. I think the pace was sometimes bogged down by a lot of description or internal meditations from the characters. Of course, some internalization is important for character development. I just thought that sometimes there was a lot of it at once. The dragging mostly occurred when Jules and Mia were alone together in the temple, but the pace picked up again nicely when they encountered other scavengers. At the end, it became pretty exciting and action-packed! For Kaufman and Spooner's first trilogy, I enjoyed each new release more than the preceding one. I have a feeling their new series may follow a similar pattern for me. Can't wait for the sequel!

(A quick note for parents who may be reading this review - one of the main characters does use the "s" word rather frequently.)

Indiana Jones meets Myst on an alien planet. There's lots of tension when scavenger Amelia meets disgraced professor's son Jules Addison on the alien planet Gaia. Each has their own goals. Amelia wants to scavenge any of the alien tech to help buy back her younger sister's freedom on Earth. Jules wants to prove his father was right. The obstacles thrown their way include other scavengers and a deadly secret.

What worked: I really loved the idea of going through an alien temple and trying to find a secret that might help Earth. This is where the book reminded me so much of a popular video game Myst. Each room has secrets. Some deadly. I liked the premise of a tough scavenger who was parts Lara Crofts with her own goals of trying to find something on the planet's surface that might save her sister. The mystery and the whole ancient alien's messages that might not be all they seem is something right out of a Sci-Fi movie.

I did have issues though with the romance. It felt too rushed. I get that Amelia is street smart and will use anything she can in order to save her own skin and her sister. Jules at first comes off as that arrogant sheltered professor's son. They do have to work together to survive, especially when the people Amelia thinks she's working with turn on them. But the romance? I just felt it comes too soon and fast. But that's just my opinion.

Also the ending? I had to go back and reread to make sure I didn't miss something. I won't spoil it here, but it felt a tad bit anticlimactic to me.

Some of the descriptions are great like when they enter an alien temple for the first time. Jules's stands in reverent fascination of it all. The whole alien landscape is haunting and chilling. Add to that the other alien message warning of doom. Yeah, great edge of your seat action!

Engaging Sci Fi tale set on an alien planet which might have the secret to helping Earth survive, but with the twist that not all is what it seems.