Unearthed by Meagan Spooner, Amie Kaufman

Unearthed (Unearthed, #1)

by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution humanity has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and their message leads to the planet Gaia, a treasure trove waiting to be explored.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an ancient alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study… as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don’t loot everything first. Despite their opposing reasons for smuggling themselves onto the alien planet’s surface, they’re both desperate to uncover the riches hidden in the Undying temples. Beset by rival scavenger gangs, Jules and Mia form a fragile alliance… but both are keeping secrets that make trust nearly impossible.

As they race to decode the ancient messages, Jules and Mia must navigate the traps and trials within the Undying temples and stay one step ahead of the scavvers on their heels. They came to Gaia certain that they had far more to fear from their fellow humans than the ancient beings whose mysteries they’re trying to unravel. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more Jules and Mia start to feel like their presence in the temple is part of a grand design–one that could spell the end of the human race…

Reviewed by littleread1 on

4 of 5 stars

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Having loved the series these two authors previously wrote together, These Broken Stars (Starbound Series #1), I knew I have to check this out as soon as I heard about it. I had very few doubts that I would like it, so not only did I jump all over the chance to get an audio CD of Unearthed from the publisher, I pre-ordered the hardcover too. Even though I had both versions, I exclusively listened to this on the CD.

General thoughts:

I really enjoyed the dystopian world built but Kaufman and Spooner. It is certainly something I could see happening to us in the not so distant future. I also really liked how we (the readers) are just thrown into the story and the details are all brought to light in such a way that there is no big info dump like sometimes happens in sci-fi stories. There is very little I didn't like, but the one thing that really bothered me was the ending. I don't mind cliffhangers, but this one made the story just seem ... unfinished?

More detailed thoughts :

I love dual narration. I also love when the narrators make an effort to get the same accent when they are reading the same characters, just from a different POV. I also really like how seamlessly Kaufman's and Spooner's writing styles come together without a hitch. I think each author took a different POV, but I would be lying if I said I knew that for a fact just by reading/listening. I also really love how they make these younger characters believable in the situations they find themselves in. Some YA stories you just can't ever figure out HOW this character got into the position they find themselves in, but that isn't an issue here. At first, maybe, but you come to see how Jules and Mia find themselves on another planet, and the circumstances just make sense. 

Jules and Mia ... I was able to relate to them both on some level, even though they are basically opposites. And even though from start to finish they only know each other a matter of days, they go through a lot together, which lends the blossoming romance an air of credibility. The whole trauma bringing people together thing is in full force in Unearthed. There were several instances where I was just nodding along, thinking, "Yeah, I'd probably do/say/think the same thing in their shoes." 

But the ending ... Not that it was bad per se, it just seemed like it could have ended either a few pages earlier or another couple of pages could have wrapped it up. I am NOT going to even hint about what happens, just that I think we were told a bit too much right there at the end. It would have made more sense to me to leave us questioning a few more things. I mean, if you had paid attention at all, there were enough clues dropped that had things not been confirmed you probably would have guessed anyway, however the wondering 'what if' in the interim would have been fun. The theories and discussions we could have been having during the wait for book 2 are basically gone. And then it just ENDS. 

Did I love this as much as I thought I would? Almost. Was I disappointed in the story? Not at all, just where they chose to end it. Will I snatch up book 2 whenever the time comes? You bet!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 January, 2018: Finished reading
  • 30 January, 2018: Reviewed