Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Unearthed by Amy Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Series: Unearthed #1
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: 9th January 2018
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: Publisher
Add it: Goodreads
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When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...

Unearthed was sooooooo good! I went into it knowing next to nothing, only that I was in a sci-fi mood and I needed something action packed. This book delivered so hard. It’s set on another planet, and the two main characters basically have to go into an temple and try to find the secrets within. It sounds cliché, but it’s brilliant. The Uncharted/Tomb Raider vibes were real.

I really liked both of the main characters, which hardly ever happens. Mia was a badass, and Jules was an adorable nerd. I loved that they were both on this planet to help their families. When it comes to books with dual points of view, I tend to gravitate towards the female but in this book I loved both of them and I really enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives. Occasionally, the points of view sounded and felt very similar, but I rarely got confused about whose POV I was reading from.

As for the romance, I didn’t actually mind it! Either this means I’m growing as a person (yeah, right), or that it was written quite well. I don’t think there needed to be any kissing this early on in the series (it’s a duology) and I would have preferred a longer build up because I think that leads to the best tension, but it didn’t put me off the book or disgust me like it often does.

Unearthed ends on the BEST cliffhanger I’ve read in ages. Like, I can’t remember the last time I read a cliffhanger this good. The ending was incredibly well done and I’m dying to read the second (and last) book in the series. I need to get my hands on it NOW. Somehow. With a time machine. I was left with so many theories that I need it right now to see if I’m right!

I’d highly recommend Unearthed, even if you didn’t like the authors’ previous work. It’s much stronger than These Broken Stars and the sequels, both in terms of writing and in pacing. Plus, there’s no instalove. Woo!