Title: Undying (Unearthed #2)
Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Published: December 2018
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Readership: Young Adult
Genre: Science-Fiction
Rating: ★★★.5
RRP: $19.99 AUD
I received a copy of Undying from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The earth’s fate rests in Mia and Jules’s hands in the epic conclusion to New York Times best-selling authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner’s tomb-raiding sci-fi duology.
Mia and Jules are desperate to warn their home planet about the impending invasion from the Undying. After a perilous escape from the Undying’s ancient spaceship, they crash-land on Earth’s surface, only to realize the awful truth: No one believes in the alien threat in orbit.
With no choice but to take matters into their own hands, Mia and Jules must escape the custody of the powerful International Alliance in order to discover the true mission of the Undying. On the run, fugitives among their own people, they must journey across Europe to stop an alien invasion, prevent a horrific plague, and save the people they love …
I really appreciate duologies, and being able to conclude the story that began with Unearthed was a really satisfying experience. Although, it does make it difficult to review without revealing too many spoilers, so I’ll do my best!
Mia and Jules have found themselves among the Undying – an alien race thought to be many thousands of years dead – only to discover that they want to invade Earth. Escaping from the alien ship they crash land on their home planet only to discover that no-one believes such a fantastical tale and they might be the only ones who can stop an invasion from wiping out the human race permanently.
This was a fun young adult science-fiction novel with a lot of really great points – the interaction and dialogue between the characters was great, especially Mia and Jules, and Jules cousin (who is a new character introduced in this book); the threat of the invasion is real and quite a scary possibility. I really liked that the adults in the story don’t believe the teenagers, because (as much as I hate to admit it) they probably wouldn’t rely on the information of a bunch of teens when it comes to the fate of the world, so it had the element of truth to it.
Undying definitely felt more of an adventure story than a straight-up sci-fi this time around and while on the run there was a lot of down-time in terms of action as the characters work through the problems they face with trying to outwit the Undying.
And speaking of the Undying, I was very pleased that I actually guessed the origins of the alien race. (I wasn’t perfectly spot on but I was close enough, and I never guess these things.) I thought their history was very intriguing and thought-provoking, as well as their reasons for their actions. It’s always a good thing if you can understand the motivations of the antagonists.
So while there were some pacing issues for me in between the action sequences, I thought this was a smartly written young adult sci-fi book. It kept me turning the pages and the ending wrapped up the series well. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy the genre.
Noveltea Corner 