UPDATE 20/02/2021 - Review added

Well I think this needed to have about 20% edited out. We could probably start with the lingering stares and the admiring of each others bodies. Then it would have indeed been much more like Indiana Jones or National Treasure set on another planet! I would have liked a bit more puzzle solving too. A fun read that just needed a little more focus and a tighter telling of a very very cool story.

UPDATE 17/02/2021 - Rereading in preparation for reading book 2. ( )

Mia is a scavenger, stealing artifacts and tech items from a distant world, Gaia, far from Earth. She is trying desperately to buy freedom for her little sister. Jules is the son of a disgraced scientist....the man who released information and a dire warning about Gaia to everyone on Earth. The two meet on the surface of the planet, teaming up out of necessity. They both want to discover what is at the heart of a temple, left by an alien race known as the Undying. They will have to solve puzzles and avoid traps to survive. But what about the warnings of danger and destruction received in a transmission from this alien race?

I loved this story! Lots of action and sci-fi thrills.....an alien planet, strange writing and technology, danger and deception! The story has lots of surprises and twists. This book definitely kept my attention from beginning to end! It does end with a cliffhanger, but book 2 in the series, The Undying, is coming out in 2018. The chapters alternate perspective between Mia and Jules. I usually don't like constant perspective flip-flopping....but this time, it worked. The switching not only helped develop both of the main characters, but it also heightened the suspense. Mia and Jules have completely opposite reasons for being on Gaia, but they have to work together to survive. I think the authors did a great job of portraying the development of their relationship, and building the plot and action around their dependence on each other while facing dangers on an alien world.

The cover is gorgeous!

Great book! I can't wait for book two!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Disney-Hyperion via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

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I haven’t read one of Kaufman and Spooner’s novels before and from all the talk online, knew to expect something noteworthy in the SF vein but nothing else. Having read this, I think I see why their books get so much buzz. The characters feel real and interesting. The world-building rocks. The writing is strong enough to not only carry the characters’ voices and keep me flipping pages, but also to build this oppressive, tense mood through the adventure. There’s diversity and talk about inequality without becoming One Of Those Novels. The plot is tight and unexpected things happen almost continually.

I’m not going to talk about the story much because that tight plot means that everything after about chapter two is a spoiler and books are never as interesting if you know what twists are coming. I will say that I enjoyed the read a lot, more than I expected to, though I didn’t love it. (See: not the target audience, kind of picky when it comes to ratings.) Would heartily recommend, though, even if you’re not a Kaufman-Spooner fan already. They might just make you one.

Warnings: Threats of sexual assault.

7/10 ( )

YA Adventure Romance in alien ruins, full of scavengers, raiders, and a mystery that only really gets good at the end.

Yeah? But did I have fun?

Moderately so. No real complaints -- for the most part -- but I often wondered if this was really about tomb raiding or whether this was about the character dynamic of Elites versus the Downtrodden. The romance wasn't exactly bad in this regard. Some parts were quite enjoyable.

The raiders bit? Well, unfortunately, the raiders of the lost ark seemed to drag a bit for me. The puzzles were somewhat entertaining and the survival aspects were also somewhat entertaining, but the only thing that really kept me going was the promise of the big Phi reveal.

What was the warning? What is the big danger? Why SHOULDN'T they keep going?

But because they're kids and all the other greedy-types want it, everyone keeps going. Progress, reversal, progress, reversal, etc, until at last we have it.

Nice reveal. Not sure if it is justified by the journey, but it wasn't exactly bad. I'm just not sure it really sold me. It's probably mostly an "it's me, not you" scenario. :) ( )

3.5 stars

A fast-paced adventure on an alien planet - I enjoyed this a lot! Only problem is that I guessed the big twist within the first 100 pages... but WHAT A CLIFFHANGER!!! I need the sequel asap! ( )