Audiobook Review: Undying by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Today is a pretty big release day. I woke up to several new audiobooks and emails notifying me of incoming preorders. Exciting! But how do you pick which one to read first. Some of us have extensive spreadsheets, some of us are mood readers, and some people just want to be reminded. I finished Undying in a day after marathoning the audiobook because I was desperate to know what happens to Jules and Mia. Check out my 5 reasons why Undying is your read this release day!

Undying (Unearthed, #2)

by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
on January 22, 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Sci-Fi
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Goodreads

Trapped aboard the Undying's ancient spaceship and reeling from what they've learned there, scavenger Mia and academic Jules are plunged into a desperate race to warn their home planet of the danger humanity's greed has unleashed. From the mountains of Spain to the streets of Prague, the sequel to Unearthed is a white-knuckle ride that will send readers hurtling back to earth, and leave them breathless until the last page.

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.

Review:

(Slight spoilers for Unearthed below)

1. Mia and Jules. The story is told in their alternating voices and if you don’t fall in love with Mia’s charge-into-everything and Jules’ wait-lets-think-about-this banter, I don’t even know how to please you. These two are completely lovable and it’s no secret there’s some romance here. Faced with dying (and the Undying), you’ll see them grapple with their completely different upbringings and futures along with self preservation vs no person left behind. I definitely read this series for the characters. 
2. The Undying. At the end of Unearthed, we are left with knowing very little about the alien race Mia and Jules are hiding from. Meg and Amie use Undying as a way to go deep into worldbuilding and create some awesome side characters. Come for the puzzles in Unearthed, stay for the gasps as Mia and Jules uncover more info about the Undying and their motivation. You will NOT see it coming. 
3. The feels. Like can we ever read Amie without wanting to send her our medical bills for constantly trying to kill us? There are some pretty big O M G moments in this book and every time I thought I knew what this book was going to throw at me, I was wrong. So expect to have a lot of emotions and let’s form a therapy group after. 
4. Action packed. See above, right? Mia and Jules are constantly on the run or hiding or generally just trying not to get caught but a killer alien race. This action packed story will keep you turning the page (or speeding up the audiobook) just to see what’s coming next.
5. Excellent narrators. I listened to both books and loved the dual narration. Alex McKenna has this perfect, slightly scratchy voice that I love for space books and Steve West is just universally loved for his emotive voice. 

Bonus: it’s a duology so once you’re done, you’re done with the series. I love when that happens.