I wish the global quake had buried me. It would be easier, then, to cope.
My love? Murdered. My family? Betrayed. Friends? Fallen.
And all that in the name of the Hiezers.
My name is Blague. Just Blague. My surname was stripped the day I was marked for exile. Now I wander in the sands of the forgotten continents, scraping by among the rest of the outcasts. There are others like me, out here. Capable minds and able bodies, all scorned in one way or another by our oppressors. Every one of us has witnessed that same terrible scene: screaming citizens as they’re bagged and dragged off into labs, intended for some experimental purpose. We dare not act out, of course. Not under the watchful gaze of the Hiezers. Not beneath their lashing whips, where one false move could be our last.
It’s only in the shadows where we can plot. Tactically. Quietly. Gathering munitions until the time is right. I know something is amiss about the chemical they’ve used to brand our skin. It burns hot when we fight. So I’ll use it… I'll use it, and light the fire that defines the legacy of an entire rebellion, even if it kills me.
By the time this is over, I'm going to make them wish they'd buried me too...
Growing up, Marc was out of his mind (and perhaps still is). He knew full well that his creative, untamed mind was divergent from the pack. Ill-equipped with an inability to focus in school and a strong desire to explore, Marc was barely present wherever he was expected to be. It wasn’t until his twenties that he retreated from indulging in the vibrant scenarios playing out in his mind and emerged to join the business force, or as he called it, the Spock-side of this world. So there he went, earning his master’s degree and CPA license in the process. Surprisingly, he managed to find some enjoyment while experiencing this new chapter in his life.
One winter’s night, in the midst of a bout of insomnia, he heard the sound of a lightsaber beam within his head. Being an avid fan of all things unnatural and missing the colorful world of imagination, he realized that he had abandoned a part of him that he held dear. So in the spirit of staying true to oneself, he decided to resurrect his passion in the form of a novel. He worked long hours during the day dressed in suit and tie, so that he could relish in scribing his fantasies deep into the night. His tenacity was an attempt to unload one of his stories onto the world: a story with depth, intrigue, and complexity, one he’s hoping people will get lost in.
[I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.]
Unearthed is a post-apocalyptic novel by Marc Mulero that looks to focus on a group of people called Sins rising up against an oppressive structure. It leads into some interestings revelations that give more weight to why they’re fighting and their personal struggles.
The protagonist, Blague, is the leader of the Sins. His leadership qualities appear to be that he served in special forces, but that he’s also contemplative, making him uniquely qualified to be a leader. In short, we’re told he is a leader simply because he has leadership qualities. He also starts giving grand speeches early on in the novel as a source of inspiration and rallying the troops. Unfortunately, the only substantial thing I’ve learned about him at that point is that he owns a Desert Eagle.
That’s the problem with a lot of the book in general. The exposition is sloppy, and descriptions of characters are poorly introduced and often don’t fit in with the tone of the scene. A woman is described as “mysterious” before immediately being revealed to be someone the other character knows well and definitely recognized by her distinctive raspy voice. Another character’s mohawk hairstyle is described in the middle of an explosion (and then is described as “mohawked” throughout. Don’t worry, author. I haven’t forgotten his mohawk). Nothing really feels cohesive.
While reading, I started to worry that I had gotten an earlier draft of the book by mistake and not the one ready for publishing. There is compelling world building and most of the characters, despite awkward introductions, are interesting and enjoyable. (The exception is Blague, who just never grabbed me as being an interesting person). The writing style is stilted and the action awkwardly paced.
I enjoyed the structure of the world. I always like a good band of outcasts rallying against tyranny. Learning about the Sin marks was fascinating. The relationships between characters and revelations of certain characters were gripping and added to the tension in the book. (Looking at you, Mulderan). I don’t want to get into spoilers, but there are some great things happening within discussing geology, politics, and DNA science that all interweaves in a compelling way. I just wish it didn’t feel a little bit like a slog to get through.
Overall, good potential but a bit lost in the execution.
I loved this book. The characters come to life. Each has its own uniqueness that help add to the suspense. As the story builds so did my excitement and curiosity as to what was coming next. My only disappointment was it had to end. I hope the author continues this saga.
Action packed from start to finish, I wasn’t sure at first WHY I was rooting for the Sins but the characters backgrounds and the history of this new world order are relayed in snippets throughout, keeping you on your toes and thirsty for more... looking forward to the sequel!
Creative and suspenseful story line with many interesting characters. Would definitely recommend it to those with an interest in post-apocalyptic/action adventure literature.
I was provided an ARC of this book via the author in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the premise of this book. The plot was enough to keep me interested until the end, but I had a really hard time with this book from the beginning.
The book starts in the middle of a conflict with little to no backstory to what is happening and why. It wasn't until about the 15% mark that I had a clue what was going on, but I don't think I had a good grasp on what was going on or why for most of the book. The author reveals tiny snippets of information and leaves you with more questions than answers, then there will be some crazy twist. The fight scenes are very detailed, which left me wondering why the details of the plot, world, and characters weren't flushed out? There are far too many characters in this, which is something I personally don't like in books and while this isn't told in alternating perspectives, it switches frequently from character to character. I would have liked to see shorter chapters for those transitions versus paragraph to paragraph switching to tell the story. It really slows down the pace and made it hard for me to stay engaged in the story. I would have also liked more backstory on each of the characters and factions they came from. It made it really hard to connect with them because after reading a 300+ page book I still feel like I know nothing about any of the main characters and know nothing about the factions that keep being mentioned. The factions are fairly important as the Sins and the Heizers are two of the main factions but other than a vague caste system being in place there wasn't much more mentioned. I also want to know more about the Ayelan. It's a substance mined from the earth but the science fiction aspect isn't very well described on the page. I like my sci-fi to be well explained even if the science is made up. The premise of using this substance for scientific experiments is really cool, I just wanted better explanations and descriptions.
This book/series has tons of potential. The action scenes are pretty well done, albeit sometimes gruesome. I think the idea of this book is really interesting, but it lacked in execution. The characters are all really interesting, but I think had this book focused on one or two instead of the 10 I can name off the top of my head (there might be more) that we focus on throughout, I would have enjoyed this alot more.
The next book is out soon, and hopefully more information about the things I'm looking for are revealed. It felt like more was to be revealed in the next book.
***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!***
I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounds interesting, the synopsis piqued my interest, and the cover is awesome. I really tried to love this book. But I just couldn’t. I made it about 75% if the way through but then just lost interest.
None of the characters really made a dent for me at all. Blague was incredibly dull and he had no reason to be. He should have been a really compelling character. But all he did was quiet and brooding, never saying much, then he’d come out with a rousing speech and that was about it. None of the other characters felt authentic to me. They didn’t feel like real people and they didn’t feel like the personalities they were given fit them at all.
There were a lot of great ideas in this book and I wanted to look forward to where it was going. The writing needs a lot of work though. The sentences are very clunky and there’s so many similes and metaphors stuffed in there that I had no idea what was going on most of the time. And other times there was way too much description, so much that it confused the situation. In a fight scene a character is described as having a mohawk, and I get reminded about his hair style no less than four times in the scene. I got it. I know. I didn’t forget. I could tell that there was a really good idea in there somewhere, but the abundance of simile and metaphor and flowery language just obliterated the meaning of the words.
There also wasn’t much explaining of this world at all. What is a sin? How did the world get this way? What exactly is the social structure here? Who are the ruling class? Why? I feel like we spent so much time on fighting scenes that we didn’t actually explain this world and that’s a problem because I needed to live in it for a time.
I also don’t really see how the first part of the book related to the second part of the book. Maybe it all came together at the end, but I just couldn’t get that far. If the author decided to get some serious editing and rework this and publish it again, I would give it another shot for sure.
After a global earthquake left the earth shattered, and communities isolated, a new social order was established to restore civility. Unfortunately, it also established a caste system where those at the bottom of the hierarchy have been left without hope, and are subjected to some of the worst injustices imaginable.
Blague, a Sin, the lowest of the social classes, is the leader of a rebellion intended to overthrow the existing social order, and restore hope and justice. When he leads an attack to seize an outpost belonging to the Heizers, the top class, and obtain access to a chemical that is important to their continued hold over society. The successful operation also emboldens Sin society to rise up against the Heizers, and brings Blague into direct confrontation with the Heizer ringleader, who also happens to be his brother.
Unearthed by March Mulero is an interesting story, taking a look at what can happen when those who are already at the top of the economic ladder are allowed to act without restraint. I had a problem, though, with the grammar and some of the sentence structure of the book. It could use another round of line editing, which would elevate it in the genre. As it stands, however, it fails to make the grade, and I can only give it three stars.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. When I opened it, I was aware it was about a dystopian future and expected it to be a story about some small rebellion beginning its fight against the abusive ruling class. Instead the book starts with an already formed rebellion on the verge of their boldest attack so far. I felt compelled to continue reading just to know what happened next. The world introduced is incredibly dark and the future is bleak; I was never certain of what would happen next or what characters would survive to the next page.
The characters in Unearthed were primarily people who dreamed of a fighter future without the oppression and horrors of Hiezer rule. While some characters' pasts were discussed, others were only mentioned briefly. Some characters were introduced but I really didn't understand their overall importance. I also found the descriptions of some things were a bit odd at times.
Overall, I loved reading this book and look forward to reading the next one. I especially liked the choice to alternate the viewpoints after each scene. Rather than depend on one character's view I could see what others were thinking and experiencing.
I received an ARC to leave an honest review. This book is the start of something amazing. I can honestly say that the entire book is nicely crafted to give you “aha” moments throughout the entire book with a nice climactic point exactly where it should be.
The book is a bit more sci-fi than I usually read, but good storytelling will always come through. Plus the addition of strange powers on occasion lends it a bit of fantasy feel, which is my usual leaning. The characters are vivid but mysterious, the storyline contains revelation after revelation, and the setting is compelling and strange in the way a post-apocalyptic staging should be.
These books can be a bit unsettling at times because of the psychological accuracy of how people act and react during tumultuous periods, but what a testament to the perception of the author! This book is a worthy addition to the genre and may well appeal to those that favor other genres nearby.
Unearthed by Marc Mulero is the first book in hopefully not just 3 books but a saga! This book gives you The Hunger Games plus The 100 plus The Maze Runner feels. It shows the world after an apocalyptic event called The Global Quake.
I will be honest, this book took some time to catch my attention as the introduction is rather unconventional The book starts right in the middle of a conflict and it takes some time to get used to what is happening and understanding the characters. But I must say at the climax I was craving for more!! The first half was a bit disjointed and it felt a little messy but the second half developed beautifully!! I would like to see how this series develops and I look forward to the next part!
Readometer rating - 3.5*/5
If you are looking to fulfil your Hunger Games or The 100 craving, be sure to try this one. Trust me by the end of it you will know what I am talking about!
I desperately wanted to enjoy this book, from reading the synopsis, it sounded intriguing, something I could really sink my teeth into. Sadly, I found it incredibly difficult to immerse myself in the narrative as it unfolded. The characters that I though held so much promise, just did not spring to life from the page for me.
I hate to leave any book I read unfinished, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go further than 79% of this title.
I can tell that a great deal of time and effort went into the writing of this title, but it just didn’t work for me. That’s not to say it isn’t for everyone, just didn’t resonate with me.
Disaster strikes the earth, an extreme class system ensues, the sins,the lowest of the low fight to change world order,to get a fairer deal to get a chance of life, it took me a while to get into this book,it took a little while to understand the character's and the way they came together ,but by half way thru it it clicked together for me,and I found it a really good story ,will definitely get book 2,
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Good to see a different take on the post apocalypse theme because I personally find the whole zombie thing has become very predictable and boring. Thank goodness this is different and gives you something to think about instead. Really good story, characters you care about and plenty of action.
I look forward to seeing where this goes and can highly recommend it.
This is the first time I have read a book by Marc Mulero and it won't be my last. I was lucky enough to read an advanced reader copy of Unearthed in exchange for this review.
I found the book has a great mixture of characters who were all made to come to life with a story to keep you hooked and to get you thinking!
A brilliant read for anyone looking for something different.
“Unearthed” by Marc Mulero I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is about Blague the main character set in the world after a massive earthquake that rearranges the world. The Hiezers are the central government that Blague is fighting against. There are many twists in this book that are surprising and suspenseful. I enjoyed reading this book immensely!
Dystopia usually is not my preferred niche, this was recommended to me and I picked it up with trepidation. That feeling was gone in the first chapter, this book grabbed me and pulled me along on an epic trip. Swordplay, magic, rebellion, anguish, this story has it all. Muleros world building is fantastic and I was drawn into each characters life as they were revealed. Read this book!
The world as we know it has been almost destroyed by a global earthquake. A supreme class, the Hiezers, arises to become the leading class to govern and help humanity thrive. The outcasts, the Sins, just want a safe place to live and raise their families. This is the epic struggle against the classes as both vie for a place in the new world order. Lots of battles and epic adventures abound.
This book was so fascinating I was literally on the edge of my seat. The suspense and intrigue was very well done! I recommend this book for any sci fi lover and I look forward to more books in the series.
A different take on a dystopian future. I really liked it. It starts out with a bang, and the more you read the better your understanding becomes. Good action, likeable/hateable characters, and a different world. I can't wait for book two!
Excellent story! Unearthed is a story set after The Great Quake that decimated the earth. Hierarchies have formed, the haves and the have nots, and the story show s.d the struggle between them and more - much more! Getting the next one now to see how this develops......
Book is confusing and has no logic. People live in dusty bad lands but then later on they have plenty of food because of water and good soil. Quit after 70 pages.