The Locust: Unearthing

I’ve conflicting opinions about “Unearthing: The Locust”, it was okay but nothing more. The writing was light and very easy to read. The synopsis had sounded was great but the book simply didn’t deliver its promise.

The Native-American ingredient of the story was attractive but in my opinion said element wasn’t exploited as much as it could have, instead of being woven and intertwined in the story, it felt thrown haphazardly here and there with just vague allusions to spirit guides and the likes. The characters were nice but lacked depth and that spark of life to make them feel “real”.

I liked Cotey and her journey to become a “true warrior” and I started appreciating her even more once she started to get know the other three warriors (It was nice to read how they slowly become her true family). However, Cotey’s POV sounds like a ten or eleven years old speaking instead of a seventeen years old girl. At times, I found her way too naïve, for example she’s so damn quick to trust Andy and call him friend. I get the whole guardian-spirit-mojo that’s involved but still---a bit of skepticism would have made much more sense.

Since I’m a sucker for romance I liked Cotey’s relationship with the warrior-boy. Still, the romance between the two felt rushed and – at times – ridiculously and forcefully melodramatic. Examples? He falling to his knees after the first kiss was definitely excessively dramatic and preposterous. Moreover, while I might appreciate the will to present something “different” I still found the whole “we can’t be together, love makes us week and anger makes us strong” concept utterly appalling. Anger never makes you strong, it makes you stupid…okay, “love” too makes you stupid--But I do believe that while love is a positive emotion, anger is not. Furthermore, the scene of Keenan’s death was so anticlimactic (and simply splattered there) that I found myself laughing instead of being heartbroken.

To me, the real problem of the book lies in its excessive and all-encompassing simplicity that, in the end, prevented me from getting emotionally involved in the story.

I want to start by saying that I am a big fan of books with mythology of any kind. 

This was an interesting read, but I really expected it to be more complex. I wish the Native American mythology would have been focused n a bit more.

I did like the main character. She felt a bit young, but I appreciated how she really grew into a more confident person in the story.

I get that this is young adult, but I feel it was written a bit too simplistic. There needs to be layers and explanations as to why things were done the way they were.

I recieved a copy of this through Netgalley.

The imagery that this book evokes was something I got lost in(In a very positive way) however I also personally got lost at points in the storyline(I don't want to explain why/where because I feel like it would give away major plot points) and whenever I started to feel like I understood the storyline and could follow along again things changed and I became confused again. I also am confused by the mythology/world of the book because of this I don't feel comfortable with given this book a number on a scale.

The locust unearthing by j l Norris is a sci-fi and fantasy and teens ya read.
Life can change with every breath we take. Truths become lies. People we thought we knew become strangers and it is only when you stand alone do you finally see who you truly are.
Barely able to cope with the loss of her mother and never knowing her father, Cotey James is lost, lonely, and nearly broken. She is teetering on the cusp of adulthood while living in a small, desolate Kansas town with only her grandmother and Andy True, an elderly Native American neighbor to guide her. Cotey's world is about to change again as she is about to travel down a life-altering road paved with heartbreak, revelation, and the paranormal as she is thrown deep into a world of myth and Native American legend. She must accept her fate as the warrior they have been waiting for and face off against evil and the one they call the Locust.
A good read although slow it managed to read it. Good characters too. 3*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.