Relic by Bronwyn Eley

Life in the city of Edrist is full of death and few freedoms. From the age of ten, every citizen no longer has the protection of childhood and is assigned to work. Lord Rennard holds a firm grip over his people. He attributes his power to the Relic, a mysterious jewel that attacks anyone that doesn't belong to his bloodline. The Shadow's role is to aid Lord Rennard in his daily tasks to protect the others at his castle. However, this means certain and painful death for each and every Shadow.

Kaylan, a young Blacksmith is chosen as the next Shadow. She is quickly taken from her loved ones to serve the mysterious leader for whatever remains of her short life. Her experience as Rennard's personal assistant is anything but uneventful. Kaylan soon finds herself in a conflicting situation between a fastly emerging resistance and Lord Rennard's fury.

Bronwyn Eley has a natural talent for dropping readers right into her highly detailed, dark, and dangerous world. Edrist is a place where you must follow the rules or face detrimental consequences for any form of opposition. Fear isn't the only thing found in everyday life. There is still much love and happiness to be found. Kaylan is a character that has a deep love and loyalty to her friends and family.

Eley includes an excellent cast of characters that readers will fall in love with and actively fear for their safety with each passing page. One of my favorite characters was Jesper, the wife of Lord Rennard. She is a character with a strong sense of will and humility. Being in a similar situation to Kaylan, Jesper sees a kindred spirit and quickly befriends her. Other characters like Kaylan's best friend Shae, her brother Elias, and the Master of the Hunt Markus all bring a compelling quality to the story. Each is wonderfully developed and adds a lot of substance to the narrative as a whole.

One of the most intriguing things about "Relic" is that both the "good guys" and "bad guys" of the story are neither entirely good nor bad. I found it very compelling that Eley wrote Rennard as this powerful and scary ruler and a man who deeply cared about his family. Rennard also shows an interest in getting to know his Shadows, which also is a sign that his life is very isolated and lonely. For the sake of not spoiling the story, I won't comment on what makes the good guy bad.

I also really liked the noticeable gaps in the narrative when Kaylan's sense of reality begins to be impeded by the Relic. It makes sense narratively, even though it was a bit jarring to the reading experience. It really helps create a strong sense of dread that Kaylan feels as her physical and mental health start to fail her.

My one piece of criticism would be the handful of characters that would have benefited from more detail and development. There were a few instances where characters popped back into the story, and I could not remember who they were and why they were important.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I thought it was very imaginative and original. I'm excited to see where the story goes in the rest of the series to come. If you are a fan of dark fantasy and young adult type books, Relic is a must-read.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review by Sarah Hinrichs