ARC REVIEW: Relic (Books of Eva #1) by Heather Terrell

Title: Relic

Author: Heather Terrell

Series: Books of Eva #1
Publisher: Soho Teen

Release Date: October 29, 2013

Pages: 288, Hardcover
Source: ARC obtained at BEA

Summary from Goodreads:

The truth will test you...

For fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: high fantasy and dystopia meet in this high-stakes tale of a civilization built on lies and the girl who single-handedly brings it down.

When Eva’s twin brother, Eamon, falls to his death just a few months before he is due to participate in The Testing, no one expects Eva to take his place. She’s a Maiden, slated for embroidery classes, curtseys, and soon a prestigious marriage befitting the daughter of an Aerie ruler. But Eva insists on honoring her brother by becoming a Testor. After all, she wouldn’t be the first Maiden to Test, just the first in 150 years.

Eva knows the Testing is no dance class. Gallant Testors train for their entire lives to search icy wastelands for Relics: artifacts of the corrupt civilization that existed before The Healing drowned the world. Out in the Boundary Lands, Eva must rely on every moment of the lightning-quick training she received from Lukas—her servant, a Boundary native, and her closest friend now that Eamon is gone.

But there are threats in The Testing beyond what Lukas could have prepared her for. And no one could have imagined the danger Eva unleashes when she discovers a Relic that shakes the Aerie to its core.

 

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• I really really liked the ending. In the last 100 pages or so, Eva finds her relic and writes her chronicle. The Testors return to the compound and the Chief Achron is named. And readers get a lot of questions answered about the world and belief system. It's all very exciting.
  
  
• I thought the very beginning was also good. The book starts with Eamon's death and the mystery surrounding it and it kind of pulls you in from the first page. And Terrell doesn't waste much time before the Testing begins so it's a pretty fast-paced start.
  
  
• There's a bit of mystery to this story that kept me on my toes. You're not sure who to trust, as others' intentions are always in question. And there's some secretive identities and connections that you have to wait to be revealed. I really liked this


• I have to praise to the stories within the story. I really enjoyed Eva's chronicle about the way things used to be before the flood. And I enjoyed getting snippets of Eamon's journal, even the few diagrams included. These little details gave me more personality than Eva herself did.

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• So I mentioned the beginning and ending were exciting but the middle of the book kind of fell flat even though this was pretty much the test itself. It lacked danger, suspense... something. And it was too easy.
  
  
  
• I have to admit I was a bit confused at times reading the story because I didn't fully understand the dystopian references. I wish more information was provided throughout the story rather than saved until the end. The end was a bit of an info dump even though it satisfied my need for answers.
  
  
• I kind of tired of Eva's internal dialogue. She was a bit too self-deprecating and clueless at timess.In fact, she probably could have been a stronger character all around. She was by no means terrible, but not exactly awesome either.


•  "For fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: high fantasy and dystopia meet in this high-stakes tale of a civilization built on lies and the girl who single-handedly brings it down." This is just completely false on all accounts.

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Relic was very middle-of-the-road for me. I liked it, but it didn't completely win me over. It was a quick and interesting read, but I am not convinced it offers anything new to the dystopian genre. If you're a big dystopian fan, than I would give this one a try. But if you are selective, I would wait to see how the sequel pans out.