Title : Relic
Author : Heather Terrell
Pages : 288
Published : 29 Oct 2013
Source : Netgalley
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.
My Thoughts :
In New North everyone follows The Lex. After the floods wiped out the rest of the world, apart from The Chosen, everyone in New North is bound to The Lex and its rules. Anyone found breaking them is harshly punished.
Eva knows The Lex inside out. She is a Maiden and her dad is Chief Archon. When her twin is killed in a climbing "accident", Eva decides to take his place in The Testing! The Testing is something all men take part in when they reach 18 to become an Archon. There is no rule per se that a woman cant take part but no woman has ever done it. Eva is the first.
The Testers have to travel through barren icy places to reach their goal. They are to get no help from anyone, nor can they even talk to each other. If they get there, they have to climb down a cliff and dig out Relics.
Relics are things from Before. The New Northers history tells them that the people before worshiped a false god named "Apple". They used false remedies like "Tylenol" and "Coke". The better the Relic the more chance the Tester has to win. If someone is lucky enough to find the False God "Apple"s alter then they usually win. Eva doesn't find that but what she does find is something that will change her view of everything.
This book was awesome!!! I really enjoyed it. The whole concept of the False God Apple and what the people were told to believe was so unique and different. They believe that everyone prayed to this false god through the "altar" (laptop or tablet) They believe that the floods were sent to wipe out these people because they worship a false god and are too reliant on their false remedies.
Eva was a character I immediately liked. She may be a Maiden but she questions what is true. She does the Testing knowing its a perilous journey. Even when Jasper ,whom her parents have deemed her betrothed, tells her he loves her she still goes through with The Testing and keeps focused on what has to be done. She does it to honour her brother. When Lucas, Evas friend, hands Eva her brothers journal she finds surprising stuff in there. Is everything as it seems in New North? What and who should Eva believe?
Overall Relic was fast paced and well written. I loved the concept and found myself devouring it. The world Heather Terrell has created is unique and I cant wait to jump back in when book 2 comes out.
One thing I will say is that I've seen this compared to The Hunger Games and I've seen reviews slating this book because when they went into it they were thinking in terms of The Hunger Games. This is nothing like THG!!! Relic should be enjoyed for what it is, a great story, and not compared to any book. Every story is different and should be enjoyed for its own merits!
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