Book Review: Relic

Title: Relic

Author: Heather Terrell

Genre: YA dystopian

Reviewer: Ella

Review:

I have read the novel Relic, by Heather Terrell, which is a sci-fi genre novel. It takes place in the future where the world had flooded by the melting icecaps. The surviving people have fled to the northern parts of the earth, also known as the New North. Eva whose life is destined to become a Lady, has a, how shall I put this….A small twist in her life. Her brother had died, causing Eva to choose to take her brother’s place in The Testing. The Testing is a series of challenges that the young people must complete to be eligible to become the new leader of the New North. Eva must go through the grueling process to search for relics from the corrupted 21st century in the icy tundra to prove her worth. After finding a surprising relic, Eva makes up a story about a young woman’s life in the 21st century capturing the attentions of the people back home in her chronicle. 

I thought the plot of the novel was lousy, not trying to be too harsh. There are many dystopian and post apocalypse novels out there for young adults. Relic was just another novel, trying to get into the spotlight with the growing fandom of sci-fi/dystopian novels. The main character Eva, was terrible. She was constantly complaining and was overall a wimpy whiner. Nothing about her showed that she would be able to complete The Testing alive, much less win it. 

While on the topic of The Testing, does that remind you of something? Something about a bunch of young adults having to compete to be a winner in a deadly trial? Imagine Relic as either The Hunger Games (or to some people, The Battle Royale) that had been ripped to hundreds of pieces, and pasted back together by someone who is blindfolded. Relic had many similar ideas, but just represented them in a different, and worse way. Don’t even get me started about the cliche overused love triangle. Ever since Twilight came out, many new authors seem to think that they must use the love triangle, or the novel won’t be “good”. Love triangles are done and over. Unless you are an extremely talented author, please try to avoid using a love triangle. I will admit, I have read a few newer novels with a love triangle, while the author had managed to pull it off without making me want to throw the book across the room. Relic’s plot is, to sum it up, a poor rip off of many novels in the 21st century, mashed into one book, in an unorderly way.

I would give this book an overall rating of 1.5 stars. It had an unique concept and storyline, yet it did not draw me in. I liked the idea of the flood which related to many stories, such as Noah’s Ark from the Bible, and the story plausible enough for a sci-fi novel. The downside? The characters took too long to connect with. Even though the novel was written in first person view, it felt like a third person view. Third person view is perfectly fine and great, for example Harry Potter, but when it’s suppose to feel like you are the character, but you end up reading it as if it was someone else, something isn’t right. Perhaps some people enjoy it that way, but I certainly did not. I will not continue on with the rest of the series, nor will I be planning on reading other books by the author. I am not trying to be a critic, but I am simply stating my personal opinion of the novel.

Rating: