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Words of Hannah Kay

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Book Review: Bronwyn Eley - Relic + Favourite Quotes [ARC]

Join us on the #RelicTour!

"Rumour said the Relic burned hotter than any fire."

With promises of an exciting dark fantasy as well as strong female characters taking on the darkness hidden within, I knew that I just had to read Relic and apply for this blog tour.

And I got in!

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Before I get into this very special post, I would like to thank Shealea over at Shut Up, Shealea (https://shutupshealea.com/) for choosing me as one of the stops on the #RelicTour, which is hosted by Caffeine Book Tours.

Another special thanks also goes to Talem Press for giving me the ARC; and to Bronwyn Eley, whose debut novel has completely shaken up my reading taste!

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About The Book

Relic
The cover of Relic!
SYNOPSIS:
In the city of Edriast, there is no deadlier duty than to serve as the Shadow.

As the personal servant of the powerful Lord Rennard, the Shadow's life is all but forfeit. Rennard possesses one of five rare and dangerous Relics – a jewel that protects his bloodline, but slowly poisons everyone else in its proximity. When the current Shadow succumbs to its magic, nineteen-year-old blacksmith Kaylan is summoned to take his place.

It's an appointment that will kill her.

As the time Kaylan has left ebbs away, hope begins to fade... That is, until she discovers a plot to destroy all five bloodlines in possession of the Relics.

A rebel force plans to put an end to Rennard's rule and Kaylan suddenly finds herself embroiled in a cause that might just be worth fighting for. But no cause is without its costs…

As her life hangs in the balance and rebellion bears down on Edriast, Kaylan must decide where her loyalties lie – and how she'll leave her mark on the world.


 Relic is the absorbing first novel in The Relic Trilogy, a thrillingly dark YA fantasy series. 

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Book Review
does NOT contain spoilers

My first impressions were quite good!

Upon opening the eARC, I was met with a prologue instead of the first chapter.

In my opinion, sometimes I think that prologues can be unnecessary in the first book of a series because the information given in it can be given in throughout the following chapters (chapter 1 and onwards). However, this prologue was the complete opposite! (And I am so glad)

Relic's prologue was the perfect opening: it gave me insight to the darkness that has already set it roots in the soil of Edriast's city, so much so that fear that has blossomed has birthed obedience.

The next thing I am going to talk about is characters!

While scrolling through Bronwyn Eley's fantastic author website, I came across these beautiful illustrations:
which you can find here!


Meet Kaylan!

Meet Shae!
Meet Rennard, Jesper & Markus!


These AMAZING illustrations were created by Ash!

Kaylan:
The main protagonist. Before being chosen as the Shadow, she was a blacksmith, something which I find unusual and interesting and intriguing.
 
Shae:
Although we interact with her as much as the other characters, when she is included in scenes, I am reminded of the heartwarming character she is.
 
Markus:
Markus is a soft boy with lots and lots of LOTS of dogs. I am soft for Markus.
 
Jesper: 
A gentle queen.
 
Rennard:
I hate him.

Although it is not one of the narrative's main focuses, the romance between two characters (whom I am not going to name because -- spoilers) is developed really nicely. And oh my Lord do I ship them hard.





My Rating
I gave this book...
[ ★★★★ stars ]
4 / 5

Will I continue to read this series?
Yes, I think it will. I want to see how Kaylan recovers from the devasting concluding events of this book.
 
If the chance appeared again, would I appear on the blog tour for Relic's sequel?
Definitely! *cough* sign me up *cough*

As an extra treat/bit of awesomeness, I have decided to include some of favourite quotes from Relic! There were so many to chose from as well! Yet, somehow, I managed to narrow down this list...

"I pulled Kye into my chest, his little arms wrapping around my neck. I didn't want to leave him. I didn't want to go. I didn't want anyone else walking him to school in the morning."

This quote has made it onto my list because it shows the love Kaylan has for her family despite being apart from them. The last sentence, especially, makes my heart drop. The normalisation that Kaylan and her family has (despite the overpowering evil of the Relic) is no more because of Lord Rennard.

"Kye's emotions was a force of nature, demanding to be felt, but Rhey had to be coaxed out of the shell he built for himself."
This is one of the first times in this novel that we see the devasting affect of the families of the Shadow. Kye's and Rhey's blooming innocence has already began to be destroy before it has even reached it fullest maturity.

"My last shift. My last word to Riem was no. I didn't even say goodbye to Tosh or the others, believeing I would see them tomorrow."
Ignoring the pragmatics and context of this novel, I think this is a metaphor that we can relate to everyday life. Things happen. They can -- and possibly will --- happen suddenly.  #yolo

"I would become just another name on that list of forgotten souls."

NO YOU WON'T KAYLAN! WE WILL REMEMBER!!!

(This is one of my fav quotes from Relic! Are you ready?"

" 'We are all the enemy, and what does one do to their enemies?' He paused, as if for dramatic effect. 'They destroy them.' "

Here are some honourable mentions!

"She was given a flowering garden and luxurious gowns.

At least she had the illusion of freedom."

"What had this city turned us into? Nothing but puppets to a grand master."

"I wouldn't make it out of here alive, but if I could be the last shadow, whatever followed would be worth it."

"I lunged for the crumpled flower, removing it from the carnage of the shattered vase and dirt. The petals were creased, broken and dead."


Want to see what other amazing quotes the book has to offer? Follow this link to purchase!!!

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Relic, Bronwyn Eley's debut novel (and first in the Relic series) is available to pre-order (depending on when you're reading this) on Booktopia and Amazon!

Are you dying to know more about Relic? Follow these links and they shall take you to wherever your heart desires~

Relic
Goodreads 
On Bronwyn Eley's author website
This link also takes you to the page where I found the beautiful Relic illustrations!


Bronwyn Eley
Instagram
Facebook


Ash
Instagram
Deviantart
Artstation



Or perhaps you would like to continue with the chat on Twitter! To do so, you can tweet us using the hashtags #RelicTour & #CBTTC


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Thank you for joining me on this blog tour!

I hope to see you again soon!

Stay awesome,






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About Hannah

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Hi, I'm Hannah. This is my blog.

Adventuring into fictional universes is always something that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Now, as an aspiring author, I get to create them too.

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