IHeartYAFiction

Short and Sweet:I really enjoyed Relic. The author's gorgeous description of the landscape really transported me into the icy Boundary Lands. Eva, likewise, is an incredibly enjoyable character to read. I loved how daring she was throughout the story beginning with taking part in the Testing. New North, The Boundary Lands and the Testing get more and more interesting as the story goes on and even though I was left with questions they are of the 'give me the next book immediately!!!' variety. ;)To Elaborate....The story begins with Eva's twin, Eamon, meeting an untimely end. We get a little bit of drama and mystery right away; an insight into a piece of the puzzle that the characters aren't even aware of. From there on out though we follow Eva's perspective as she navigates being both a Testor and a 'Maiden.' You see, in New North everyone follows a set of rules called the Lex and there are a lot of rules about how to be a proper young woman. From the start Eva seems a little eye-rolly about many of the rules and her mother seems perpetually exasperated by her. (I relate. :P)Eva's choice to honor her brother by Testing isn't popular within her community. I liked that although this made life for herself less comfortable she stuck to her convictions all the same. I also like that Eva chose to train for the Testing with an outsider, Lukas, who lives outside New North in the boundary lands and is considered by many of her own people to be below her. In fact, Lukas is her dear friend and maybe the only person who really knows her.The night before she begins her treacherous journey, Jasper, a fellow Testor and family friend secretly professes his hope for a future with her after the Testing is complete. I LOVED that Eva stays focused on her own goals. In so many books we see female leads about to take on all sorts of journeys and evils, but the number one thing on their minds seems to be the man/men in their lives. Not so with Eva. She gives it thought, but not nearly so much as she gives her own goals and aspirations. *high five* Heather Terrell!Overall, I think the pacing and plot were near perfect and the end of the book reveals quite a lot about this world and how it really came to be. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series and recommend it highly!(Originally published at iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)