This book had a lot of potential. It was set in a version of 19th century American west where remains of extinct magical creatures are mined and used for their magical abilities. I liked the magic system a lot and wished that we had more information on it and the types of creatures that left the relics. The characters were the typical western story stereotypes: the evil brothel owner, the kind prostitute, the handsome cowboys, the mysterious Chinaman, the nobel natives, etc. I wanted a little more out of them than typical fill in the blank western town inhabitants. The story was OK, but the idea had such potential that the average execution was a disappointment to me. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Fast paced western with a unique paranormal twist. Amazing characters, interesting setting, and a fascinating plot makes this a must read for all YA fans.

Opening Sentence: We were home alone the night that Haydenville burned.

The Review:

Maggie Davis is 16 years old and lives in a small town in Colorado, with her family. Then one night a terrible fire burns her home and kills everyone but her and her little sister. She travels to the town of Burning Mesa where she looks for work. Maggie is lucky to find work at the local saloon as a hostess. She tries to survive and take care of her little sister the best she can. She makes some unlikely friends and meets the dashing cowboy Landon Black. But Maggie also has unusual magical skills that don’t go unnoticed for long.

In Maggie’s world there are talismans known as relics, which are the bones of paranormal creatures. These bones posses magic and depending on what they came from they all hold a different kind of power. For example, dragon bones contain the power of fire, goblin bones can make you invisible, and siren bones can make you very persuasive. Maggie has always been fascinated by relics and it turns out she has a special skill when it comes to harnessing their powers. Soon the very influential Álvar Castilla takes notice and employs Maggie to help him. At first Maggie is swept away in his world of finery and magic, but soon reality seeps in and she starts to wonder if she can really trust Álvar. Then another town is burned and Maggie has to try and figure out who is behind it all.

Maggie is an awesome heroine. I instantly connected with her and loved everything about her. She is strong, independent, and sticks to her beliefs. She is thrown into an impossible situation and while she does make some mistakes she tries the best she can. She has a feisty personality and doesn’t like to be told what to do. Much of the things she goes through are heartbreaking, but instead of letting her problems defeat her she comes out on top. You get to experience so many first with her and I enjoyed every minute of it. She was an amazing character that you couldn’t help but love and respect.

Okay, I have to confess something here; I am a total sucker for sexy cowboys and Landon Black is one very sexy cowboy. With beautiful blue eyes, straw colored hair and a sweet cowboy accent he pretty much had me at hello. Of course he is also the upmost gentleman like all cowboys should be and he treats Maggie with complete respect. He shows his sweet vulnerable side at times, but he is also tough and protective. He isn’t perfect by all means but his faults just made him more real and desirable. His relationship with Maggie is so sweet and developed perfectly. The only thing I can complain about with Landon is that I wanted even more scenes with him in the book.

If you can’t already tell, I absolutely loved this book. The setting was so much fun and the plot had some very surprising good twists. The characters were awesome and so easy to connect with. The paranormal element in the story was very unique and different from anything else I have ever read. The romance was done perfectly and the mystery kept me guessing the whole way through. This is a debut novel for Renee Collins and she has gained a fan for life from me. At the moment there isn’t anything about a sequel, but with the slight cliffhanger ending, I really hope there is one. I would honestly recommend this to anyone that enjoys YA books, it has so many unique elements that will please a wide range of fans.

Notable Scene:

“Lovely evenin’.”

The voice jarred me out of my thoughts, nearly making me

fling the pan of broken glass from my hand.

It was a male’s voice. Sounded like a young buck, about my age. He stepped from the dark into a panel of orange light the windows had cast on the dirt. He was tall and lean with fair hair and a wide smile.

As he came closer, however, the smile faded. “Say, what’s wrong?”

I realized that tears still wet my cheeks, and I swiftly wiped them away. “Nothing.”

“You were crying. Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

He made a look of playful, exaggerated distress. “Did some varmint trample on your heart? Tell me where he is, and I’ll give him a what for.”

This made me laugh a little. “It’s nothing like that. But thanks, anyway.”

He grinned, and I felt a flicker of heat in my face. I didn’t recognize him; he certainly wasn’t one of the regulars. And I’d never seen him around town. He was probably one of those railroad workers, and would be leaving for Tucson at first light.

“Did you break something important?” he asked, motioning to my pan. “Is that why you’re upset?”

“You really want to figure this out, don’t you?” I said, both amused and exasperated.

He stepped closer. “A man doesn’t like the sight of a pretty girl crying.”

I tried to laugh dismissively, though it sounded more like a cough.

“I’m Landon,” he said, bending his head to try and meet my eye. “Landon Black. What’s your name?”

FTC Advisory: Entangled Teen provided me with a copy of Relic. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

*I received an ARC ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Maggie Davis led a fairly normal life until the fire. At 16, she had a younger brother and sister and parents who loved them all. She passed time by reading about relics, the pieces of long-ago magical creatures that everyone wanted. Some were common ones, ones to help with water needs in case of a drought. But others were so powerful they could manipulate minds. Maggie dreamed of one day working with these relics when the fire took everyone in her family away but her younger sister, Ella. Forced to work in a more-than-slightly scandalous saloon, Maggie is shocked when a rich relic baron tells her he thinks she has a gift with relics and offers to take care of her and Ella. Throw in Landon, a cowboy who may understand Maggie more than she thinks, Adelaide, a show girl at the saloon, and a plot that keeps you on your toes, you have this wonderful fantasy/historical novel.

I started off with this book with mixed feelings. I LOVED the unique idea of relics, but I usually stay away from historical fiction with Western-y stuff in it, like cowboys and Indians. Nothing wrong with either one, they just don't usually appeal to me. But I still thought the story sounded too good to pass up, so I gave it a shot, and I am so, so glad I did. This story had my attention from the first page and it kept it till the very end. Maggie's world is one of the most original worlds I've ever read. The combination of fantasy, history, romance, and mystery was superb. It was something new and exciting, and I can only hope we learn even more about it in the next book (There is a next one, right?).

Maggie was a wonderful character. She isn't ready to be a mother to her sister, but she gives it all she has. She's a girl with a backbone and isn't afraid to stick up for herself, but sometimes she doesn't recognize when she needs to do that. She makes mistakes, but she never gives up on protecting the people she loves and she knows what it right and wrong. She still has the innocence of her youth and tries to see the best in people, but she is far from naive when she sees someone she knows is evil. I liked that about her a lot. She fit her age very well, while also fitting the position a young woman without parents or a husband would be in at the time, giving her a maturity that will appeal to older readers.

There is romance in this, and it is not the main part of the book. Though I love the swoon-worthy YA love interests we have been seeing a lot and their tragic/heart-breaking/wonderful relationships, I was glad this story wasn't it. It gave way to the real focus of the story, Maggie herself, her struggle to do what is best and how to figure out what is best when she never expected she had to know so soon. It's about how friendships and family will impact you and change your life. It's about what you do when evil is going on so strongly around you and you have to be brave enough to fight back, even if you are the only one doing so. The romance in here is great and real and makes an excellent sort of background to showcase how Maggie is growing. Though having said that, I would really like to see more of it in a sequel (again, please tell me there will be a sequel) so we can see how Maggie will handle it now that her character has developed so far.

Though I adored Maggie, I think my favorite character was Adelaide. She was an unexpected best friend to Maggie with her own tragedy going on, a tragedy I don't think we have seen the last of. She has a dark past and a dark present. But even so, she tries her hardest to be a good friend and to keep fighting, even though she doesn't know how. She does have weak moments, but I think there is a strength in her that we are only beginning to see. Though they have very different backgrounds, Maggie and her make a strong friendship.

The only negative (and this is NOT a big negative, just one I think should be mentioned) I had was with Ella and Landon. I thought their characters were great, but I wanted to see more of them. Ella is such a big part of Maggie, and though she is mentioned regularly, I would've liked more dialogue with her to get to know her character better. The same goes for Landon. I felt there were excellent glimpses of who these two are, but I was eager to get more than a glimpse. Of course, you can't fit every detail of every character in one book, and I completely understand that. Just feel free to tell me more about them in the future books (There has to be a sequel....right?!).

Great read, loved it, 5/5 stars. ( )