Book Review: Relic and Ruin by Wendy McIver

The beginning of this book is really what captivated me. We start off this book with a brief history run down of the original stories of Grimm and Neco - the first grim reaper and the first necromancer. The intro felt very similar to the Deathly Hallows story from Harry Potter. That is one of my favorite scenes from the movies and so I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lovely, simple, and read perfectly as an ancient tale.

Relic and Ruin has everything a fiction lover enjoys- Greek mythology, Disney references, Grimms Fairytales, a little bit of it all. Usually, that might worry some people, I did at first, as it leads to possibilities of a non linear plot line and confusion. However, McIver did a wonderful job in combining several different lores. The only way I can see it being confusing for people is if you didn't understand the references. It's similar to finding Easter Eggs in movies. If you catch the reference, it's super fun. If you don't, it might just go right over your head or you may have to reach out to Google. That being said, the references she makes are pretty well known and hard to miss.

It was very hero vs villain driven. We know our heroes and their villainous counterparts from the start. McIver makes this book very easy to digest. World building is received as the story and our MC progresses. The only problems I felt were dialogue, the chapter headings, and Erebus' story. Starting with dialogue, this isn't a problem everyone is going to have. For me, at 25, it was just a bit juvenile for my taste. That is obviously completely understandable considering the audience. Anyone under 18 is not going to have a similar issue at all. It's funny, witty, and very much young. If you are an older audience, it might make you crinkle your nose every now and then.

As for chapter headings, I just wish they held more importance to the story line. Each chapter starts out with a phobia and its definition. I found them interesting, don't get me wrong. At the beginning they seemed to maybe play a part in what was going on with the mc and the story's progression but as we got further into the book they just seemed to be random add in's. Would have been way more exciting if they had been involved with he plot of the book. Considering how much this book has going on, it is understandable. Which brings me to slight issue number three of mine, Erebus' family story line. I felt like everything happened so quickly in this book. This is what held me back from being completely mind blown by this book. We started off so well, truly building an incredibly unique world. It had depth. It was well thought out. It was impressive.

About mid way through I feel like we lost the purpose of the book. I think if we had been focussed on the mystery and adventure of figuring out Erebus' past, we could have lead into a second book very cleanly. The second half of this book should have been the entire second book in my opinion. It felt to rushed otherwise and a bit anti-climatic. Book one's focus on the original tale of Neco and Grim, the association and legend of the Relics to that original tale, their progression to their role, the building threat, and Erebus' mystery life should have been it all. Bridge breaking being the cliff hanger. They are very good, enticing plot lines and it still worked. I just feel that if we had got the separation and extension of these plot lines, it would have made the series even better. That is just my opinion of course and I repeat, this book was not heavily lacking because of these choices. I would still be interested as to where we go from here and how long of a series this may be. At this point, I feel like it might be best as a duology. Also!! You guys, this author is YOUNG. her potential is unfathomable. I am excited and proud for her.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the ability to read this book!