Gilly
Rising by Bronwyn Eley
Author: Bronwyn Eley
Publisher: Talem Press, Writer's Edit
Release Date: May 13th, 2021
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Time is running out.
With two Relics now in her possession, Kaylan must claim the final three before rebel leader Bellamy De Winter does. Then she must find a way to destroy the stones, once and for all.
But the magic is different now… and so is Kaylan.
After losing so much, she has forged a new bond with the Relic. It is more than mere magic, more than just a stone. Kaylan sees the dead Lord of Edriast, the man she killed to save herself, standing by her side.
The Relic is the only one who understands her now. But every word it whispers in her ear could be a lie. Every chance she gives it could be her final error.
As Kaylan pits her power against the men who seek to take it from her, she finds herself – and those she cares for – in more danger than ever before. And through it all, the Relic claims to be her ally… But as the perils of magic become clearer, Kaylan begins to wonder: will trusting the Relic lead to victory – or to death?
Rising is the gripping final volume in Bronwyn Eley’s dark YA fantasy series, The Relic Trilogy.
Review
Rising is the third and final book of The Relic Trilogy by Bronwyn Eley. I so desperately wanted to know how the complexities within the story would be resolved that I persevered reading despite feeling horrifically unwell and just wanting to sleep. It was definitely worth it though to finally know how all the threads tie together.
Rising is a great conclusion to the trilogy. With fast paced action, a cast of interesting and unique characters and some incredible relationships, Eley has built an incredibly satisfying reading experience across three books. The overall concept underpinning the trilogy is original and compelling: it’s not possible to be: sure exactly how the situation will work out.
Kaylan’s struggles really come to the fore in Rising, as she grapples with the effects of the relic on her, and how she’s changed since she became the Shadow. She’s a fantastic protagonist; I love the juxtaposition of her determination and uncertainty. Throughout, it is unclear exactly how she will do what she knows is right, and doing what is right includes she has to compromise her desire not to hurt people. This contrasts with her strong feelings of wanting vengeance on the person who killed her family, another interesting contradiction that I think makes her very relatable.
Overall a really wonderful conclusion to a series I really enjoyed.
You can find Gilly at Gilly Reads or on Instagram, Twitter or Goodreads
Riven by Bronwyn Eley
Author: Bronwyn Eley
Publisher: Talem Press, Writer's Edit
Release Date: August 13th, 2020
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Kaylan's life as she knew it is over. Again.
Hunted by the guards of Edriast and their ruthless captain, Kaylan is forced to flee into a world she’s never seen, armed with a power she never wanted. With her brother Elias by her side, she escapes to the distant city of Stynos, where rumour has it a possible ally is waiting… An ally who might help Kaylan control the violent magic that’s become her burden to bear.
But Kaylan can’t hide forever – not from the forces that surround her, or from the darkness inside herself. Rebel leader Bellamy seeks her help to destroy a regime; Captain Thorn pursues her with a vengeance; and as her power grows, her inner demons begin to seep through the cracks… Kaylan may be strong, but is she strong enough to resist the Relic?
Review
Riven is the second instalment in Bronwyn Eley’s The Relic Trilogy and the story picks up directly where Relic stopped. While Relic was a slow build, in Riven you are immediately thrown into the action, building upon the last part of the previous book that was full of twists and surprises.
Riven manages to avoid a lot of the issues second books in a trilogy face. It builds really well on the foundation set out in Relic, it’s action-packed, progresses the plot in ways that provide a satisfying story within the book and introduces some interesting new characters.
There’s a lot to love in this book, but my favourite thing (as in Relic) is the way Bronwyn Eley writes her characters. People call this series a dark fantasy - a description which fits - but so many of the characters are actually wholesome. I particularly appreciate the complexity developed in each character and the way she builds individual relationships between them all in differing ways Also that friendship is a focus in the story and the way this plays into how Kaylan grapples with the effects of the relic.
Riven is more action-oriented than Relic, but the strong focus on the characters remains. I particularly liked gradually learning more and more about the relic and I am really interested to see how its role plays out in the final book.
I also really enjoyed the returning of Kaylan’s strength throughout the story; in great contrast to her deterioration during Relic. Even as her strength returns she doesn’t hallucinate in the same ways, and the relic’s influence is still a major element of the story, though in a different way. Kaylan is still struggling to determine the best way forward, and I thought this tension between wanting to do the right thing, not being certain exactly how, and the pull of the relic was really well written.
I liked the ending a lot. It was a bit less of a cliff hanger than Relic, which is good as the release date for the third book hasn’t been announced yet. I am still very excited to find out how it will all work out.
Bronwyn Eley is clearly honing her writing throughout this series. Riven includes everything interesting and attractive to readers of the first book but is even better.
You can find Gilly at Gilly Reads or on Instagram, Twitter or Goodreads
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