Review: Relic

Relic | Gretchen McNeil

Published by: Epic Reads Impulse, March 8th 2016

Genre: YA, Horror, Mystery

Pages: 293

Format: Ebook

Source: Epic Reads Impulse, via Edelweiss

From Gretchen McNeil, the author of Ten and Possess, comes this teen horror novel perfect for young fans of Stephen King, and Lois Duncan's I Know What You Did Last Summer.

For Annie Kramer, the summer before college is bittersweet—both a last hurrah of freedom and the last days she'll spend with her boyfriend, Jack, before they head off to different colleges. So she and her friends plan one final adventure: a houseboating trip on Shasta Lake, complete with booze, romance . . . and an off-limits exploration of the notorious Bull Valley Mine.

The legends of mysterious lights and missing persons on Shasta Lake have been a staple of sleepovers and campouts since Annie was a kid. Full of decrepit bridges that lead to nowhere, railroad tunnels that disappear into the mountains, and terrifying stories of unexplained deaths and bodies that were never recovered, Bull Valley Mine is notorious and frightening—perfect for an epic conclusion to their high school lives.

The trip is fun and light—at first. But when a deranged stranger stumbles upon their campsite, spouting terrifying warnings and pleas for help, it's clear that everyone is in danger. And when their exploration of the mine goes horribly wrong, Annie and her friends quickly discover that the menace of Bull Valley Mine doesn't stay at Shasta Lake—it follows them home.

As one by one her friends fall victim to this mysterious and violent force, Annie must do whatever it takes to discover the ancient secrets of the mine and save her friends . . . if she's not already too late.

I know this is horror, and there's always going to be a layer of mystery, but I have no idea what I just read. I kind of liked Annie, kind of didn't, and the same goes for Jack and the rest of the characters. I kind of liked the threat and creepy murders, kind of tired of them, and the end was just odd. If you love the genre, you'll probably love this. I will say it's a quick read, and I like the element of the mine, but I'm not sure I liked the rest.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/World ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★☆☆