About

Soul Relic is Samuel Hinton's debut book.

Soul Relic book cover

Blurb

Born with an enormous well of power but no way to regenerate it, Raysha will risk anything to fix herself, even if it means venturing into the unknown with nothing but her brother, an enchanted water bottle, and a stubborn attitude.

Without the ability to cultivate aeon from the world, Raysha has been treated like an outcast her whole life. While she has to ration her power drop-by-drop, others use it as commonly as breathing. In a world where true masters of aeon have slaughtered gods, Raysha's future in her village is limited to babysitting pre-awakened children who inevitably surpass and mock her.

So when her brother visits from the Academy with a dangerous new idea to help her, Raysha jumps at the chance to finally do something. Her brother believes that with three simple things, they might have a cure: an enchanted water bottle, a simple change of scenery, and—-of course-the crystalized heart of an ancient spirit. Raysha is skeptical, but with her refreshing drink in hand, the pair head out into the wider world in search of the impossible.

Review

When was the last time you read a fantasy book where the main character's parents and siblings were alive and the entire family loved each other?

The prologue was messy and reminded me of Powder Mage series. Thankfully, that was just a sub-plot as I was in a mood for light hearted fantasy. The main one revolved around Raysha trying to fix her magical issues (with help from her brother and mentors). The first couple of chapters seemed full of tropes I've read often, but the chemistry between the family members and the light banter got me hooked.

The overall plot had a good balance between adventure, slice-of-life scenes and action. The travelling portions (which included visits to natural and man-made wonders), training, tidbits about the magic system and the various scenes involving the sibling duo discussing about gifts were some of the best I've read. The light banter, puns and bickering had me laughing often. I was so invested in their lives that I didn't want action scenes to intrude. I'm still mad that the sibling duo had to skip buying the planned gift for their younger sister. They better find a way in the sequels or the author will get some angry fan mails.

The best thing I liked about the magic system was how flexible it was (some of it reminded me of The Weirkey Chronicles). I wish the naming system for advancement levels was easier to remember/comprehend — perhaps I'm just spoiled by Cradle. I'm definitely hoping that the sequels will continue to have discussions and interesting applications like seen in this book.

It is very rare for progression fantasy novels to lead with female main characters. There were POV scenes from other characters too, but Raysha's were by far the most. I hope books like this one would help in getting more diversity. Speaking of characters, I found them all well written. The two old mentors were an instant hit with me, and that extended to some of the side characters too.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What others are saying

From Ben's review on goodreads:

A genuinely fun take on progression fantasy. The characters felt distinct and had great dynamics with each other. The magic system was fun even at the beginning level that the main character was at, while giving enough of a sense of where it was going to be exciting. The worldbuilding was in depth enough that we had a good sense of what was going on, while also seeing that we were just seeing a small snapshot of the world.

From David's review on goodreads:

Overall an enjoyable book, a strong debut for Mr. Hinton. I will definitely be interested in sequels. The worldbuilding and magic system are enjoyable and easily understood. The pacing is okay, a good mix of faster and slower parts. Character building is enjoyable with depth to the main characters.

Bingo

/r/Fantasy/ 2022 bingo categories:

  • Weird Ecology (HM)
  • Cool Weapon (HM)
  • Revolutions and Rebellions
  • Published in 2022 (HM)
  • Self-Published OR Indie Publisher (HM)
  • No Ifs, Ands, or Buts
  • Family Matters