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Review: "Relentless" by Karen Lynch

  • Writer: Holly Jane - Writer
    Holly Jane - Writer
  • Mar 6, 2021
  • 5 min read

"Relentless" by Karen Lynch. Book 1 of the Relentless series. Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Supernatural Favourite Quote: "There was something between us I couldn't define, but I'd felt it the moment I was dying and the moment I saw him standing in the kitchen doorway."


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*** Please note that this review will likely contain spoilers and only reflects my own thoughts and experiences. There is no conflict of interest here. *** We are thrust immediately into the thick of the action as we follow our main protagonist, Sara on her mission to secure mysterious goods for her troll BFF, Remy. Yep, a troll in the first chapter - not what I expected either, but hey I'm here for it! If that's not enough of a beginning, we are then along for the ride as Sara witnesses the birth of a baby boggie and quickly intervenes to ensure he survives the birth and leaves with new parents, happy and healthy. I did not honestly expect this much of an emotionally charged scene so early into the book, but I found myself holding my breath during these few moments, latching on to see if this little guy would survive or not. Soon thereafter and baby boggie now on his way home, we're teased and introduced to the darkness that resides inside Sara's mind and how this affects her life on a daily basis. We're left wondering knowing this information about her, just how she fits inside this fantasy world that lives in almost plain sight of the humans. Story Wow, what a ride!

The plot really had me guessing and I struggled to anticipate what would come next! We're introduced to characters and storylines that are nearly wrapped up later on - which really personally ticks my boxes because I see so many books of this genre that really fall short in plot holes and ends up forgetting or sweeping them under the carpet.


I found that had I not been enjoying myself so much, I might have been a little disillusioned with the pattern of Sara being told to stay put and stay safe - and then running off by herself straight after, which definitely happened more than a few times! But there was no much going on within the plot, I didn't focus on this too much and that's why it didn't become too much of a personal bugbear for me.

Setting Located mostly in Maine with the occasional reference to the city. Environments and settings were easy for me to distinguish and imagine between one another. There's certain scenes I could feel see, feel and smell which really spoke to my senses and just give me that extra level I sorely crave in fiction.

Characters I absolutely loved most of the characters and thought they were well flushed out with their own identity and characterisation. Of course we get our secondary faces that fall into the background but they pad out the scenes just nicely and make the place seem alive and bustling.


I will say though that certain character names did struggle to land with me. One notable occurrence was hearing about David and Daniel - too similar and indistinguishable for me to not get them mixed up. In addition to this, I felt as if the wolf pack where all mostly names and grumpy faces in a situation of too many names thrown in here at once without me getting to know them first or their relationships with the main characters. However I suspect that Lynch intends to delve into this side of things further into the series. Language Some differences in spelling that flick occasionally from Tarek to Tarak, but nothing that spoiled my enjoyment for the story. The language was compelling, didn't get lost in its own description and the subtle use of Nikolas's native tongue interspersed with his angry outbursts really put that nice touch on it for me.

Theme The ultimate theme is fantasy/supernatural interspersed with all elements of a romance teased along the way. Because the plot and the lore was so rich in detail, I didn't feel as if I missed out on anything in terms of genre. Usually I love a good full romance, but I didn't mind the light suggestion of the blossoming relationship that's likely to be addressed in the next books.

PROS + The imagination that went into this book is delightfully on the mark, well thought out and one of the better books I've read in this genre. + Great storyline + Likeable characters and a real feeling of kinship + Satisfying ending

+ Relentless really danced with the supernatural and fantasy elements and wound them together beautifully with a realistic approach to their nature in the real world

CONS + One tiny nagging thing for me. Why wasn't Sara able to heal Peter when technically her only restraints are not being able to heal humans? Surely if he's able to utilise his werewolf powers even in human form, wouldn't that count him in as a non human entity? + There was some times where the plot points revolved around the cycle of Nikolas telling Sara not to break rules, she goes ahead and breaks them and he turns up later on, furious. This wasn't dire enough to ruin the plot for me, but the repetition was noted.

+Too many names in some scenes where the reader isn't given enough of a real introduction to them, so they feel a little afterthought-ish.

Conclusion At times when I thought I had the ending sussed, they'd be another turn of events or twist that I didn't see coming. I definitely struggled to put down the kindle and suddenly, it's 2am! I did not sleep well during me reading of this. All in all, Relentless was able to provide me with everything I could have wanted from a book. A strong heroine who isn't annoying, boys that don't absolutely fall over her and declare their love and well flushed out background and fantasy elements. Overall I award Relentless: 5 out of 5 magical unicorns. 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

About the author:

"What can I tell you about me? I live in the beautiful state of North Carolina but I grew up in Newfoundland, Canada. I come from a large family of nine children so our house was always noisy and warm. I have many happy memories of swimming and fishing and just being outside in general, no matter the season. I love animals and there were lots of farm animals and critters to keep a kid like me happy. To this day, I can’t think of any place I’d rather be than near the ocean. And give me crashing waves and rugged shorelines over white sandy beaches any day." Check out Karen Lynch's social media: Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads

Instagram You can also purchase a copy of Relentless here.

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HOLLY JANE - AUTHOR

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