*I received an ARC ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Maggie Davis led a fairly normal life until the fire. At 16, she had a younger brother and sister and parents who loved them all. She passed time by reading about relics, the pieces of long-ago magical creatures that everyone wanted. Some were common ones, ones to help with water needs in case of a drought. But others were so powerful they could manipulate minds. Maggie dreamed of one day working with these relics when the fire took everyone in her family away but her younger sister, Ella. Forced to work in a more-than-slightly scandalous saloon, Maggie is shocked when a rich relic baron tells her he thinks she has a gift with relics and offers to take care of her and Ella. Throw in Landon, a cowboy who may understand Maggie more than she thinks, Adelaide, a show girl at the saloon, and a plot that keeps you on your toes, you have this wonderful fantasy/historical novel.

I started off with this book with mixed feelings. I LOVED the unique idea of relics, but I usually stay away from historical fiction with Western-y stuff in it, like cowboys and Indians. Nothing wrong with either one, they just don't usually appeal to me. But I still thought the story sounded too good to pass up, so I gave it a shot, and I am so, so glad I did. This story had my attention from the first page and it kept it till the very end. Maggie's world is one of the most original worlds I've ever read. The combination of fantasy, history, romance, and mystery was superb. It was something new and exciting, and I can only hope we learn even more about it in the next book (There is a next one, right?).

Maggie was a wonderful character. She isn't ready to be a mother to her sister, but she gives it all she has. She's a girl with a backbone and isn't afraid to stick up for herself, but sometimes she doesn't recognize when she needs to do that. She makes mistakes, but she never gives up on protecting the people she loves and she knows what it right and wrong. She still has the innocence of her youth and tries to see the best in people, but she is far from naive when she sees someone she knows is evil. I liked that about her a lot. She fit her age very well, while also fitting the position a young woman without parents or a husband would be in at the time, giving her a maturity that will appeal to older readers.

There is romance in this, and it is not the main part of the book. Though I love the swoon-worthy YA love interests we have been seeing a lot and their tragic/heart-breaking/wonderful relationships, I was glad this story wasn't it. It gave way to the real focus of the story, Maggie herself, her struggle to do what is best and how to figure out what is best when she never expected she had to know so soon. It's about how friendships and family will impact you and change your life. It's about what you do when evil is going on so strongly around you and you have to be brave enough to fight back, even if you are the only one doing so. The romance in here is great and real and makes an excellent sort of background to showcase how Maggie is growing. Though having said that, I would really like to see more of it in a sequel (again, please tell me there will be a sequel) so we can see how Maggie will handle it now that her character has developed so far.

Though I adored Maggie, I think my favorite character was Adelaide. She was an unexpected best friend to Maggie with her own tragedy going on, a tragedy I don't think we have seen the last of. She has a dark past and a dark present. But even so, she tries her hardest to be a good friend and to keep fighting, even though she doesn't know how. She does have weak moments, but I think there is a strength in her that we are only beginning to see. Though they have very different backgrounds, Maggie and her make a strong friendship.

The only negative (and this is NOT a big negative, just one I think should be mentioned) I had was with Ella and Landon. I thought their characters were great, but I wanted to see more of them. Ella is such a big part of Maggie, and though she is mentioned regularly, I would've liked more dialogue with her to get to know her character better. The same goes for Landon. I felt there were excellent glimpses of who these two are, but I was eager to get more than a glimpse. Of course, you can't fit every detail of every character in one book, and I completely understand that. Just feel free to tell me more about them in the future books (There has to be a sequel....right?!).

Great read, loved it, 5/5 stars.