Readers’ Favorite: 5 Stars

Reviewed by Scott Cahan for Readers' Favorite Relic Rupture, by EDD Jordan, is about people in a tight-knit community affected by a mysterious bench in life-altering ways. I won’t give away what happens, but I think it’s safe to say time travel is involved, albeit not in any way I’ve ever seen in movies or books. Although the bench is the object that causes most of the conflict, the real focus of this book is the people and how they cope with difficult circumstances in their lives. The central character, Jack, the contractor responsible for building the new airport terminal that all of the characters work in, is called on by many of the others for help. One by one, they are all affected by the powers of the bench. As the story goes on, the conflicts begin to overlap and Jack finds it difficult to help each of his friends and spend time with Kourin, the new romantic interest in his life. Relic Rupture is a powerful read that somehow manages to present a large cast of characters and develop every single one of them in a deep and meaningful way. By the end of the book, I felt like I’d known each character my whole life and had become good friends with them all. I was extremely impressed with the author’s skill at character development. Even more impressive was the way the characters' stories all connect and affect each other like a masterfully sewn quilt. The supernatural element, represented by the bench, is also pretty cool. The scenes with the bench were subtle and colorful, adding to the overall beauty of Relic Rupture. This is part one of the Benchmark Legacy series. I can’t wait to read part two because Relic Rupture tells a story that is so unlike anything I’ve ever read or seen that I have no idea where the story is going. I love to be surprised, so well done to EDD Jordan. I highly recommend Relic Rupture.