Review: Relic Hunters: The Amulet of Hath written by Vashti Hardy and illustrated by Rebecca Sheerin

The Amulet of Hath is the second exciting adventure in the Relic Hunters series, where steampunk fantasy, archaeology and technology combine in a thrilling race to discover the secrets of an ancient treasure.

Siblings Mabel and George Greystone have been bitten by the adventuring bug and are eager to begin another quest with their Aunt Lucy, a relic hunter who searches for special ancient artefacts.

When Aunt Lucy arrives, she tells them that, not only has an ancient artefact been found, the amulet of Hath, but that she has permission to borrow it from the museum before it is put on display. The relic hunters hope that the amulet will unlock clues to lead them to the lost land of Hath and its hidden treasure.

But before Aunt Lucy can collect the amulet, unscrupulous and ruthless rival, Byron Cogsworth, gets his hands on it. Hoping that a photograph of the amulet will be enough, the Greystones travel by Hover Galleon to Zephra to begin their search. Will they be able to find Hath and discover its true treasure before Cogsworth snatches the riches? Can they be successful with only half the clues to the amulet’s secrets, or will they have to reach a deal?

This is another wonderfully imaginative, action-packed Indiana-Jones-esque adventure with a brilliant blend of archaeology, steampunk and technology from ancient relics to robotic camels. There is a real sense of peril as Cogsworth is willing to stop at nothing to satisfy his greed and need for glory including tricks and threats – and worse! I really liked the references to ancient animal gods, which reminded me of Ancient Egyptian gods, on the amulet which opened up a trail of clues to help the relic hunters on their path to finding Hath. I also really enjoyed the idea that those from ancient times could create and harness incredible technology capable of giving warnings and messages to those from modern times.

Mabel and Will are proving themselves to be very capable, courageous and determined relic hunters when joining Aunt Lucy on her quest. I really liked that Aunt Lucy trusts the children, values their opinion, and is protective of them, as they work together to complete the quest. It is obvious that they are more precious to her than any ancient treasure. I also loved that Grimm, the talking stuffed cat relic, is an important part of the quest. He is grumpy and reluctant to take part in the adventure, yet he proves incredibly helpful!

The full-and-partial-page illustrations throughout are wonderful and really capture the excitement of the adventure and brilliant world-building perfectly.

An exhilarating adventure, with the importance of family at its heart, to find the true treasure at the end of a perilous quest, perfect for young adventurers of 9+.

This book is published by the wonderful Barrington Stoke who publish dyslexia-friendly, super-readable and accessible books for children of all ages.  This one is for ages 9+ with a reading age of 8.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy of  The Amulet of Hath in exchange for my honest opinion.