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3.5
Reliquary
ByPublisher Description
Sometimes, you just want to belong.
When Claire’s fiancé mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, seemingly destroying her chances at the belonging she’s sought, she’s prepared to sink back into the lonely life she lived before. Orphaned by a freak boating accident in her childhood, she never expected to find connection like she did with Elias, anyway. Even if sometimes, that connection seemed more like something he felt obligated to than something he wanted.
Their relationship wasn’t perfect—his coldness, his secrets, his strange aversion to the ocean—but what relationship is?
When Elias’s family reaches out—his incredibly wealthy family, from whom he was estranged—and invites Claire to a wake at their family home on a private island, Claire is given the chance to have connection again. To belong to something, just like she’s always wanted. Just like Elias knew she was desperate to have.
Even if that family is a little strange. Even if their home built partially into the sea stirs up memories of the accident that killed her parents and sister. Even if Ash, Elias’s older brother, seems insistent on Claire leaving as soon as possible.
Claire can’t bring herself to be lonely again. And as the strange circumstances of Elias’s familial connection with the sea becomes more and more apparent, her window for escape is rapidly closing.
Does she even want to?
When Claire’s fiancé mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, seemingly destroying her chances at the belonging she’s sought, she’s prepared to sink back into the lonely life she lived before. Orphaned by a freak boating accident in her childhood, she never expected to find connection like she did with Elias, anyway. Even if sometimes, that connection seemed more like something he felt obligated to than something he wanted.
Their relationship wasn’t perfect—his coldness, his secrets, his strange aversion to the ocean—but what relationship is?
When Elias’s family reaches out—his incredibly wealthy family, from whom he was estranged—and invites Claire to a wake at their family home on a private island, Claire is given the chance to have connection again. To belong to something, just like she’s always wanted. Just like Elias knew she was desperate to have.
Even if that family is a little strange. Even if their home built partially into the sea stirs up memories of the accident that killed her parents and sister. Even if Ash, Elias’s older brother, seems insistent on Claire leaving as soon as possible.
Claire can’t bring herself to be lonely again. And as the strange circumstances of Elias’s familial connection with the sea becomes more and more apparent, her window for escape is rapidly closing.
Does she even want to?
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesReliquary Reviews
3.5
“Claire's fiance Elias dies of a brain aneurysm suddenly. She receives a letter from his estranged family she's never met inviting her to their family mansion at sea to grieve their shared loss. Things start to seem off with the family and everything goes haywire from there in the best possible way.
I struggled with what to rate this book. I loved the atmospheric ocean horror. I felt like the mystery and suspense in the first 3/4 of the book was done very well. I liked the twists. I thought the book was overall unique. However, there were several chapters towards the end that just dragged on and felt unnecessary. I also wish that there was more of connecting with Elias and Claire in the beginning so I could connect better to their relationship. I feel like that would have been more impactful to everything that happened. The stuff with Ash also just felt too rushed and off, there was no development there really either. The horror and gore parts were done well without being just for the shock of it.
Overall, a solid unique oceanic horror book that was refreshing but not without it's flaws. I feel like better character development could have made it way better.”
“Thank you so much to Orbit Books and to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! This was an absolute TRIP! It was very atmospheric and extremely un-putdownable. I had the best time reading it and it was a fascinating take on corporate greed. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for it to be released!”
“This was enjoyable. I have a soft spot for oceanic horror, so I immediately knew that I wanted to read this book. The atmosphere and the setting were pretty intriguing. Specifically once Claire reaches the isolated family home. I loved the descriptions of the house and the concept of the "ocean listening."
I wouldn't say that any of these characters were likable, but they certainly felt real. Their flaws made them feel realistic and relatable to me. If you're someone that looks for likable characters, then you will likely struggle with this. Not even the main character was likable, but she was interesting. I was curious about her backstory and her trauma. I appreciated seeing a main character openly discussing her mental health.
We learn about Elias through Claire's past experiences with him as he has already died by the start of the book. Honestly, not much to be desired with this guy. We learn about Elias's faults and his "good" moments. We also see Claire's obvious bias with Elias. There is a bit of a battle between Elias's good deeds versus his obvious faults within their relationship and it all felt very authentic. Elias's family also added a strange dynamic to this story. It reminded me a bit of the film <I>Ready or Not</I>.
I was a bit disappointed about the submarine and I felt as though this was an opportunity wasted. I really was hoping that the sub would play a larger role in this book. The concept of a tiny submarine in a large, open ocean makes me deeply uncomfortable, so naturally I was wishing for something to happen here.
I liked the gore, reveal, and how this book ended.
—Spoiler start—
The monsters and the cult mindset made for a strong combination. The body horror was done pretty well and this all gave me strong visuals as I was reading. Once I finished the book. This, as I mentioned, reminded me a lot of an oceanic monster version of Ready or Not. Which is a good thing because I loved that movie. This book had some similar humor, plot, and character development as in the film.
—Spoiler end—
This was a solid read and I will likely purchase this book for my shelf once pub day hits. And I'm obsessed with this cover.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
CW: Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail”
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