What do you think?
Rate this book
Reliquary
Not yet published
Expected 11 Aug 26Sometimes, 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?
300 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 11, 2026
6164 people want to read
About the author
Hannah F. Whitten
11 books4,430 followersHannah Whitten has been writing to amuse herself since she could hold a pen, and sometime in high school, figured out that what amused her might also amuse others. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, making music, or attempting to bake. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children in a house ruled by a temperamental cat.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 9, 2025
Propulsive and completely impossible to put down, RELIQUARY seized me with uneasy dread and will make me think twice before tiptoeing into any ocean. Hannah Whitten is my new favorite voice in horror.
December 5, 2025
I’m so serious, I read this in maybe three hours bc I could not possibly put it down. I know it doesn’t come out till next summer, but I need a production team to jump on this STAT and get to making a full feature film. IM OBSESSED
February 10, 2026
First DNF of the year…
Incredibly 2D writing and characters; so flat in fact they could be used as bookmarks. Characters as emotional as a user manual, padded out by redundant phrases that refuse to die. Only 300 pages, yet somehow felt infinite. DNFed for self-preservation.
Incredibly 2D writing and characters; so flat in fact they could be used as bookmarks. Characters as emotional as a user manual, padded out by redundant phrases that refuse to die. Only 300 pages, yet somehow felt infinite. DNFed for self-preservation.
Read
December 23, 2025SO GOOD! One of my favorite reads this year! Loved it!! Add to your TBR for 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
the only reason i am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because of my own personal issue of books being too contemporary and naming things specifically, like cyber trucks and netflix, simply because i don't like it and feel it prematurely ages a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
tbr-arc
January 15, 2026sign me up with all the tales told by haunted houses!
*thank you to Run For It for the ARC*
*thank you to Run For It for the ARC*
January 18, 2026
This book was written for everyone who joined the billionaires-on-oceangate-submarine vs the depths-of-the-ocean-and-mankind’s-hubris war on the side of the depths of the ocean and mankind’s hubris
October 19, 2025
4.5
An excellent switch from Hannah Whitten into horror! This comes out next summer, so a while away but a wonderful examination of abuse, mental health, and greed.
An excellent switch from Hannah Whitten into horror! This comes out next summer, so a while away but a wonderful examination of abuse, mental health, and greed.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
On the surface Claire seems to have it all, a wealthy and handsome fiancé whom has taken her into his beautiful home, where she works from. Effectively keeping her cocooned from the world. But beneath that perfect exterior, Claire feels hollow. She has kept her secrets, her pain and her past all packed out of site with the help of her therapist and prescription.
Her world shatters when her fiancé suddenly dies and she is contacted by his family that she was never introduced to. She feels that she can again, fill that hollowness with the overwhelming acceptance she has received from this new extended family.
She quickly realizes that she wasn't the only one that was keeping secrets and the family has big plans for her roll to play, whether she wants it or not.
I absolutely loved this book. I've read all of Hannah Whitten's other books and though this wasn't a fantasy I was familiar with in her previous books it was the horror I had most definitely been missing.
Her world shatters when her fiancé suddenly dies and she is contacted by his family that she was never introduced to. She feels that she can again, fill that hollowness with the overwhelming acceptance she has received from this new extended family.
She quickly realizes that she wasn't the only one that was keeping secrets and the family has big plans for her roll to play, whether she wants it or not.
I absolutely loved this book. I've read all of Hannah Whitten's other books and though this wasn't a fantasy I was familiar with in her previous books it was the horror I had most definitely been missing.
March 9, 2026
3.5 is my final rating!
Well, if you are someone who has thalassophobia or even chapodiphobia, this book would be pure nightmare fuel. I could use just one word to describe this entire story, Tentacles, and it wouldn’t be understating it at the least.
I have only ever read Whitten’s prior works in fantasy, so experiencing her take in a different genre all together was quite intriguing. She is excellent in writing body horror, as well as the inner turmoil of the main character Claire.
Although I found the climax and conclusion to be very predictable in this thriller, the build-up and unveiling of hidden secrets between all its characters will keep you glued to the end.
The main message I deducted from this story is there is strength in overcoming one’s grief. Bottling it down into the dark abyss will only eventually consume you. And in Claire’s case- it means both figuratively and literally.
Well, if you are someone who has thalassophobia or even chapodiphobia, this book would be pure nightmare fuel. I could use just one word to describe this entire story, Tentacles, and it wouldn’t be understating it at the least.
I have only ever read Whitten’s prior works in fantasy, so experiencing her take in a different genre all together was quite intriguing. She is excellent in writing body horror, as well as the inner turmoil of the main character Claire.
Although I found the climax and conclusion to be very predictable in this thriller, the build-up and unveiling of hidden secrets between all its characters will keep you glued to the end.
The main message I deducted from this story is there is strength in overcoming one’s grief. Bottling it down into the dark abyss will only eventually consume you. And in Claire’s case- it means both figuratively and literally.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Hannah Whitten, you absolute genius. This was brilliant.
I was immediately sucked in by the dedication, which is a declarative “to all the weird stuff in the ocean that is none of my business,” and to which I say: this book is so deeply terrifying that I WISH I minded my own business (affectionately. This book is fantastic).
Truly the best way to experience this book is go into it blind. You don’t want anything blunting the sensation of dread that takes residence in the pit of your stomach when your brain starts to figure out something is Very Wrong and things are going to go poorly Very Fast. There’s weird ocean stuff. There’s a family that makes a business out of involving themselves with weird ocean stuff. And at the center of it all is our FMC, Claire, grieving the loss of her fiancé, and has accepted an invitation to visit Weird Ocean Family’s home on a remote island. What could go wrong?
Well. Everything.
This book is claustrophobic and I feel like I gave myself a panic attack for fun.
I was immediately sucked in by the dedication, which is a declarative “to all the weird stuff in the ocean that is none of my business,” and to which I say: this book is so deeply terrifying that I WISH I minded my own business (affectionately. This book is fantastic).
Truly the best way to experience this book is go into it blind. You don’t want anything blunting the sensation of dread that takes residence in the pit of your stomach when your brain starts to figure out something is Very Wrong and things are going to go poorly Very Fast. There’s weird ocean stuff. There’s a family that makes a business out of involving themselves with weird ocean stuff. And at the center of it all is our FMC, Claire, grieving the loss of her fiancé, and has accepted an invitation to visit Weird Ocean Family’s home on a remote island. What could go wrong?
Well. Everything.
This book is claustrophobic and I feel like I gave myself a panic attack for fun.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Occasionally I pick up a book and just start reading. I know the title and author, but I haven't read any blurbs or reviews and know nothing about the book. I got halfway through this when I realized it was horror, which isn't my favorite. Whitten is a talented writer, but I can't say I was ever truly scared. Once I found out what's really going on, it just struck me as too ridiculous to really inspire any terror in me. But it's entertaining and might make a good beach read (if you never want to go to the beach again). Review from e-galley.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Thank you to the publishes for letting me read an eARC.
As always Hannah never fails me. This book was the perfect level of anticipation, intrigue and wondering how Claire doesn’t see the red flags.
This book is one that I know I’ll re-read time and time again. From the perfectly crafted haunting atmosphere to the hidden details, I was captivated until it was done. I started and finished this on the same day, bc I could not walk away from learning what happened.
Ash will forever be my favorite. Tho I do miss Theo.
As always Hannah never fails me. This book was the perfect level of anticipation, intrigue and wondering how Claire doesn’t see the red flags.
This book is one that I know I’ll re-read time and time again. From the perfectly crafted haunting atmosphere to the hidden details, I was captivated until it was done. I started and finished this on the same day, bc I could not walk away from learning what happened.
Ash will forever be my favorite. Tho I do miss Theo.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Ocean horror is one of my favourite types of horror, and this is an excellent addition to the subgenre. This was a perfect slowburn of "what the fuck" with a great execution that made it impossible to put this book down. Between the weird and mysterious estranged in-laws, her dead fiance's secrets coming to light, and constant presence of something lurking, watching from the ocean floor beyond the windows of the house, this was a fantastic horror read.
March 25, 2026
3.5⭐️ The sub genre body horror is new to me, so I don’t have a point of comparison to judge here. The premise was interesting and engaging, but missing a bit of depth and character development overall. It’s a quick, atmospheric, and grotesque read. Downside is I was never fully able to buy in to it to be truly scared. Disgusted, yes. Frightened, no. But maybe it’s supposed to be more visceral and creepy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Brimming with terror that’ll slither over your bones, Hannah Whitten’s Reliquary is a wicked communion of opulence, twisted kinship, and briny dread. Reliquary marks Whitten’s trailblazing entry into the horror scene—a haunting, unrepentant tale about grief, desire, and the sacrifices we’ll make to slake the hunger consuming us all.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Interesting premise, poor execution. Fantasy/myth horror is not necessarily my cup of tea, but the back half of this really lost me. Characters fell flat, imagery was difficult to interpret, and the lore of this mythos felt very messy. I finished it, but I think with the additional 50ish pages I would’ve DNF’d.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I am never disappointed with Hannah's books. And this one was no exception. I don't think I will be going into the ocean any time soon, but this was well done. Creepy, engaging, sucks you in from the beginning and won't let you go. Perfect modern, yet gothic horror.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
masterpiece
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
the first 50% were brilliant. It fell off after that then wrapped up nicely
March 6, 2026
Fun!!!
Read
March 21, 2026Tying emotional trauma to ocean horror is incredibly fucked up and incredibly smart. This was very weird and very good.
March 22, 2026
Read this ahead of interviewing Hannah for Tightwires. Excited to speak to her soon!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews