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Reliquary
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?
300 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2026
About the author
Hannah Whitten
11 books4,658 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 840 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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As a huge fan of the Wilderwood and Nightshade Crown series, I was already beyond excited to dive into a standalone gothic horror by Hannah Whitten—and let me tell you, it absolutely delivers! If you love gothic thrillers, bizarre family dynamics packed with dark secrets, and psychological tension rooted in a heroine’s past, this book is calling your name.
The premise is instantly eerie. Claire’s world shatters when her fiancé, Elias, dies suddenly from an aneurysm. Their relationship wasn’t exactly perfect—Claire is still deeply grieving the tragic loss of her parents, while Elias had severed ties with his own family, wanting nothing to do with them. There were also unsettling hints that he controlled far too much of Claire’s life—emotionally and financially. So when he dies, what she feels isn’t just grief—it’s emptiness, abandonment, and a disorienting sense of being unmoored.
Then comes the unexpected invitation.
Audrey Ashbury, Elias’s estranged mother, reaches out and warmly invites Claire to attend a three-day wake at the family estate, Harrow Point. With no clear direction and nowhere else to turn, Claire accepts. Soon, she’s flown out on the Ashburys’ private plane to a remote, opulent estate that radiates both extreme wealth and something far more unsettling—an eerie, almost religious intensity woven into its walls.
From the moment she arrives, things feel… off.
The estate is claustrophobic and labyrinthine, made even worse by Claire’s severe fear of enclosed spaces—especially when she’s assigned to basement rooms accessible only by elevator. But that’s just the beginning. Elias had claimed he cut all ties with his family—so why do they seem to know so much about Claire? Why don’t they behave like a grieving family? Why are they showering her with attention, even celebrating her birthday with extravagant gifts?
And then there’s Ash—Elias’s stepbrother and apparent enemy—who watches Claire closely, questioning her every move. Their interactions are tense, charged, almost volatile, awakening a fierce anger in Claire she didn’t even know she was capable of.
Secrets seem to lurk in every corner of Harrow Point. The atmosphere grows heavier, more suffocating. Claire’s instincts scream at her to run—but the warnings don’t stop there. Her dead fiancé begins appearing in her dreams… urging her to leave.
Or is she even dreaming at all?
Yes, my friends—this book delivers everything: a bizarre and unsettling family reunion, a locked-room mystery, a deeply claustrophobic gothic setting, and a picture-perfect family that feels dangerously too good to be true. Add in disturbing, sensational twists and a creeping sense of dread, and you’ve got a horror-thriller that practically demands you grab your popcorn, sink into your coziest spot, and maybe—just maybe—lock your doors twice before you start reading.
If you’re already a fan of the author, or if you love gothic horror with sharp twists and psychological depth, I highly recommend going in blind. This one is seriously good.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with a digital review copy of this eerie, unputdownable thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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The premise is instantly eerie. Claire’s world shatters when her fiancé, Elias, dies suddenly from an aneurysm. Their relationship wasn’t exactly perfect—Claire is still deeply grieving the tragic loss of her parents, while Elias had severed ties with his own family, wanting nothing to do with them. There were also unsettling hints that he controlled far too much of Claire’s life—emotionally and financially. So when he dies, what she feels isn’t just grief—it’s emptiness, abandonment, and a disorienting sense of being unmoored.
Then comes the unexpected invitation.
Audrey Ashbury, Elias’s estranged mother, reaches out and warmly invites Claire to attend a three-day wake at the family estate, Harrow Point. With no clear direction and nowhere else to turn, Claire accepts. Soon, she’s flown out on the Ashburys’ private plane to a remote, opulent estate that radiates both extreme wealth and something far more unsettling—an eerie, almost religious intensity woven into its walls.
From the moment she arrives, things feel… off.
The estate is claustrophobic and labyrinthine, made even worse by Claire’s severe fear of enclosed spaces—especially when she’s assigned to basement rooms accessible only by elevator. But that’s just the beginning. Elias had claimed he cut all ties with his family—so why do they seem to know so much about Claire? Why don’t they behave like a grieving family? Why are they showering her with attention, even celebrating her birthday with extravagant gifts?
And then there’s Ash—Elias’s stepbrother and apparent enemy—who watches Claire closely, questioning her every move. Their interactions are tense, charged, almost volatile, awakening a fierce anger in Claire she didn’t even know she was capable of.
Secrets seem to lurk in every corner of Harrow Point. The atmosphere grows heavier, more suffocating. Claire’s instincts scream at her to run—but the warnings don’t stop there. Her dead fiancé begins appearing in her dreams… urging her to leave.
Or is she even dreaming at all?
Yes, my friends—this book delivers everything: a bizarre and unsettling family reunion, a locked-room mystery, a deeply claustrophobic gothic setting, and a picture-perfect family that feels dangerously too good to be true. Add in disturbing, sensational twists and a creeping sense of dread, and you’ve got a horror-thriller that practically demands you grab your popcorn, sink into your coziest spot, and maybe—just maybe—lock your doors twice before you start reading.
If you’re already a fan of the author, or if you love gothic horror with sharp twists and psychological depth, I highly recommend going in blind. This one is seriously good.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with a digital review copy of this eerie, unputdownable thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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May 15, 2026
The vibes are immaculate! Reliquary executes modern gothic horror to perfection! You can trace its structure right back to Jane Erye, which I’ve always preferred to Wuthering Heights. We’ve got a classic creepy house situation, an island with no way off, bizarre staff that don’t speak, and a protagonist (primed from previous childhood trauma) who’s such a bottomless pit of need & anxiety, she can’t refuse the increasingly awful things asked of her.
We open with Claire just having heard her fiancé, Elias, is dead. She’s an old hand at stuffing grief down after her entire family died at sea when she was a child. Unfortunately it’s proving more difficult this time. When Elias’s estranged family reaches out, inviting her to their private island, Claire jumps at the chance to have “family” in her life. When she arrives she’s constantly gaslit, ignored, overruled and forced to push her boundaries. All it takes is a little love bombing and she becomes too eager to please to say no.
I was prepped to be annoyed by Claire. Her character is so passive I was screaming “Get out you fool! Don’t go down that dark staircase. Don’t eat anything they serve you!” I was presently surprised by how I continued to like her more & more. Her barely treated PTSD wasn’t just a vehicle for poor decisions, it also served to create real emotional depth & growth by the end.
Strongly recommend if you enjoy this genre!
We open with Claire just having heard her fiancé, Elias, is dead. She’s an old hand at stuffing grief down after her entire family died at sea when she was a child. Unfortunately it’s proving more difficult this time. When Elias’s estranged family reaches out, inviting her to their private island, Claire jumps at the chance to have “family” in her life. When she arrives she’s constantly gaslit, ignored, overruled and forced to push her boundaries. All it takes is a little love bombing and she becomes too eager to please to say no.
I was prepped to be annoyed by Claire. Her character is so passive I was screaming “Get out you fool! Don’t go down that dark staircase. Don’t eat anything they serve you!” I was presently surprised by how I continued to like her more & more. Her barely treated PTSD wasn’t just a vehicle for poor decisions, it also served to create real emotional depth & growth by the end.
Strongly recommend if you enjoy this genre!
September 20, 2026
Second time was the charm because the first time I picked this up, I wasn't quite in the mood yet for a broody, slow-paced gothic. And RELIQUARY is a broody, slow-paced gothic, with themes of trauma, grief, and eat the rich, all woven in with chilling eldritch horrors and a decent handful of thalassophobia.
When Claire's fiance dies of an abrupt and unexpected aneurysm, she's heartbroken. Their courtship was a whirlwind slow-burn and she only just felt like she was finally getting to know and love him, despite their respective traumas that made bridging the gap hard. When his family reaches out to her and invites her to the funeral and the wake, over a three day celebration of life party, she is touched. Her own dark past meant that she didn't really have a family, and here is the chance to reconnect with the one that could have been hers.
But despite the warm welcome she receives, something isn't quite right about the Ashburys. They're curiously reluctant to talk about their dead son and his black sheep older brother, Ash, doesn't seem to like her much at all. He keeps warning her off, while the rest of the family tries to chastise him and rope him in, and something about him makes the ice surrounding Claire slough off. She comes to life around Ash in a way that she hasn't for a long time.
And in a place surrounded by water and death, that might be dangerous.
I went into this book thinking I knew what was going to happen and in some ways I was right, but in more ways, I was gloriously, gloriously wrong. I keep getting people arguing with me about how fucked up gothic novels are allowed to be. More and more, I'm seeing people who want the trimmings of gothic without actually having the author "go there." And while I think there's room for cozy everything in any genre, it's wrong to penalize people for wanting to go darker, when the whole point of a gothic is to explore death anxiety, relationship taboos, primal fears, and what really makes us human.
RELIQUARY is gothic perfection because it explores all of these themes and more, and I love to see a traumatized girlie getting in a few "good for her" moments while being validated on page. If you loved this book like I did and are looking for more fucked up family gothic books in this vein, I highly recommend NOW YOU'RE ONE OF US by Asa Nonami and MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
For my part, I'll be checking out more of Hannah Whitten's books.
5 stars
When Claire's fiance dies of an abrupt and unexpected aneurysm, she's heartbroken. Their courtship was a whirlwind slow-burn and she only just felt like she was finally getting to know and love him, despite their respective traumas that made bridging the gap hard. When his family reaches out to her and invites her to the funeral and the wake, over a three day celebration of life party, she is touched. Her own dark past meant that she didn't really have a family, and here is the chance to reconnect with the one that could have been hers.
But despite the warm welcome she receives, something isn't quite right about the Ashburys. They're curiously reluctant to talk about their dead son and his black sheep older brother, Ash, doesn't seem to like her much at all. He keeps warning her off, while the rest of the family tries to chastise him and rope him in, and something about him makes the ice surrounding Claire slough off. She comes to life around Ash in a way that she hasn't for a long time.
And in a place surrounded by water and death, that might be dangerous.
I went into this book thinking I knew what was going to happen and in some ways I was right, but in more ways, I was gloriously, gloriously wrong. I keep getting people arguing with me about how fucked up gothic novels are allowed to be. More and more, I'm seeing people who want the trimmings of gothic without actually having the author "go there." And while I think there's room for cozy everything in any genre, it's wrong to penalize people for wanting to go darker, when the whole point of a gothic is to explore death anxiety, relationship taboos, primal fears, and what really makes us human.
RELIQUARY is gothic perfection because it explores all of these themes and more, and I love to see a traumatized girlie getting in a few "good for her" moments while being validated on page. If you loved this book like I did and are looking for more fucked up family gothic books in this vein, I highly recommend NOW YOU'RE ONE OF US by Asa Nonami and MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
For my part, I'll be checking out more of Hannah Whitten's books.
5 stars
September 3, 2026
Eat the billionaires
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.
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
August 1, 2026
Don’t worry if you’re squeamish about gore. There’s barely any. Just enough sentient jelly, mystery sludge, and assorted gelatinous horrors to make me question if I ever want to eat jello again.
September 3, 2026
This is the exact amount of batshit crazy that I love! I had no idea what to expect, but I'm so glad her horror worked better for me than For the Wolf did. It felt like a 5 star for the middle 150ish pages of the book, but the ending felt a little flat for me, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the FMC's weaknesses. I'm the queen of self-deprecation, but I think that's why it frustrates me so much because I've been there before and trained myself out of those negative thoughts, so when she kept thinking of herself as unworthy of anything better than the situation she was in, it triggered me and it made her sound a little pathetic. There's something missing about the character development for me overall too; I just don't know how to articulate how I feel about it. Regardless, this book absolutely surprised me in so many ways, and it's definitely a horror book that will remain a standout for me this year.
September 25, 2026
Hannah Whitten has a talent for horror—unsurprising given her rich, dark atmospheres in her fantasy work—and I desperately need her to write more like this. HIGHLY recommend the audiobook in particular. There are just the right amount of extra effects to add to the creepy atmosphere without being a distraction.
My one complaint is that the ending confrontation felt a little bit too easy. But it’s a small blip in an overall incredible experience. I love a creepy, aquatic setting.
My one complaint is that the ending confrontation felt a little bit too easy. But it’s a small blip in an overall incredible experience. I love a creepy, aquatic setting.
July 28, 2026
Guys, GUYS. I found the perfect Summerweek book. It’s this one. You know how people say that we know far more about space than we do about the depths of the sea? Yeah, this is why. THIS IS WHY. Holy tides, this is so unnerving and horrifying that I honestly do not know what to do with myself now.
You know how some horror novels are the kind that make your heart race and your pulse thrum in your ears? And how others can make your stomach sink down to your ankles, like a weighted stone? Yeah, it’s the second one.
My god, I will never, ever look at the sea the same. Nope. Not getting in it. Not getting near it. I will admire that shit from afar. VERY afar.
I don’t know what they’re putting in the water (hehe, pun INTENDED) at the Orbit / Run For It offices, but water horror is IT. I already told you about The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager, which you absolutely need to read. And this one, Reliquary by Hannah Whitten takes sea horror to a new, unsettling level.
I will be skipping the aquariums and any sushi for like, EVER.
Reliquary hits shelves August 11, and you absolutely need to get yourself a copy. Then never, ever visit the sea again.
This one gets 6 creepy ocean dwellers from me.
Thank you (I think?) to Orbit Books, Run For It, and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
You know how some horror novels are the kind that make your heart race and your pulse thrum in your ears? And how others can make your stomach sink down to your ankles, like a weighted stone? Yeah, it’s the second one.
My god, I will never, ever look at the sea the same. Nope. Not getting in it. Not getting near it. I will admire that shit from afar. VERY afar.
I don’t know what they’re putting in the water (hehe, pun INTENDED) at the Orbit / Run For It offices, but water horror is IT. I already told you about The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager, which you absolutely need to read. And this one, Reliquary by Hannah Whitten takes sea horror to a new, unsettling level.
I will be skipping the aquariums and any sushi for like, EVER.
Reliquary hits shelves August 11, and you absolutely need to get yourself a copy. Then never, ever visit the sea again.
This one gets 6 creepy ocean dwellers from me.
Thank you (I think?) to Orbit Books, Run For It, and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
August 2, 2026
Okayyy immaculate setting!! So wet and watery and I loved the descriptions of the house our main character was staying at. It really stood out to me and I wasn’t surprised to learn this author typically writes fantasy. The first half of this was chefs kiss. Books often lose me once things start getting action packed, and this unfortunately happened to me here too. Also the characters felt flat but I could get past that since this was reading more like a thriller. Overall, I had a fun time with this and am always down for a watery read.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
September 22, 2026
2.5 ⭐
Maybe I should’ve taken a few days off reading — I could feel myself needing a break — but even so, this one just didn’t fully land for me. I do love that cover, though!
Claire is blindsided when she learns of her fiancé’s sudden death, and with no friends or family of her own, she happily accepts an unexpected invitation to spend time with his estranged family on their private island. Once she arrives, it’s obvious something isn’t quite right, but Claire is so desperate to belong that she ignores every red flag — and there are enough red flags to knit a full‑size caution banner. When she finally realizes she needs to get away, is it already too late?
I’m really torn on this one. On one hand it kept me curious enough to keep reading and I really wanted to know what the family was hiding, but I also found myself constantly zoning out as I tried to get through each chapter. Claire was a tough character to root for — she comes across as oddly detached, and for someone who lost her entire family, we never really see much emotion from her. Even after she learns her fiancé is dead, she doesn’t tell her therapist, which just made her reactions feel strangely flat.
The isolated private island and creepy, gothic mansion built into the cliff with lower levels that sit beneath the sea are a great backdrop, but I really struggled to picture it — especially once they were inside the submerged lower levels. By the mid‑point, the story finally picks up, and when it does, it shifts into something so wildly over the top that it almost felt disconnected from the rest of the book.
In the end, I’m always up for a slow burn mystery with a creature‑feature element, but this one didn't quite work for me. Honestly, though, take it with a grain of salt — I’m obviously book‑hungover.
Maybe I should’ve taken a few days off reading — I could feel myself needing a break — but even so, this one just didn’t fully land for me. I do love that cover, though!
Claire is blindsided when she learns of her fiancé’s sudden death, and with no friends or family of her own, she happily accepts an unexpected invitation to spend time with his estranged family on their private island. Once she arrives, it’s obvious something isn’t quite right, but Claire is so desperate to belong that she ignores every red flag — and there are enough red flags to knit a full‑size caution banner. When she finally realizes she needs to get away, is it already too late?
I’m really torn on this one. On one hand it kept me curious enough to keep reading and I really wanted to know what the family was hiding, but I also found myself constantly zoning out as I tried to get through each chapter. Claire was a tough character to root for — she comes across as oddly detached, and for someone who lost her entire family, we never really see much emotion from her. Even after she learns her fiancé is dead, she doesn’t tell her therapist, which just made her reactions feel strangely flat.
The isolated private island and creepy, gothic mansion built into the cliff with lower levels that sit beneath the sea are a great backdrop, but I really struggled to picture it — especially once they were inside the submerged lower levels. By the mid‑point, the story finally picks up, and when it does, it shifts into something so wildly over the top that it almost felt disconnected from the rest of the book.
In the end, I’m always up for a slow burn mystery with a creature‑feature element, but this one didn't quite work for me. Honestly, though, take it with a grain of salt — I’m obviously book‑hungover.
September 15, 2026
3.5★
I'm really impressed by this author's transition from fantasy to horrow writing.
I actually really enjoyed the Foxglove King series by Hannah Whitten and think it may have slipped under people's radar but I have always appreciated her skill in creating intrigue and atmosphere.
Off the bat, this book accomplished that - the tense salt air felt ever present in each scene and it was a feeling which lingered on me, adding to the tension.
I think readers who enjoyed Our Wives Under the Sea would enjoy the parallels between the themes in this book - the depth and strangeness of the ocean alongside mystical transformation.
Unfortunately, however, as someone who consumes a lot of horror media, I think this felt short of ever evoking genuine fear and shock, as I have come to expect from such novels. The book was primarily carried by intrigue and morbid fascination.
I do think that Whitten has a very promising future in this genre though and look forward to her exploration of it. She is a gifted writer and clearly has ample unique ideas to pursue!
I'm really impressed by this author's transition from fantasy to horrow writing.
I actually really enjoyed the Foxglove King series by Hannah Whitten and think it may have slipped under people's radar but I have always appreciated her skill in creating intrigue and atmosphere.
Off the bat, this book accomplished that - the tense salt air felt ever present in each scene and it was a feeling which lingered on me, adding to the tension.
I think readers who enjoyed Our Wives Under the Sea would enjoy the parallels between the themes in this book - the depth and strangeness of the ocean alongside mystical transformation.
Unfortunately, however, as someone who consumes a lot of horror media, I think this felt short of ever evoking genuine fear and shock, as I have come to expect from such novels. The book was primarily carried by intrigue and morbid fascination.
I do think that Whitten has a very promising future in this genre though and look forward to her exploration of it. She is a gifted writer and clearly has ample unique ideas to pursue!
August 1, 2026
Hang onto your hats folks, it’s about to get weird. Hannah Whitten does a great job of setting a creepy tone and allowing the reader to dive into a fantastical world of horror. This was my first read from her and I somewhat enjoyed the weirdness. But it’s out there. You don’t find out what’s going on until about the 60% mark, and then it gets real weird, real fast. It definitely grossed me out at times (don’t read this whilst eating) and gave me detailed creepy visuals. Didn’t have a lot of empathy for any of the characters, and hope to God I would have more insight than Claire when it comes to red flags. I mean, yikes. I hated Audrey and generally disliked Ash, though his character perhaps had the largest arc. The pacing of this book was ok, but slow at times for me. This won’t be a book that I personally revisit, but I feel that more die hard horror lovers will probably enjoy this one.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Review in the June 2026 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2026/06... [link live on 6/4]
Three Words The Describe This Book: Sea Soaked Horror, Gothic, Intense Unease
Also-- horror about the uber wealthy, rich families with a monster secret to their success, an unreliable narrator who knows they are unreliable because of past trauma, trauma, Lovecraftian, disorientation-- the entire house is build down, into the water. That was cool and makes everything about this Gothic mansion on the seaside feel even more unsettling. Readers and Claire are disoriented from the start.
Solid pacing– details revealed slowly but steadily and in a realistic way.
Title is good (a container for holy relics- to secure them from public viewing) because it hits on a few levels within the story Whitten is telling.
Whitten is a Best Selling author for her fantasy books. This is a Horror title that will definitely appeal to dark fantasy readers, but it is Horror so that needs to be made clear to readers.
I am writing my LJ Horror Genre Preview right now, and "seas soaked horror" is one of my trends. As I went through the books coming out over the next few months, there are a lot. I am excited because the books are literally dripping with dread and fear and it is GREAT.
Claire is a damaged and unreliable narrator from the start. We know she lived through an accident as a teen-- on a boat-- that killed her whole family. We know that she lives her life purposely pushing her feelings down and not revealing the truth even to herself let alone her therapist. This she tells us. That means as readers we are already uncomfortable and know we cannot trust her but Claire is also very sympathetic because our distrust is not based on her nefarious behavior. We trust she will share her truth as the story goes on.
We only have Claire's perspective on all of this. We know as much as her, but we don;t know what she is hiding from herself.
And the sharing is well done here. The details we are given, all begin to matter and as Claire admits to herself her connection to the sea the other parts of the story start to fall into place.
Her fiancé dies and she is called to meet his parents-- uber wealthy for generations. They have a submarine company. It is well known. She has not met them, but they want her to come to have a funeral for Elias. He dies mysteriously, just dropped dead, and his brain was full of holes the doctors said. Also his strange large sea creature in their giant aquarium died as well.
When she gets there things are strange. She is led into a castle built on an island (where the road to get their retracts when not needed). It is perched on the end of the sea but the house is built down....so all of the living spaces are under the waterline.
The staff are odd, they have strange scars and injuries, and they are rarely seen.
Everyone is being very nice, but also strange. Elias' brother-- who shirked his responsibilities to the family and made Elias take his place, and the spaces of the other siblings all are trying to get her to leave of her own volition. But she is happy to be accepted, even if they are weird, and wants to belong.
The scene is set perfectly to go from uneasy and disorienting to all out terror and a desperate attempt for her to save herself.
The monster, its hold on the family, and the resolution are all satisfying. The terror is mixed with some sweetness and Claire's background and issues from thought out her life all play a part in the conclusion which I appreciated.
Whitten's story is solid and it will bring a lot of her fans to Horror. That makes me excited.
For readers who love sea monster stories in the vein of the EXCELLENT upcoming A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-young (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
But also the confusion and disorientation of a family that clearly has a monstrous secret and they want the MC to pay a physical price for them like in Midnight Rooms by Coles or even Now You're One of Us by Nonami. And finally, I could not stop thinking about Alma Katsu's Fiend and the demon behind the immense wealth and success of the family featured there.
Three Words The Describe This Book: Sea Soaked Horror, Gothic, Intense Unease
Also-- horror about the uber wealthy, rich families with a monster secret to their success, an unreliable narrator who knows they are unreliable because of past trauma, trauma, Lovecraftian, disorientation-- the entire house is build down, into the water. That was cool and makes everything about this Gothic mansion on the seaside feel even more unsettling. Readers and Claire are disoriented from the start.
Solid pacing– details revealed slowly but steadily and in a realistic way.
Title is good (a container for holy relics- to secure them from public viewing) because it hits on a few levels within the story Whitten is telling.
Whitten is a Best Selling author for her fantasy books. This is a Horror title that will definitely appeal to dark fantasy readers, but it is Horror so that needs to be made clear to readers.
I am writing my LJ Horror Genre Preview right now, and "seas soaked horror" is one of my trends. As I went through the books coming out over the next few months, there are a lot. I am excited because the books are literally dripping with dread and fear and it is GREAT.
Claire is a damaged and unreliable narrator from the start. We know she lived through an accident as a teen-- on a boat-- that killed her whole family. We know that she lives her life purposely pushing her feelings down and not revealing the truth even to herself let alone her therapist. This she tells us. That means as readers we are already uncomfortable and know we cannot trust her but Claire is also very sympathetic because our distrust is not based on her nefarious behavior. We trust she will share her truth as the story goes on.
We only have Claire's perspective on all of this. We know as much as her, but we don;t know what she is hiding from herself.
And the sharing is well done here. The details we are given, all begin to matter and as Claire admits to herself her connection to the sea the other parts of the story start to fall into place.
Her fiancé dies and she is called to meet his parents-- uber wealthy for generations. They have a submarine company. It is well known. She has not met them, but they want her to come to have a funeral for Elias. He dies mysteriously, just dropped dead, and his brain was full of holes the doctors said. Also his strange large sea creature in their giant aquarium died as well.
When she gets there things are strange. She is led into a castle built on an island (where the road to get their retracts when not needed). It is perched on the end of the sea but the house is built down....so all of the living spaces are under the waterline.
The staff are odd, they have strange scars and injuries, and they are rarely seen.
Everyone is being very nice, but also strange. Elias' brother-- who shirked his responsibilities to the family and made Elias take his place, and the spaces of the other siblings all are trying to get her to leave of her own volition. But she is happy to be accepted, even if they are weird, and wants to belong.
The scene is set perfectly to go from uneasy and disorienting to all out terror and a desperate attempt for her to save herself.
The monster, its hold on the family, and the resolution are all satisfying. The terror is mixed with some sweetness and Claire's background and issues from thought out her life all play a part in the conclusion which I appreciated.
Whitten's story is solid and it will bring a lot of her fans to Horror. That makes me excited.
For readers who love sea monster stories in the vein of the EXCELLENT upcoming A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-young (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
But also the confusion and disorientation of a family that clearly has a monstrous secret and they want the MC to pay a physical price for them like in Midnight Rooms by Coles or even Now You're One of Us by Nonami. And finally, I could not stop thinking about Alma Katsu's Fiend and the demon behind the immense wealth and success of the family featured there.
June 18, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the pre-release copy of Reliquary by Hannah Whitten. Below is my honest review.
What happens when you take a character desperate for a place in the world and adrift, a rich family with everything to lose, and smush the two together in a Lovecraftian isolated oceanside castle? You get this book, and I. WAS. HERE. FOR. IT.
No matter how many warning signs we see or the creeping sense of dread, it's impossible to put this one down. The saltwater tale seeps into your skin, into your organs, into your soul, and you just have to keep going to see what's going to happen next.
Absolute gem of a book. Five stars. Highly recommended for fans of horror, Lovecraft, isolated settings, creepy cultish vibes.
What happens when you take a character desperate for a place in the world and adrift, a rich family with everything to lose, and smush the two together in a Lovecraftian isolated oceanside castle? You get this book, and I. WAS. HERE. FOR. IT.
No matter how many warning signs we see or the creeping sense of dread, it's impossible to put this one down. The saltwater tale seeps into your skin, into your organs, into your soul, and you just have to keep going to see what's going to happen next.
Absolute gem of a book. Five stars. Highly recommended for fans of horror, Lovecraft, isolated settings, creepy cultish vibes.
August 16, 2026
I see that this is getting mixed reviews, and I understand why. It does move a little slowly, but give Whitten some time to work her magic. I’ve been aware of Ms. Whitten’s work since “For the Wolf” came out in 2021, but I’ve hesitated reading it because usually my cutoff rating is 3.7, and it has remained steady at about 3.58 despite 68k reviews as of this writing. The summary of “Reliquary” intrigued me enough to try it out, however, and it happens to be the author’s first horror novel.
In my mind, this is a 3.75 star read, rounded up to 4. As I mentioned above, it takes a while to get to the meat of the story (IYKYK), and some characters are pretty one-dimensional. However, I still remained invested, and I did like Claire as the main character. She seems rather passive at first, but she experienced real growth throughout the novel, and it was pleasing to see.
This is “squishy horror”, a term I made up just now, so if you are squeamish about squishy, sticky, icky things, this is not the book for you. If you like sea horror, this will absolutely capture your attention. Whitten leaves space for a possible sequel at the end, but it’s not a total cliffhanger, which I very much appreciated. I’m excited to see if she decides to continue with this world.
My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advance copy. I am writing this review voluntarily.
In my mind, this is a 3.75 star read, rounded up to 4. As I mentioned above, it takes a while to get to the meat of the story (IYKYK), and some characters are pretty one-dimensional. However, I still remained invested, and I did like Claire as the main character. She seems rather passive at first, but she experienced real growth throughout the novel, and it was pleasing to see.
This is “squishy horror”, a term I made up just now, so if you are squeamish about squishy, sticky, icky things, this is not the book for you. If you like sea horror, this will absolutely capture your attention. Whitten leaves space for a possible sequel at the end, but it’s not a total cliffhanger, which I very much appreciated. I’m excited to see if she decides to continue with this world.
My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advance copy. I am writing this review voluntarily.
September 3, 2026
But his eyes were on her, and bright. Maybe he could see her spark of a plan, the nascent breath of an escape. Maybe he could see the way she was coming back into herself, filling the gaps, becoming something without a hollow space.
Don’t fall for this book’s enticing blurb. It’s bad.
Or should I say: don’t let the book reel you in by its blurb. It’s as becoming as washed-up fish guts. See what I did there? It’s water references! Because it’s a book about the ocean! And you’d better be prepared for many more to come throughout the book.
Also be prepared for a doe-eyed lamb of a protagonist, with less personality than my iPhone case, who gleefully ignores the most heinous red flags imaginable. Only for the book to tell you that’s a feature, not a bug. Which doesn’t change the fact that it makes for an awful reading experience.
But it’s not like anything else makes any sense at all in this story.
Perhaps there was a cool story somewhere deep, deep, deeeep in there, but certainly not when I get “Hey, babe”-ed by a Leviathan.
August 12, 2026
This book does not have a single redeeming quality. It takes the price of the most boring and unsatisfying read of the year. After 66% I speeded up the audio, skipped through a few chapters and the ending was as anti-climactic as the rest of it. For a horror book to work, you need to care about the characters. These were cardboard and unfeeling.
Claire's fiancé has died and she is invited to the family's underwater mansion. The set-up seems strange and her fiancé's body is nowhere to be seen and questions aren't asked. Claire is fairly oblivious to all the red flags, think the people trying to warn her are the enemies and walk willfully into a rather obvious trap.
I didn't care about Claire because she was so bland and unfeeling. None of the other characters were developed at all. This is defined as "horror" but the only horror is how boring the plot and characters are. A complete and utter waste of time and money, NOT recommended.
Claire's fiancé has died and she is invited to the family's underwater mansion. The set-up seems strange and her fiancé's body is nowhere to be seen and questions aren't asked. Claire is fairly oblivious to all the red flags, think the people trying to warn her are the enemies and walk willfully into a rather obvious trap.
I didn't care about Claire because she was so bland and unfeeling. None of the other characters were developed at all. This is defined as "horror" but the only horror is how boring the plot and characters are. A complete and utter waste of time and money, NOT recommended.
August 16, 2026
nothing happens the first 60% then it’s just info dump, antics, it all felt really cheesy
August 15, 2026
🌊 The Ocean is Scary
🖤 Gothic Setting
🌊 Eat The Rich
🖤 Body Horror
🌊 Isolated Heroine
I devoured this book; I could not put it down despite ~ the horrors ~ and once again I have concluded that the ocean is terrifying.
•
When Claire's fiancé, Elias, tragically dies from a freak aneurysm, she is once again consumed by grief. A lonely woman with no close family or place in the world, Elias was everything she had hoped for, despite his idiosyncrasies and cold demeanour. When his estranged family invites Claire to their private island home to grieve his passing, she seizes the opportunity. Despite the family's oddities and her fear of the surrounding ocean, she latches onto a newfound sense of belonging, even as the ocean starts to close in.
•
This worked for me! Claire is the perfect gothic heroine, with no family of her own, and with an apathetic yet devastated reaction to Elias's passing—despite their peculiar relationship. The private island setting feels atmospheric, and this story invokes an extremely unsettling sensation of dread from page one. Once Claire arrives at the private island, the claustrophobic ambiance grows exponentially. I enjoyed the unique mix of ocean horror, weird rich family cult rituals, gothic atmosphere and grotesque body horror that blends with fantastical plot details.
It's a little bit difficult to speak on this one without giving away plot details. I'd highly recommend going in blind because I didn't know where the story was going to go, and I feel it's best to approach it that way. The plot starts slow and then builds into a crescendo. I would have liked to have a little more detail towards the ending, but overall this fit my love of "weird" stories. I'm always down for a weird book, and with the eat-the-rich vibe and creepy ocean horror theme—it's both a fun read and a book that might keep you up at night.
Overall, I enjoyed this visceral and immersive weird ocean horror book!
Thank you to Orbit Books for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and feedback contained within this review are my own.
🖤 Gothic Setting
🌊 Eat The Rich
🖤 Body Horror
🌊 Isolated Heroine
I devoured this book; I could not put it down despite ~ the horrors ~ and once again I have concluded that the ocean is terrifying.
•
When Claire's fiancé, Elias, tragically dies from a freak aneurysm, she is once again consumed by grief. A lonely woman with no close family or place in the world, Elias was everything she had hoped for, despite his idiosyncrasies and cold demeanour. When his estranged family invites Claire to their private island home to grieve his passing, she seizes the opportunity. Despite the family's oddities and her fear of the surrounding ocean, she latches onto a newfound sense of belonging, even as the ocean starts to close in.
•
This worked for me! Claire is the perfect gothic heroine, with no family of her own, and with an apathetic yet devastated reaction to Elias's passing—despite their peculiar relationship. The private island setting feels atmospheric, and this story invokes an extremely unsettling sensation of dread from page one. Once Claire arrives at the private island, the claustrophobic ambiance grows exponentially. I enjoyed the unique mix of ocean horror, weird rich family cult rituals, gothic atmosphere and grotesque body horror that blends with fantastical plot details.
It's a little bit difficult to speak on this one without giving away plot details. I'd highly recommend going in blind because I didn't know where the story was going to go, and I feel it's best to approach it that way. The plot starts slow and then builds into a crescendo. I would have liked to have a little more detail towards the ending, but overall this fit my love of "weird" stories. I'm always down for a weird book, and with the eat-the-rich vibe and creepy ocean horror theme—it's both a fun read and a book that might keep you up at night.
Overall, I enjoyed this visceral and immersive weird ocean horror book!
Thank you to Orbit Books for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and feedback contained within this review are my own.
Read
September 8, 2026The Seattle Times runs a book recommendation column in its Sunday lifestyles section and because they know their audience, the column most often features new releases in mystery, crime, thriller genres. I'm always trolling for good crime reads, so I'll peruse and add what looks promising to my Goodreads TBR. This must be how Reliquary ended up on my list. Either the review did not mention horror or I skipped right over that part because had I known, I would have given it a solid pass. Not my genre, as things generally go.
But I did give it a go and I did finish it. This isn't horror in the smart, real-world way of Stephen King, where the verisimilitude is exactly what makes the horror-ible bit so compelling. This is fantasy-horror, with octopus people and mansions with staircases that spiral down below the ocean's surface, and glass-sided submarines with a first-night marital bed in the middle of the...room?
It is pretty silly. It starts off promisingly enough, with a troubled heroine whose mentally abusive fiancé has just died of an aneurysm and his insanely wealthy but estranged family invites her for a long weekend of funereal things. Or so she thinks. Hannah Whitten, who writes serial fantasy—this is apparently a stand-alone affair—is clearly having fun and it shows. I think it's great she let loose and crafted a story that had been simmering around the edges of her imagination. The world-building is affecting and claustrophobic, there are creepily sad zombies, and crushingly handsome antiheroes with piercing blue eyes.
I'm not rating this because in all fairness, I'm not the reader this is written for.
But I did give it a go and I did finish it. This isn't horror in the smart, real-world way of Stephen King, where the verisimilitude is exactly what makes the horror-ible bit so compelling. This is fantasy-horror, with octopus people and mansions with staircases that spiral down below the ocean's surface, and glass-sided submarines with a first-night marital bed in the middle of the...room?
It is pretty silly. It starts off promisingly enough, with a troubled heroine whose mentally abusive fiancé has just died of an aneurysm and his insanely wealthy but estranged family invites her for a long weekend of funereal things. Or so she thinks. Hannah Whitten, who writes serial fantasy—this is apparently a stand-alone affair—is clearly having fun and it shows. I think it's great she let loose and crafted a story that had been simmering around the edges of her imagination. The world-building is affecting and claustrophobic, there are creepily sad zombies, and crushingly handsome antiheroes with piercing blue eyes.
I'm not rating this because in all fairness, I'm not the reader this is written for.
August 25, 2026
Some thoughts are just meant to remain thoughts. This book is one of these things
September 12, 2026
fun! funny! I like this tenor of “horror,” which is to say, kind of the written equivalent of the tone something like ready or not (2019) is aiming for.
did not realize until after I was like halfway through it that I have actively avoided other books by the same author because I'd read such bad things, but in looking at her pub history, it kind of looks like she’s getting better with each book, and I have to say, hannah, leave the fantasy alone and just keep writing this (fun gothic-lite horror-thriller doesn't-take-itself-too-seriously vibes) instead, because it seems so much more up your writerly alley!
miscellaneous notes:
- a fun dedication: to all the weird stuff in the ocean that is none of my business
- even though the thing as a whole is not what I would call heavy fare, there are lines of some profundity about claire's experiences as a widow: death was a storm you didn’t pay attention to until you were struck by lightning
- “made it a god, instead of a monster. [...] that’s the difference between the two, I guess: worship. what’s a god no one knows about? nothing” was funny just because I read this right after nowhere burning, which also explores the gods vs. monsters thing
a couple weird things:
- [she] was screaming. her hands were pressed to either side of her face in a gruesome imitation of the home alone poster — I’m sorry, a gruesome imitation of THE HOME ALONE POSTER AND NOT OF EDVARD MUNCH’S THE SCREAM, WHICH SERVED AS THE DIRECT INSPIRATION THEREOF???? either this represents a dramatic lack of knowledge on whitten’s part OR it’s supposed to indicate some sort of cultural gap on claire’s part, but honestly, if it’s supposed to be the latter, it is NOT coming through clearly and also doesn’t make sense with other parts of her characterization!
- on the note of which. not every book character needs to be bookish. I promise you! I just don’t know that the kind of random parts where it’s like “oh right don’t worry claire does also love books too” really added anything; it either needed to be a bigger part of her personality or a smaller one, and as it was it just kind of felt...extraneous. I can read a book about people who don’t love to read, really...
still, and to overuse the word just once more: fun, though! had a great time!
did not realize until after I was like halfway through it that I have actively avoided other books by the same author because I'd read such bad things, but in looking at her pub history, it kind of looks like she’s getting better with each book, and I have to say, hannah, leave the fantasy alone and just keep writing this (fun gothic-lite horror-thriller doesn't-take-itself-too-seriously vibes) instead, because it seems so much more up your writerly alley!
miscellaneous notes:
- a fun dedication: to all the weird stuff in the ocean that is none of my business
- even though the thing as a whole is not what I would call heavy fare, there are lines of some profundity about claire's experiences as a widow: death was a storm you didn’t pay attention to until you were struck by lightning
- “made it a god, instead of a monster. [...] that’s the difference between the two, I guess: worship. what’s a god no one knows about? nothing” was funny just because I read this right after nowhere burning, which also explores the gods vs. monsters thing
a couple weird things:
- [she] was screaming. her hands were pressed to either side of her face in a gruesome imitation of the home alone poster — I’m sorry, a gruesome imitation of THE HOME ALONE POSTER AND NOT OF EDVARD MUNCH’S THE SCREAM, WHICH SERVED AS THE DIRECT INSPIRATION THEREOF???? either this represents a dramatic lack of knowledge on whitten’s part OR it’s supposed to indicate some sort of cultural gap on claire’s part, but honestly, if it’s supposed to be the latter, it is NOT coming through clearly and also doesn’t make sense with other parts of her characterization!
- on the note of which. not every book character needs to be bookish. I promise you! I just don’t know that the kind of random parts where it’s like “oh right don’t worry claire does also love books too” really added anything; it either needed to be a bigger part of her personality or a smaller one, and as it was it just kind of felt...extraneous. I can read a book about people who don’t love to read, really...
still, and to overuse the word just once more: fun, though! had a great time!
July 6, 2026
🐙 One of my favorite covers of the year!!
Claire’s fiancé, Elias, suddenly dies from an aneurysm. She has no family and his family has invited her to their private island.
This family is insanely wealthy. She’s in awe of everything they have. Everyone is so kind to her and they invite her to be a part of their family.
As Claire gets to know them more, she is curious about their wealth. Somehow they made a fortune with their experiments in the sea. But what’s the real deal with the ocean and what are they hiding?
Let me tell you that this is not for the squeamish. Period. The first half starts as a slow burn as we get to know each character… but when that second half hits…. It’s full throttle!
Reliquary is a gory old time, an aquatic horror tale, and I absolutely loved it. Weirdly terrifying and highly addictive. I just loved the ending too.
This was a buddy read with one of my favorite people bibliopeeks. Be on the lookout for her review.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out 8/11
Thank you to Orbit Books/ Run For It for my gifted copy!
Claire’s fiancé, Elias, suddenly dies from an aneurysm. She has no family and his family has invited her to their private island.
This family is insanely wealthy. She’s in awe of everything they have. Everyone is so kind to her and they invite her to be a part of their family.
As Claire gets to know them more, she is curious about their wealth. Somehow they made a fortune with their experiments in the sea. But what’s the real deal with the ocean and what are they hiding?
Let me tell you that this is not for the squeamish. Period. The first half starts as a slow burn as we get to know each character… but when that second half hits…. It’s full throttle!
Reliquary is a gory old time, an aquatic horror tale, and I absolutely loved it. Weirdly terrifying and highly addictive. I just loved the ending too.
This was a buddy read with one of my favorite people bibliopeeks. Be on the lookout for her review.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out 8/11
Thank you to Orbit Books/ Run For It for my gifted copy!
May 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Reliquary was a fun read. I’m always a sucker for horror with strong Lovecraftian, eldritch vibes, and this absolutely delivered on that front. The story slowly unfolds through a growing pile of increasingly alarming red flags that Claire, our FMC, stubbornly refuses to examine too closely until she no longer has a choice. That sense of creeping dread worked really well.
I’m fairly hard to genuinely spook at this point, but the atmosphere here stayed consistently moody and unsettling throughout. The prose was lush and sensory-rich without becoming overly dense or slowing the pacing, which made it easy to stay immersed in the story.
Overall, a creepy, entertaining read with great atmosphere. Three stars.
Reliquary was a fun read. I’m always a sucker for horror with strong Lovecraftian, eldritch vibes, and this absolutely delivered on that front. The story slowly unfolds through a growing pile of increasingly alarming red flags that Claire, our FMC, stubbornly refuses to examine too closely until she no longer has a choice. That sense of creeping dread worked really well.
I’m fairly hard to genuinely spook at this point, but the atmosphere here stayed consistently moody and unsettling throughout. The prose was lush and sensory-rich without becoming overly dense or slowing the pacing, which made it easy to stay immersed in the story.
Overall, a creepy, entertaining read with great atmosphere. Three stars.
August 12, 2026
Thank you to Orbit Books and Hannah Witten for the e-arc in exchange for my review. All opinions that follow are honest and my own.
What in the actual heck did I just read!? Also don’t suggest reading this with children who walk without a sound, because I scared the crap out of my child when he touched me during a particularly creepy part of this book 😅
Reliquary follows Claire, the dissociating queen that she is, as she navigates the death of her fiancé and meeting his family that he kept her from for years. At first things seem normal, his mom in particular seems to really care for her. That is until the truth is revealed.
This book was wild! Wow I think I’m still needing to process a bit but definitely not what I was expecting. Also if I didn’t have a fear of the ocean before, I definitely do now. Not to mention claustrophobia! Certainly kept me on the edge of my seat from page one, such an atmospheric read and Hannah did a phenomenal job at describing things in such detail that I felt sucked into the story itself. Definitely creepy and not like her previous genres. A little predictable at times but maybe I just truly hate the rich and am not surprised at the depravity they’ll follow just to keep up an image.
Overall, was absolutely fascinating and gory and descriptive and def recommend if you’re a horror fan!
What in the actual heck did I just read!? Also don’t suggest reading this with children who walk without a sound, because I scared the crap out of my child when he touched me during a particularly creepy part of this book 😅
Reliquary follows Claire, the dissociating queen that she is, as she navigates the death of her fiancé and meeting his family that he kept her from for years. At first things seem normal, his mom in particular seems to really care for her. That is until the truth is revealed.
This book was wild! Wow I think I’m still needing to process a bit but definitely not what I was expecting. Also if I didn’t have a fear of the ocean before, I definitely do now. Not to mention claustrophobia! Certainly kept me on the edge of my seat from page one, such an atmospheric read and Hannah did a phenomenal job at describing things in such detail that I felt sucked into the story itself. Definitely creepy and not like her previous genres. A little predictable at times but maybe I just truly hate the rich and am not surprised at the depravity they’ll follow just to keep up an image.
Overall, was absolutely fascinating and gory and descriptive and def recommend if you’re a horror fan!
August 30, 2026
⭐️2.75⭐️
𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑏𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔.
I love a good atmospheric, Lovecraftian horror novel, so the moment I had this book in my hands, I knew I had to drop everything to read it.
The story starts strong by highlighting the horror of grief and the profound loneliness that comes with losing someone you love. There is also a heavy "eat the rich" dynamic that I absolutely couldn't get enough of, alongside some well-done body horror.
However, I found the pacing to be a struggle. It is incredibly slow, and nothing of substance actually happens until the last quarter of the book. Honestly, I was pretty checked out by that point and didn’t care enough about the plot to enjoy the payoff. Furthermore, the main character willingly walks past literally every red flag imaginable. While I understand that grief can be incredibly blinding, the way it played out here just didn't feel believable.
Overall, this book was a miss for me. While I appreciated the slow-creeping dread and the gothic, folk-horror undertones, I just hoped for more from the story and characters. That said, if you are newer to the genre and looking to dip your toes into body horror, this might still be a good choice for you.
Special thanks to Orbit for sending me a finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑏𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔.
I love a good atmospheric, Lovecraftian horror novel, so the moment I had this book in my hands, I knew I had to drop everything to read it.
The story starts strong by highlighting the horror of grief and the profound loneliness that comes with losing someone you love. There is also a heavy "eat the rich" dynamic that I absolutely couldn't get enough of, alongside some well-done body horror.
However, I found the pacing to be a struggle. It is incredibly slow, and nothing of substance actually happens until the last quarter of the book. Honestly, I was pretty checked out by that point and didn’t care enough about the plot to enjoy the payoff. Furthermore, the main character willingly walks past literally every red flag imaginable. While I understand that grief can be incredibly blinding, the way it played out here just didn't feel believable.
Overall, this book was a miss for me. While I appreciated the slow-creeping dread and the gothic, folk-horror undertones, I just hoped for more from the story and characters. That said, if you are newer to the genre and looking to dip your toes into body horror, this might still be a good choice for you.
Special thanks to Orbit for sending me a finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 22, 2026
I went into Reliquary expecting fantasy.
That was entirely my own fault.
Having really enjoyed Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf duology, I had apparently decided without consulting anyone, including the blurb, that this would be more of the same. Instead, Whitten has made a fairly dramatic turn into contemporary Gothic horror, complete with an isolated private island, obscene wealth, family secrets, grief, body horror and something deeply unpleasant lurking beneath the sea.
It threw me initially.
Not because Reliquary isn't good, but because horror isn't a genre I naturally gravitate towards. Once I adjusted my expectations, though, I became much more interested in what Whitten was doing.
Claire arrives at Harrow Point after the death of her fiancé, Elias, having been invited to his estranged family's home for his wake. She knows remarkably little about these people, despite having planned to marry into their family, and almost immediately there is the sense that something is profoundly wrong.
To be fair, I worked out the general shape of what was wrong quite early.
The book isn't particularly interested in hiding all its cards. There were several revelations that I had already more or less anticipated by the time Claire reached them, so it never quite delivered the shock I want from the very best horror or thriller.
At times I wanted Claire to recognise what seemed increasingly obvious to me.
But Whitten's real strength here is character.
Claire's decisions make much more sense once you understand what she actually wants. This is a woman defined by loss, desperately susceptible to the promise of belonging, and that vulnerability makes her behaviour considerably more convincing than it might initially appear.
The relationships surrounding Elias are equally complicated, and Whitten is very good at allowing grief, resentment, desire, guilt and self-interest to exist simultaneously.
And the horror itself is genuinely effective.
Harrow Point is wonderfully claustrophobic. The sea is everywhere, pressing against the story, and Whitten makes excellent use of the grotesque without turning the novel into gore for gore's sake. There is also an interesting undercurrent about extreme wealth and what people will sacrifice to preserve power and privilege, which gives the horror something more substantial to work with.
I think I would have loved this more had I been a horror reader rather than a fantasy reader who accidentally wandered into one.
Three and a half stars.
Not quite what I expected, somewhat predictable in places, but atmospheric, unsettling and exceptionally well characterised. More importantly, it proved that what I enjoyed about Hannah Whitten's fantasy writing wasn't dependent on fantasy at all.
She can write people.
And apparently she can write horrible things beneath the ocean rather well too.
That was entirely my own fault.
Having really enjoyed Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf duology, I had apparently decided without consulting anyone, including the blurb, that this would be more of the same. Instead, Whitten has made a fairly dramatic turn into contemporary Gothic horror, complete with an isolated private island, obscene wealth, family secrets, grief, body horror and something deeply unpleasant lurking beneath the sea.
It threw me initially.
Not because Reliquary isn't good, but because horror isn't a genre I naturally gravitate towards. Once I adjusted my expectations, though, I became much more interested in what Whitten was doing.
Claire arrives at Harrow Point after the death of her fiancé, Elias, having been invited to his estranged family's home for his wake. She knows remarkably little about these people, despite having planned to marry into their family, and almost immediately there is the sense that something is profoundly wrong.
To be fair, I worked out the general shape of what was wrong quite early.
The book isn't particularly interested in hiding all its cards. There were several revelations that I had already more or less anticipated by the time Claire reached them, so it never quite delivered the shock I want from the very best horror or thriller.
At times I wanted Claire to recognise what seemed increasingly obvious to me.
But Whitten's real strength here is character.
Claire's decisions make much more sense once you understand what she actually wants. This is a woman defined by loss, desperately susceptible to the promise of belonging, and that vulnerability makes her behaviour considerably more convincing than it might initially appear.
The relationships surrounding Elias are equally complicated, and Whitten is very good at allowing grief, resentment, desire, guilt and self-interest to exist simultaneously.
And the horror itself is genuinely effective.
Harrow Point is wonderfully claustrophobic. The sea is everywhere, pressing against the story, and Whitten makes excellent use of the grotesque without turning the novel into gore for gore's sake. There is also an interesting undercurrent about extreme wealth and what people will sacrifice to preserve power and privilege, which gives the horror something more substantial to work with.
I think I would have loved this more had I been a horror reader rather than a fantasy reader who accidentally wandered into one.
Three and a half stars.
Not quite what I expected, somewhat predictable in places, but atmospheric, unsettling and exceptionally well characterised. More importantly, it proved that what I enjoyed about Hannah Whitten's fantasy writing wasn't dependent on fantasy at all.
She can write people.
And apparently she can write horrible things beneath the ocean rather well too.
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