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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
About the author
Hannah Whitten
13 books4,492 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 204 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.
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!
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.
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 22, 2026
Review to come upon release.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the pre-release review copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the pre-release review copy.
April 1, 2026
hmmm i need to sit with this for a bit. there were moments where i thought this could be a 5 star read. it opened in a way that reminded me of ready or not. the normie protagonist engaged to a super rich guy with a sketchy and sinister family, she wants to belong and gets way more than she bargained for when they turn out to be part of a creepy cult. the book opens with his death and her having to finally meet his family. it takes place underwater surrounded by sea creatures and such, but that element wasn’t used enough for my liking, we eventually see some spookiness but i would have liked a bit more. i did think the claustrophobic and thalassaphobia imagery was well described.
my biggest issue was actually the protagonist claire. her survival skills and critical thinking were terrible. i understand she was grieving, but she had no issues being rude and abrasive to Ash (the only compelling character imo) despite him clearly being the only one actually trying to help her. it was really frustrating to read. it made it difficult to root for claire. the side characters (elite and evil ashbury family) were also not as interesting as you’d expect. most of them even felt interchangeable and didn’t really have distinct voices.
i’m still giving this 4 stars for now because the concept was cool and i thought the ending felt fitting for a horror novel! the actual creature lore also felt well explained and not overly convoluted. i think Whitten’s writing shines in this genre and i truly hope she writes in it more! i just wish the characters were more impactful because it left the story feeling hollow. i did love Ash the MMC though so that’s something.
thank you Orbit books for the ARC!
my biggest issue was actually the protagonist claire. her survival skills and critical thinking were terrible. i understand she was grieving, but she had no issues being rude and abrasive to Ash (the only compelling character imo) despite him clearly being the only one actually trying to help her. it was really frustrating to read. it made it difficult to root for claire. the side characters (elite and evil ashbury family) were also not as interesting as you’d expect. most of them even felt interchangeable and didn’t really have distinct voices.
i’m still giving this 4 stars for now because the concept was cool and i thought the ending felt fitting for a horror novel! the actual creature lore also felt well explained and not overly convoluted. i think Whitten’s writing shines in this genre and i truly hope she writes in it more! i just wish the characters were more impactful because it left the story feeling hollow. i did love Ash the MMC though so that’s something.
thank you Orbit books for the ARC!
Read
June 10, 2026A gothic horror, saltwater-drenched version of Ready or Not.
Thank you to Orbit for granting me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Orbit for granting me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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.
April 28, 2026
This book was not what I expected!! What a turn of events!! If you love sci-fi mixed with a leviathan god that feeds on pain, then this is for you. I honestly do not know how to explain this book without giving away any spoilers so I will just give a little snippet.
Claire is our FMC who just longs to be wanted. To be loved and cared for. To belong in a family. When her fiancé dies unexpectedly, his family invites her to their island and she feels like she just might get what she has always wanted. From the moment she gets the invite, weird things start to happen. Disturbing dreams of her deceased fiancé giving her vague messages. The island that seems deserted and the castle/cliffside house that is mostly underground, people throwing up seaweed and the staff have an interesting appetite. Claire ignores all these red flags because she believes that really want her to be part of the family, which they do but now in the way she thinks.
I can guarantee that you will not see the twists in this book or what the ending brings.
Thank you to the author, @orbitbooks and @netgalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Claire is our FMC who just longs to be wanted. To be loved and cared for. To belong in a family. When her fiancé dies unexpectedly, his family invites her to their island and she feels like she just might get what she has always wanted. From the moment she gets the invite, weird things start to happen. Disturbing dreams of her deceased fiancé giving her vague messages. The island that seems deserted and the castle/cliffside house that is mostly underground, people throwing up seaweed and the staff have an interesting appetite. Claire ignores all these red flags because she believes that really want her to be part of the family, which they do but now in the way she thinks.
I can guarantee that you will not see the twists in this book or what the ending brings.
Thank you to the author, @orbitbooks and @netgalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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.
April 24, 2026
Received this arc from NetGalley and almost fainted because I did not expect to get accepted.
I was at a Hannah Whitten book signing a couple years ago or so when she said she was writing an ocean horror and the only thing she could tell us was that it was very squishy. So needless to say I’ve been waiting very impatiently to read this, and it did not disappoint. It is in fact very squishy. Could possibly be the squishiest book I’ve ever read.
I’m going to be vague because you should go into this knowing as little as possible for the full effect… but it started out intense and then just kept building from there. The whole atmosphere and build up was absolute perfection. I had a lot of fun reading this.
I was at a Hannah Whitten book signing a couple years ago or so when she said she was writing an ocean horror and the only thing she could tell us was that it was very squishy. So needless to say I’ve been waiting very impatiently to read this, and it did not disappoint. It is in fact very squishy. Could possibly be the squishiest book I’ve ever read.
I’m going to be vague because you should go into this knowing as little as possible for the full effect… but it started out intense and then just kept building from there. The whole atmosphere and build up was absolute perfection. I had a lot of fun reading this.
Read
December 23, 2025SO GOOD! One of my favorite reads this year! Loved it!! Add to your TBR for 2026.
May 17, 2026
Reliquary is the equivalent of staring at the ocean and intentionally ruminating on all of the things that could exist in its depths. The story is told from the POV of Claire, whose life motto is: disassociate, unless you can use it to your advantage. She has repressed her own trauma and grief to the extent of accepting red flags as affection. This unfortunately makes her the perfect victim for an obscenely rich family with a debt to pay.
From the very start of the book, I knew it would be a wild ride. The comedic asides were peak millennial humor, and I was caught off guard a few times by how much I was laughing in the midst of the terror. The pacing was perfect, and the body horror was introduced in such a gradual manner that I truly couldn't have predicted half of the things that unfolded. As someone with claustrophobia, this added an extra element of horror- because I truly couldn't imagine voluntarily going into a mansion that was primarily underground/ underwater for an extended period of time. Full of vivid descriptors and atmospheric prose, I could clearly envision every ominous detail. The ending is one of my favorites that I've read in a horror novel, providing closure instead of leaving things open to interpretation.
Here's to hoping Hannah Whitten will continue to write horror, because I loved this just as much as her fantasy novels (if not more, if that's possible). Pack this book for your beach travels this summer, and see if you still want to get in the ocean afterwards. Reliquary releases on August 11, 2026. Thank you Orbit Books/ Run for It for gifting me with an eARC (via Netgalley widget), all thoughts expressed are my own.
From the very start of the book, I knew it would be a wild ride. The comedic asides were peak millennial humor, and I was caught off guard a few times by how much I was laughing in the midst of the terror. The pacing was perfect, and the body horror was introduced in such a gradual manner that I truly couldn't have predicted half of the things that unfolded. As someone with claustrophobia, this added an extra element of horror- because I truly couldn't imagine voluntarily going into a mansion that was primarily underground/ underwater for an extended period of time. Full of vivid descriptors and atmospheric prose, I could clearly envision every ominous detail. The ending is one of my favorites that I've read in a horror novel, providing closure instead of leaving things open to interpretation.
Here's to hoping Hannah Whitten will continue to write horror, because I loved this just as much as her fantasy novels (if not more, if that's possible). Pack this book for your beach travels this summer, and see if you still want to get in the ocean afterwards. Reliquary releases on August 11, 2026. Thank you Orbit Books/ Run for It for gifting me with an eARC (via Netgalley widget), all thoughts expressed are my own.
March 31, 2026
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. all opinions are my own.
eat the rich!!!!!
ultra rich people are weird and selfish and, while i predicted a decent chunk of the plot, i was disgusted at the depths of depravity surrounding this family.
i flew through this book. it was weird girl lit fic x oceanic horror x ready or not (2019) and i had such a good time.
the opening chapters of this were so eerie and the author did a fantastic job at building that sense of dread, of wrongness, of pure, unadulterated terror. we, obviously, as readers know that something sinister is going on, so reading along as claire (quite literally) walks into the belly of the beast was so stressful in the best way.
the body horror was, well, horrific and the descriptions were so vivid. also if you have a fear of the ocean or claustrophobia in any way, i would recommend maybe avoiding this one.
i also love all things ocean related, and found that the atmosphere of this one was really well done. while i clearly appreciated all of the larger ocean related imagery, the little one off moments where the author would use marine-esque phrashing to describe things were my favorite.
also
eat the rich!!!!!
ultra rich people are weird and selfish and, while i predicted a decent chunk of the plot, i was disgusted at the depths of depravity surrounding this family.
i flew through this book. it was weird girl lit fic x oceanic horror x ready or not (2019) and i had such a good time.
the opening chapters of this were so eerie and the author did a fantastic job at building that sense of dread, of wrongness, of pure, unadulterated terror. we, obviously, as readers know that something sinister is going on, so reading along as claire (quite literally) walks into the belly of the beast was so stressful in the best way.
the body horror was, well, horrific and the descriptions were so vivid. also if you have a fear of the ocean or claustrophobia in any way, i would recommend maybe avoiding this one.
i also love all things ocean related, and found that the atmosphere of this one was really well done. while i clearly appreciated all of the larger ocean related imagery, the little one off moments where the author would use marine-esque phrashing to describe things were my favorite.
also
April 3, 2026
This feels like one of those books that was written specifically for me and with the fact that it releases on my birthday, I'm going to say it was haha.
Reliquary was everything I didn't know I needed at the exact time I needed it. This book was fast paced, unsettling, creepy and perfectly atmospheric. You can just feel the dread creeping in from the very first chapters and it never lets up. The descriptions of the body horror were so vivid and grotesque. The claustrophobia feeling was intense and the ending was perfect.
To sum it up, I loved every single thing about this book and you should preorder it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC
Reliquary was everything I didn't know I needed at the exact time I needed it. This book was fast paced, unsettling, creepy and perfectly atmospheric. You can just feel the dread creeping in from the very first chapters and it never lets up. The descriptions of the body horror were so vivid and grotesque. The claustrophobia feeling was intense and the ending was perfect.
To sum it up, I loved every single thing about this book and you should preorder it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2026
4.5 stars. Much like the main character Claire, one of my biggest fears is to be in a submarine in the deep ocean. Which is why ocean horror books are really the only books that truly freak me out and why I love them so much. This was a perfect weird ocean horror. I had a hard time putting it down once it got going, because I had to know what the hell was going on and what exactly was in that water. If you enjoyed Our Wives Under the Sea (which is one of my all time favorite books) then this will give you the same kind of vibe. This book is more proof that we just need to leave the deep sea alone because there's always something looking back at us.
June 13, 2026
I’m not sure I’m the target audience for a horror book, but the writing and execution was very good. I’m a Hannah Whitten fan through and through, even if this one made me squeamish. That was 100% the point of this book, and very much on theme, so I can’t say I minded.
April 24, 2026
Let me just say, I knew that I was going to love this book as soon as I read the dedication.
Claire’s seemingly perfect life falls apart when her fiancé passes unexpectedly - and she is lured to his family’s remote island home. Feeling welcomed into the family at first, she soon discovers old family secrets and a monster lurking just under the surface.
The writing was so atmospheric. I am not usually claustrophobic, but I could feel Claire’s fears through the writing. The foreshadowing to the horrors beneath, the depiction of grief, themes of guild, greed, and power. This was such an amazing book.
Truly though, the best way to experience this is to go into it blind, though I’d recommend staying away if you have thelassophobia. I loved the eldritch horror in this book, and I think the ending wrapped up beautifully.
This is just another reminder of the power of the ocean and why I don’t belong in it! I cannot wait for this to release and to have a physical copy!
Huge thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the early copy in exchange for a review!
Claire’s seemingly perfect life falls apart when her fiancé passes unexpectedly - and she is lured to his family’s remote island home. Feeling welcomed into the family at first, she soon discovers old family secrets and a monster lurking just under the surface.
The writing was so atmospheric. I am not usually claustrophobic, but I could feel Claire’s fears through the writing. The foreshadowing to the horrors beneath, the depiction of grief, themes of guild, greed, and power. This was such an amazing book.
Truly though, the best way to experience this is to go into it blind, though I’d recommend staying away if you have thelassophobia. I loved the eldritch horror in this book, and I think the ending wrapped up beautifully.
This is just another reminder of the power of the ocean and why I don’t belong in it! I cannot wait for this to release and to have a physical copy!
Huge thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the early copy in exchange for a review!
May 30, 2026
Soaked in saltwater and dread, this book is a mix of good for her and oh my god what the fuck I can’t believe that just happened but I loved it. This book is for anyone who feels called to the sea but is also very afraid of its dark depths that we know so little about. Claire goes from a very traumatized widow to something full of sharp teeth and want. I loved the monster lover vibes of the ending and if anything I wish it had leaned into that a little more, but I liked what we got! I wouldn’t say this was scary necessarily but parts of it were definitely gross and disturbing. I loved it so much!
Thank you so much to Orbit for the arc!
Thank you so much to Orbit for the arc!
June 11, 2026
I remember thinking, way back when reading Whitten’s debut, that descriptions are where her writing really shines - and Reliquary really cemented that for me. The body horror is visceral and detailed enough to make one queasy. Plus having this book set in 2024 (not a Hotmail email address in the year of our Lord 2024… which I’ll admit had me cackling) really let her bring Claire’s sardonic wit into the story. I loved seeing the modernity with classic Gothic elements in a way that wasn’t cheap or gimmicky. Like this is still very gothic cosmic horror AND is set in 2024.
Claire also really felt like a person. A hard-done-by person who lies to her therapist and squashes all feeling in order to get by and stays in a pretty bad relationship to feel safe. Plus the anxiety and discomfort she feels at Harrow Point was very sharp and clear to the reader. And as things get weird and she starts justifying red flags, it doesn’t feel cheap or lazy - because we know Claire well enough to understand WHY she lets them go. Which is so important. She wasn’t just some limp lettuce MC who ends up as a hapless victim; we see and understand her choices all the way down.
{Thank you Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
Claire also really felt like a person. A hard-done-by person who lies to her therapist and squashes all feeling in order to get by and stays in a pretty bad relationship to feel safe. Plus the anxiety and discomfort she feels at Harrow Point was very sharp and clear to the reader. And as things get weird and she starts justifying red flags, it doesn’t feel cheap or lazy - because we know Claire well enough to understand WHY she lets them go. Which is so important. She wasn’t just some limp lettuce MC who ends up as a hapless victim; we see and understand her choices all the way down.
{Thank you Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
May 14, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️
As a fan of horror—especially when it involves the ocean—Reliquary immediately called to me. The premise felt fresh and full of mystery. The opening is strong and engaging, building a dark atmosphere that creeps under your skin.
My highlights were unraveling the mystery and the ultimately somewhat satisfying ending. However, my main issue with the story was that the characters lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with or fully care about them. This included our FMC, Claire, who often reminded me of those horror movie characters you just want to reach through the screen and shake because they can’t possibly be that obtuse (and yet, they are).
While the ending wasn’t bad, I do think it needed more time and development to feel fully satisfying and earned.
Overall, for horror fans—especially those drawn to sea horror and cultish elements—it’s still worth checking out.
Tropes: betrayal, cultish elements, sea horror, bargains, sacrifice
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
As a fan of horror—especially when it involves the ocean—Reliquary immediately called to me. The premise felt fresh and full of mystery. The opening is strong and engaging, building a dark atmosphere that creeps under your skin.
My highlights were unraveling the mystery and the ultimately somewhat satisfying ending. However, my main issue with the story was that the characters lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with or fully care about them. This included our FMC, Claire, who often reminded me of those horror movie characters you just want to reach through the screen and shake because they can’t possibly be that obtuse (and yet, they are).
While the ending wasn’t bad, I do think it needed more time and development to feel fully satisfying and earned.
Overall, for horror fans—especially those drawn to sea horror and cultish elements—it’s still worth checking out.
Tropes: betrayal, cultish elements, sea horror, bargains, sacrifice
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 20, 2026
Thank you to Orbit books for the opportunity to read this eARC! A five star read for me, this book sucked me in from the start, and I didn’t want to put it down. It was eerie and atmospheric all the way through, and while the horror was borderline absurd, the author pulled it off perfectly. It read like a movie to me. Definitely recommend you check this out if you’re in the mood for something thrilling, and monstrous.
June 5, 2026
Thank you, NetGalley, for access to this amazing ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Wow wow wow.
Five creepy, gory stars. I have so many highlights from start to finish of Whitten's metaphors and analogies that gave me the absolute creeps. The mood she sets from page one is heavy and foreboding. The settings and events are highly memorable, as well as easily and vividly visualized. The characters felt relatable, even in the ways you did not want them to be. I would highly recommend to anyone that loves creepy monsters, gothic vibes, and LOTS of gore. Fantastic!
Wow wow wow.
Five creepy, gory stars. I have so many highlights from start to finish of Whitten's metaphors and analogies that gave me the absolute creeps. The mood she sets from page one is heavy and foreboding. The settings and events are highly memorable, as well as easily and vividly visualized. The characters felt relatable, even in the ways you did not want them to be. I would highly recommend to anyone that loves creepy monsters, gothic vibes, and LOTS of gore. Fantastic!
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
May 5, 2026
i like Fantasy Hannah but i reallllllllllly like Horror Hannah
May 8, 2026
more horror please, Hannah!
May 19, 2026
Okay so Reliquary was everything I hoped it would be and more. I went into this one moderately blind but had been obsessing over the cover and ~vibes~ for awhile. I didn’t realize how damn aquatic this one was going to be until I dove in but damn, so creepy and perfect!!
I loved Whitten’s writing and felt like I was watching over her shoulder as everything unfolded. Be warned, you will be hollering at the book/your kindle if you pick this one up. It felt like a horror movie and around every corner I was like “Claire baby, what are you doing?????”
The remote island setting is perfect and the “old money” types always make the perfect villains. If you were a fan of Guillotine by Delilah Dawson you should absolutely pick this one up too.
**Thank you to Orbit Books for the eARC of this very moist title!!**
I loved Whitten’s writing and felt like I was watching over her shoulder as everything unfolded. Be warned, you will be hollering at the book/your kindle if you pick this one up. It felt like a horror movie and around every corner I was like “Claire baby, what are you doing?????”
The remote island setting is perfect and the “old money” types always make the perfect villains. If you were a fan of Guillotine by Delilah Dawson you should absolutely pick this one up too.
**Thank you to Orbit Books for the eARC of this very moist title!!**
May 18, 2026
Man, the writing just felt so flat. I did not feel “sucked in” like I typically do when reading thrillers. But the story itself is super weird and spooky, and the concept was quite interesting. The beginning was sloooooooow. Once things picked up, I started to like it a bit more. I’m leaving 2 stars because the writing didn’t work for me.
Reliquary relies heavily on a slow, atmospheric build-up, and that pacing felt sluggish and dry, which I believe was the point, but I was bored.
I do plan to try a few more Hannah Whitten books from Kindle Unlimited since she is a well-liked author, so I’m thinking this one just didn’t work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Hannah Whitten for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Reliquary relies heavily on a slow, atmospheric build-up, and that pacing felt sluggish and dry, which I believe was the point, but I was bored.
I do plan to try a few more Hannah Whitten books from Kindle Unlimited since she is a well-liked author, so I’m thinking this one just didn’t work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Hannah Whitten for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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