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Book: “Relilquary” by Hannah F. Whitten
Publishing Info: Orbit, August 2026
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Sometimes, you just want to belong.,When Claire’s fiancé mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, seemingly destroying her chances at the belonging she’s sought, she’s prepared to sink back into the lonely life she lived before. Orphaned by a freak boating accident in her childhood, she never expected to find connection like she did with Elias, anyway. Even if sometimes, that connection seemed more like something he felt obligated to than something he wanted.
Their relationship wasn’t perfect—his coldness, his secrets, his strange aversion to the ocean—but what relationship is?
When Elias’s family reaches out—his incredibly wealthy family, from whom he was estranged—and invites Claire to a wake at their family home on a private island, Claire is given the chance to have connection again. To belong to something, just like she’s always wanted. Just like Elias knew she was desperate to have.
Even if that family is a little strange. Even if their home built partially into the sea stirs up memories of the accident that killed her parents and sister. Even if Ash, Elias’s older brother, seems insistent on Claire leaving as soon as possible.
Claire can’t bring herself to be lonely again. And as the strange circumstances of Elias’s familial connection with the sea becomes more and more apparent, her window for escape is rapidly closing.
Does she even want to?
Review: There must be something in the water, since many of my favorite fantasy authors have all seemed to come to the collective understanding that now is the time to try their hand at the horror genre. And so I must dutifully follow, our blog genre/reviewer standards be damned!
Luckily for me, what Whitten has written here is a wild, Gothic ride that veered way further into the fantastical than I had expected when I first picked it up. The general setup, however, played into some of my favorite elements of Gothic fiction. We had the creepy, mysterious house, the strange family, and secrets whose answers might be even more dangerous when they are finally revealed.
For all that there is a creepy house, the horror elements were largely focused on the ocean and aquatic themes. And all of this was truly terrifying and surprisingly disgusting and disturbing. As far as the actual horror goes, beyond the suspense of the general setup, the primary way it plays out is through increasingly disturbing moments of body horror. This is definitely not one to read if you have a weak stomach or really struggle with body grossness.
I can’t get into too many details about how the story plays out, as there were a ton of late-game reveals that really twisted the story into an entirely different beast. There was definitely not a lack of creativity, and, like I said, the book took on a much more fantastical flavor toward the end than it did with its more typical Gothic setup. For me, this was a pleasant turn of events. But it also comes fairly late in the game, and then the book whacks you over the head again and again for the remainder of the read with increasingly out-there twists. So readers who are vibing with the more general Gothic premise or who are expecting a more grounded horror story might find themselves off balance when this shift comes.
I really enjoyed all of the characters we had here. Of course, “enjoyed” in cases like this often means loving to hate them. The entire family was so disturbing, all in different ways. And the book did a great job of highlighting the various ways that different personalities might buckle and twist under these circumstances. There’s a lot of toxicity here, but many different flavors are on display.
There was also a surprisingly interesting romantic subplot. For a book that takes place over only a few days, I was surprised by the depth of this plotline. Partly this is because the love interest was one of the most interesting characters in the book. His arc is tragic, frustrating, and compelling.
I also really enjoyed the main character. Through her, Whitten expertly portrayed a woman whose struggles with tragedy and guilt have led her to extreme levels of passivity and a desire to belong that trumps almost anything else. What makes this all the more interesting is that Claire herself is largely aware of her own failings in this area. But that doesn’t make her any more capable of disrupting her own habits. She knows they are deeply unhealthy, and for much of the book, she’s embraced them as part of herself. This can make her frustrating to read at times, but also makes it all the more gratifying when she finally comes around.
The pacing of the entire book was a bit odd. It starts slow, which is expected with this sort of horror, the type that is leaning strongly into dread and revels in the slow reveal. But it does make for a jarring experience in the back half when the wheels seemingly come off and it’s full blast for the last third of the book. Not necessarily a full blast of action, but more one heavy scene after another. And, while I liked how things wrapped up in the end, I was left with a few too many questions about parts of it to be fully satisfied.
That said, this was still a great read. It was horrifying, heart-wrenching, and deliciously cruel at times. But there was also just enough softness and heart, especially to Claire’s story and the slow arc of her relationship with the MMC, to properly balance things out. Readers who enjoy horror that leans into the fantastical should definitely give this one a shot!
Rating 8: I’ll never look at the ocean the same way again. Or get on a submarine, for that matter. But here Whitten expertly blends the horrific with the fantastic, all while exploring deep themes of family trauma and grief.
Reader’s Advisory:
“Reliquary” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Seaside Gothic and Horror Releases Coming in 2026.
The Library Ladies 