Reliquary by Hannah Whitten
Orbit
Publication Date: August 11th, 2026
Hardcover. 300 pages.
Orbit
Publication Date: August 11th, 2026
Hardcover. 300 pages.
About Reliquary:
"A young woman is lured to her late fiancé's remote island estate—only to uncover eerie family secrets, a haunting past, and a monstrous hunger stirring beneath the sea in this deliciously atmospheric horror debut from New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten.
When Claire’s fiancé mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, 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. 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 three-day wake at Harrow Point, their family home on a private island, Claire is given the chance to find family 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 coastal home 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.
As she dives deeper into the world of Harrow Point, she will uncover the nature of her own traumatic connection to the ocean. There is something swimming in the bowels of Harrow Point, and it is hungry…"
When Claire’s fiancé mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, 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. 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 three-day wake at Harrow Point, their family home on a private island, Claire is given the chance to find family 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 coastal home 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.
As she dives deeper into the world of Harrow Point, she will uncover the nature of her own traumatic connection to the ocean. There is something swimming in the bowels of Harrow Point, and it is hungry…"
There is something about an unfathomably wealthy family who has a mysterious mansion on a secluded private island that just screams that nothing good can possibly come from this, and Reliquary is here to explain just why that is the case. We follow Claire as she travels to meet her late fiancé's family for the first time--after his death, which is already an uncommon circumstance--only for her to discover that, of course, things are not quite as they seem. I had no idea what to expect from this book going into it, and I have to say I pleasantly surprised by what Whitten managed to pack into these pages.
Claire is a very... thought-provoking protagonist, and I found her rather unlikable in some aspects, while also acknowledging that she was very much the low player in the power dynamics at play in this story, so I couldn't always blame her for the circumstances she found herself in. She's been through some truly traumatic experiences in her youth, and I think the defense mechanisms she's built to protect herself and attempt to move on are relatable, understandably, and quite compelling to follow.
That being said, I was admittedly unbelievably annoyed with Claire at times and with how passively she seemed to move through her life, even when what appears to be clear red flags and danger are staring her in the face. I understand being vulnerable when grieving, but there were just too many things that felt so obvious that she completely ignored and it drove me a bit crazy. She could be incredibly willfully ignorant and almost unbelievably incurious as a person. And look, I also understand that's largely the point here: she's completely vulnerable and so desperately wanted to be loved and wanted by a family that of course she'll turn a blind eye to the red flags for even a taste of that. I painfully understand that. But as a reader, it really was frustrating to watch at times. Also, I get her hatred of submarines, and I agree they can be pretty freaky, but I regardless of my feelings on them I would be so fascinated by everything happening and what the family is involved with that I'd want to absolutely everything I could and would be Googling everything nonstop, so it bothered me on a personal level that Claire didn't seem interested, haha (and sure, let's not even have the slightest curiosity about the weird octopus thing her fiancé has that some happens to die right around when he does... but I digress). With all that, however, I will say that watching Claire learn more about herself, her fiancé, his family, and so much more by the end of the story made for some great character growth and overall development.
I loved the horrors of the sea, this family, and everything wrapped up in both. Whitten did a fantastic job of creating the sense there is some mysterious, incredibly powerful entity constantly lurking behind everything, along with followers who will do just about anything for even a taste of power. This book really explores those lengths that people will go to in order to attain that power, and it does so in a very visceral, hard-to-read-but-impossible-to-look-away-from way. There are some very squicky, body horror-esque, and downright disturbing pieces of imagery in this book, so definitely keep that in mind before going into this one.
I am also perhaps just a little bit in love with the idea of the private island Claire visits due to what sounds like the most incredible mansion built into its cliffs. It seems like an awesome feat of engineering, and I would explore the absolute heck out of that place if I could--though preferably without Claire's fiancé's family present, if I could request that. Whitten did an exemplary job of capturing the suffocating, smothering feeling of being physically trapped in a place while simultaneously being trapped by family obligations and seemingly evil, otherworldly forces. It truly made for what seemed like an absolutely horrendous time!
Claire is a very... thought-provoking protagonist, and I found her rather unlikable in some aspects, while also acknowledging that she was very much the low player in the power dynamics at play in this story, so I couldn't always blame her for the circumstances she found herself in. She's been through some truly traumatic experiences in her youth, and I think the defense mechanisms she's built to protect herself and attempt to move on are relatable, understandably, and quite compelling to follow.
That being said, I was admittedly unbelievably annoyed with Claire at times and with how passively she seemed to move through her life, even when what appears to be clear red flags and danger are staring her in the face. I understand being vulnerable when grieving, but there were just too many things that felt so obvious that she completely ignored and it drove me a bit crazy. She could be incredibly willfully ignorant and almost unbelievably incurious as a person. And look, I also understand that's largely the point here: she's completely vulnerable and so desperately wanted to be loved and wanted by a family that of course she'll turn a blind eye to the red flags for even a taste of that. I painfully understand that. But as a reader, it really was frustrating to watch at times. Also, I get her hatred of submarines, and I agree they can be pretty freaky, but I regardless of my feelings on them I would be so fascinated by everything happening and what the family is involved with that I'd want to absolutely everything I could and would be Googling everything nonstop, so it bothered me on a personal level that Claire didn't seem interested, haha (and sure, let's not even have the slightest curiosity about the weird octopus thing her fiancé has that some happens to die right around when he does... but I digress). With all that, however, I will say that watching Claire learn more about herself, her fiancé, his family, and so much more by the end of the story made for some great character growth and overall development.
I loved the horrors of the sea, this family, and everything wrapped up in both. Whitten did a fantastic job of creating the sense there is some mysterious, incredibly powerful entity constantly lurking behind everything, along with followers who will do just about anything for even a taste of power. This book really explores those lengths that people will go to in order to attain that power, and it does so in a very visceral, hard-to-read-but-impossible-to-look-away-from way. There are some very squicky, body horror-esque, and downright disturbing pieces of imagery in this book, so definitely keep that in mind before going into this one.
I am also perhaps just a little bit in love with the idea of the private island Claire visits due to what sounds like the most incredible mansion built into its cliffs. It seems like an awesome feat of engineering, and I would explore the absolute heck out of that place if I could--though preferably without Claire's fiancé's family present, if I could request that. Whitten did an exemplary job of capturing the suffocating, smothering feeling of being physically trapped in a place while simultaneously being trapped by family obligations and seemingly evil, otherworldly forces. It truly made for what seemed like an absolutely horrendous time!
There are aspects of this story that felt exceptionally predictable, and I can't say there were too many overarching elements to the plot that surprised me, but it was more so about how this story unfolded and the details utilized that made it feel more unique and enjoyable. Tried and true tropes and cliches often because those things for a reason, so I never think it's inherently bad to have something that feels like you're always peeking around the corner knowing roughly to expect, but just not entirely sure what form it's going to take. And I think that's what was more successful about this story, as there was just enough uncertainty and unease in those details to make it a more thrilled read.
While Reliquary isn't necessarily destined to become a new favorite for me, I think it's a fantastic horror that touches on some raw themes and emotions surrounding grief, family, trauma, and the desire to belong, while also incorporating more classic terrifying horror elements. It's unsettling, visceral, and incredibly easy to keep turning the pages on, even when you might occasionally want to yell at Claire through them. Which I wanted to do... a lot. If the premise sounds like something you might be interested in, then I'd absolutely encourage you to give it a read!
While Reliquary isn't necessarily destined to become a new favorite for me, I think it's a fantastic horror that touches on some raw themes and emotions surrounding grief, family, trauma, and the desire to belong, while also incorporating more classic terrifying horror elements. It's unsettling, visceral, and incredibly easy to keep turning the pages on, even when you might occasionally want to yell at Claire through them. Which I wanted to do... a lot. If the premise sounds like something you might be interested in, then I'd absolutely encourage you to give it a read!
*I received a copy of Reliquary courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
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