Title: ReliquaryAuthor: Hannah Whitten
Pages: 300
Publication Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Publisher: ORBIT US
Genres: Fiction / Dark Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
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?
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I’ve read all of Hannah Whitten’s books, and I was so excited to read this new Gothic horror standalone. I wasn’t disappointed. Reliquary is an unsettling, atmospheric, and immersive story that gripped me from the first page. I love Whitten’s writing and find it very easy to fall into her worlds.
The setting was one of my favorite parts of the book. Harrow Point is so eerie, from the isolated private island to the sprawling mansion overlooking the sea. Even more unsettling and creepy is what lies beneath it. Much of the story unfolds in the underground levels below the estate, and despite their size, there’s this suffocating feeling of being trapped. Between the endless stone corridors, rooms hidden beneath the ocean, and the constant awareness of the sea pressing in from all sides, I could almost feel Claire’s growing discomfort and panic. Hannah Whitten has always excelled at creating immersive worlds, and she once again shows how skillfully she can weave a place that feels vivid, haunting, and whole.
Claire was such an interesting protagonist. She’s spent years burying her grief and refusing to confront the trauma that shaped her life, convincing herself she’s moved on when she really hasn’t. More than anything, she longs to belong somewhere, to finally have the family she lost, and that vulnerability makes her attachment to Elias and his family understandable and so heartbreaking. Even when the warning signs are there, you understand why she wants to stay and why she hesitates. I also loved how the mystery surrounding Elias, his family, and Harrow Point slowly unraveled alongside Claire’s own past.
I also like the relationship she developed with one particular character. It’s pretty clear from the start that there’s more to this family than meets the eye, and the layers of secrets, lies, and manipulations run deep. This isn’t the kind of horror that relies on gore, though there are some gruesome moments and dark elements. Instead, it’s the kind of Gothic horror that fills you with a building feeling of dread through the tone, setting, and characters. I loved it. It made me question every conversation and every suspicious person and place long before the real horrors were even revealed.
Speaking of horror… I may never go in the water again. lol But what lurks in the depths of the sea isn’t the only horror in the book, and I like that the story introduces the idea that there can be many “monsters” in your story. Some are just more disguised than others.
This was a unique and atmospheric read, and one that I won’t forget for a long while. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for us next!
Hannah 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.
Great review. I didn’t grab this one because I saw Horror, even though I do like her writing!
This is on my TBR – great review! I’m excited to read this one.