Sarah Fine

Mattie Carver's engagement party should have marked the start of her own personal fairy tale. But when her fiancé, Ben, is violently abducted the next morning, her desperate quest to find him rips her away from small-town life and reveals a shattering truth: magic is real--and Ben is hooked. It's not the stuff of storybooks. It's wildly addictive, capable of producing everything from hellish anguish to sensual ecstasy almost beyond human endurance. Determined to find out who took Ben and why, Mattie immerses herself in a shadowy underworld and comes face-to-face with the darkly alluring Asa Ward, a rogue magic dealer, infamous hustler...and her missing fiancé's estranged brother. Asa has the power to sense magic, and he realizes Mattie is a reliquary, someone with the rare ability to carry magic within her own body, undetected. Asa agrees to help find Ben on one condition: Mattie must use her uncommon talent to assist his smuggling operations. Now, from magic-laced Vegas casinos to the netherworld clubs of Bangkok, Mattie is on a rescue mission. With Asa by her side, she'll face not only the supernatural forces arrayed against her but the all-too-human temptation that she fears she can't resist.

Reliquary

Becky

This book was amazing. I didn't know what to expect but I ended up really enjoying it. I had read reviews on it before which is why I bought it in the first place but I don't think even those reviews prepared me for the story I got (or the ending).

I think the thing which made me enjoy this book the most is the magic system. I loved that it seemed original (although I still can't fully keep track of the names for different types of magic user). I liked that things were categorised with the four types of magic (of which I cannot remember to list them now) and then there were the different types of person with magical abilities and not all of them had the ability to make magic but they each had their own speciality. It was interesting that there were sensors, conduits, reliquaries and it all really drew me in.

I did struggle liking the characters. I mean, Mattie was so naive. That was understandable as she was such a newbie to the magic world, but God damn was it frustrating when she kept making stupid decisions but she made those stupid decisions because she didn't know enough. And then there was the fact that she kept making stupid decisions even though it was obvious she was being played. Just, her weak spot is Ben and I do not like him. I wasn't a fan of him at the start (when it was obvious something iffy was going on with him) and it frustrated me she continually thought the best of him. Her optimism was both charming and frustrating.

I did like Asa and his whole tough guy I know everything and I am too good for being kind and explaining everything because I don't want to be here. At least with him I knew he knew what he wanted and was making smart decisions. I mean, his whole never revealing all that was happening was annoying as hell for me and for Mattie. I mean, really annoying. But I found that far less frustrating than Mattie's whole thing.

The thing is, the characters annoyed the hell out of me at times (I'm looking at you Ben, the douche) but the story was so interesting and I was hooked from the beginning. I literally didn't want it to end and I was frustrated it ended when it did. I literally had to buy the next book in the series because it cannot stop where it did. Mattie and Asa's story definitely has more going on (screw you Ben, you better not stay in it longer than necessary. God damn love triangles).

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I feel like before I start, I should make a couple confessions. First of all, this is my first Sarah Fine book. (That said, I will be investigating her backlist because I really, really enjoyed her writing style.) Secondly, this isn't really my genre of choice, but I'm SO VERY GLAD I decided to give this book a shot. It hooked me from the first chapter and I read it in a single sitting. And now I'm counting the days until the second book, Splinter, is released. I NEED MORE. 

I was compelled by the world built in this book. It looked like the one we all know, but there was another side to it, too. On that side, magic is a drug. There are addicts and dealers and all the danger that comes with the typical addictions you think of in this world. It was intriguing and easy to read about. I liked Mattie and, yes, even Asa. (Truth time: I want her to drop Ben and go for Asa. He was so much more interesting to me... plus he was honest with her.) The chemistry between Mattie and Asa was intense. They went through a lot together in a short amount of time, so there's no denying there's a connection there. But, I'm not going to go too deep into the actual story here because it's best left unspoiled. Just know that it was straight out addictive to me. Everything from the missing fiancé and subsequent hunt, to the world building, and especially to the "bad boy" brother, kept me turning the pages. 

This was a great dark(ish) and gritty book. It wasn't huge on the feels, but there were enough for the type of story this was – and for the fact that it's the first in a series. There IS a love triangle, which might be off-putting to some, but it didn't bother me one single bit. Reliquary was sexy at times and I'd imagine that will only become more true as the series continues. The magic – and potential it held – was fascinating. This was a great introduction to a new-to-me author. As much as I find that I suck at series, I'm definitely planning to stick with this one. I've already pre-ordered the second book, which thankfully releases on Tuesday. I'm not ready to leave this world and these characters behind just yet. 

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  I'm amazed by how lies can soothe the soul, quell every fear, blind you to reality in the most pleasant of ways. 

"It's hope, Mattie. You're an addict. And I know a thing or two about addicts. You're gonna chase that high all the way to the end."

"Allowing someone to be who they really are, on their terms, instead of expecting them to be who you wish they were—that's always a choice."

"It's them or us now, Mattie. And when it comes to that, I'm going to choose us every time."

Reliquary

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