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annettesbookbanter's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the storyline but some parts were aggravating. I am hoping those issues will be resolved in the 2nd and 3rd books.
morganatkinsonblog's review
2.0
Let me start by saying... this book was not my particular brand of spice.
Like...What did I just read?
There were times I was totally sucked into the story and times that just felt very "WHY".
Add in that the whole book is about getting back a guy who just TAKES TAKES TAKES (seriously Ben is the worst) with no regard for the heroines feelings or needs, and a guy ready to give her everything he possibly could (Asa). And you've got yourself a frustrating little read.
Maybe book 2 will redeem it, either way I am willing to give it a try!
Like...What did I just read?
There were times I was totally sucked into the story and times that just felt very "WHY".
Add in that the whole book is about getting back a guy who just TAKES TAKES TAKES (seriously Ben is the worst) with no regard for the heroines feelings or needs, and a guy ready to give her everything he possibly could (Asa). And you've got yourself a frustrating little read.
Maybe book 2 will redeem it, either way I am willing to give it a try!
ginny_c's review
2.0
When your favorite character in a book is a dog that's kind of a problem...
This book had so much potential. The use of magic was interesting and there was a lot of action but there was something lacking in the major characters (except for Gracie the dog). Ben is awful and I'm glad he was barely in the book. Mattie would be a much better character if she wasn't so willing to forgive Ben for his manipulation She should have just kicked his ass to the curb.
Asa I liked better as the book went on. He's kind of an ass on the surface but he really isn't a terrible guy. He's just been through a lot. Plus he did rescue Gracie the dog.
I will continue the series since I do find the overall story interesting, I just hope Mattie here makes some better decisions.
This book had so much potential. The use of magic was interesting and there was a lot of action but there was something lacking in the major characters (except for Gracie the dog). Ben is awful and I'm glad he was barely in the book. Mattie would be a much better character if she wasn't so willing to forgive Ben for his manipulation
Spoiler
(literally used magic on her so she would lust after him without her knowledge and flat out lying to her about blowing all of his money on magic)Asa I liked better as the book went on. He's kind of an ass on the surface but he really isn't a terrible guy. He's just been through a lot. Plus he did rescue Gracie the dog.
I will continue the series since I do find the overall story interesting, I just hope Mattie here makes some better decisions.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
Reliquary by Sarah Fine is a book I came across while skimming through my Facebook feed. I happen to follow Sarah and have read a number of her books so when I saw this one (have you seen the cover??) and read the summary, I knew I needed to get this one to read.
Mattie Carver is one of those characters that I found myself liking but at times found her annoying. I think it is mostly because of her relationship with Ben. It drove me crazy and I couldn’t believe she was willing to put up with the things she did. She made some decisions that I didn’t agree with which annoyed me. Other than that, she is a strong character. It is clear she is willing to do whatever she needs to (to the point where she is very willing to martyr herself if necessary) to protect the people she loves and cares about. Ben is a perfect example of this.
I loved how close Mattie is with her family. This is one of the things that impacts most of her decisions and when the book starts, it is actually at her engagement party where we get to see a bit of her relationship both with her parents and her grandfather. It is revealed that her grandfather isn’t doing so well (health wise) and eventually Mattie learns more about his past. I mention it because it relates to a secret that not a lot of people know about him. See, Mattie comes from a line of magic and it just happens that she is a Reliquary. Someone who can carry (absorb and transfer) magic within herself.
The story itself revolves around the magic and truly begins when the day after their engagement party, Ben goes missing. In her search to find him, Mattie learns a lot of his secrets and truly what he has been up to. While searching, she crosses paths with Asa, Ben’s brother and finds herself mixed up in some dangerous situations because of who Asa is, what Ben has been up to, and what Mattie herself is capable of.
I really enjoyed Asa as a character. He and Ben are not close but he is determined to find him and if he can, protect Ben from himself. He knows what Ben has been up to and while he doesn’t respect him, Asa is willing to do what he needs to in order to help him. At first, when Asa and Mattie cross paths, they definitely do not get along either but because they are spending a lot of time together and are in positions where they have to trust each other, an understanding builds between them and they eventually come to feel more for each other than they expected. Of course, Mattie is engaged to Ben so things are destined to be hard for both.
I will say here, that although their relationship changes, Mattie doesn’t really ever do anything to compromise herself (in my opinion) with Asa. With that said, I also don’t think she was making her decisions around Asa and Ben with any thought other than what her ideal perfect life should be. A handsome husband, a home, and a great business.
Fine always does a wonderful job of not only developing her characters but also the worlds they live in. In this case, the underworld of magic and all the different types of individuals out there that one could cross paths with. I loved learning all about the good ones and bad ones as well as who these characters truly were.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I admit, I was very glad to see that book two is scheduled to come out really soon because I need to know what happens with these characters! If you are looking for a great paranormal fantasy that will take you around the world and introduce you to an interesting world of magic, definitely check this one out!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!
Mattie Carver is one of those characters that I found myself liking but at times found her annoying. I think it is mostly because of her relationship with Ben. It drove me crazy and I couldn’t believe she was willing to put up with the things she did. She made some decisions that I didn’t agree with which annoyed me. Other than that, she is a strong character. It is clear she is willing to do whatever she needs to (to the point where she is very willing to martyr herself if necessary) to protect the people she loves and cares about. Ben is a perfect example of this.
I loved how close Mattie is with her family. This is one of the things that impacts most of her decisions and when the book starts, it is actually at her engagement party where we get to see a bit of her relationship both with her parents and her grandfather. It is revealed that her grandfather isn’t doing so well (health wise) and eventually Mattie learns more about his past. I mention it because it relates to a secret that not a lot of people know about him. See, Mattie comes from a line of magic and it just happens that she is a Reliquary. Someone who can carry (absorb and transfer) magic within herself.
The story itself revolves around the magic and truly begins when the day after their engagement party, Ben goes missing. In her search to find him, Mattie learns a lot of his secrets and truly what he has been up to. While searching, she crosses paths with Asa, Ben’s brother and finds herself mixed up in some dangerous situations because of who Asa is, what Ben has been up to, and what Mattie herself is capable of.
I really enjoyed Asa as a character. He and Ben are not close but he is determined to find him and if he can, protect Ben from himself. He knows what Ben has been up to and while he doesn’t respect him, Asa is willing to do what he needs to in order to help him. At first, when Asa and Mattie cross paths, they definitely do not get along either but because they are spending a lot of time together and are in positions where they have to trust each other, an understanding builds between them and they eventually come to feel more for each other than they expected. Of course, Mattie is engaged to Ben so things are destined to be hard for both.
I will say here, that although their relationship changes, Mattie doesn’t really ever do anything to compromise herself (in my opinion) with Asa. With that said, I also don’t think she was making her decisions around Asa and Ben with any thought other than what her ideal perfect life should be. A handsome husband, a home, and a great business.
Fine always does a wonderful job of not only developing her characters but also the worlds they live in. In this case, the underworld of magic and all the different types of individuals out there that one could cross paths with. I loved learning all about the good ones and bad ones as well as who these characters truly were.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I admit, I was very glad to see that book two is scheduled to come out really soon because I need to know what happens with these characters! If you are looking for a great paranormal fantasy that will take you around the world and introduce you to an interesting world of magic, definitely check this one out!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!
charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
It takes a bit to get into it, but then BAM what a cool world. I'm enjoying it so far. Not the most stellar writing, but a good diverting read.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this one! There was tension, hidden feelings and Sarah introduces us into a whole new underworld of illegal magic.
raven168's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this author's Shadowlands series so I was hoping for another good one here. But I just didn't get into it quite as much. At least not until the end. The beginning was slow and I really did not like Mattie. I mean, how stupid can a person really be? However, I did think that the whole magical underworld was great and the different types of people/magic was definitely interesting.
In the beginning Mattie really annoyed me. She was always doing stupid things at places she didn't know or understand. She never seemed to even think about what the consequences could be, just jumping in head first. As the story progressed and she traveled with Asa, she didn't rub me the wrong way as much anymore. She did what she had to do and endured things that most probably wouldn't have as well. And despite being completely terrified at times, she was able to trust that Asa would pull her thru and was able to deal with things that she never normally would have been able to.
As for Asa, I really quite liked him and he was my favorite part of the book. Yes, he was an asshole for most of it but it really seems like it was either his wall to protect himself or just how he needs to be to survive in that world. Considering what he deals with on a daily basis by being a sensor, it's hard not to blame the guy for being so moody. Though I still don't understand the reason for Asa's unique diet which came up all the time....
Mattie literally has a perfect life. And it's soon only going to get better when she marries the even more perfect Ben. That is until she wakes one morning to find that Ben has been kidnapped. The police are no help what so ever, but they do let her know about how deep in debt Ben is. But that's not the first shock she's going to get over the secrets he's been keeping from her. Desperate to find him, she ends up venturing to dangerous and unknown places where anything could have happened to her without thinking things thru. It's during her excursions into this new world that she meets Ben's estranged brother, Asa. And when yet another stupid move by Mattie has Asa learning that she is Reliquary, she ends up getting pulled into his world of magic and danger.
Asa has every reason to hate Ben, but even so, when he finds out that Ben was kidnapped by one of the magic world's bosses he was going to see what he could do to get him back. Finding Mattie and using her determination to save his brother serve as a useful cover to his own actions. Together they travel to different places around the world, encountering all sorts of people and constantly running for their lives. Despite his crude and hard attitude, as well as the situations she finds herself in with him that she is ill prepared for, Mattie can't help but feel that Asa will keep her safe no matter what happens. She also has a hard time forgetting the occasional softness he shows. Which make her feel so conflicted about her confusing feelings for him and her love for his brother.
In the end they manage to outrun all those trying to kill them and complete the job they were "hired" to do in exchange for Ben's life. They part ways with Asa disappearing and Mattie going home with Ben. But her experience with Asa has changed her and all that Ben kept secret from her and did to her with magic still weighs on her mind. Even so, she thinks she still wants the simple happy life with Ben instead of in the world of magic, but it's going to take work to get back to where they used to be.
If I didn't already have the next book, I'm really not sure I would be too excited to continue this. It just didn't pull me in enough. As I do though, I'm hoping it only gets better. After all, that ending was pretty great and definitely the most exciting part.
Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley.
In the beginning Mattie really annoyed me. She was always doing stupid things at places she didn't know or understand. She never seemed to even think about what the consequences could be, just jumping in head first. As the story progressed and she traveled with Asa, she didn't rub me the wrong way as much anymore. She did what she had to do and endured things that most probably wouldn't have as well. And despite being completely terrified at times, she was able to trust that Asa would pull her thru and was able to deal with things that she never normally would have been able to.
As for Asa, I really quite liked him and he was my favorite part of the book. Yes, he was an asshole for most of it but it really seems like it was either his wall to protect himself or just how he needs to be to survive in that world. Considering what he deals with on a daily basis by being a sensor, it's hard not to blame the guy for being so moody. Though I still don't understand the reason for Asa's unique diet which came up all the time....
Mattie literally has a perfect life. And it's soon only going to get better when she marries the even more perfect Ben. That is until she wakes one morning to find that Ben has been kidnapped. The police are no help what so ever, but they do let her know about how deep in debt Ben is. But that's not the first shock she's going to get over the secrets he's been keeping from her. Desperate to find him, she ends up venturing to dangerous and unknown places where anything could have happened to her without thinking things thru. It's during her excursions into this new world that she meets Ben's estranged brother, Asa. And when yet another stupid move by Mattie has Asa learning that she is Reliquary, she ends up getting pulled into his world of magic and danger.
Asa has every reason to hate Ben, but even so, when he finds out that Ben was kidnapped by one of the magic world's bosses he was going to see what he could do to get him back. Finding Mattie and using her determination to save his brother serve as a useful cover to his own actions. Together they travel to different places around the world, encountering all sorts of people and constantly running for their lives. Despite his crude and hard attitude, as well as the situations she finds herself in with him that she is ill prepared for, Mattie can't help but feel that Asa will keep her safe no matter what happens. She also has a hard time forgetting the occasional softness he shows. Which make her feel so conflicted about her confusing feelings for him and her love for his brother.
In the end they manage to outrun all those trying to kill them and complete the job they were "hired" to do in exchange for Ben's life. They part ways with Asa disappearing and Mattie going home with Ben. But her experience with Asa has changed her and all that Ben kept secret from her and did to her with magic still weighs on her mind. Even so, she thinks she still wants the simple happy life with Ben instead of in the world of magic, but it's going to take work to get back to where they used to be.
If I didn't already have the next book, I'm really not sure I would be too excited to continue this. It just didn't pull me in enough. As I do though, I'm hoping it only gets better. After all, that ending was pretty great and definitely the most exciting part.
Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley.
jenbsbooks's review
2.0
2.5 stars. I've read some other series by this author and really liked them. More adult ... but this just felt like "Supernatural Shades of Grey". How much kinky sex stuff can we throw in? And it wasn't that I was totally turned off by all that, but the story itself just didn't really grab me. I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series.
simply_sam's review
2.0
DNF @ 61%
Ehh, I'm not rating this one yet. For whatever reason, this is just not working for me right now. Mattie is seriously annoying and I feel no strong desire to continue. Maybe it's a mood thing. I don't know. Onward.
Ehh, I'm not rating this one yet. For whatever reason, this is just not working for me right now. Mattie is seriously annoying and I feel no strong desire to continue. Maybe it's a mood thing. I don't know. Onward.