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jessdone's review against another edition
2.0
This book caused the most conflict for me in the series. While Sara Fine is still a strong writer, this book is very weak. Her pacing, which has been perfect up to now, stutters in many areas. Her characters start breaking down. Mattie and Asa both start retreading emotional and character themes we've already seen before (and had adequately resolved, please no more of the same). Not to mention Mattie's character has devolved back to the innocent helpless weak-ish little girl we met in the first book. She's actually worse in a lot of ways because her determination to do anything for those close to her no matter what they've done (her most admirable and defining trait) wavers many times in this book. Mattie has so few defining character elements that when she looses this feature, she unravels. Readers have to ask "why am I following this person/invested in any of this?", "Is Mattie even a person anymore or a device to slog through a less than inspired story?"
Again, I did read the whole series and full disclosure: I did go looking for another book, so there is something compelling in this series pages. Though, I wasn't interesting in Mattie at all by the end of this, but curious about what else Asa is doing.
And I think this is where the book/series fails. It's marketed as a romance/fantasy novel with a female lead when really it's a crime/romance novel told from the perspective of the damsel but is about the hardboiled detective Asa. Asa is a sexist demeaning bastard, but he's clever and fun to watch. Reading these books is like watching a Mission Impossible or a Bond flick told from the perspective of one of the many women the leading men sleep with. It forces the reader to face the gross sexism inherent in women's treatment in these worlds and instead of bringing her main female lead up to the skill standards of those around her Fine leaves Mattie weak, vulnerable, and always several steps behind the all male monoliths surrounding her.
Again, I did read the whole series and full disclosure: I did go looking for another book, so there is something compelling in this series pages. Though, I wasn't interesting in Mattie at all by the end of this, but curious about what else Asa is doing.
And I think this is where the book/series fails. It's marketed as a romance/fantasy novel with a female lead when really it's a crime/romance novel told from the perspective of the damsel but is about the hardboiled detective Asa. Asa is a sexist demeaning bastard, but he's clever and fun to watch. Reading these books is like watching a Mission Impossible or a Bond flick told from the perspective of one of the many women the leading men sleep with. It forces the reader to face the gross sexism inherent in women's treatment in these worlds and instead of bringing her main female lead up to the skill standards of those around her Fine leaves Mattie weak, vulnerable, and always several steps behind the all male monoliths surrounding her.
laura_devouring_books_crumpets's review against another edition
1.0
0 stars...
Imagine killing off Acheron, Voldermort winning or finding out Romeo was banging someone behind Juliets back
How can such an potentially amazing read fall so far....
This is the most disappointing book i have ever read, after getting invested and falling in love with the characters over three books we get this ending.... seriously.... I will definitely avoid this Author from now on.....
Imagine killing off Acheron, Voldermort winning or finding out Romeo was banging someone behind Juliets back
How can such an potentially amazing read fall so far....
This is the most disappointing book i have ever read, after getting invested and falling in love with the characters over three books we get this ending.... seriously.... I will definitely avoid this Author from now on.....
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
I refuse to believe that that is the end of the series. I'm going to need more...that is all.
11/5/16
Mosaic is the third book in the Reliquary series by Sarah Fine. If you haven’t read books one and two yet, don’t dive into this review yet. Go get the series and read all of it. Then come back so we can discuss all the feelings. I am going to try really hard not to spoil anything but be warned!
If you recall, Mattie had made the decision to keep their relationship professional but Asa hasn’t made it super easy for her. She continues to be attracted to him and when she eventually decides to do something about it, things go wrong…which seems to be something that happen often with them. As Mattie and Asa are separated, a number of things happen that made me not able to put this book down.
When Mattie and Asa are separated, Mattie finds herself face to face with Asa’s mother and she learns a lot about not only Asa’s mother and his relationship with her, but also about herself. Mattie really has to think about what she is willing to go through in order to get Asa back and it really isn’t pretty. Thankfully for Mattie she also has some friends to help her out.
While I really like these characters together, it was great to see Mattie trying to survive out on her own and I thought she grew a lot throughout this book. She didn’t have Asa to rely on and get her out of things…in most cases he was the one causing her problems. Mattie had to be smart and she had to be tough and I thought she really came through in this book.
I don’t want to say too much about this book since it is a book three but I do have to say…I can’t believe that this is the end. I am somewhat in denial and I am hoping Fine takes pity on me and writes the next book…YES I SAID IT! The ending on this one killed me and I can’t even tell you about it. Please know that despite the killer ending, I loved everything about this series.
If you haven’t read anything by Sarah Fine yet you need to fix that. She does a fabulous job of creating a story that will pull you in and keep you invested. Her characters are always well developed and she always does a wonderful job of developing the world they inhabit. If you are looking for a great paranormal read, check this series out. It was magic, danger, swoony bits, and a story that will have you turning the pages for more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!
11/5/16
Mosaic is the third book in the Reliquary series by Sarah Fine. If you haven’t read books one and two yet, don’t dive into this review yet. Go get the series and read all of it. Then come back so we can discuss all the feelings. I am going to try really hard not to spoil anything but be warned!
If you recall, Mattie had made the decision to keep their relationship professional but Asa hasn’t made it super easy for her. She continues to be attracted to him and when she eventually decides to do something about it, things go wrong…which seems to be something that happen often with them. As Mattie and Asa are separated, a number of things happen that made me not able to put this book down.
When Mattie and Asa are separated, Mattie finds herself face to face with Asa’s mother and she learns a lot about not only Asa’s mother and his relationship with her, but also about herself. Mattie really has to think about what she is willing to go through in order to get Asa back and it really isn’t pretty. Thankfully for Mattie she also has some friends to help her out.
While I really like these characters together, it was great to see Mattie trying to survive out on her own and I thought she grew a lot throughout this book. She didn’t have Asa to rely on and get her out of things…in most cases he was the one causing her problems. Mattie had to be smart and she had to be tough and I thought she really came through in this book.
I don’t want to say too much about this book since it is a book three but I do have to say…I can’t believe that this is the end. I am somewhat in denial and I am hoping Fine takes pity on me and writes the next book…YES I SAID IT! The ending on this one killed me and I can’t even tell you about it. Please know that despite the killer ending, I loved everything about this series.
If you haven’t read anything by Sarah Fine yet you need to fix that. She does a fabulous job of creating a story that will pull you in and keep you invested. Her characters are always well developed and she always does a wonderful job of developing the world they inhabit. If you are looking for a great paranormal read, check this series out. It was magic, danger, swoony bits, and a story that will have you turning the pages for more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!
charlibirb's review against another edition
3.0
The relationship was so much better than the world and the magic system. I didn't give a shit about her dumb magical power that was so passive and useless, but I really liked the two character's super melodrama-y relationship. The plot was ok, but it sucks it was so reliant on the main character getting constantly kidnapped so her magic could be used. Fun read, but I won't be back.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
3.0
I received an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I consider myself to be one of the top fans of Sarah's writing. I've read all the books, have raved about them not being so known to the reading public but this book had me sit back after finishing it and wonder: "Why? Why did she do this?"
In Mosaic we follow Asa and Mattie as they make their own road, following relics and swapping magic between items. When a horrible event causes Asa to be separated from Mattie, she will do everything she can in order to save him.
While the story was filled with action and Mattie's POV struggling to save Asa, I couldn't help but notice how much depth Sarah Fine gave to both Mattie but also all the secondary characters she wrote. Some revelations were cruel, other pretty hard to understand, but I think that in the end, the whole point was to understand trough all the characters how hard you can fall in love, but also how toxic this love can be to yourself.
I admit it: the ending was horrible. I was crying by the ending of the book. I didn't want any of them to end like this! I'll not spoil but if you want to know, I am open to a discussion. It was unfair to Mattie and cruel from all aspects at least in my opinion.
This series is actually one of the darkest Sarah Fine has written so far. Although I don't know if she'll write a spin-off series, I finally understood that the point in these books wasn't the romance or the action but instead the cruel nature of the human relationship. Recommended if you want to cure your curiosity of the ending.
I consider myself to be one of the top fans of Sarah's writing. I've read all the books, have raved about them not being so known to the reading public but this book had me sit back after finishing it and wonder: "Why? Why did she do this?"
In Mosaic we follow Asa and Mattie as they make their own road, following relics and swapping magic between items. When a horrible event causes Asa to be separated from Mattie, she will do everything she can in order to save him.
While the story was filled with action and Mattie's POV struggling to save Asa, I couldn't help but notice how much depth Sarah Fine gave to both Mattie but also all the secondary characters she wrote. Some revelations were cruel, other pretty hard to understand, but I think that in the end, the whole point was to understand trough all the characters how hard you can fall in love, but also how toxic this love can be to yourself.
I admit it: the ending was horrible. I was crying by the ending of the book. I didn't want any of them to end like this! I'll not spoil but if you want to know, I am open to a discussion. It was unfair to Mattie and cruel from all aspects at least in my opinion.
This series is actually one of the darkest Sarah Fine has written so far. Although I don't know if she'll write a spin-off series, I finally understood that the point in these books wasn't the romance or the action but instead the cruel nature of the human relationship. Recommended if you want to cure your curiosity of the ending.
dezelaya's review against another edition
3.0
The book was good, but the ending was just heartbreaking. It's one of the reasons why I have it 3 stars to be honest. This book does grab your attention, but there are a lot more characters introduced that can make it confusing a little.
raven168's review against another edition
4.0
First, I just have to say I hate that cover. It would be great, except for the way the couple is drawn. They just look horrible.
With the way this ended I was so tempted to knock my rating down a star, I was so ticked off. I almost feel incredibly cheated with it. Especially with everything that happens in this book. Unless we get another one (even though I'm pretty sure this is only a trilogy) this is going to bug me every time I think about this series.
Aside from that end, this was actually a really good book. I was thrilled to see the Asa that I love again in the beginning. There was always something going on this time and while I was never crazy excited about getting back into reading it, once I did I would always want to know what happened next. People are stabbing people in the back left and right this time around and it's hard to know who is actually an ally. And how temporarily they will be one. People come back from the dead and there are secrets revealed that have serious impact. The danger is constant and Mattie is faced with decisions that will affect more than just her life. There's always fighting and many people die. But everything is also not always as it seems.
Asa and Mattie have been doing their team thing for months now and have developed a great relationship. All be it one that threatens their hearts. With their latest stolen magic pushing them harder, they reach the point where a decision must be made. And that's a talk Mattie is looking forward to. But before it can happen, they're attacked and Asa is taken. Determined to get him back, Mattie follows any lead she can find and gets involved with some dangerous people. Thinking only of Asa, she'll deal with any pain, make deals with people that she breaks when she has to and is forced to make choices that may change her in the end.
Everything centers around an ancient artifact that is finally being displayed and every magical boss wants it. It could very well be the key to everything in their world. Nobody knows exactly what it is or what's inside of it though. Alliances are made and traitors are everywhere. Mattie also plays her own part in a scheme to take it along with the Russian boss who she has reluctantly teamed up with.
The times that Mattie comes in contact with Asa after he was taken kills her a little more each time. He is not doing well and has become an obedient slave to his captor, doing horrible things. Even fearing that she might be too late to save him, Mattie doesn't give up and realizes what she must do and how she must think to be able to get to him. Everything leading up to the end was great and I was so excited as to where it was going. ...And then we got that last chapter. That chapter really wants to ruin the whole thing for me. That was such a crap ending and I am not happy with it. I want another book that fixes this.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
With the way this ended I was so tempted to knock my rating down a star, I was so ticked off. I almost feel incredibly cheated with it. Especially with everything that happens in this book. Unless we get another one (even though I'm pretty sure this is only a trilogy) this is going to bug me every time I think about this series.
Aside from that end, this was actually a really good book. I was thrilled to see the Asa that I love again in the beginning. There was always something going on this time and while I was never crazy excited about getting back into reading it, once I did I would always want to know what happened next. People are stabbing people in the back left and right this time around and it's hard to know who is actually an ally. And how temporarily they will be one. People come back from the dead and there are secrets revealed that have serious impact. The danger is constant and Mattie is faced with decisions that will affect more than just her life. There's always fighting and many people die. But everything is also not always as it seems.
Asa and Mattie have been doing their team thing for months now and have developed a great relationship. All be it one that threatens their hearts. With their latest stolen magic pushing them harder, they reach the point where a decision must be made. And that's a talk Mattie is looking forward to. But before it can happen, they're attacked and Asa is taken. Determined to get him back, Mattie follows any lead she can find and gets involved with some dangerous people. Thinking only of Asa, she'll deal with any pain, make deals with people that she breaks when she has to and is forced to make choices that may change her in the end.
Everything centers around an ancient artifact that is finally being displayed and every magical boss wants it. It could very well be the key to everything in their world. Nobody knows exactly what it is or what's inside of it though. Alliances are made and traitors are everywhere. Mattie also plays her own part in a scheme to take it along with the Russian boss who she has reluctantly teamed up with.
The times that Mattie comes in contact with Asa after he was taken kills her a little more each time. He is not doing well and has become an obedient slave to his captor, doing horrible things. Even fearing that she might be too late to save him, Mattie doesn't give up and realizes what she must do and how she must think to be able to get to him. Everything leading up to the end was great and I was so excited as to where it was going. ...And then we got that last chapter. That chapter really wants to ruin the whole thing for me.
Spoiler
Really?? Asa runs away?? And Mattie joins the Headsman?? I was so pissed off when I realized before we were told that Asa was going to be gone. And then I was even more angry when Mattie thinks that him telling her he loved her was a lie. WTF. The two of them were supposed to end up together in a sort of messed up great relationship. Not end like this.ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
moxxireads's review
2.0
So disappointed. I was so sunk into this series and the ending was devastating to me. I wish I hadn’t known the good parts of the series so that I wouldn’t have been so upset with the end
momwithareadingproblem's review
2.0
I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
I am so sad writing this review. Sarah Fine is one of my favorite authors. I fell in love with her Guards of the Shadowland series and have been hooked on her writing ever since. But Mosaic was not at all what I was expecting. It didn’t really follow the first two books of the Reliquary series. In fact, I loved [b:Reliquary|28171973|Reliquary (Reliquary, #1)|Sarah Fine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455625702s/28171973.jpg|48189759] and [b:Splinter|29231863|Splinter (Reliquary, #2)|Sarah Fine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465663249s/29231863.jpg|49243233] so I was really excited for the series conclusion. However I was so disappointed upon reading that I really don’t even know how to begin this review.
Mosaic picks up an undisclosed amount of time after the end of [b:Splinter|29231863|Splinter (Reliquary, #2)|Sarah Fine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465663249s/29231863.jpg|49243233]. It’s clear on reading that Mattie has been traveling the world and working with Asa. What’s unclear is their relationship. They seem to tiptoe around each other. Mattie still guarding her heart and Asa wanting more but waiting. At least that is the gist of it. Mattie has reverted back to the character she was at the beginning of Reliquary. She’s afraid of commitment, afraid to love, and running from her past headlong into Asa and his underground magic trading.
I could have handled the character regression after what happened to Mattie in the second book. What I couldn’t handle though was the scattered plot. I really had a hard time following what was going on, especially in the beginning of the book. There is no real clear time line on how long Asa and Mattie have been working together and how much time has passed since the second book. I could have handled that, but the odd, violent plot I couldn’t take. Asa and Mattie get in over their heads and Asa is taken by one of the larger magic-mob bosses, the same one that supposedly held his mother. It’s basically his nightmare and honestly I was excited (at first) to see how Mattie would handle saving Asa for a change, but I was so disappointed in its execution. The characters that pop up in this book from previous books don’t align with what we the readers know of them. Characters that have proven to be enemies are now allies, allies can’t be trusted…it’s all really confusing. And the ending….don’t even get me started!
Overall, I want a do-over. At 48% I stopped reading and just skimmed. I couldn’t handle the violence, I couldn’t handle the characters’ odd behaviors (acting unlike they have in previous books), I just couldn’t. And the sweet relationship/friendship that had blossomed between Mattie and Asa…that’s gone! Seriously I was questioning if I was reading the right book because it takes such a drastic turn from the previous two. Mosaic reads more like a second, bridge novel in a series than the concluding novel. Disappointing!
I am so sad writing this review. Sarah Fine is one of my favorite authors. I fell in love with her Guards of the Shadowland series and have been hooked on her writing ever since. But Mosaic was not at all what I was expecting. It didn’t really follow the first two books of the Reliquary series. In fact, I loved [b:Reliquary|28171973|Reliquary (Reliquary, #1)|Sarah Fine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455625702s/28171973.jpg|48189759] and [b:Splinter|29231863|Splinter (Reliquary, #2)|Sarah Fine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465663249s/29231863.jpg|49243233] so I was really excited for the series conclusion. However I was so disappointed upon reading that I really don’t even know how to begin this review.
Mosaic picks up an undisclosed amount of time after the end of [b:Splinter|29231863|Splinter (Reliquary, #2)|Sarah Fine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465663249s/29231863.jpg|49243233]. It’s clear on reading that Mattie has been traveling the world and working with Asa. What’s unclear is their relationship. They seem to tiptoe around each other. Mattie still guarding her heart and Asa wanting more but waiting. At least that is the gist of it. Mattie has reverted back to the character she was at the beginning of Reliquary. She’s afraid of commitment, afraid to love, and running from her past headlong into Asa and his underground magic trading.
I could have handled the character regression after what happened to Mattie in the second book. What I couldn’t handle though was the scattered plot. I really had a hard time following what was going on, especially in the beginning of the book. There is no real clear time line on how long Asa and Mattie have been working together and how much time has passed since the second book. I could have handled that, but the odd, violent plot I couldn’t take. Asa and Mattie get in over their heads and Asa is taken by one of the larger magic-mob bosses, the same one that supposedly held his mother. It’s basically his nightmare and honestly I was excited (at first) to see how Mattie would handle saving Asa for a change, but I was so disappointed in its execution. The characters that pop up in this book from previous books don’t align with what we the readers know of them. Characters that have proven to be enemies are now allies, allies can’t be trusted…it’s all really confusing. And the ending….don’t even get me started!
Overall, I want a do-over. At 48% I stopped reading and just skimmed. I couldn’t handle the violence, I couldn’t handle the characters’ odd behaviors (acting unlike they have in previous books), I just couldn’t. And the sweet relationship/friendship that had blossomed between Mattie and Asa…that’s gone! Seriously I was questioning if I was reading the right book because it takes such a drastic turn from the previous two. Mosaic reads more like a second, bridge novel in a series than the concluding novel. Disappointing!