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A review by xfirefly9x
Reliquary by Sarah Fine
3.0
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
In Reliquary, when Mattie’s fiance is abducted, she sets out to search for him. She soon discovers that magic is real and Ben may have been caught up in it - in the capacity of an addict. Ben’s brother, Esa, who is wrapped up in that world too, offers to help find Ben in return for her help. What can she help with? Well, Mattie has natural magic ability. She is a reliquary, a container of sorts for magic, and a strong one at that. Esa specialises in transporting magic to his clients, and Mattie can help by being the ‘container’ in which the magic is transported. Mattie reluctantly agrees, and the two set out to find Ben.
In terms of characters, Mattie is vibrant and her own person, though somewhat naive. Her desire to save Ben when he’s taken from their home drives her to do things well out of her comfort zone. This is obvious in how she reacts to certain things, and it’s interesting to see how her naivety and her determination to save Ben balance each other out.
Esa reminds me too much of my brother. They have too many qualities in common, like snorting, smugness, even several lines of dialogue. This rather turned me off Esa’s character. That said, Esa is a very well constructed character… the kind who doesn’t make a good first impression, or second, or third, but when they finally let you in, you realise there’s more to them and maybe they’re actually okay beneath the rough exterior. (You’re going to need a pretty good reason to stay around long enough to find out the good bits though.) He’s certainly layered, and with a past that reflects who he has become when we meet him. Also, his dog is awesome.
Overall, the story is well paced and engaging. I enjoyed the unique magic system: natural and artificial magic, and so on. The “magic as a drug” angle was particularly interesting; I’d have loved to read more about that side of things.
A decent read. I’m not rushing out for book 2, but I wouldn’t say no to giving it a read at some point, and I’m definitely open to reading more by the author.
In Reliquary, when Mattie’s fiance is abducted, she sets out to search for him. She soon discovers that magic is real and Ben may have been caught up in it - in the capacity of an addict. Ben’s brother, Esa, who is wrapped up in that world too, offers to help find Ben in return for her help. What can she help with? Well, Mattie has natural magic ability. She is a reliquary, a container of sorts for magic, and a strong one at that. Esa specialises in transporting magic to his clients, and Mattie can help by being the ‘container’ in which the magic is transported. Mattie reluctantly agrees, and the two set out to find Ben.
In terms of characters, Mattie is vibrant and her own person, though somewhat naive. Her desire to save Ben when he’s taken from their home drives her to do things well out of her comfort zone. This is obvious in how she reacts to certain things, and it’s interesting to see how her naivety and her determination to save Ben balance each other out.
Esa reminds me too much of my brother. They have too many qualities in common, like snorting, smugness, even several lines of dialogue. This rather turned me off Esa’s character. That said, Esa is a very well constructed character… the kind who doesn’t make a good first impression, or second, or third, but when they finally let you in, you realise there’s more to them and maybe they’re actually okay beneath the rough exterior. (You’re going to need a pretty good reason to stay around long enough to find out the good bits though.) He’s certainly layered, and with a past that reflects who he has become when we meet him. Also, his dog is awesome.
Overall, the story is well paced and engaging. I enjoyed the unique magic system: natural and artificial magic, and so on. The “magic as a drug” angle was particularly interesting; I’d have loved to read more about that side of things.
A decent read. I’m not rushing out for book 2, but I wouldn’t say no to giving it a read at some point, and I’m definitely open to reading more by the author.