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A review by nicolemhewitt
Reliquary by Sarah Fine
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Sarah Fine’s adult fare, but I loved The Impostor Queen, so I decided to give it a try. This was different but really enjoyable – I’m glad I made the jump!
The synopsis describes the book well, so I’m just going to skip straight to my review.
What Fed My Addiction:
A gritty magical underworld.
When Mattie discovers the world of magic, she first thinks she’s stumbled upon some sort of drug den – and with good reason. The magical underworld is more than a little bit seedy. It’s run by something along the lines of the mob with bosses of different areas competing for relics and power.
High stakes.
Once Mattie discovers the existence of magic – and her ability to hold it – things get dangerous pretty quickly. She has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she agrees to work with Asa, her missing fiance’s estranged brother – she only knows she’s desperate to save Ben and she’ll risk anything to get him back. But every moment she spends with Asa is life-threatening – she spends a lot of time dodging his unsavory associates, and then she has to worry about people who might want to use her abilities for their own purposes. There is never a dull moment in this book.
Asa.
The mysterious (and often cantankerous) Asa won me over in the end. He acted rough and gruff, but in reality he put Mattie first every time – and his brother too, even though he had good reason to be upset with him.
What Left Me Wanting More:
Ben.
It was hard to understand why Mattie was SO incredibly loyal to Ben. I understood that she was in love with him and that she wanted to give him grace because of that, but once she found out that he was manipulating her, it seemed like she should have been a bit more upset. The relationship was obviously very dysfunctional – I didn’t have any pity at all for Ben.
BDSM.
I have to confess that I just don’t get the whole submissive thing and why Mattie would fall for Asa because she feels like he’s in control (in a very dominant/submissive sort of way). I also don’t relate to the mixing of pleasure of pain, so BDSM storylines aren’t my favorite. But I will say that this book seemed like it’s probably very BDSM light, I’m guessing, in comparison to more erotic books. This book has some sex, but it’s not especially explicit (I’ve read plenty of NA books with more explicit sex).
I liked that this was something a little different – a little darker and grittier than my typical read. I’ll definitely be reading the next book. ! I give this one 3.5/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Sarah Fine’s adult fare, but I loved The Impostor Queen, so I decided to give it a try. This was different but really enjoyable – I’m glad I made the jump!
The synopsis describes the book well, so I’m just going to skip straight to my review.
What Fed My Addiction:
A gritty magical underworld.
When Mattie discovers the world of magic, she first thinks she’s stumbled upon some sort of drug den – and with good reason. The magical underworld is more than a little bit seedy. It’s run by something along the lines of the mob with bosses of different areas competing for relics and power.
High stakes.
Once Mattie discovers the existence of magic – and her ability to hold it – things get dangerous pretty quickly. She has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she agrees to work with Asa, her missing fiance’s estranged brother – she only knows she’s desperate to save Ben and she’ll risk anything to get him back. But every moment she spends with Asa is life-threatening – she spends a lot of time dodging his unsavory associates, and then she has to worry about people who might want to use her abilities for their own purposes. There is never a dull moment in this book.
Asa.
The mysterious (and often cantankerous) Asa won me over in the end. He acted rough and gruff, but in reality he put Mattie first every time – and his brother too, even though he had good reason to be upset with him.
What Left Me Wanting More:
Ben.
It was hard to understand why Mattie was SO incredibly loyal to Ben. I understood that she was in love with him and that she wanted to give him grace because of that, but once she found out that he was manipulating her, it seemed like she should have been a bit more upset. The relationship was obviously very dysfunctional – I didn’t have any pity at all for Ben.
BDSM.
I have to confess that I just don’t get the whole submissive thing and why Mattie would fall for Asa because she feels like he’s in control (in a very dominant/submissive sort of way). I also don’t relate to the mixing of pleasure of pain, so BDSM storylines aren’t my favorite. But I will say that this book seemed like it’s probably very BDSM light, I’m guessing, in comparison to more erotic books. This book has some sex, but it’s not especially explicit (I’ve read plenty of NA books with more explicit sex).
I liked that this was something a little different – a little darker and grittier than my typical read. I’ll definitely be reading the next book. ! I give this one 3.5/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***