Reliquary by Sarah Fine » Book Review

Sarah Fine really burst onto the scene as an author to watch.  She writes YA and Adult Fiction in a number of genres — fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk, sci-fi and dystopian. She broke out with her indie hit Sanctum in 2012, finishing that series up quickly and putting out the duology Of Metal and Wishes and Of Dreams and Rust. Next, she collaborated with Walter Jury in the sci-fi series, Scan. The Imposter Queen followed, receiving acclaim for its sexually diverse characters. Oh, and on top of that, she put out an adult trilogy, Servants of Fate. Sarah Fine did all this within the last few years. The woman is a workhorse and I love it.

Sarah Fine's Newest Book, Reliquary

Her most recent release is the beginning of a new adult series, Reliquary.  Immediately, I engaged fully in the story, which has a marvelous hook — magic exists and it's addictive. Our protagonist, Mattie, is a small-town girl, a veterinary assistant set to marry her boss, her beloved Ben Ward. But the morning after their engagement party, Ben is brutally abducted. Mattie is desperate to find him, even when she discovers that Ben is a magic user and addict.  To rescue Ben, she must travel down a proverbial rabbit hole, and her guide turns out to be someone most unexpected.

Reliquary wasn't a perfect book, but it was a great piece of escapism.  Like I mentioned before, I was engaged in the story. I kept making gleeful predictions about what would happen next, feeling highly gratified when I was correct and shocked when I was wrong. I was locked in.

My favorite character was the highly distinct Asa, a battered, yet determined man, as tough as he is quirky. I love his frequent line: "Jacks, baby." You'll see. Mattie herself took second place. She has a nice character arc, starting out naive, with simple goals, and growing stronger and more wily with each passing chapter. Third place goes to Gracie the pitbull, a minor character, but highly charming.

Most of all, what I take away from Reliquary is my burning need to keep reading the story. Thankfully, I'll only have to wait until August 2 to read book two in the trilogy. Thank you, Sarah Fine, for working so hard and so quickly.

[rating stars="three-half-stars"]