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tomoshiekah's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Torture and Death
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Another enjoyable entry in this series. I was delighted to meet Ross and Violet and get to know Maud and Hawthorn more in this volume. I enjoyed the first book a bit more, because the pacing was better, but I felt the character connections just as strongly and laughed out loud just as often with this. Super excited for the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
2.5
“Mrs. Sinclair says you look at the world and decide you can live with it or decide you can’t. And if you can’t, you decide what you’re prepared to do about it.”
➽ I liked A Marvellous Light, but A Restless Truth didn't really live up to it. It's a companion novel set in the same universe as the first book and follows Robin's sister Maud Blyth as she embarks on a cruise to New York. When the old woman she travels with is murdered, Maud finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. She enlists the help of charming Violet Debenham, a scandal magnet and grumpy Lord Hawthorn to find out who killed a fellow passenger. I liked Maud a lot and was glad that she got her own book, as I wanted to see more of her. She's not a magician, but due to her brother's visions, she's trying to prevent the Last Contract from falling into the wrong hands. Maud feels like she ows it to Robin to contribute something useful and is determined to salvage this terrible situation. I liked her stubborn nature and strong will, especially as she's surrounded by people with magical powers.
➽ The setting and premise were fantastic, but the execution left a lot to be desired. We barely explored the ship and stuck to the same places like the cabins or the dining hall. The mystery was so slow and boring, I don't think there were any interesting twists and turns. Most of the time it felt like the characters were walking in circles. Maud and her team would try something, it wouldn't work and then they'd start all over again. It felt very repetitive, as a lot of this book consists of characters just talking to each other and trying to make plans. The villains were so cartoonish and most side characters were indistinguishable. I feel like there were no high stakes or sense of danger, which took all the suspense out of the book. Maud is aware she's stuck on a ship with a murderer, but I wasn't really scared for her until the very end.
➽ I also wanted to like the romance more. I was initially excited as I loved the banter between Maud and Violet. The latter is a scandal magnet and doesn't care for her reputation, something that immediately draws in Maud. It was nice to read about Maud discovering her sexuality and coming to terms with what she wanted romantically. I just feel like we didn't get to know Violet beyond the basics. Her background story was told in an infodump in the middle of the book, but for the most part, I didn't understand Violet. She felt much less developed compared to Maud and more like a quirky trope than an actual person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Sexism, and Homophobia
grace_b_3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Sexual content, and Torture
eeemily666's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Was not as interested in the main characters here, didn’t buy their backstories (flat). Magical world not as well built or engaging as the first book. Enjoyed the boat setting and thought the seance was very funny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Murder
hannahrogers's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Torture and Murder
Minor: Vomit and Racism
blewballoon's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I absolutely loved A Marvelous Light, so I was excited to read the next entry in this series. I was intrigued by the premise of a locked room murder mystery on board a Titanic style ship. It felt like more of the book was focused on the romance rather than the rest of the plot, and my experience suffered for it because I didn't like the romance aspect. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of either of the two leads or their relationship to each other. In the case of Violet, she was too much of a closed book to connect with. In the case of Maud, she said and did things that I found frustrating. The sex scenes felt more emotionally uncomfortable than steamy. I will still read the third book, but I hope it's more like the first book with a better balance of plot and romance and a romance that feels more natural and healthy. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did a good job, but I did listen to it at 1.3 speed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Torture
ladythana's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Murder, and Police brutality
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Classism, and Misogyny
Minor: Kidnapping, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
While this didn’t quite live up to the first book for me, I still found it gorgeously enchanting. Freya Marske’s prose is as lush and evocative as ever. Sometimes beautiful prose can get in the way of the narrative and leave the reader (at least, this reader) confused about what’s actually going on, but this was eminently readable.
I’ve found that many sapphic romances are lacking in the tension and sexiness that you find in other romances — not so in this book! This book was delightfully horny. Violet and Maud are both deeply flawed and almost mirror images of each other, in a way; where Maud is naive on the surface and unwaveringly strong inside, Violet is confident and sophisticated on the outside but soft and scared on the inside. I especially loved Violet’s characterisation: how she used illusion and artifice as a shield, how she was all defensive sharp edges whenever someone tried to get close to the real Violet, which in turn made it all the sweeter when she dropped those defences and let Maud in. Their story ends on a very satisfactory HFN note that felt right for the characters and their short acquaintance.
While I missed the magical houses and murderous mazes of the first book, I did enjoy the ship setting, and I thought the magical world and its rules were deftly expanded. The reveal at 50%, that Maud is a medium was a really fun addition and took me by genuine surprise. The mystery was fun and engaging, mostly due to the hijinks and banter of Maud’s assembled group of investigators but also in part to some very creepy villains. The comparison to Knives Out was a very apt one.
I think (hope!) that the next book will feature Hawthorn and Ross, because they both made fantastic side characters in this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Torture, Sexism, Confinement, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
patchy_at_best's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, and Cursing
Minor: Torture