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ridesthesun's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
MY GIRLS MY GIRLLLLLSSSSSS !!!!!
This book was just so much fun. The magical hijinks, the murder mystery, the menagerie in the middle of the ocean.... It had so much. The character work, the setting, and the plot are all the definition of Colorful™️.
I'm so proud of Maud and all the honest effort she puts into being a good person, into being her OWN person. I love her I'm proud of her, I'm kissing her on the head. And VIOLET!! Layers and layers. I love her, I can't wait to see her continue to explore her own vulnerability.
And fuck this book for making me like Hawthorne. I thought it would be impossible and yet. Here we are.
This book was just so much fun. The magical hijinks, the murder mystery, the menagerie in the middle of the ocean.... It had so much. The character work, the setting, and the plot are all the definition of Colorful™️.
I'm so proud of Maud and all the honest effort she puts into being a good person, into being her OWN person. I love her I'm proud of her, I'm kissing her on the head. And VIOLET!! Layers and layers. I love her, I can't wait to see her continue to explore her own vulnerability.
And fuck this book for making me like Hawthorne. I thought it would be impossible and yet. Here we are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Torture, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, and Misogyny
lennie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
Thanks to Netgalley for this arc.
'because when you're in a room I don't want to look anywhere else'
Like a lot of us I was initially a bit miffed when I realised Edwin & Robin weren't going to be the main characters in this sequel. However, I couldn't have been more wrong; if anything I may have liked this one a bit more than the first!
This book follows Maud, Robin's strong willed sister, as she accompanies another elderly member of the Forsythia Club on a ship from New York to the UK.
As with book one, the first chapter is a POV of the murder victim so there's no messing about, you're straight into the story.
Maud, with the help of a notebook full of Robin's visions, befriends Violet Debenham, an actress & magician with a complicated past, Ross, a journalist and Lord Hawthorn from Book 1, to get them to help her solve the murder.
Honestly I just absolutely loved this book. The titanic vibes (without the tragic ending) were immaculate - I could envision everything so clearly. The mystery itself was tense and intriguing, with something new always lurking around the corner. We also had the added benefit of the forced proximity aspect as it was set on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic so no escape for the murderers, and more time for Violet and Maud to get to know each other 👀
I adore Maud and Violet. They are so different to each other but they're both so brave and loving, and funny. I'm also very surprised that Markse managed to make Hawthorn likeable in this after how we meet him in Book 1.
If you want a murder mystery with Sapphic romance, heist style set ups and major titanic vibes (with no icebergs) then I very much recommend this book. You will have to read A Marvellous Light first to understand the magic system and world building but that is also an amazing book so it's a win-win!
I'm also so intrigued for book 3 and who the POV characters are going to be, I have a feeling it might be Hawthorn and Ross but we'll see! I need to know what's going to happen with Maud and Violet, and I guess also the Last Contract as well, but mainly I wanna see all these amazing characters some more.
CW: murder, sexual content, blood, violence, mentions of toxic parents
'because when you're in a room I don't want to look anywhere else'
Like a lot of us I was initially a bit miffed when I realised Edwin & Robin weren't going to be the main characters in this sequel. However, I couldn't have been more wrong; if anything I may have liked this one a bit more than the first!
This book follows Maud, Robin's strong willed sister, as she accompanies another elderly member of the Forsythia Club on a ship from New York to the UK.
As with book one, the first chapter is a POV of the murder victim so there's no messing about, you're straight into the story.
Maud, with the help of a notebook full of Robin's visions, befriends Violet Debenham, an actress & magician with a complicated past, Ross, a journalist and Lord Hawthorn from Book 1, to get them to help her solve the murder.
Honestly I just absolutely loved this book. The titanic vibes (without the tragic ending) were immaculate - I could envision everything so clearly. The mystery itself was tense and intriguing, with something new always lurking around the corner. We also had the added benefit of the forced proximity aspect as it was set on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic so no escape for the murderers, and more time for Violet and Maud to get to know each other 👀
I adore Maud and Violet. They are so different to each other but they're both so brave and loving, and funny. I'm also very surprised that Markse managed to make Hawthorn likeable in this after how we meet him in Book 1.
If you want a murder mystery with Sapphic romance, heist style set ups and major titanic vibes (with no icebergs) then I very much recommend this book. You will have to read A Marvellous Light first to understand the magic system and world building but that is also an amazing book so it's a win-win!
I'm also so intrigued for book 3 and who the POV characters are going to be, I have a feeling it might be Hawthorn and Ross but we'll see! I need to know what's going to happen with Maud and Violet, and I guess also the Last Contract as well, but mainly I wanna see all these amazing characters some more.
CW: murder, sexual content, blood, violence, mentions of toxic parents
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Classism, Animal cruelty, Racism, and Sexual harassment
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual harassment, Racism, and Alcohol
kari_f's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am a huge fan of historical fantasy, so many aspects of series appeal to me greatly! Some of my wishes from the previous book were more female characters and more insight into magical social circles and government. This installment had both of these in spades, which I absolutely loved!
Other things I enjoyed:
✨ We got hints of what magic might have looked like in other countries and cultures. I hope we get even more of this in the last book, because I loved it.
✨ The characters played off of each other in a really fun way, and I felt like the supporting characters (who I really enjoyed in both books) had more page time than they did in the first book.
✨ The setting being a passenger ship at sea made it feel a bit like a closed room setting to a point. There was forced proximity and no escape, so there needed to be creativity in how different things were handled. I enjoyed this quite a bit!
✨ The tone felt relatively light and fun, considering there were murders and mysteries happening. This kept the book from becoming too maudlin, and I appreciated the playfulness sprinkled throughout.
Some things I wished:
✨ There are multiple occasions of insta-love happening in this series, as well as a bit more romance and lot more spice than I typically enjoy. But I’m invested enough in the storyline that I came back for the second book and will return again for the third.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for this advanced readers copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping and Violence
Minor: Murder
ninjamuse's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Violence and Misogyny
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent
laurenleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.5
I’ve been patiently waiting for this sequel after absolutely loving A Marvellous Light. This followed a similar story structure, but had a distinct difference in its setting on a transatlantic ocean liner. With the mystery having a set boundary like that, there were strong Agatha Christie or Clue vibes, which was quite fun. I personally had a hard time following some of the plot, but I know that was my own fault. I enjoyed it nonetheless, especially for Marske’s characters. Maud and Violet, our leads, were great, but the side characters in their troop really brought this to life for me. Lord Hawthorn especially is a favorite, and if there are more books in this world, I really hope he returns! As with the first book, heads up for some quite steamy and very “open door” scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Death
Minor: Blood
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you to TOR and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Last year I really loved A Marvellous Light and so A Restless Truth was one of my most anticipated releases. While for me it wasn't quite a s good as the first book, I still really liked it.
Maud is aboard a ship, accompanying an eldery lady from America to England. She is helping out her brother Robin with finding and protecting the final pieces of The Last Binding. Unfortunately the elderly lady gets murdered before she can tell her where her part is exactly. Enter a very big mystery for a young girl who does not quite have the social status to look around everywhere. She manages to get the help of Violet and the sort of help from Lord Hawethorn to figure out who was the murderer and who took her things.
From the little we got of Maud in A Marvellous Light I knew I was going to love her. She is headstrong and can back it up with an intelligent head on her shoulders. She is very persuasive. Seeing how the other half of the family dealt with their parents was really interesting.
Violet, the other point of view we got and Maud's love interest, ran from England quite a while ago. But an inheritance brings her back, with family who don't seem to love her very much, attached to her hip. For free Violet this is a thorn in her eye. I did not quite take to Violet. She is very closed off, even in her own point of views and she never really gives herself to Maud. Of course that is her fear and her fault but it made it hard for me to connect with her.
I was however very drawn to Lord Hawthorne. He was not painted in the best light during A Marvellous Light but somewhat better in this installment. We certainly got some part of the pieces to his history and what made him into this person. And this step in his character development makes me think he will be a main character for book 3. He also has a nice spicy interaction with Ross, a last minute addition to Maud's team, which makes me think that might be the romance. I totally want to read that.
I think what I loved the most about this book, besides Maud, was the team she managed to get on board. Violet was curious but Lord Hawthorne and Ross were less easy. It created a very interesting dynamic between these 4 characters.
Last year I really loved A Marvellous Light and so A Restless Truth was one of my most anticipated releases. While for me it wasn't quite a s good as the first book, I still really liked it.
Maud is aboard a ship, accompanying an eldery lady from America to England. She is helping out her brother Robin with finding and protecting the final pieces of The Last Binding. Unfortunately the elderly lady gets murdered before she can tell her where her part is exactly. Enter a very big mystery for a young girl who does not quite have the social status to look around everywhere. She manages to get the help of Violet and the sort of help from Lord Hawethorn to figure out who was the murderer and who took her things.
From the little we got of Maud in A Marvellous Light I knew I was going to love her. She is headstrong and can back it up with an intelligent head on her shoulders. She is very persuasive. Seeing how the other half of the family dealt with their parents was really interesting.
Violet, the other point of view we got and Maud's love interest, ran from England quite a while ago. But an inheritance brings her back, with family who don't seem to love her very much, attached to her hip. For free Violet this is a thorn in her eye. I did not quite take to Violet. She is very closed off, even in her own point of views and she never really gives herself to Maud. Of course that is her fear and her fault but it made it hard for me to connect with her.
I was however very drawn to Lord Hawthorne. He was not painted in the best light during A Marvellous Light but somewhat better in this installment. We certainly got some part of the pieces to his history and what made him into this person. And this step in his character development makes me think he will be a main character for book 3. He also has a nice spicy interaction with Ross, a last minute addition to Maud's team, which makes me think that might be the romance. I totally want to read that.
I think what I loved the most about this book, besides Maud, was the team she managed to get on board. Violet was curious but Lord Hawthorne and Ross were less easy. It created a very interesting dynamic between these 4 characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
displacedcactus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
This is a lovely sequel to A Marvellous Light. Because it follows a different set of characters, it won't matter too much if you don't remember the finer details of the first book, but it does build directly on what happened in that book, so you should read them in order.
The story of this one concerns a murder on a cruise ship, and trying to figure out whodunnit while also keeping the bad guy(s) from getting their hands on the powerful magic item belonging to the victim (while not knowing what form that item takes). Along the way, there's a great F/F romance with some very steamy love scenes, and establishing our M/M sequel bait pairing to get you ready for the end of the trilogy.
The story of this one concerns a murder on a cruise ship, and trying to figure out whodunnit while also keeping the bad guy(s) from getting their hands on the powerful magic item belonging to the victim (while not knowing what form that item takes). Along the way, there's a great F/F romance with some very steamy love scenes, and establishing our M/M sequel bait pairing to get you ready for the end of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Cursing
Minor: Sexism
kgullingsmith's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Violence