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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
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
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
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
Pros: motley crew, charming women on a boat, humour. Cons: lighter on the magic/heavier on the historical than I would have liked. I prefer book one, but this is still a good read!
I keep underestimating this series and winding up pleasantly surprised. I feel like the author has a good understanding of pacing and scale for a trilogy, unlike other fantasy works that truly have the fate of the entire world in the balance and thus become unwieldy to wrap up properly. A Restless Truth kept the balance of character and plot that I enjoyed in the first installment.
adventurous
“Maud Blyth. You are a terror and you should not be allowed to run loose in the world.”
adventurous
funny
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
Took a while to read this so I don’t have all my thoughts together but I enjoyed it more than the first one. I liked both protagonists, though i had to take a step back at how fast their relationship developed. It is a book, though, and a romance one at that so I didn’t really care. I listened to most of it, and read the rest, I liked the narrator, especially her voices for Violet’s accents.
I thought the setting was nice, and I didn’t mind how tight of a timeline it was, I felt like it stopped the book from dragging out in the same way the first one did. I thought it was paced better, too. They expanded a little on the magic too, which I liked, especially with how Violet uses her rings. I do always wish I got a tad more magic, but I really love the magic system in this series.
I think there were too many side characters, or at least I had a hard time keeping track of all of them. Might be a skill issue on my part cause, once again, I did take a while to read this. I think pretty much every antagonist in this series has really weak motivations so far. Most of them are pretty vague with them, I think Mrs Vaughn had the best one just because it seemed like it was a lot more personal, but the other two men seemed like they were just goons. (I also had this issue in the first book, the villain there seemed incredibly flat).
I don’t really care that we didn’t get to see a whole lot of the ship because I honestly assumed that a good chunk of it was just cabins, and that would start getting really repetitive. I will say, I was kind of disappointed the bird didn’t do anything. I know there isn’t much he could do in the first place but I thought he’d at least show up more than twice. The most important part of him was his cage. I thought the sex scenes were a little too close together but I had that issue in the first book too.
All in all I liked this one better than the first. Wish I read it a little faster so I’d have more thoughts on it but there isn’t really much I can do about that LOL.
I thought the setting was nice, and I didn’t mind how tight of a timeline it was, I felt like it stopped the book from dragging out in the same way the first one did. I thought it was paced better, too. They expanded a little on the magic too, which I liked, especially with how Violet uses her rings. I do always wish I got a tad more magic, but I really love the magic system in this series.
I think there were too many side characters, or at least I had a hard time keeping track of all of them. Might be a skill issue on my part cause, once again, I did take a while to read this. I think pretty much every antagonist in this series has really weak motivations so far. Most of them are pretty vague with them, I think Mrs Vaughn had the best one just because it seemed like it was a lot more personal, but the other two men seemed like they were just goons. (I also had this issue in the first book, the villain there seemed incredibly flat).
I don’t really care that we didn’t get to see a whole lot of the ship because I honestly assumed that a good chunk of it was just cabins, and that would start getting really repetitive. I will say, I was kind of disappointed the bird didn’t do anything. I know there isn’t much he could do in the first place but I thought he’d at least show up more than twice. The most important part of him was his cage. I thought the sex scenes were a little too close together but I had that issue in the first book too.
All in all I liked this one better than the first. Wish I read it a little faster so I’d have more thoughts on it but there isn’t really much I can do about that LOL.
I loved A Restless Truth. Marske describes it as a bubbly Wodehousian romp in her acknowledgments, and that’s exactly what it is.
Simultaneously a historical ocean liner story, cozy mystery, and romance, ART was the historical fantasy I needed. I enjoyed A Marvellous Light, but this sequel felt more comforting to me somehow.
It may be a mix of just liking Maud’s enthusiasm for magic, and how Violet is a well-done female rogue (a character type rarely executed this well). Their chemistry is great, and the romance enhances the story rather than feeling like an extra tacked on bit.
This book is also where it feels like the whole cast of the trilogy coming together. Lord Hawthorn is so much more entertaining here as a reluctant compatriot than someone prickly all over, and Alan Ross being introduced as a working class voice is so needed. Seeing everyone bouncing off each other made me even more excited for A Power Unbound.
At the end of the day, ART is just fun. And we need more books like that.
Simultaneously a historical ocean liner story, cozy mystery, and romance, ART was the historical fantasy I needed. I enjoyed A Marvellous Light, but this sequel felt more comforting to me somehow.
It may be a mix of just liking Maud’s enthusiasm for magic, and how Violet is a well-done female rogue (a character type rarely executed this well). Their chemistry is great, and the romance enhances the story rather than feeling like an extra tacked on bit.
This book is also where it feels like the whole cast of the trilogy coming together. Lord Hawthorn is so much more entertaining here as a reluctant compatriot than someone prickly all over, and Alan Ross being introduced as a working class voice is so needed. Seeing everyone bouncing off each other made me even more excited for A Power Unbound.
At the end of the day, ART is just fun. And we need more books like that.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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