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howeonearth's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
memeraryfiction's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
This is a very fun follow-up to A Marvellous Light. It expands both the story and the series' universe in really enjoyable ways. It also incorporates fun new bits of period history (music halls! luxury ocean liners!). Marske's characters are, as always, complex and deeply likeable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Torture, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
schnaucl's review
adventurous
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? No
4.75
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Maude, Violent, Hawthorne and Ross, but Maude especially. I really hope we see more of all four characters in the last book in the trilogy.
I love the relationship between Maude and Violet and how it grew over the course of the book. I also loved the explanation for where Maude gets her inspiration to explore her sexuality and the way Violet uses her illusion magic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
klbreyfogle's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
4.5
I enjoyed this installment of the trilogy! I thought it was a strong showing for sapphic representation (I don’t always like how authors write women but this one did it pretty well - flawed and compelling and with their own motivations!) It was more emphasis on the romantic character development than the plot, but did still move the overall plot along.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Racism and Torture
Minor: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
freesiaelect's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Sexism, and Classism
nevermoregothic's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
kaneebli's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
therainbowshelf's review
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: Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
bookcheshirecat's review
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: Death, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
emilo's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, and Lesbophobia