Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - A Restless Truth

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A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

22 reviews

oxfordcommas91's review

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I had a great time reading "A Marvellous Light," and unfortunately the second novel in the Last Binding series wasn't as compelling for me. Though this has all the makings of a story I'd love - locked door (murder on a ship) mystery, period drama, sapphic romance, intriguing world - it missed the mark for me in a big way, unfortunately. It certainly suffered from some middle book syndrome and the pacing felt off - the moments of action were good but they were punctuated by all these slower "planning" phases that really made the story drag at time.

But the biggest issue for me was that there was far less care taken in establishing the interest and intrigue between the two romantic "leads" of this book as there was in book one for Robin and Edwin. The tension and chemistry between Robin and Edwin is believable and builds into a very satisfying crescendo in Marvellous Light. Unfortunately the romance here isn't established in a thoughtful way and falls into too many of the bisexual/queer female stereotypes, resulting in a far less fulfilling story for the reader. You have an adventurous and experienced bisexual/pansexual queer woman who must "teach" the naive, doe-eyed bambi type who seemingly trips and falls into her lust for the main character. Unfortunately, I didn't love Violet as a character either - her motivations feel shallow and incomplete until much later in the book.

I did really enjoy learning more about the backstory and motivations of the Forsythia Club. For a period drama, it's intriguing that the keepers of this ancient magic was

a group of female magicians

. The parts of the book focusing on the Last Contract and how it was being navigated were some of my favorites. Additionally, I love that we got so much more depth of character for Hawthorne and learned more about his family and relationship with magic.

Overall, I continue to be intrigued and interested in the world that Freya Marske has created and I look forward to reading the final installment of the Last Binding series, but I hope that it takes us back to London for a satisfying conclusion.

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findleydunn's review

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adventurous funny hopeful reflective fast-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

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memeraryfiction's review

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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.

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pastelvoid's review

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emotional funny 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? It's complicated

3.5

I loved the first book in this series and I wish I could say I loved this one, but unfortunately the mystery didn’t hook me in as much and I found myself getting bored :( I also much preferred Robin and Edwin as characters to Maud and Violet and honestly was not as invested in their relationship as I hoped (I love wlw romances) !!

It was still a good book, with some fun and mysterious parts, and I think the writer managed to do a lot given it is set on a boat and is therefore way more confined than the first book. But overall the stakes felt very low and the relationship just wasn’t as interesting to me as the first :((

I was more excited about Hawthorne and Ross when they were in it icl 😭 Ross stole my heart

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craftysnailtail's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Marske is truly talented at character development. I knew it from the first book, but it managed to surprise me yet again in this one. Violet and Maude are a female character master class in and of themselves. They're both so unique and complex, but neither are tropey or awkward. Maude's inexperience could've gone the usual shy and uncomfortable route, but no. She's bold with Violet. Marske gave her room to be inexperienced yet sexy in her own way, and I adore that. They're a perfectly believable and lovable couple and I couldn't get enough of them.

The plot felt less strong than I expected, but it was still tense and exciting. The fact it takes place in just 7 days was a fun twist as well. Loved getting to know Alan, in particular. Overall, this continues to be a solid series and I'm anxious to see how it all turns out in the next one.

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im_john_laurens's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

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katte's review

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very much enjoyed this continuation of Marske’s trilogy. The plot pacing was good, the side characters were very entertaining, and there were twists I saw coming and were pleased by, and twists that I did not see coming and was delighted by.

I did feel like the romantic tone between

Maud and Violet

was lower-key than

Edwin and Robin

of the previous book, and even

Jack and Alan

in the next book. On the other hand, Violet’s complicated past was revealed with more depth than Edwin and Robin’s of the previous book.

I felt - and perhaps am totally wrong, I did not actually count - that there were fewer intimate scenes in this book than the previous, and certainly the next. They were also of a lower quality, with less description, and overall awkward acts. A little disappointing for a bi woman to read!

I understand that the timeline of this book was shorter than perhaps the first or third, but it felt like the intimate scenes and the exploration of romance itself felt like being shortchanged; like the author didn’t know what a sexual romance between two women is actually like, and wrote it as best she could with as little embellishment as she could.

Perhaps other queer folks will find this totally off-base, but that’s the feeling I got about the book after finishing the trilogy.

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