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tomoshiekah's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Torture and Death
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
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.
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Sexism, and Homophobia
grace_b_3's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Sexual content, and Torture
eeemily666's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture and Murder
hannahrogers's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Torture and Murder
Minor: Vomit and Racism
blewballoon's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Torture
ladythana's review against another edition
- 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
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
4.5
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
- 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
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, and Cursing
Minor: Torture