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booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A witty and enchanting follow-up, A RESTLESS TRUTH follows Maud Blyth as she tries to secure a piece of the Last Contract.
This continues the general mission of collecting the pieces of the Last Contract and securing them to protect the other magicians of Britain, it also follows Maud (Robin's sister) who briefly appeared in A MARVELLOUS LIGHT. It doesn't completely wrap up anything left hanging from the first book, but it does move forward on a variety of plot points in a way that's suitable for the second book in a trilogy. There's an entirely new storyline related to Maud and Violet, as well as the mostly self-contained issue of the murder and Last Contract piece on the cruise ship. The restricted location makes this feel like a bottle episode in a way I wasn't expecting but is pleasant to read. Oftentimes the middle book in a trilogy can feel a bit neglected, existing only to bridge between the beginning and the finale, but partly because it changed narrators and has an entirely new location this feels fresh and can almost entirely stand on its own. Several major things are introduced and resolved, including but not limited to the immediate issue of figuring out who committed the murder and how to keep them from achieving their broader aims.
The plot is a mix of complicated hijinks and social navigation as they try to find a missing item and solve a murder, all while avoiding the attention of the culprits even when they haven't yet figured out who is involved. This would mostly make sense to someone who hadn't read the first book, the relevant backstory is explained as needed and generally avoids feeling like infodumping. The corollary is that it doesn't spend much time explaining what happened in the first book, since at a certain point that isn't crucial to Maud's experience since it happened to her brother instead of her. Maud and Violet are new narrators to the series, and their perspectives feel very distinct. Violet is guarded even in her own head, in a way that means I came away understanding the shape of her reticence more than the details of her history.
Maud and Violet's relationship has a lot of care and deliberate exploration of them as people. Maud wants to know everything about Violet, but Violet is a much more guarded person and isn't ready to show more of herself to someone she just met a few days ago. I appreciate how their levels of physical and emotionally intimacy are treated as two distinct things, both needing attention but not necessarily lining up precisely.
My favorite character is Lord Hawthorn (due mostly to my personal preferences and not implying any fault with the others), I was excited to see him playing more of a role here than he did in the first book, and I'm very hyped for the forthcoming third book which stars him and Alan Ross.
This continues the general mission of collecting the pieces of the Last Contract and securing them to protect the other magicians of Britain, it also follows Maud (Robin's sister) who briefly appeared in A MARVELLOUS LIGHT. It doesn't completely wrap up anything left hanging from the first book, but it does move forward on a variety of plot points in a way that's suitable for the second book in a trilogy. There's an entirely new storyline related to Maud and Violet, as well as the mostly self-contained issue of the murder and Last Contract piece on the cruise ship. The restricted location makes this feel like a bottle episode in a way I wasn't expecting but is pleasant to read. Oftentimes the middle book in a trilogy can feel a bit neglected, existing only to bridge between the beginning and the finale, but partly because it changed narrators and has an entirely new location this feels fresh and can almost entirely stand on its own. Several major things are introduced and resolved, including but not limited to the immediate issue of figuring out who committed the murder and how to keep them from achieving their broader aims.
The plot is a mix of complicated hijinks and social navigation as they try to find a missing item and solve a murder, all while avoiding the attention of the culprits even when they haven't yet figured out who is involved. This would mostly make sense to someone who hadn't read the first book, the relevant backstory is explained as needed and generally avoids feeling like infodumping. The corollary is that it doesn't spend much time explaining what happened in the first book, since at a certain point that isn't crucial to Maud's experience since it happened to her brother instead of her. Maud and Violet are new narrators to the series, and their perspectives feel very distinct. Violet is guarded even in her own head, in a way that means I came away understanding the shape of her reticence more than the details of her history.
Maud and Violet's relationship has a lot of care and deliberate exploration of them as people. Maud wants to know everything about Violet, but Violet is a much more guarded person and isn't ready to show more of herself to someone she just met a few days ago. I appreciate how their levels of physical and emotionally intimacy are treated as two distinct things, both needing attention but not necessarily lining up precisely.
My favorite character is Lord Hawthorn (due mostly to my personal preferences and not implying any fault with the others), I was excited to see him playing more of a role here than he did in the first book, and I'm very hyped for the forthcoming third book which stars him and Alan Ross.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy, Mental illness, Vomit, Car accident, Suicide, Slavery, and Death of parent
danielle_isreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Wowowowoowow. A sequel that SHINES its own light and yet provides a brilliant, brilliant continuation to the trilogy.
Honestly I could not fathom how I’d love characters as much as Robin and Edwin and then HERE THESE CHAOS BABIES MAYD AND VIOLET STEPPED ONTO THE SHIP!
I would do anything for Freya Marske.
Honestly I could not fathom how I’d love characters as much as Robin and Edwin and then HERE THESE CHAOS BABIES MAYD AND VIOLET STEPPED ONTO THE SHIP!
I would do anything for Freya Marske.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
While this didn’t quite live up to the first book for me, I still found it gorgeously enchanting. Freya Marske’s prose is as lush and evocative as ever. Sometimes beautiful prose can get in the way of the narrative and leave the reader (at least, this reader) confused about what’s actually going on, but this was eminently readable.
I’ve found that many sapphic romances are lacking in the tension and sexiness that you find in other romances — not so in this book! This book was delightfully horny. Violet and Maud are both deeply flawed and almost mirror images of each other, in a way; where Maud is naive on the surface and unwaveringly strong inside, Violet is confident and sophisticated on the outside but soft and scared on the inside. I especially loved Violet’s characterisation: how she used illusion and artifice as a shield, how she was all defensive sharp edges whenever someone tried to get close to the real Violet, which in turn made it all the sweeter when she dropped those defences and let Maud in. Their story ends on a very satisfactory HFN note that felt right for the characters and their short acquaintance.
While I missed the magical houses and murderous mazes of the first book, I did enjoy the ship setting, and I thought the magical world and its rules were deftly expanded. The reveal at 50%, that Maud is a medium was a really fun addition and took me by genuine surprise. The mystery was fun and engaging, mostly due to the hijinks and banter of Maud’s assembled group of investigators but also in part to some very creepy villains. The comparison to Knives Out was a very apt one.
I think (hope!) that the next book will feature Hawthorn and Ross, because they both made fantastic side characters in this.
Content Warnings
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
cardanrry's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Sexual content
patchy_at_best's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, and Cursing
Minor: Torture
kingcrookback's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
A fun whodunit with some great character development! A Restless Truth really stands as its own story--intertwined with A Marvellous Light and not entirely divorced from it but separate enough that I was never distracted from Maud's journey by thinking about Robin and Edwin. I liked the development in worldbuilding, specifically how gender and class play into the dynamics of capability and power in this hidden magic society. I also appreciated how realistic Maud and Violet's relationship was, how their respective flaws, insecurities, and traumas exacerbated the other's and how the story didn't end with them in an established relationship. They're both young, and they both have some things to work through and figure out. The possibility is there. And amazingly, given how he initially came off in A Marvellous Light, I came to enjoy Lord Hawthorn as a character! It'll be very interesting to get to see the inside of his head in A Power Unbound.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Classism and Racism
sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
This was a great to listen to - only when I was driving, and audio at original speed. Wanted to enjoy every minute, even though it took forever.
Narrator did a good job overall. Highly recommend this series
Narrator did a good job overall. Highly recommend this series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Blood
Moderate: Death and Emotional abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Death
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
This was a really great sequel to A Marvellous Light. I wondered if I'd enjoy it as much as the first one if it followed different characters but that wasn't a problem at all. I was immediately invested in the mystery and in Maud as a character. The ship was such a great setting and it was fast paced throughout. The magic system is fascinating and I'll definitely pick up the third one when it's published.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
Once again, Freya Marske knocks it out of the park with whipcrack humour, excellent pacing and characters that you grow extremely attached to very quickly. In this volume, we follow Maud, Robin Blyth’s younger sister, as she travels from the USA back to Great Britain on an ocean liner accompanied by an elderly woman with knowledge of one of the objects involved with the Last Binding – too bad she’s murdered before the 2nd chapter…
What follows is Maud “accidentally” recruiting a dream team of fellow shipmates to solve the crime: Alan, a young aspiring journalist with a penchant for stealing; Lord Hawthorn, who would like everyone to know he did NOT want to be involved with these people but somehow ends up showing up when they need him most every time; and finally Violet Debenham, an actress magician with a charming exterior and a steely interior (interestingly, the complete opposite of Edwin in AML).
This love story is more of a lust-at-first-sight but as I came to know both Violet and Maud better, I was able to become more invested in their romance. As Lord Hawthorne put it, Maud is a “ball of righteousness” – the world does not deserve her and she needs to be protected at all costs (just like dear Edwin uwu). The murder mystery combined with the chaotic/cosy/claustrophobic setting of the ship just really *hit* right and just like in AML, there are two climaxes. I can tell you now, I was not expecting the surprise villain and they were scary as shit!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Torture, and Toxic relationship
azrah786's review against another edition
4.5
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, torture, injury, death, murder, grief, misogyny, sexism, classism, confinement, kidnapping, alcohol, sexual harassment, sexual content
--
Full of magical mayhem, a swashbuckling sapphic romance and a marvelling murder mystery, A Restless Truth is a brilliant sequel to Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light.
This second instalment follows Maud Blyth - sister to previous MC Robin – who gets tangled up in a murder investigation aboard a ship that is taking her home from America when the very person she has found to help Robin and Edwin with The Last Contract situation ends up dead.
I absolutely loved that Maud was the lead protagonist and got her own romantic adventure in this book as I really liked her character from the moment we met her in book 1. The rest of the newly introduced characters were also a really fun bunch. Hawthorn is a character I couldn’t remember well from book 1 (I probably should have done a reread) but I’m really glad he got pulled in for the shenanigans as it made the central murder mystery all the more amusing. Honestly the humour in this and the banter between the characters was great! Violet, I took a little longer to fully warm to but I loved everything she stood for.
I feel like the romance in this second book though just as steamy felt a lot more like a side plot. It was balanced well with the rest of the main plot points however, I feel like the whodunnit storyline and direction of the series as a whole became a lot more apparent and took the limelight.
Nevertheless, alongside the highly entertaining mystery I really enjoyed that we got to see more elements of the magic system and learn more about the history of it all and The Last Contract. It brought the whole conspiracy that started in the first book to a nice place to be continued and concluded in the final book of the trilogy and I’m excited to see who is going to be the lead!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars
CW: violence, blood, torture, injury, death, murder, grief, misogyny, sexism, classism, confinement, kidnapping, alcohol, sexual harassment, sexual content
--
Full of magical mayhem, a swashbuckling sapphic romance and a marvelling murder mystery, A Restless Truth is a brilliant sequel to Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light.
This second instalment follows Maud Blyth - sister to previous MC Robin – who gets tangled up in a murder investigation aboard a ship that is taking her home from America when the very person she has found to help Robin and Edwin with The Last Contract situation ends up dead.
I absolutely loved that Maud was the lead protagonist and got her own romantic adventure in this book as I really liked her character from the moment we met her in book 1. The rest of the newly introduced characters were also a really fun bunch. Hawthorn is a character I couldn’t remember well from book 1 (I probably should have done a reread) but I’m really glad he got pulled in for the shenanigans as it made the central murder mystery all the more amusing. Honestly the humour in this and the banter between the characters was great! Violet, I took a little longer to fully warm to but I loved everything she stood for.
I feel like the romance in this second book though just as steamy felt a lot more like a side plot. It was balanced well with the rest of the main plot points however, I feel like the whodunnit storyline and direction of the series as a whole became a lot more apparent and took the limelight.
Nevertheless, alongside the highly entertaining mystery I really enjoyed that we got to see more elements of the magic system and learn more about the history of it all and The Last Contract. It brought the whole conspiracy that started in the first book to a nice place to be continued and concluded in the final book of the trilogy and I’m excited to see who is going to be the lead!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Grief, Misogyny, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Classism, and Alcohol