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laurenleigh'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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Blood
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Last year I really loved A Marvellous Light and so A Restless Truth was one of my most anticipated releases. While for me it wasn't quite a s good as the first book, I still really liked it.
Maud is aboard a ship, accompanying an eldery lady from America to England. She is helping out her brother Robin with finding and protecting the final pieces of The Last Binding. Unfortunately the elderly lady gets murdered before she can tell her where her part is exactly. Enter a very big mystery for a young girl who does not quite have the social status to look around everywhere. She manages to get the help of Violet and the sort of help from Lord Hawethorn to figure out who was the murderer and who took her things.
From the little we got of Maud in A Marvellous Light I knew I was going to love her. She is headstrong and can back it up with an intelligent head on her shoulders. She is very persuasive. Seeing how the other half of the family dealt with their parents was really interesting.
Violet, the other point of view we got and Maud's love interest, ran from England quite a while ago. But an inheritance brings her back, with family who don't seem to love her very much, attached to her hip. For free Violet this is a thorn in her eye. I did not quite take to Violet. She is very closed off, even in her own point of views and she never really gives herself to Maud. Of course that is her fear and her fault but it made it hard for me to connect with her.
I was however very drawn to Lord Hawthorne. He was not painted in the best light during A Marvellous Light but somewhat better in this installment. We certainly got some part of the pieces to his history and what made him into this person. And this step in his character development makes me think he will be a main character for book 3. He also has a nice spicy interaction with Ross, a last minute addition to Maud's team, which makes me think that might be the romance. I totally want to read that.
I think what I loved the most about this book, besides Maud, was the team she managed to get on board. Violet was curious but Lord Hawthorne and Ross were less easy. It created a very interesting dynamic between these 4 characters.
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
displacedcactus'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
The story of this one concerns a murder on a cruise ship, and trying to figure out whodunnit while also keeping the bad guy(s) from getting their hands on the powerful magic item belonging to the victim (while not knowing what form that item takes). Along the way, there's a great F/F romance with some very steamy love scenes, and establishing our M/M sequel bait pairing to get you ready for the end of the trilogy.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Violence
Minor: Sexism
ladygagita's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The period detail was amazing and despite being set solely on board an ocean liner (and a White Star one at that) the setting never felt tedious or boring—the complete opposite in fact as I loved Marske’s richly descriptive and immersive prose.
The intimate nature of such a smaller, more focused setting also helped to delve into the characters’ at a faster pace and really helped to endear them to me. This was certainly the case for Hawthorn, who when first introduced in A Marvellous Light came off as an arrogant and selfish bully.
But his time with Maud and Violet—and his (reluctantly) helpful support really change my opinions of him. As did the simmering, flirtatious tension Hawthorn has with journalist Ross—their back and forth a were the perfect level of angst and I’m really hoping that they’ll both take centre stage in the next instalment.
I also loved getting to see more of Robin’s free-spirited and unconventional sister Maud, finally getting to experience the adventure she’d been craving in book 1. I enjoyed exploring Maud from a POV that wasn’t her brother and seeing her really come into her own as a character, relatively free from the stuffy expectations and pressures of a Baronet’s daughter/sister.
Violet likewise, was also a refreshing addition and I loved how much her larger than life personality and desire for scandal really brought Maud out of her shell. The romance between these two was soo swoon-worthy and just as steamy as its predecessor so do bear that in mind if you prefer cleaner/closed door romances.
The pacing was definitely alot quicker than A Marvellous Light and the tone was a lot lighter than I had anticipated given the murder mystery aspect, but I absolutely loved every second of it! The humour was outstanding and the cast of supporting characters was full of eccentric and utterly entertaining personalities that really helped me to fly through this at a record pace.
It’s a real whirlwind of a book and the action was definitely edge of your seat worthy (I truly couldn’t put it down) but it was the heartwarming essence of the characters and their complex emotions and that really stood out to me. Through Maud and Violet we get a glimpse of the stifling pressures and restrictions Edwardian society placed upon them.
Overall, an exhilarating LGBTQ+ infused tale of magic, murder and marvellously steamy romance that gave me delicious, Agatha Christie meets Titanic vibes that I couldn’t get enough of! If you’re partial to downton-esque historical fantasy then you are going to absolutely ADORE this. It is a sequel but there’s enough backstory that you could read this as a standalone—however I definitely recommend picking up the first book, A Marvellous Light as it’s just soo good!
Also, a massive thank you to Tor Books and Blackcrow PR for the stunning proof.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Sexual harassment
rachratesreads'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Murder
caseythereader's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
- A RESTLESS TRUTH was pitched as "lesbian Knives Out on a boat," and WOW does it deliver on that promise! I was so-so on the previous book in this series, A MARVELLOUS LIGHT, feeling that it never struck the right balance between the genres it was blending. This book does that beautifully, and puts at its heart a beautiful story about allowing yourself to be seen as you are.
- The mystery plot of this book is great fun, keeping it silly and surprising even with the high stakes.
- I think you can probably manage to read this book without having read the previous installment, but you'll be better off if you have, since this one doesn't really reexplain the magic system or the the larger ongoing story until well into the book.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
betweentheshelves'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? No
4.0
Instead of an adventure, what she happens upon is a dead body. And a mysterious woman named Violet Debenham, who is a magician and an actress. Thrown together by a murder on the ship, the two must work together in order to solve the mystery. When sparks start to fly between the two of them, it's the last thing Maud ever expected.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for an advanced copy of A Restless Truth to review! I I loved A Marvellous Light last year when I read it, so I was excited to jump into this sequel. I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed! And the cover is just as gorgeous as the first book.
This is being pitched as Knives Out meets The Binding, and I'd definitely agree about the Knives Out aspect. The murder mystery is definitely the driving force behind this plot, with a little magic and romance mixed in. It's a great sort of genre blender, so I think there are a lot of readers who will really enjoy this! I will say, you don't have to read the first book to get what's going on in this one; it just gives you some background knowledge on the world building.
The chemisty between Violet and Maud was absolutely my favorite thing about this book. Their chemistry is great from the get-go. And it continues to build throughout the book. Honestly, I would read a whole entire book about them. Or maybe they go on an adventure with Robin and Edwin! Yeah, let's make that the next book.
In addition to Violet and Maud, there's a cast of quirky side characters you'll fall in love with as well. The group on the ship are fun to read about, making this a magical mystery adventure romance you won't want to miss.
All in all, if you love a great genre blender, especially one with a little magic, you'll definitely enjoy this book!
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Racism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Racism, Torture, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
a_modernstoryteller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Racism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Definitely a new top favourite read of 2022!!