Scan barcode
amyalwaysbooked's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
Another lovely book in The Last Binding series!
Following Robin's younger sister Maud, we find ourselves on an ocean liner, traveling from America to England. Maud is on board to find and secure the second piece of The Contract. She's naïve and a bit sheltered, but she's also stubborn as hell which aids her on her quest. She acquires the help of Violet, a young woman very much ruined, but returning to England to claim a surprise inheritance. Sparks fly as the two get to know one another and the mystery builds.
I enjoyed the character work in this one. Maud is one of my favorite sorts of female protagonists. She's stubborn and immensely kind, and willing to do the hard things if it's what is right. She's the kind of person that convinces the people who have hardened their hearts for one reason or another (I'm looking at you Violet and Hawthorn) to open up again even if only a little. Violet was lovely too. She was brash and bold, taking what she wants while still being incredibly vulnerable on the inside. Her story doesn't yet feel complete, so I hope that we will see more of her in the next installment.
I would say my one complaint is that things wrapped up too quickly. The villains gave up too easily and the heroes win doesn't feel completely earned. It's a nitpicky thing, but one that made me drop my review from five to four stars.
I'm still looking forward to the next book, as I'm incredibly curious about how Hawthorn and Ross's relationship will play out.
Following Robin's younger sister Maud, we find ourselves on an ocean liner, traveling from America to England. Maud is on board to find and secure the second piece of The Contract. She's naïve and a bit sheltered, but she's also stubborn as hell which aids her on her quest. She acquires the help of Violet, a young woman very much ruined, but returning to England to claim a surprise inheritance. Sparks fly as the two get to know one another and the mystery builds.
I enjoyed the character work in this one. Maud is one of my favorite sorts of female protagonists. She's stubborn and immensely kind, and willing to do the hard things if it's what is right. She's the kind of person that convinces the people who have hardened their hearts for one reason or another (I'm looking at you Violet and Hawthorn) to open up again even if only a little. Violet was lovely too. She was brash and bold, taking what she wants while still being incredibly vulnerable on the inside. Her story doesn't yet feel complete, so I hope that we will see more of her in the next installment.
I would say my one complaint is that things wrapped up too quickly. The villains gave up too easily and the heroes win doesn't feel completely earned. It's a nitpicky thing, but one that made me drop my review from five to four stars.
I'm still looking forward to the next book, as I'm incredibly curious about how Hawthorn and Ross's relationship will play out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood
thecourtofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
as usual, i still prefer the first book. that shit slapped. this one also slapped, but considerably less than the first one slapped. violet was definitely my favourite, even from the beginning. she was really amusing and funny and i loved her sort of friendship with hawthorn. also the fact that this took place on a ship as well added a nice dynamic that i liked actually, and it was nice to be back in this world and read about familiar and unfamiliar characters again. it seems like the third book is going to be about hawthorn, which is exciting because i'm now wondering how this whole thing is going to wrap up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Vomit and Sexual harassment
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
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
tinkerbell01's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
jays_fairytales's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
I loved A Marvelous Light so much, I wasn’t sure A Restless Truth could meet my expectations. When I began this book and found that there was a change in main characters, I was immediately put off. I just loved Edwin and Robin so much, I was sad to see this book wouldn’t follow their story.
Luckily, the mystery served as a powerful force to dispel my initial dislike. A mystery set at sea that builds on the outcome of the first novel? Amazing. Just as before, Maddie brings you a compelling mystery, a fun romance, and lovable characters.
I have to say, Lord Hawthorne is my favorite side character in this series and I really hope to see more of him in the next book (and more of Robin and Edwin too hopefully)
3.75 stars just because I missed Robin and Edwin so much, it took me a while to get into the book.
Luckily, the mystery served as a powerful force to dispel my initial dislike. A mystery set at sea that builds on the outcome of the first novel? Amazing. Just as before, Maddie brings you a compelling mystery, a fun romance, and lovable characters.
I have to say, Lord Hawthorne is my favorite side character in this series and I really hope to see more of him in the next book (and more of Robin and Edwin too hopefully)
3.75 stars just because I missed Robin and Edwin so much, it took me a while to get into the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
soulpromise's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Cute story. I keep coming to this series because I find the magic world interesting. Characters are charming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit, Racism, and Classism
j0reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a delightful return to the fascinating world of the Last Binding trilogy. Magic! Intrigue! Bold and unabashed queer love! What's not to adore about this high seas murder mystery? Between vivid descriptions of Edwardian clothing, Freya Marske builds an intricate and layered love story which is integral to the central plot. Overall a fantastic read and an exciting mystery with countless twists and turns!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: 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
luckykosmos's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.5
Honestly just TREMENDOUSLY fun and a blast to read. The characters and how they bounced off one another were delightful, and I would honestly read a whole series of just Maud solving mysteries with her resigned retinue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Murder