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adancewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you to TOR and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
natashaleighton_'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
5.0
Enchantingly lush and brilliantly witty, Freya Marske’s spectacular continuation of magical historical fantasy, A Marvellous Light takes all the downton-esque, Edwardian charm of its predecessor and takes it to the open seas as Maud Blythe (Robin’s sister) sets sail aboard the H.M.S Lyric; solving murders, uncovering magical conspiracies and resisting the sizzling sexual tension that draws her to the dazzlingly beautiful (and just a tad scandalous) Violet Debenham.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Racism
Minor: Sexual harassment
rachratesreads's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
A Restless Truth - 9.5/10
Freya Marske has done it again in creating one of my favorite books of the year. A Restless Truth took all of A Marvelous Light’s best traits and somehow made them even better. This one is going to be a spoiler free review, HOWEVER if you haven’t read the first book in the series, there may be some spoilers for that one. You’ve been warned.
This book follows Maud, Robin’s younger sister, as she is traveling back to Britain with another keeper from the Contract (in the first book). Chaos ensues (as it does in all of my favorite books), and Maud finds herself having to find the hidden piece before it falls into the wrong hands. She seeks out the magician Violet and Hawthorn (from the first book) to accomplish this task.
There were so many moments in this that made me laugh, all of them surrounding a suitcase full of *SPOILER*. The romance was beautifully written and was balanced phenomenally with the plot. Seriously, this is what I want from fantasy romance. I want the plot and the worldbuilding to be just as important as the romance itself. It creates a more compelling story.
But that wasn’t the best part for me. In fact, it was Hawthorn. He was only a side character in this book, but he went from being the #1 most punchable character in book one to my favorite character in book 2. We start seeing why he was such an ass in the first book, and I love that in a character. He was also being set up to be a protagonist in the third book (imo) and if he isn’t, I’m actually going to be disappointed. (I’ll still read it. I’d read a car manual if it was written by Freya Marske, that’s the point we’re at).
Expect to see this in my top 10 books of 2022
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Murder
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Thanks to Tor Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- 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.
- 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Cursing, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Confinement, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, and Sexual content
alexiab's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
I’m so thrilled that this book was exactly what I was hoping for and then some. While wonderfully matching the tone of the first book, these new characters bring such a fresh new look into this magical world and story.
I knew I’d love seeing Maud’s adventure as she was newly allowed to spread her wings and find herself, but I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I adored Violet’s character. She’s a unique brand of closed-off, her past is so intriguing, and her growth compliments Maud’s so fabulously it makes for such a compelling story. I’m also incredibly excited for the new look at Hawthorn’s character without the obvious biases that Robin and Edwin had.
Absolutely delicious content. The mystery aspect was exciting, the characters are charming, the queerness was so beautifully done, and the spice is off the charts 🔥 I’m so ridiculously excited for the next book to eventually be released!
It’s also worth mentioning that the narrator for the audiobook did a fantastic job. Her voice perfectly fit with the atmosphere of the story and her accents added an excellent layer to the characters.
Thank you SO much to NetGalley for the early copy of the audiobook!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Body horror, Classism, Death, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Vomit, and Racism
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