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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I didn’t like this one as much as the first, but it was still a fun and exciting queer adventure!
This is a 5 star in my heart.
I loved everything about it. The romance. The mystery. The characters. I had heard that it wasn’t that good so I put it off and in was WRONG
This was what I needed in the moment.
I loved everything about it. The romance. The mystery. The characters. I had heard that it wasn’t that good so I put it off and in was WRONG
This was what I needed in the moment.
Not me finishing book two of the trilogy a month AFTER I went to a bookstore event for the release of book three
One of my most anticipated reads of 2022! I loved the first book, a Marvellous Light, so much and the sequel was just as good, if not better. I loved the shipboard hijinks and how the mystery unfolded, as well as Violet and Maud's relationship. I cannot wait for book three!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 world building! Seafaring! Magic! Two strong female leads who are in LOVE! A lovely way to kick off the new year, truly.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
After A Marvellous Light ended up being one of my favorite books of 2021, there was absolutely zero doubt that A Restless Truth was going to be one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. Freya Marske has created such a wonderful, fascinating world in this series that is full of beautiful prose, atmospheric description that makes your heart ache for this secret magical version of England, and a colorful cast of characters that you love and hate in equal measure.
The description of A Restless Truth as "Knives Out on a boat" is an apt one, though I might have opted for a "Death on the Nile" label myself. The long and short of it: murder mystery and romance and all of the related drama on a ship. Maud Blyth (masquerading as "Maud Cutler") is on a mission on behalf of her brother, Robin, to speak to Elizabeth Navenby, second member of the all-female Forsythia Club who rediscovered the mystical and dangerous Last Contract. Maud needs to protect Mrs. Navenby and her piece of the Last Contract from those who would use it for evil in England - problem is, Mrs. Navenby is murdered almost immediately after they set sail. Maud is left with the notes of her brother's visions of the future, a particularly vulgar parrot, and the knowledge that the murderer is trapped somewhere on the ship with them. She turns to Violet Debenham, scandalous actress and magician from Robin's visions, for help - both with the murder, and with figuring out exactly what she wants out of her own life.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the story itself, because the twists and turns of A Restless Truth are such a delight to discover throughout the story. It gives us a delightful new view into magic and this world that we didn't get to see in the first book of the series, and it does the almost impossible task of making Lord Hawthorn into a... likable character? He's pompous and hilariously obnoxious in every scene, balancing well against Maud's outright earnestness and tenacity. She was sent on this mission for a reason, and she refuses to fail, and that shines through in every scene that she is in. Violet, meanwhile, is a fascinating combination of secrets and high walls and queenly beauty whose practicality makes her a perfect match (in every sense of the word) for Maud.
Even the glimpses of Robin and Edwin that we get through Maud's memories and thoughts are lovely - scenes of warmth and caring that depict a couple comfortable in their relationship.
Arguably the only tiny weakness I found in A Restless Truth was in the setting. The middle of the book seemed to drag just in that it was missing that beautiful atmospheric setting that was so utterly present in A Marvellous Light, trapped on a ship in the middle of the ocean as everyone was. But overall this is such a perfect follow up to A Marvellous Light and I cannot wait for the last book in the trilogy next year!
After A Marvellous Light ended up being one of my favorite books of 2021, there was absolutely zero doubt that A Restless Truth was going to be one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. Freya Marske has created such a wonderful, fascinating world in this series that is full of beautiful prose, atmospheric description that makes your heart ache for this secret magical version of England, and a colorful cast of characters that you love and hate in equal measure.
The description of A Restless Truth as "Knives Out on a boat" is an apt one, though I might have opted for a "Death on the Nile" label myself. The long and short of it: murder mystery and romance and all of the related drama on a ship. Maud Blyth (masquerading as "Maud Cutler") is on a mission on behalf of her brother, Robin, to speak to Elizabeth Navenby, second member of the all-female Forsythia Club who rediscovered the mystical and dangerous Last Contract. Maud needs to protect Mrs. Navenby and her piece of the Last Contract from those who would use it for evil in England - problem is, Mrs. Navenby is murdered almost immediately after they set sail. Maud is left with the notes of her brother's visions of the future, a particularly vulgar parrot, and the knowledge that the murderer is trapped somewhere on the ship with them. She turns to Violet Debenham, scandalous actress and magician from Robin's visions, for help - both with the murder, and with figuring out exactly what she wants out of her own life.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the story itself, because the twists and turns of A Restless Truth are such a delight to discover throughout the story. It gives us a delightful new view into magic and this world that we didn't get to see in the first book of the series, and it does the almost impossible task of making Lord Hawthorn into a... likable character? He's pompous and hilariously obnoxious in every scene, balancing well against Maud's outright earnestness and tenacity. She was sent on this mission for a reason, and she refuses to fail, and that shines through in every scene that she is in. Violet, meanwhile, is a fascinating combination of secrets and high walls and queenly beauty whose practicality makes her a perfect match (in every sense of the word) for Maud.
Even the glimpses of Robin and Edwin that we get through Maud's memories and thoughts are lovely - scenes of warmth and caring that depict a couple comfortable in their relationship.
Arguably the only tiny weakness I found in A Restless Truth was in the setting. The middle of the book seemed to drag just in that it was missing that beautiful atmospheric setting that was so utterly present in A Marvellous Light, trapped on a ship in the middle of the ocean as everyone was. But overall this is such a perfect follow up to A Marvellous Light and I cannot wait for the last book in the trilogy next year!
I liked this one too! I’m interested to read to the ladies before finding the last contract.