A review by maxfelixwp
A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-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

4.0

Loved it as a sequel to A Marvelous Light - both as an immediate follow-up (advancing the intrigue, expanding the worldbuilding, and introducing new questions), and for the story itself (a sweet, silly, sexy WLW romp of a locked-room murder mystery on a 1910s cruiseliner)! Maud is so fun to walk with - similar to Robin in many ways (goodness, truth, courage), but definitely her own person with her own strengths and goals (freedom, meaning, worth). Violet couldn't be more different than Edwin in background and personality, but there's a little of that same breaking-down of walls and introducing the freedom to love and be yourself. I really loved it!

I did dock a star as I did find it to be pretty slow/filler at times. It felt like we were introducing some increasingly contrived circumstances to keep the drama going and keep the plot moving forward. Knocking off some length and making the plot maybe 25% tighter would have been a big plus. But I'm still very much looking forward to the next book!