You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
paperbacks_and_planners 's review for:
A Restless Truth
by Freya Marske
3.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Tordotcom and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This one didn't quite live up to book 1 for me, but I still absolutely adore this world and series.
This is one of the most unique mixes of historical, romance, and fantasy I've ever read. And I love it. The magic itself is so unique and well developed. The characters are great, there's mystery elements, and plenty of humor sprinkled throughout.
I was so excited for this addition to the series because a murder mystery set on a ship with a sapphic romance element sounded right up my alley. In execution, it wasn't my favorite but there was still plenty to love.
Let's start with what I loved first.
We got learn so much more about the world and magic in this one. Which I really appreciated. This story could easily become overwhelming with its magic and history. But the way Freya Marske spreads out her world building makes it so much easier to follow and grasp (which I appreciate as a non fantasy reader).
The mystery was a fun and the isolated setting allowed for a lot of fun antics. There were so many laugh out loud moments with these characters (dramatic porn readings anyone?)
But where this book lacked for me was in the main characters and romance. Which is shocking considering that was the shining element for me in book 1. But Maud and Violet just didn't hit the same way as Robin and Edwin.
I never felt like I got to know these characters well. In fact, part of Violet's character is that she is always acting and doesn't let anyone get to know her. Which unfortunately meant that the reader didn't get to know her either.
And I have a hard time connecting to romances when I can't understand a character or their motivations.
I liked the moments between Violet and Maud. I thought their dialogue and discussions and encounters were well done. And I love a good sex ed moment.
But since we didn't get a ton of their personalities, I couldn't quite grasp why these 2 actually liked each other.
However -- where this one leaves off has me insanely excited for book 3. I have no idea how many books are in this series, but I need the next one asap. And I'm currently holding out hope that Hawthorne is one of the MCs (even though my heart forever lies with Robin and Edwin)
Thank you so much to Tordotcom and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This one didn't quite live up to book 1 for me, but I still absolutely adore this world and series.
This is one of the most unique mixes of historical, romance, and fantasy I've ever read. And I love it. The magic itself is so unique and well developed. The characters are great, there's mystery elements, and plenty of humor sprinkled throughout.
I was so excited for this addition to the series because a murder mystery set on a ship with a sapphic romance element sounded right up my alley. In execution, it wasn't my favorite but there was still plenty to love.
Let's start with what I loved first.
We got learn so much more about the world and magic in this one. Which I really appreciated. This story could easily become overwhelming with its magic and history. But the way Freya Marske spreads out her world building makes it so much easier to follow and grasp (which I appreciate as a non fantasy reader).
The mystery was a fun and the isolated setting allowed for a lot of fun antics. There were so many laugh out loud moments with these characters (dramatic porn readings anyone?)
But where this book lacked for me was in the main characters and romance. Which is shocking considering that was the shining element for me in book 1. But Maud and Violet just didn't hit the same way as Robin and Edwin.
I never felt like I got to know these characters well. In fact, part of Violet's character is that she is always acting and doesn't let anyone get to know her. Which unfortunately meant that the reader didn't get to know her either.
And I have a hard time connecting to romances when I can't understand a character or their motivations.
I liked the moments between Violet and Maud. I thought their dialogue and discussions and encounters were well done. And I love a good sex ed moment.
But since we didn't get a ton of their personalities, I couldn't quite grasp why these 2 actually liked each other.
However -- where this one leaves off has me insanely excited for book 3. I have no idea how many books are in this series, but I need the next one asap. And I'm currently holding out hope that Hawthorne is one of the MCs (even though my heart forever lies with Robin and Edwin)