A review by katte
A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very much enjoyed this continuation of Marske’s trilogy. The plot pacing was good, the side characters were very entertaining, and there were twists I saw coming and were pleased by, and twists that I did not see coming and was delighted by. 

I did feel like the romantic tone between
Maud and Violet
was lower-key than
Edwin and Robin
of the previous book, and even
Jack and Alan
in the next book. On the other hand, Violet’s complicated past was revealed with more depth than Edwin and Robin’s of the previous book.

I felt - and perhaps am totally wrong, I did not actually count - that there were fewer intimate scenes in this book than the previous, and certainly the next. They were also of a lower quality, with less description, and overall awkward acts. A little disappointing for a bi woman to read! 

I understand that the timeline of this book was shorter than perhaps the first or third, but it felt like the intimate scenes and the exploration of romance itself felt like being shortchanged; like the author didn’t know what a sexual romance between two women is actually like, and wrote it as best she could with as little embellishment as she could. 

Perhaps other queer folks will find this totally off-base, but that’s the feeling I got about the book after finishing the trilogy.
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