A review by zober
A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.25

The two main characters - particularly Violet - felt much original than in the first book, though I didn't actually like them that much. But that said, even without particularly liking Maud or Violet I love that this showcases queer women in an era where that's very far from the norm. I also love that this book highlights how under-respected women are

hello forsythia club

- and how powerful they are, despite that. 

The plot in this one picks up much more quickly than the last, but the pacing felt very uneven. It also felt repetitive to have the main character/one of the two love interests be a non-magical person thrust into the magical world

who, surprise surprise, turns out to have special powers!! How novel. And it appears that we're gearing up for the same setup in book 3, joy.

There were some odd plot things going on too -

e.g. at one point, one of the bad guys "gets away" and rather than look for him, I guess Maud & co just hang out on the ship doing their own thing. And I know it's probably an intentional plot point, but seems like they're underestimating Seraphina Vaughn (idk how to spell her name #audiobookproblems). Also it wasn't clear why Violet fully picked up an American accent after living there for like, 1-3 years?

I liked the audiobook narrator more for this book, although Violet's American accent often sounded a bit off.