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uncreativeoops 's review for:
A Restless Truth
by Freya Marske
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-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:
Yes
Just delightful. Murder mystery on a cruise with a cast of lovable characters who got quite a lot of depth in a short time. Also very much a queer found family. And it included discussions of class and social inequality! One of the things that annoys me in historical romance/romantasy is how it is mostly set in aristocratic circles and any lower class characters tend to be one-dimensional and the realities of most people's lives are ignored in favour of romantisation of some noble in his pretty manor. Sure, it's a fantasy and you don't want to spend that considering how lavish dinners and balls are possible and what kind of exploitation they require; entertainment does not always have to consider inequality or plot a communist revolution and I enjoy a silly little escapism just as much as the next person. But it's nice to have a duke/whatever his title was be confronted with his lifestyle by someone who is not a caricature of a working class Union leader who has more personality than just being angry about wealth distribution.
Some scenes felt less tense than they should be and in general while the stakes were theoretically high I didn't get a sense of urgency from the characters who treated the whole thing like a fun little adventure during their boring trip (until the end), but I didn't mind much.
Some scenes felt less tense than they should be and in general while the stakes were theoretically high I didn't get a sense of urgency from the characters who treated the whole thing like a fun little adventure during their boring trip (until the end), but I didn't mind much.