A Restless Truth didn’t just live up to its predecessor, it blew it out of the water. A Restless Truth is described as “Knives Out meets The Binding “, but personally I would describe it as “Death on The Nile/The Titanic but make it gay with magic”. It has the mysterious death and crime solving of Death on The Nile, minus the limited guest list which is where the similarity to The Titanic comes in. The ship that is the setting for most of the book is large with guests from all classes. Unlike The Titanic, the journey is from America to London rather than the other way and there is no catastrophic event. There is still plenty of danger though! And of course, there is romance, steamy romance…

A Restless Truth continues on from the events of the first book where Robin Blyth and Edwin Courcey found out about a magical conspiracy that affects the entire magical community. The Last Contract, a contract between the fey and the magicians of the British Isles which in the wrong hands threatens the entire British Isles. It was divided into several pieces by the women who found it, for safety. While the boys remain behind in London to handle things from that end, Robin’s sister Maud heads off to America to make contact with one of the women who has a piece of the contract in her possession, Elizabeth Navenby. Maud’s job is to let her know that their secret is out, and that everyone who has a piece is in great danger. It’s deemed safer for Maud to escort Mrs Navenby back to London to ensure that she and her piece of her contract remain safe.

Mrs Navenby is a wonderfully wily old woman who despite her age is determined not to be counted out just yet. She keeps her piece of The Last Contract on her, and refuses to disclose the identity of it to Maud. She will reveal its location when they arrive in London. That’s all well and good, but it becomes a problem when Mrs Navenby is assassinated by the opposition! Maud is trapped on a ship with a killer, no allies and no idea where the hidden piece may be. With only her brother’s visions to guide her, supplied before her mission and with zero context, Maud must use all her wits to stay one step ahead of the perpetrators.

A Marvellous Light was great, and while I expected good (and steamy) things from A Restless Truth, Marske took things to a whole other level with this book. I have to admit I wasn’t that interested in Maud as a character in the first book, but she came into her own in this one and that was entirely the point. At the start she’s a young woman who has never had the chance to do or experience anything. This is her first time being given the chance to experience life and by god does she grab that chance with everything she’s got! There is something so very endearing about her naivety and bashfulness, and the way she navigates through all the new things. Unlike other characters in similar situations that I can recall, Marske stops just short of preventing those endearing qualities from becoming irritating. Maud is just naive and shy enough to be genuine, for it to feel real, and then she begins to learn, to understand what she wants, and likes.

I am talking about the romance and sex scenes, as well as other life experiences. For those who have read A Marvellous Light, you’ll be familiar with Marske’s saucy scenes. Personally I would say that she turned it even further in this one, but I am a bi woman, so naturally this one was more my speed than book one. There are scenes where characters discuss pornography which are absolutely brilliant. They are both racy and comedic, and that is something Marske does so well; interlacing emotions so that one moment you’re feeling one thing and then the next line the tension completely shifts.

Baron Hawthorn, a character that appears in the previous book, is one of Maud’s allies on the ship or should I say, the poor sod that Maud masterly manipulates into helping her. Oh yes, as I said there is much more to our young Maud than what we saw in A Marvellous Light. He was an interesting figure in the first book, and in this one we get to see much more of him, learning more about him as a character. He is juxtaposed with another male character from a completely different background, and along with Violet, that makes the four comrades in arms who investigate Mrs Navenby’s murder. He doesn’t get on with the other man in the group, bickering constantly, but it’s one of those relationships that you’re sure is going to lead onto something else…

I loved the character of Violet for so many reasons. She’s independent, fearless and charismatic, and yet so vulnerable. It wasn’t difficult to see why Maud was impressed with her because I was impressed with her. Watching the two women work together to investigate the murder, and work out where Mrs Navenby hid her piece of the contract, all the while unsure of whether they could trust each other or anyone else on the ship was such a pleasure. I lapped up every single detail of the scenes, from the banter and high jinks to the investigating and the magic.

A Restless Truth was a massive hit for me, combining my favourite genres with incredible world-building and irresistible characters.

Thank you very much to the author and netgalley for the advance copy!
Unfortunately my issues with the first one continued into this one. Mainly the writing style really just didn’t gel with me personally

Wonderfully detailed novel. Magically murder mystery intwined with a brilliant romance. The switching of perspectives was just wonderful and kept the pace going as the story unraveled. Brilliantly crafted with such rich and innovative characters. The storytelling is truly crafted into each line and the power of this story and narrative make for such fun and engaging reading.

This one didn't quite live up to the first book but that's a purely personal belief as I know so many people have rated this 5 stars. Definitely worth reading if it sounds interesting to you.

Holly forking shirtballs. I thought that book one in the series was amazing, I was not prepared for the amount of excitement, drama and shenanigans that "A Restless Truth" would bring. Not only does it have an amazing motley of irritating, beguiling and frankly shameless characters, but it has everything you can wish from a book. Firstly, it's set on a ship. Secondly, there's a murder and a pair of unlikely sleuths. Thirdly there is enough romance and sexual tension to set said ship on fire. There are chases, games, wicked baddies and more. There are even animals, particularly a parrot. I mean, I cannot say a bad word about this book, except that it should be longer. So, all I can do now is to wait for book three and maybe try some charms and spells to help the time to pass quicker.

I didn´t enjoy this book as much as the first one. It was a light fun read but I would have changed some things.

Maude rights! I love this adventurous (but at the same time) very intimate coming-of-age, sapphic novel. I LOVED A Marvellous Light, Edwin and Robin have my heart, and I loved getting glimpses of it, but this was such a great follow up. Freya Marske you will always be loved by me!

3.5 stars

I loved a Marvellous Light so I was thrilled to be invited back into Freya Marske's magical world. This time following Robin's younger sister Maud as they deal with the fall-out of the first book. We find Maud aboard a the HMS Lyric, ready to prove herself a valuable member of the team and desperate for adventure. When a woman is murdered Maud knows that she is in danger and her mission aboard in peril. Drawn to beautiful, enigmatic stranger Violet Maud must keep them safe and alive and work solve the mystery.

Unfortunately this is much weaker second outing and seems to stall on the idea of recreating this first book but with a Sapphic central relationship. And all that is good fun and funny and sexy and sweet, Violet and Maud representing a similar "opposites attract" relationship that we had with Robin and Edwin but isn't enough to make up for unexpected weaknesses in the plot, pacing and setting. The story takes an age to get gong despite the early murder and despite chases, deception and confrontation it can't muster the sense of any real action. The enclosed setting could have created an effective sense of claustrophobia, Maud and Violet hemmed in with unknown enemies, but it is rather dull. There's none of the contrast of the first book in surroundings or atmosphere. And with the extremely limited timeframe (about a week) the characters, although the strongest part of the book, aren't as developed or believable, the narrative just doesn't give them quite enough space to grow and the conflicts and resolutions are rushed and repeated to condense the relationship into one that can compete with Robin and Edwin's, but it never quite gets there.

I'll definitely read the next book because there is plenty to enjoy, but I find myself hoping that this is is second-book-syndrome and that we can return to the magic of the first

Sequel to A Marvellous Light (which I really enjoyed), A Restless Truth was one I hadn’t expected to come out so soon after the first book. This is another one that took a couple of attempts to get into, but again, once I did, I really enjoyed this.

I loved how the focus shifted to Maude in this one and you really get a chance to learn more about Robin’s little sister. I really enjoyed how Maude came into her own over the course of the novel and how she leans into her own charm and power. A Restless Truth also moves the story along quite nicely as well - there’s a little more lore and history in this and providing a little bit more context to the overarching storyline (sorry for being super vague - trying not spoil!) All in all, this was a really enjoyable entry in the series and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the series ends.

First book of 2023 and I really enjoyed it. I read the first book as part of a book club at work and couldn’t wait for the sequel to come out. I couldn’t read this book quick enough and looked forward to picking it back up.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

A Marvellous Light was one of the books I really enjoyed last year so I was looking forward to the sequel.
I do enjoy a good historical fantasy, but I think this one missed the mark slightly. I liked that they followed a different set of MCs so it was kind of different than the first book but still similar in the style of writing and world building.

The publisher archived the ARC on Netgalley before I could download it to my kindle, leaving me unable to read or review the book.

I could not finish this book. I felt like the romance between the main characters was bland and thus the sex scenes were uninteresting. This book is set on a cruise ship, yet I kept forgetting where they were because they barely explored it.

I absolutely loved A Marvellous Light, and was worried that this one wouldn’t live up to my expectations, especially as it was based on different characters - albeit Robin’s sister. But I really didn’t need to worry. This was brilliant and I possibly loved it more than the first book. Would recommend this to everyone!

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Full of magical mayhem, a swashbuckling sapphic romance and a marvelling murder mystery, A Restless Truth is a brilliant sequel to Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light.

This second instalment follows Maud Blyth - sister to previous MC Robin – who gets tangled up in a murder investigation aboard a ship that is taking her home from America when the very person she has found to help Robin and Edwin with The Last Contract situation ends up dead.

I absolutely loved that Maud was the lead protagonist and got her own romantic adventure in this book as I really liked her character from the moment we met her in book 1. The rest of the newly introduced characters were also a really fun bunch. Hawthorn is a character I couldn’t remember well from book 1 (I probably should have done a reread) but I’m really glad he got pulled in for the shenanigans as it made the central murder mystery all the more amusing. Honestly the humour in this and the banter between the characters was great! Violet, I took a little longer to fully warm to but I loved everything she stood for.

I feel like the romance in this second book though just as steamy felt a lot more like a side plot. It was balanced well with the rest of the main plot points however, I feel like the whodunnit storyline and direction of the series as a whole became a lot more apparent and took the limelight.

Nevertheless, alongside the highly entertaining mystery I really enjoyed that we got to see more elements of the magic system and learn more about the history of it all and The Last Contract. It brought the whole conspiracy that started in the first book to a nice place to be continued and concluded in the final book of the trilogy and I’m excited to see who is going to be the lead!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor / Pan Macmillan for this advance copy.

This book was a wonderful slice of fantasy involving sexy, sapphic, sailors. I loved it! A Restless Truth follows Maud, Robin's sister, as she strives to find an adventure of her own. Which she surely does, aboard the White Star Line! This setting was gloriously claustrophobic, with everyone trapped upon the ship in great danger. I loved it, and I can't wait to see the conclusion to this series!

i read the first in this series a few weeks ago and enjoyed so i'm glad i picked up this one! more of the same clever funny writing with an insight into this magical world alongside our own. very here for the romance

An absolutely fantastic, gorgeous, amazing follow up to A Marvellous Light. I loved the story, especially the characters and the banter. We get more of the amazing world building and magic system, more romance and a brilliant cast of supporting characters. Want mystery, suspense and tension, a swoon worthy romance and magic, look no further than this series and Ike me you’ll be begging for the next book

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion

I will admit that I was very apprehensive going into this book, for the simple reason that I absolutely adored the main characters of book one and I knew this was going to be a switch to a different lead couple. I really didn’t want to leave Robin and Edwin behind, and I couldn’t see how they could be taken out of the over-arching story without losing a lot of the charm that made me fall in love with A Marvellous Light. (If you want to see my glowing review of that, you can find it here.)

Of course, I needn’t have worried.

Yes, A Restless Truth is a very different book to its predecessor – there’s the glamorous transatlantic sea voyage, for a start, rather than the crumbling English country estates; there’s a cast with what seems at first to be very little overlap; and the tone is somewhat different – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t equally good, and built on the same bones of righteous anger, deep sensuality, and great emotional work! If you love the way that Freya Marske can absolutely skewer a character with their own background, and make your insides ache for them in the way you can see their soul in every move they make, then this will not disappoint. And the mystery (about which I obviously can’t say too much) is wonderful too – fun, action-packed, and intriguing enough to keep you flipping pages long into the night.

This feels to me like a sharper book overall, mostly thanks to the bitterness of its main cast – both Maud and Violet are pricklier, angrier, wielding their secrets and trauma like knives. A Marvellous Light often had me grinning or giggling at the dialogue between Robin and Edwin, or the situations they got into – not that there wasn’t also a hell of an emotional punch, but a lot of the first half of the book certainly felt more light-hearted, with its parties and magic, like KJ Charles meets PG Wodehouse. A Restless Truth, on the other hand, is KJ Charles meets Agatha Christie – everyone is more mistrustful, and the atmosphere feels ready to blow at any point. There are some funny moments for sure, but the edges of conversations are simply sharper. I absolutely adored the way Maud and Violet’s relationship developed, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not so much of a warm-and-fuzzy bond growing as a set of very jagged puzzle pieces clashing until they click. It’s also just as steamy as the first, and the chemistry is phenomenal!

I think if it’s been a while since you read A Marvellous Light, it’s definitely worth going back for a quick reread to refresh yourself about the overarching plot – while things are re-explained to catch you up, it’s good to have the knowledge of who everyone we’ve met before is and what they’re hunting for. Maud’s backstory, in particular, is stronger if you remember what Robin’s previously revealed about their family (and it’s fascinating to compare them as siblings – as I say, they couldn’t be more different, and yet they’re very realistically grown from the same trauma). While the romances appear to be fairly self-contained (and there’s a lovely cameo from our favourite guys at the very end!) the main plot is definitely building across the whole series, so don’t start here!

In a pinch, book one is still my favourite (what can I say, I love a country house party) – but this is an admirable follow-up and I’ll be continuing to recommend this series to every historical fantasy lover for a long time. It’s really just brilliant! Five out of five cats.

After loving A Marvellous Light to bits and pieces, so much so that I've read it thrice now, I sure had high expectations from this one too!
And it did meet them!! This book was everything I expected it to be and I enjoyed it a lot!
Highly recommended if you're looking for sapphic sea adventures and magical artifact hunts and more!!