I loved Margarita Montimore's Oona Out of Order, so I was excited to read Acts of Violet. Sadly, the story didn't grab me like Oona did. I hope her next book is better. Thank you to Flatiron books for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This enthralling family story is told in news articles, emails, and podcast transcripts. A good pick for fans of sibling stories, realistic tales with a touch of magic, and stories where podcasting plays a big role.

So fun!! When I saw the format of this book, I opted to follow along with the audio and that was such a great choice!!! Fun story, and I loved the way there were so many different styles of communication in the book to tell the story. One of the most creative books I’ve read this year!!

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore is a story that follows the lives of Sasha and her daughter Quinn as they navigate through a difficult time. Sasha's sister, the famous magician Violet Volk, disappeared almost a decade ago, but her shadow still looms over Sasha's life. Cameron Frank, a podcast host, is determined to get the exclusive interview with Sasha about her sister, but his pursuit becomes increasingly intrusive. As Sasha begins to experience strange sleepwalking episodes, she must confront the painful truths about her sister and herself.

The novel alternates between Sasha's narration and Cameron's podcast transcripts, as well as other documents that give insight into Violet's life. The story is well-written and keeps the reader engaged with its twists and turns, though some readers may find the pacing slow at times. The characters are well-developed, and the themes of forgiveness and family are explored in depth.

Overall, Acts of Violet is a thought-provoking novel that delves into the complexities of family relationships and the effects of fame. While the story may not be for everyone, those who enjoy character-driven narratives with a touch of mystery and intrigue will find this book to be a satisfying read.

I loved Oona Out of Order, but unfortunately this book didn't live up to it. I hate to compare the two, but Oona zips right along, and Acts of Violet took some work to get through. That said, the premise is similarly very unique, and I loved the style in which this was written. I will certainly read from from Montimore.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I loved Montimore’s book Oona Out Of Order, so I had high hopes going in. Unfortunately, I just could not make myself finish this one. I started it a couple of times, never making it more than a third of the way through.

I absolutely LOVED this book! So layered and compelling! I didn’t want to stop reading until the very last page!

4,5 rounded up to 5.

Thank you so much to @macmillan.audio and @flatiron_books for my audio and physical copies. I absolutely loved this one! This was an absolute perfect audiobook. The format of this book is unique in that it’s part podcast, part letter, part story so it translated perfectly to audio. There are also 10 narrators in this story so it’s quite the performance. All narrators did a phenomenal job. I ended up doing this whole book by audio and I loved every minute it. I highly recommend checking this one out on audio if you are interested in this one. I had a few questions with the ending so I think I need to go back and read the last couple of chapters, but for the most part I was absolutely blown away by this one and highly recommend. This one just came out this week! Officially moving @damiella onto my favorite authors list and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I hadn't read Montimore's past work but can now see why she's a beloved author. I loved the characters in Acts of Violet and felt they were believable and realistic. The splash of magical realism was a fun twist to this mystery story. I like the format of having the podcast episodes throughout the novel and hope to find more books written in this style!

I absolutely loved the GMA book club pick Oona Out of Order and it was on our list of the best of the year. I was so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint.
When the famous magician Violet Volk disappears without a trace, nobody can figure out where she went. Now, a decade later, her sister is wondering if Violet will finally reappear and if she can get some answers. Her fans still love and adore her but Sasha wants answers. Their relationship has left so many questions. As Sasha searches for answers, she will have to come to terms with the past.
I loved this book. It is so original and unlike anything that I have read. It is magical realism at its best which is not surprising coming from this author.

Do you believe in magic? 🔮🎩🐰 I really really enjoyed #oonaoutoforder and was thrilled for an early copy of Margarita Montimore’s Acts of Violet. #actsofviolet is the story of a magician who vanished into thin air ten years ago and the tumultuous wake her family has been navigating ever since. I found this to be a prettyyy slow start that eventually picked up pace… as I frustratingly wanted to know- what happened to Violet Volk? 🕵🏼‍♀️ I enjoyed the podcast storyline and the pro-therapy arc but felt underwhelmed with the ending. Quirky subplot details of the girls’ childhood and supernatural shenanigans kept me entertained so I would round this up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2. #arc #netgalley #magic #superstitions #margaritamontimore #fiction #mysterythriller #magicalrealism

Thank you to the author, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for and advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Margarita Montimore does a deft job of handling familial drama, this time focusing on the nuanced relationship of sisters. Violet and Sasha had a complicated relationship that was even more strained due to Violet’s international success as a magician and author. But Violet has been missing for ten years and now a podcast is being produced to commemorate the milestone anniversary. Trying to avoid her memories has not helped Sasha put the trauma to rest, so what if she faces the ghost of her sister directly? Alternating between Sasha’s narrative and the podcast transcripts is a clever way of telling more than one side of the story while still controlling the narrative like all quality magicians - Violet would be proud.

I alternated between reading this as an ebook and listening to the audiobook. Both were incredible but the full cast audio made this really something special. A famous magician has disappeared and the book unfolds through interviews, articles and my favorite: podcast episodes. The production is fantastic. I love books that don't follow a traditional format so I found this book super engaging and entertaining.

Another July review coming in hot. I realize it’s mid-August and I finished this book a month ago. I feel it’s still worth it to tell you to read this one— better yet, grab the audiobook. It’s so well done with a full cast of characters. You won’t be disappointed in the audio. I did a little mix of reading the physical copy but did the majority on audio because I didn’t want to stop listening.

Violet vanishes during her magic show in front of everyone. Several years later, she’s still missing leaving her sister, Sasha, to be hounded by press and haunted by Violet sightings. Acts of Violet alternates between podcasts and interviews telling the story of Violet and speculating what could’ve happened during her last act and Sasha’s current life without her sister.

While Sasha got on my nerves, I still felt for her trying to grapple with her sister’s disappearance and all of the media attention put on her family. The ending left me continuing to ponder things and would’ve loved a little more discussion about the ending and would’ve liked more Violet. I can’t say too much without spoiling it so I’ll stop there. If you’ve read this one, let me know how you felt about the ending.

Overall, great book and recommend it! I still love OONA OUT OF ORDER a little more but this one was entertaining. Available now so grab a copy (again, grab the audio if you like to listen!)!

okay this book took a totally different turn than I was anticipating - and almost in a letdown type of way …

when I read the synopsis (a rarity I know), I was so intrigued by magicians and disappearing acts and family drama! and while that was the setting of the story, it rarely delved deep into any of those topics.

the story is told in a mix of newspaper articles, online forums, and podcasts - an interesting way to go about this one! and while I’m normally very interested in this style of writing, I don’t think it worked in this case 🫠

the theories floating around about magician violet’s disappearance bounced around from multiverses to kidnappings to government conspiracy theories, and at the end, none of them really played out. I felt played myself 😅😅😅

and while I normally love the air of mysteries, I think this one is better served as a coming of age story for quinn, one of the MCs, and not focused so much on violet. if the author had delved deeper into the theories instead of keeping it surface level, I think I would have enjoyed a lot more.

thank you to flatiron books and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: california grüner veltliner

If you like magical realism, then you might love Acts of Violet. While this is not my personal favorite genre, the writing is good and the true crime podcast element makes the audiobook very enjoyable.

Acts of Violet is about famous magician Violet Volk, who mysteriously disappeared 10 years ago during one of her shows. Her fandom is rabid with theories, much to the chagrin of her sister, Sasha. Sasha has never come to terms with her fraught relationship with her sister and the many questions she is left with in the wake of her disappearance.

I like if you liked Gravity is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty, this book will be your jam.

When I read the premise for Acts of Violet I was immediately drawn in!

Nearly 10 years have passed since Violet Volk, world famous magician, disappeared during one of her acts. Social media has kept the search for her alive (she has a hashtag) and the rise in true crime podcasts only further fuels the interest in what happened to Violet Volk. As the anniversary of her disappearance approaches, it seems different this time. Maybe Violet really is still out there.

Acts of Violet didn't immediately grab me, but once it did I finished the second half in two sittings. The different ways the story unfolds - Sasha's POV, the emails between different characters, the podcast transcripts - were original and kept the story moving at a nice pace. This was Violet's story, but most of it was told in the aftermath of her disappearance. We saw how her actions in life effected those closest to her and how they lived in her shadow even after her disappearance, but I wish we had been able to hear more from her. Violet remains almost as mysterious at the end of this book as at the beginning.

I do feel like the story wrapped up nicely, but I had so many questions at the end. I will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future.

Thanks you so much to NetGalley & Flatiron Books for a review copy.

I was so excited to read Acts of Violet and loved the premise of it - a famous magician that disappears in the middle of her act - and leaves everyone wondering if it was part of the show or if she met a nefarious end.

I will say that I LOVED the format of the book. It included podcast episodes, newspaper/magazine articles, email threads, and more typical chapters from the main character's point of view. It made the book very readable and hard to put down at times.

However, as I continued to read, I did find it to be going in circles a bit. It always felt easy to read (in large part because of the format with the podcasts and emails interspersed throughout) - yet the story felt as if it were moving forward somewhat slowly. And while it started out as an intriguing mystery of what happened to Violet Volk, it ended up being more about her sister Sasha and the effects that Violet's disappearance had on Sasha's life. I was still okay with this, because I did appreciate Sasha's character and was fine with learning more about her.

At any rate, as the book progressed, we learned more about Violet bit by bit. It seemed to be really building up to something, and even incorporated really strange things that were happening to Sasha. There were definitely some eerie/creepy vibes and I could not wait to see where it would lead and what the explanation would be behind everything that was going on.

However, the ending was odd, abrupt, anticlimactic, and bizarre. It was deeply unsatisfying and I was left feeling really disappointed. I couldn't believe that ending was the entire explanation of the plot, and that it was supposed to answer everything the reader was questioning up to that point. I felt like the explanation as to what happened to Violet was lame, and I still had so many questions about what was going on with Sasha, as well as all the little clues and happenings that went on throughout the book. I don't really know how else to explain it other than the ending was terrible and ultimately made the rest of the book (which I had liked up until that point) a waste.

I read the print (ebook) version of this and have noticed that people are really commending the audio version (not so much the story, but the experience of listening to it on audio). So if you are going to check this one out, you may want to go with the audio version instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited to see that Margarita Montimore had a new book out as I loved Oona Out Of Order! I didn’t love this one as much, but I did like it! An interesting, magical (she’s a magician), and a mystery! This was good. I recommend.

Thanks to #Netgalley for providing a free copy for an honest review.