Books that embrace a non-traditional storytelling method are often a miss for me. Acts of Violet throws tradition out the window with podcast episodes, letters, emails, articles, and a first person narrative, but this one was definitely a hit! It’s impossible to say how I would have felt about the story if I’d read from a physical copy, but the full cast audiobook was exceptionally performed and incredibly engaging!

In this novel we learn about magician Violet Volk, who disappeared during a show ten years earlier. We get to know her through a wide variety of people whose lives she affected, but the most significant player is her sister, Sasha, who Violet hurt in a myriad of ways long before her final vanishing act.

I liked the way this story explored a complicated sisterly bond, as well as how it showed how differently everyone sees a person and how easily we are swayed by a public persona. Fame has been known to blind us to human fallibility. On top of these more profound dynamics, there is the mystery of what happened to Violet, which only enhanced my investment in the story.

The ending was packaged a bit too neatly, yet it failed to give me a real sense of closure. It certainly wasn’t the worst ending I’ve ever encountered and I partially understand what the author hoped to accomplish, but it felt too abrupt and simplified after such a complex look at sisterhood.

I did feel Acts of Violet was a well-plotted, immersive story, despite my disappointment in the ending, and I feel it will give readers a lot to think about. I hadn’t previously had an interest in this author’s debut, but having now experienced Acts of Violet, I think I might want to check Oona Out of Order out in the future.

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my audio review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was lucky enough to receive the audiobook of Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore. When I first looks at the narrators list, I was overwhelmed. There was an entire cast of narrators, something that I never seen before. I was almost scared to jump in because I didn’t think I could keep track of all these people. I was definitely mistaken! This production was wonderfully done.

Publication Date: July 5, 2022

Synopsis:
Violet Volk has always been remarkable. So, it is no surprise that her disappearance is just as remarkable. On stage in front of hundreds of people, Violet is able to disappear never to be seen again!

Ten years later and her sister Sasha is left to deal with all the repercussions of having a famous sister that disappeared. As the ten year anniversary looms, Sasha is left trying to navigate her quiet life with online conspiracy theories about Violet.

Cameron Frank is a journalist who is waiting for his big break. He thinks his podcast about Violet Volk will be the break he needs. But when Sasha refuses to go on his podcast, Cameron has to think of other ways to make his podcast stay on air.

What happened to Violet Volk? Will anyone ever find out?

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
- If you have the chance to listen to this audiobook, DO IT! The story reads as a narrative but incorporates Cameron’s true crime podcast as well as email exchanges. The audiobook is so well done!

- I have said this before but I am always a sucker for stories about sisterly relationships.

- Since Violet was a world famous magician, there are many magical aspects of this novel.

- I could not stop listening to Acts of Violet, I completely devoured this book.

5 bright stars for my favorite audiobook of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Margarita Montimore delivered nothing short of magic with her latest novel, Acts of Violet!

Famous magician Violet Volk vanished mid-act during one of her final shows a decade ago, never to be seen again. Was it a trick gone bad, or did Violet pull off her biggest act yet? No one knows, not even her sister Sasha.

Violet’s fans have since created a following around her, and along with the public, have long speculated about her disappearance. As the 10-year anniversary approaches, Podcaster Cameron Frank begins to explore the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and is determined to uncover the truth as he traces her life and career. As the date looms and anticipation of Violet’s return heightens, Sasha is thrown into the spotlight and must confront her feelings about the past and all she has long buried.

Composed of present day narratives, podcast episodes, emails, letters, and news articles we get a glimpse of who Violet was to piece together what really happened.

Complete with a full cast (of 10!) this audiobook was absolutely phenomenal. I enjoyed everything about the audio production that truly made the story come alive to create an immersive experience for listeners.

This was such a fun and fantastical read! I simply can’t say enough. Acts of Violet is out today, July 5th! Don't miss out on the magic and mystery and grab your copy today!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore has arrived! Happy Pub day to this much anticipated novel by author of Oona Out of Order (which was such a fun read!) This was a fun one to listen to!

Montimore brings us another unique perspective on how to approach character development and storytelling with Violet, an illusionist, that does the ultimate act of vanishing mid act… forever? A story alternating between before and ten years after this story will keep you intrigued.

The audiobook by @macmillan.audio was such an excellent production for this book - that I think this is a prime example of a book best read via audiobook. I loved the entire experience and I think the audio theater elements of it really elevated and carried the story well. Thank you for my advanced listening copy!

Acts of Violet is a good book! Honestly, it’s so different it isn’t fair to really compare Oona and Violet but I will say if you weren’t a fan of Oona - give this one a try. The elements of magic, illusion, podcasting, and all the the characters give a wide audience to enjoy this story.

The 10-year anniversary is approaching of Violet Volk's magically mysterious disappearance. Sasha, Violet's sister, has been haunted by her disappearance ever since that day. While Sasha has tried to move on with her life and shield her daughter from all of the mayhem that has surrounded Violet's disappearance, even 10 years later, the memories are still there and the mystery still unsolved. Where the heck is Violet all this time?

Sasha's daughter Quinn is older now and she's always loved and idolized her Aunt Violet. She is suspicious that her mother is not telling her everything about her aunt. Quinn is seeking answers and pursues an investigation on her own. She wants closure for herself and her mother, but I don't feel like the characters got the closure they were seeking at the end, which is why I knocked off a star from my rating.

This book is genre-defying. It's part family drama, mystery, and sci-fi rolled into one very unique read. While I would say this is a slow-burn novel, I didn't mind that as much as I have minded it in the past.

Something the reader needs to be aware of is that there are multiple POVs, one of which is narrative from a podcast. I loved the podcast parts, but I listened to this book on audio, which made those parts much more enjoyable. There's a whole cast of characters narrating this audiobook, including Brittany Pressley, which is one of my faves. I will read anything she narrates.

Special thanks to the author, NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Having read Oona Out of Order – a unique story about a woman who experiences her life , well, out of order (i.e. not chronologically) – I was eager to read Montimore’s story of a missing female magician. And while it was enjoyable, it was mostly because of the audio production. A full cast containing interviews, podcast clips, and a full cast, it was highly entertaining. Unfortunately, the story wasn’t as captivating. For fans of books in podcast format or character studies.

QUICK BITS
-Audiobook gold
-Daisy Jones with magic
-Character study

REVIEW
Well of course, Margarita does it again!

If you loved Oona Out of Order I am happy to say that you will find the same deep thoughts/ explorations AND magic in Acts of Violet.

I read this one in tandem with the audiobook and I have to say if you have the choice THE AUDIOBOOK IS A FULL PRODUCTION.

While reading this all I could think was- man if you loved Daisy Jones, especially the audiobook-you're going to be head over heels for this one!

This book is filled with all the medias: standard narrative, letters, podcasts, new clippings...ALL just pure genius!

I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves character driven books, a healthy dose of mystery, and of course a little bit of the unexplainable magic that is life.

RATINGS
10 Characters
8 Atmosphere
10 Writing Style
6 Plot
10 Intrigue
7 Logic
8 Enjoyment
TOTAL: 59/14 = 4.21

4.25/5.00 Cawpile Rating

When I saw this book was about magic I HAD to get it. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved magic. I also enjoyed the podcast aspect of this book. Books with podcasts in them have become some of my favorite.

I enjoyed listening to the book. The different narrators made me feel like I was listening to a real podcast. I thought the story was great. It hooked me in from the start. It was different than books I'm used to reading. The only complaint I had was at times the book seemed super long and the ending was only a few pages long. It felt too rushed. I liked the characters of the book as well.

Dear Acts of Violet,
First off, I have to say, your audiobook was phenomenal. The different narrators gave such a depth to your story that I don't think would come through as well with reading your text. It enhanced your story and made listening to you so enjoyable. It also helped to delineate between the different modes of storytelling inside of you. The podcast episodes, the emails, the letters were all clearly marked with audio clues. Your story was also fast paced and interesting to me. For almost never appearing in the story, Violet was such an interesting and ground breaking character. Seeing her through everyone else's eyes showed all of her different sides. Sasha was so interesting to me as well, being a little sister, with a complicated relationship with my own sister, I found myself sympathizing with her choices in life and the sacrifices she made to try to keep the peace and keep her sister happy. You were so compulsively readable and I loved all of your twists and turns as more of Violet's mysterious life and disappearance was revealed.

Acts of Violet was an excellent audiobook! Even if you prefer reading in print I think the podcast angle of this book makes it better suited to listening as an audiobook! Part mystery, part true crime Acts of Violet is totally awesome!

Magic and feminism in a mystery book? Yes please.

Varushka Volkov - Violet Volk - spent her life constantly pushing boundaries. From an early age, she took an interest in magic, with mixed support from her family. Her uncle Slava initially encouraged her the most, using money from his gambling habit to buy her props and cards to improve her skills and tricks. Her parents had other hesitations and her sister Sasha "hated magic". Violet's untimely "magical" disappearance led Sasha to live a life in limbo and even more resentment - was her sister dead, was she alive, and if so why did she do this to her?

VV could never just live in the moment and let the world go by around her- she always had to BE a part of that moment. As her sister Sasha said, "she couldn't wait to get out of Willow Glen [their home town], and then she couldn't wait to get out of New York and go on tour, and then she couldn't wait to stop touring, and so on. Wherever she was, it was like she wanted to be somewhere else. And someone else. She decided early on she didn't want to be Varushka, so she became Violet." She was always looking to push that shock factor, to be center stage and in the limelight, and wanted to be a name that people remembered. Would Violet Volk be more known than even Harry Houdini? Her sudden (but was it planned?) disappearance made sure her name lived on.

Through the pages of this novel and the mind of sister Sasha, sound bytes from the Strange Exits podcast, old letters, other anecdotal stories like those told at the ten year VV vigil, we get glimpses of who Violet was. Violet, who donated to charities and secretly loved nature when she wasn't under the spotlight (literally or figuratively). Violet, whose new tricks baffled the magic community, some of which are still being questioned to this day. Violet, who suffered tragic losses in her family and life but still tried to shake it off. Violet, under media scrutiny from the shows and accidents (deaths) that happened with her Las Vegas residency. Violet, the mystical but adored aunt of Quinn, who barely even remembered the time her aunt nearly had her killed as part of a show. Violet, always pushing boundaries. Violet Volk, always wanting to be more than herself.

By the end, we have a better picture of who Violet truly is, as well as the intricacies of her relationship with her family. But do we know what really happened to Violet? I guess you'll have to read or listen to find out.

Note: I did listen to some of this on audiobook and read the rest. Either version would be great for digesting this splendid story.

“Acts of Violet” is a unique story following a female magician who goes missing and her family and fans are left to put the pieces together. The story is told in various forms such as podcasts and emails, with some back and forth in timelines. It’s an intriguing and fun book. I listened to the audio version and it was very well done. I imagine the audio version really brings the various forms of the story to life more than simply reading it would. The author really is creative in what she writes about. 4 stars ⭐️. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

3.5

I really enjoyed the fresh concept here, I’ve not read many books about magicians and definitely not many about one that disappears, and NOT as part of their act. So this one had me interested before I even started listening and it kept me engaged initially, but my interest waned as things progressed. Let me back up and speak to the audio version because it was really outstanding. You have a full cast narrating and since there are podcast episodes those were really well done. I think this format on audio really served to reel me in and as my lack of interest in the plot itself continued to decrease, I was so impressed by the narrators performances I felt like I had ti keep listening. In the end I struggled with wanting more, I was left feeling unsatisfied and that’s never the way I want to feel when I finish a book. So overall mixed feeling here, if you decide to try this yourself I highly recommend going the audio route!

Such a fun audio book! I love a cast of narrators, and this was a good one. The novel had a Daisy Jones and the Six feel to it - but about what happened to a female magician that went off the radar. Highly recommend!

The narrators did a fabulous job with this remarkable story that is original, quirky and fun! This author’s last book was also unique, and I love how she experiments with using different media and style in her works.

While the audiobook was very well done with a full cast, the story was just not for me. It was too slow & I just couldn’t get into it which made me sad because I absolutely loved this author’s previous book, Oona Out of Order.

There are a lot of great reviews for this one so I encourage you to go check them out and hopefully this will work better for you if you decide to pick it up.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got to experience this masterpiece early! I was granted an audio and let me tell you - this cast was fantastic! If I closed my eyes, I could imagine it as a movie playing out in my head. There were so many narrators for the different parts and it was absolutely amazing.

Now for the story, it was good too! I’m not sure what I was expecting honestly, but this wasn’t quite it. I do know I expected it to be considerably more witchy than it was - you know cuz the cover, I’m guilty of judging books by their cover and prefer to skip reading the synopsis and being surprised. It’s definitely magical in nature (I mean, a disappearing magician?!)- but I wouldn’t call it witchy, and honestly it worked better this way!

I loved the twisty nature of the story - there were twists everywhere but they didn’t FEEL like twists, it just felt like someone telling a wild story that flowed perfectly and felt realistic. The podcast bits were great too. I absolutely loved that. I could wait to see what they would say next!

Overall, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I enjoyed this authors writing style and I’ll definitely have to check out Oona Out of Order!

Book Review:
This audiobook was absolutely stunning! It worked for me on every level and I can honestly say this is one where I will always recommend the audiobook over physically reading it because of the way the audiobook was so well done.

I loved that part of the book was written outlining a podcast that was covering the disappearance of the great Violet Volk and the family she left behind and by listening you got that full experience of “hearing the podcast”.

I loved the twists and turns and guessing of what happened to Violet, was it a trick gone bad, was it intentional, or did she meet a grizzly fate? Will the truth of what happened during her show when she disappeared nearly a decade prior ever be known? Does her sister Sasha know more than she lets on?

You’ll have to experience this one to find out the answers to all those questions. I really hope everyone that loves audiobooks takes the time to listen as it was so well done!

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book! I am so thankful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release!

I just don't think it's possible for me to give this a normal review, because I just want to buy 100,000 copies of the audiobook of Acts of Violet and give it to everyone I know. While the book itself is just phenomenal, an instant 5 star for me, the audiobook takes it into the ten star category. It's like listening to an actual podcast, one that I would have instantly subscribed to and waited impatiently for.

Violet Volk is a famous, elusive magician and Sasha is her normal sister. Only, nothing is normal about the Volks, not since Violet performed her final magic trick, disappearing into thin air, never to be seen again. The ten year anniversary of her final trick is coming up, it's a time that Sasha dreads and Violet's fans, included Sasha's daughter, look forward to with endless hope for her return. With the anticipation heightened and the date looming, someone has started a hashtag that alludes to Violet's return and it brings up all the feelings Sasha has long buried. With a podcast covering her disappearance and the search for her after, Sasha must confront her feelings about the past and the magic within her she's long denied.

Acts of Violet was one of the most joyful audiobooks I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. There's music, multiple narrators, and, of course, Margarita Montimore's incredible story at the heart of it all. The plot is unique, the characters fully developed, and the storyline told through multiple formats, which kept me engaged from start to finish. Switching between present, past, podcasts, and emails, Montimore takes readers through a memorable journey about Violet, told by those closest to her. We see the everlasting impact she's left on their lives and the hole that her leaving has left. While it seems quite ominous, the heart of the story is what really moved me as I read and it's one you must discover yourself.

With lighthearted humor and familial relationships that moved me to tears, Acts of Violet is a multifaceted story that I will never forget. It's the kind of book that feels like you could read again and again, it could never get old. Even better, for those, like me, who want something fresh and new, Montimore has done that with Acts of Violet. It's realistic and fantastical, with incredible references to slight of hands and magic tied in with the real life magic of self, love, family, and friendships. I cannot say enough good things about this book, I am just so flabbergasted by how fun it was. Acts of Violet is impossible to forget, impossible not to love, and a truly standout 2022 release.

Let me try to convince you to read this book, but let me also convince you to try the *audio* version, because, wow! I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of the audio version and I couldn’t stop listening to it.

What I loved:
✨The audio weaves a tale using typical narration, but also includes a podcast that plays JUST like a podcast, with interviews and different narrators voicing the guests. It was constantly flipping between the two methods, which drove the story forward at a solid pace.

✨The book is centered around a mysterious disappearance, which is described using the devices above. I loved trying to figure out what happened to violet during her last show!

✨ Throughout the book there were signs the narrator saw related to her missing sister, and a lot of these gave me chills. They were well placed and not at all cheesy.

I gave this 4⭐️ because the ending was a little too anticlimactic for me, but this was a solid, enjoyable story. If you’re picking this up and you enjoy audio books, I HIGHLY recommend the audio version. You won’t be disappointed!

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.