I love when audiobooks have a full cast, but it's rarely pulled off as well as this audiobook was. After loving Oona Out of Order in 2020, I didn't hesitate to add Acts of Violet to my tbr when I saw it and I'm so glad I was able to give it a listen.

Here's what's going on:
10 years ago, Violet Volk performed her final magic trick- disappearing halfway through her show. In the decade that has passed since this trick no one has been able crack the case of the missing magical icon, but her lasting influence on her fans holds strong. This is evidenced by a growing podcast following the life and achievements of VV preceding her vanishing act. Left behind in the wake of this mystery are also Violet's sister and niece, Sasha and Quinn.

The book started with a quote from Britt Marling in The OA, so immediately I was won over. (Seriously- if you haven't seen The OA, go do that!) Margarita Montimore knows what's up.

I loved these characters, each in different ways. Margarita has proven again that knows how to write characters you will fall for. I wouldn't call this book necessarily wholesome, but so many scenes in this book warmed my heart that it surprised me. I also really appreciated the interviews, transcripts, message board chats, and etcetera that were interspersed throughout the book to provide more context. The audiobook had a plentiful cast and it added a layer of depth to this book.

This was a worthwhile read all around for so many reasons honestly. Once I picked Acts of Violet up, I couldn't put it down. I usually don't love stories about magicians, so the fact that this kept me so engaged is impressive and a reflection of Montimore's talent.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook of Acts of Violet. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the full cast audiobook of Margarita Montimore's newest book Acts of Violet. Her previous novel Oona Out of Order was a favorite of mine and this one is just as good. I think this book is ideal for listening in the audiobook format as it structured as a podcast with musical elements in the audiobook format which I really enjoy in an audiobook. One of the narrators - Brittany Pressley is a familiar voice and is a favorite of mine - she narrates the charactor of Sasha. I think all of the narrators did an excellent job however - her voice was just familiar to me and I couldn't put a name to the other narrators/characters. I do think that this story is really good - its about a famous magician named Violet Volk who disappears during her magic act. and she's never been seen again. Presently it's the 10 year anniversary of her disappearance and there is still a lot of speculation/conspiracy theories about Violet and what happened to her. Podcast Strange Exits is doing episodes about Violet and her disappearance. While I enjoyed the book I feel like the ending was a little lackluster - I don't really have any suggestion as to what could have been different or really know what I was expecting - I'll just have to be pleased with how it ended.

This review is based solely on audio version. I received an audio copy ARC from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. When I listen to a book, which I love to do, I just want someone to read me a book. This is music, sound effects, drama, theatrics, and I just couldn’t take it. I tried five different times to listen to this book and I just can’t. I am bummed as I loved Oona Out of Order and I was really looking forward to Acts of Violet. I may try the actual book at a later time. Acts of Violet will be available on 7/5/22.

Oona Out of Order was an enjoyable audiobook for me in 2020 and Acts of Violet was even better. This family drama is formatted around a true crime style podcast called Strange Exits and includes interviews, newspaper articles, and letters about a missing magician named Violet Volk. Violet has always been an enigma and since her disappearance ten years ago, she has only become more enigmatic.

At the center of the story is Violet’s sister, Sasha, who has struggled to come to terms with her older sister’s disappearance for a variety of reasons. These reasons, as well as the sister’s complex relationship is explored throughout the book and makes up the bulk of the family drama.

To be honest, the last chapter was a little disappointing for me, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. If you enjoyed the audiobook of Daisy Jones and the Six, this has a very similar style.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook.

I really enjoy the characters that Margarita Montimore creates! Acts of Violet is a mystical and magical tale about sisterhood and secrets. It's a family drama with lots of twists and turns. I'd say it's a 4-star read with a 5 star audio rating. I loved the sound effects, music, and cast of narrators; it felt like being immersed in a podcast or a movie. One of the best audio book experiences I've had - this is a fun summer read.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the advanced audio copy of the book. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

When I began this book, I was really into it. The audio format really is the perfect way to experience it because the narrative switches from podcast, to email, to newspaper article, and to the current day storyline revolving around Sasha, who I suppose could be labeled as the protagonist. I was curious about the story, about the mysterious Violet Volk, female magician of renown who disappeared without a trace. I enjoyed the podcast episodes unfolding her life story, looking at it from different angles and bringing the reader information about her past. (Really, the podcasts were probably the only part I wound up liking overall.)

Eventually, the story began to drag however, and things felt repetitive. I was losing interest in it, and I felt resolved to finish it solely because I was 70% of the way in, so I might as well. Unfortunately, very little in that remaining 30% that made the whole book worthwhile for me. There were loose ends -that whole government agency side story that went nowhere - and the ending just was ...rushed and lackluster.

It's a shame because the premise is promising, and the audio production is excellent.

This was such a unique story told by multiple narrators. Many times the story is told as a podcast. The story centers around a female magician, Violet, that is an icon. Considered one of the greatest magicians, Violet disappears during a trick and is never seen again. Left behind is her sister, Sasha and multitudes of devoted fans. Sasha and Violet had a difficult relationship and were estranged at the time of her disappearance. On the 10 year anniversary of her disappearance a podcast is devoted to uncovering all things Violet including theories and stories from many in her past.

I am a huge fan of Oona Out of Order and could not wait to get my hands on this new book form Montimore. I liked the way the story was told utilizing interviews and the podcast. I liked the family dynamic of the sisters but it was just a little flat. Definitely worth the listen for its uniqueness and format but did not live up to the quality of Oona in my opinion.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #ActsofViolet

Let me cut straight to the point... Acts of Violet is a 5-star audiobook production! And I've listened to a TON of audiobooks across a wide variety of genres. I won't soon forget the characters, the cast of voice performers, the mysterious plot, and the way the story unfolded and concluded.

The premise - a mysterious female magician vanishes - is immediately intriguing. Add to that a rich family backstory, toggling timelines, podcast episodes, and a few Beastie Boys references - I was swooning as I raced through this audiobook in a single day. The experience was as if I was following along with both a novel AND a true crime/mystery documentary at the same time.

This audiobook should be a huge hit. I haven't yet read the author's previous book - Oona Out Of Order - but I will be rectifying that soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio and the author Margarita Montimore for the opportunity to listen to an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was an interesting book. I found myself comparing it to This Might Hurt and Daisy Jones and The Six.

The plot was great, the characters were well rounded and the full cast on audio really helped sell the story!

The ending left me feeling unsettled and unsatisfied. I was hoping for some closure on a few points that did not come.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the new book by Margarita Montimore, narrated by a wonderful ensemble cast of characters - 5 stars!

Ten years ago, famous musician Violet Volk performed her most famous act of all - disappearing mid-show without a trace. The public still can't get enough of wondering what happened - is she still alive? Is she dead? Something else? Her sister, Sasha, was always the responsible one and she stayed at home, took over her mom's beauty salon, got married and has a daughter set to graduate college. But she can't escape the publicity around Violet's disappearance and everyone always assumes she knows more than she is saying.

I adored this audiobook - it made the story come alive. The story is told in alternating points of view between Sasha and Cameron Frank, host of a podcast centered on Violet's disappearance. There are also snippets of correspondence between other characters and the audio sound effects just made those fun. This was also a nod to sci-fi - the nerd in me loved the mention of X Files vs Fringe or Star Trek vs Doctor Who. Plus, it was such a masterful mix of family drama, mystery, magic history and women's roles. Don't miss this one!

Overall: I read Oona Out of Order and enjoyed it, solid 4 stars. I really liked the premise of this one, great character development, but the story dragged at times. There could have been a little bit more something going on to keep the story alive. I think I stuck with it because the podcasts kept me excited.

Queer rep:Oof, I Violet was bisexual and there were soo many stereotypical things said about her sleeping around and one of her exes said he accepted her for being bisexual, as if it was a choice to not accept her for being bi. (I'm bi, it's 2022, I expect acceptance at this point.) And books shouldn't play into these negative stereotypes. Another character came out as ace later on and it had zero role in the book, it just seemed like it was thrown in there. It seemed like the queer rep was in the book as a diversity attempt.

Narrator/audiobook production: The narrator is fantastic, we can't hate Brittany. She just does all the voices and all fantastic. The male narrator was perfect for the podcast role. The whole audiobook production was done really well. I loved the podcast music leading into it, it sounded like an actual podcast. 5 stars for audiobook production and narrators.

Title: Acts of Violet
Author: Margarita Montimore
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Read if you like:
Multiple POV
True crime
Podcasts
Magic
Complicated family dynamics

My Thoughts:
Holy cow! I listened to this book via an audiobook and can’t imagine the book any other way. There was multiple narrators, music, a podcast vibe, and it was everything I needed to fully enjoy this book! I have truly never read a book like this one, and not just because it was about a missing magician. I loved that in the background of the story there was the constant theme of “where is Violet” but at the forefront there was so much more. The story touched on what’s going on with Sasha, what happened in Sasha’s past, it explored Violets private and scandalous life, Quinn and Sasha’s relationship, and so much more. Honestly I don’t know if I will get over how good this narration style was and how much it enhanced the story

What a surprising, one-of-kind story. It shines as an audiobook with full cast and sound effects. Ending is a bit underwhelming, as some hypotheses raised during story were not adressed.

Acts of Violet [out on 7/5/2022]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Magician Violet Volk was the Beyoncé of magic; her unbelievable tricks and wild shows earned her worldwide fame. Yet during her final show, she did her biggest stunt yet: she disappeared without a trace. Years later, both her family and the public are still stumped: where is Violet? As the 10 year anniversary of her disappearance approaches, a hit podcast comes out about possible theories - also spurring Violet’s family take a closer look at the past.

OK so this audiobook production = 🤯💥🔥! So good. As a large portion of the story is told via a podcast, the audiobook uses intro music + lots of actors to make it sound like an actual podcast with interviews. Listening to the audio format completely elevated the book for me!

I think because the investigative podcast parts felt so real, I zipped through the first half, but I was left wanting a little *more* on the wrap-up at the ending. There is more magical realism than I expected, and in that way, it felt similar in tone to “Oona Out of Order,” Monitmore’s other novel I read. If you’ve read, we need to discuss your thoughts around that final scene!

I definitely will still pick up anything this author writes — her book premise creativity is unmatched. Also, I predict this will be an end-of-year audio favorite - I listened in a matter of days.

Can’t wait to hear what everyone else thinks about this when it comes out later this summer! 🔮 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Oona Out of Order was one of my first audiobooks and I absolutely fell in love with it. So, it should come as no surprise that there was some screaming when I got an early audio copy of Acts of Violet

I have to get this out of the way early on - Margarita Montimore is pure fucking magic 👏 I’ve never wished something was real more than I wished for Violet Volk to be real. Just imagining her antics and performances gave me so much joy.

As did the full production created for this audiobook. I highly recommend grabbing the audio because then you can experience everything in the Hollywood tell-all feel. Mixed in with the narrative from Sasha’s POV, is the Strange Places podcast, letters, excerpts from Violet’s books, and articles written about her. All of this media gave it such a realistic feel and made it so hard to put down.

If you love exploring complicated family dynamics, you’ll love this book. Between Sasha and Violet, Sasha and Quinn, Margarita Montimore expertly weaves in the good with the bad that shows just how messy yet beautiful life is.

I can’t forget the magic of course 👀 that Violet performs onstage and the other more uncertain magic that creeps along each page, leaving you wondering how much is sleight of hand and how much is honest to god magic.

Acts of Violet is a true delight that everyone needs to preorder ASAP. I promise it will make your heart bloom 💗

I was lucky enough to receive an audio ARC of Acts of Violet and it was friggin FANTASTIC!⁣
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There were different narrators, podcasts, news articles, and audio from Violets sister and niece. There was a secret narrator giving subtle details to keep you guessing.⁣
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This was such a fresh, new, different in the BEST way story! I don’t think I’ve read anything like it, except Oona Out of Order which was so unusual and intriguing. I binged this on audio. Any chance I could listen I had headphones in on play cause I needed to know what was going on.⁣
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Not only is this about a missing magician, it’s magical, sci-fi-y (is that a word), discussing telekinesis, parallel universes, and astral travel. Where in the world is Violet? Everyone who knows her titres on being in awe of her but also holds resentment toward her. ⁣
⁣
We get tastes of sibling rivalry, sisterhood, family drama, a mystery, sci fi and fantasy. It was one of the most unique books I’ve read and I loved it. The writing style was so unique and intriguing. So many different styles and points of view. This is a must read! There’s a little something for everyone.⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @flatironbooks for an audio ARC for my honest review. #netgalley #actsofviolet #fantasy #familydrama #books

I was so excited to get an advance copy of the audio of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The premise seemed fresh and exciting and the format was absolutely engaging, particularly with the podcast episodes included. I did not care for the main narrator for the part of Sasha, however, which was a problem because she narrated so much of the book. Her voice has a snarky tone that I find incredibly annoying, and I couldn't get past it (I've had this problem with the same narrator before). The fact that I speed audiobooks up so much makes it worse, so that's partly on me! Even with the creative format, ultimately the story didn't come together for me. The ending felt rushed and incomplete. I'm ok with ambiguous endings generally, but this one felt like it needed something more concrete. The whole novel is a question about what happened to Violet Volk, and you keep listening or reading so you can get the answer, but it never really comes, and that's incredibly disappointing. I did enjoy the ride for the most part, but in the end I wish the author had made some different decisions about how it all tied together.

It’s been over a decade since Violet disappeared during her famous magic show. Over ten years Sasha has wondered what happened to her sister, while dealing with the world wanting her thoughts on the disappearance. Now this guy Cameron has started a podcast and promised an interview with Sasha. Only problem? She never agreed to an interview. Not only that, but her daughter Quinn has always been fascinated by her aunt, and now she is putting on her detective hat to try and solve the case. The stress has Sasha sleep walking again into some very odd situations.

So first of all, I highly recommend forcing your friendship on authors you love that will send you another authors arc after they read it. Thank you @janellebrownie for allowing this forced friendship and for sending me this gem! I won’t even mention you needing to come to PA in this review! (Whoops!) Second, Margarita Montimore had big shoes to fill after Oona Out Of Order. Like really big shoes….that was by far one of my favorite reads of 2020. I’m glad to report, she killed it. Oona still ranks as my favorite of hers, but this book was so good. I love the little bits of magical elements Montimore brings to her books, but still having the characters and the overall storyline feel very realistic if that makes sense. Any one of us could have been Sasha or Violet, but the added element just makes it that much more intriguing.

I did a mix of the physical book and the audio and both were excellent! The audio had a full cast of multiple narrators which made it excellent!

Acts of Violet is the new book from Margarita Montimore (who also wrote Oona Out of Order)

"It's been ten years since Magician Violet Volk performed her greatest trick - disappearing in the middle of her act and never being seen again. She left behind a legacy of edgy entertainment and an air of mystery. Her sister, Sasha, wants nothing to do with the notoriety or fame following her sister. But Violet's fans want a piece of it. Cameron Frank does a season on his podcast about Violet and desperately wants to get Sasha's side. As it gets closer to the Ten Year Anniversary Vigil, everyone wonders if Violet will make an appearance - and Sasha wonders if she will see her sister again and make things right."

This is a great production of a full-cast audiobook. There are podcast episodes and flashbacks and emails and interviews. MM gives us Violet's story a little at a time as well as everything that led up to her disapearance. Much of the story centers around Sasha and the conflict between the sisters.

All of the discussion about stage magic and close-up magic keep the story interesting. I don't think I've read a book quite like this. It was nice to feel like I was reading an original idea story.

The ending was unexpected. No spoilers - you'll have to decide what you think.

Nice story from Montimore.

This intriguing look at the best magic trick yet: Disappearing completely!

Although it may not have been right up my ally, Acts of Violet has such a full, colorful cast of characters as an audiobook; it rotated between the narrator, to interviews and then flips into podcasts all about Violet and speculations of what happened to her! This was very intriguing and it felt almost alive because of number of narrators performing in the audiobook. One can only imagine the amount of time and effort it would have taken to collate that many narrators into a single audiobook!

This was an intriguing story in general as you work your way along with everyone else to figure out what actually happened, and where has Violet been for the last 10 years.

This was also a story about closure, or lack of, for the family. Their side of the story and how they feel about everyone else's speculations surround Violet's disappearance. How does the family cope with these on-going investigations? It provides a bit of insight to a celebrities family and how they would feel the way that fans can be so persistent.

With a mingling of magic and a bit of superstition, this was a wonderful ride. I would highly suggest the audiobook for a full experience!