Special thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen and review this Audio ARC of Acts of Violet.

I had heard nothing but great reviews surrounding this book so was so excited to be approved. First off the narration was good so made it an easy list for sure. This book is fresh, fun and super engaging! Violet, the ultimate escape artist, vanishes from one of her acts! This book is full of family drama, twists and turns, fun social commentary from outsiders, feminism, fame, magic of course and more! Its fun, suspenseful, easy to get through and leaves you wanting more! A great summer read for sure.

This novel starts out with such an interesting premise. The characters are very believable, although a bit to sarcastic. The story develops well but the ending is soft. It should have ended before the meeting of two sisters…still a great listen

This wasn't just a book, this was an emotional journey through every stage of grief. The ending isn't what you will expect, but you'll be grateful you made it there and feel a sense of peace after being revealed all sides to this story of life stories.

Violet wasn't the villain and she wasn't the hero, she was Violet. Nothing simple about it, of course, no one ever is.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the audio version of this book. This book is not one I would normally pick out and read for myself. However I fell in love with the book cover and the name of the book. I am so happy I received the audio version of the book. I was able to really get the full experience the author was going for. I am impressed with the book and the sisters point of view and then the podcasters point of view. I highly highly recommend listening to the audio version of this book it really pulls the entire book together and makes it one of the best books I have listened to!!

Best. Audiobook. Ever.

Margarita Montimore has done it again. I ADORED Oona Out of Order when it came out, and, I'll confess, was a little worried that this one wouldn't live up to the hype. I couldn't have been more wrong. This was by far the most engaging audiobook I've ever listened to in my entire life. Maybe even better than the amazing audiobook for Daisy Jones and the Six. Acts of Violet features a whole cast of extremely talented narrators, which makes it good, but what makes it GREAT is the full production value put into this. Music, sound effects, a freaking dedicated podcast intro song... whoever produced this audiobook (Katy Robitzski) put a TON of time, effort, and love into this. I've already started recommending this to literally strangers on the street. I can't wait for this audiobook to come out.

Acts of Violet audiobook review: This is a wonderfully produced audiobook, I loved the podcast style for some chapters and the seamless integration of multiple narrators within the epistolatory format. I am so appreciative to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for a review copy. I also acknowledge Flatiron books for a copy of the book earlier this year, I am truly a fan of Margarita Montimore and her delightful storytelling and how she perceives how people relate to each other.

In Oona out of Order Ms. Montimore played with the idea of time and "time travel" in a fun way that was engaging and though provoking. Here in Acts of Violet she takes on playing with time/place and ideas of physical presence within magic, offering to fascinating sister protagonists (Violet and Sasha) and does this with flare. At the heart of the story was, for me ,the relationship between the sisters and I loved how this story of a controversial female magician, and her unexplained disappearance, was placed in a narrative told mostly from her sister's perspective blended with past notes and background stories and a present day podcast leading into the 10 year anniversary of Violet's disappearance. This format as noted worked very well on audiobook and the use of a full cast and the leaning into making some segments sound like a true crime type podcast was very effective.

This story is more than a story of magic, it is a story of what happens behind the magic, of gender, of sisters and family, of identity, and of what it is like to live in the shadow of a sibling. I can't wait for readers to enjoy this book!

4-4.5 ⭐️

This was kind of amazing. While the end was a bit meh for me, the buildup and way it was told kept me intrigued from the start to majority of the conclusion. To be completely honest, I expected that I wouldn’t be the greatest fan of the ending because OF the buildup, but it didn’t ruin my experience at all and I’m glad I gave it a read.

Definitely recommend the audiobook though, because the entire production was FANTASTIC.

I’m curious to see how the formatting will look once it’s published, and I definitely want to see what’s up with Montimore’s other works.

Thanks Macmillan Audio for my copy!!! 💜✨

This was an addictive and magical read!

I loved Violet and loved the descriptions of her that made it so easy to picture her. Violet was such an interesting character and I enjoyed getting to know her as the book progressed. The entire plot was so interesting - I kept changing my mind about where Violet was and what happened to her - a sign of a good mystery. Sasha, however, annoyed me.

The ending was extremely rushed and was my least favorite part of the book. I feel like the rest of the book was so good that it deserves an alternative or expanded ending.

Notes on the audiobook - Wow! This was the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. The production quality was amazing with different voices and different sounds to distinguish the sources of information. I really enjoyed listening to this and highly recommend it on audio!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review this audiobook!

Ten years ago, the famous magician Violet disappeared at the end of the act. On the tenth anniversary, people wonder if she will make a reappearance shown through a podcast and her sister Sasha’s narration.

My rating is in regards to how well the audiobook is done. The production is phenomenal. The characters felt alive during both the podcast and Sasha’s viewpoint, and it felt more like an audio drama than an audiobook.

However, if I had to read the book, I think I would have gotten frustrated with Sasha quicker than I did. She had her head buried in the sand about many things. When she finally sees a therapist, she constantly refuses to talk as if that will help her mental health. My confusion is whether magic is real in this book’s universe. A traumatic event happened to Sasha, and it’s not brought up until the last act. The idea of Sasha having magic was too rushed a revelation.

I liked how the book brought up female magicians who’ve been forgotten.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I was super excited to dive into this book since Oona Out of Order was one of my favorite reads of 2021. I really enjoyed this one! The audiobook has a full cast and it is a mixture of podcasts, emails, interviews, and so much more. It is such a fun and unique read and I highly recommend it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Acts of Violet is the amazing story of a woman who was a master magician from the ‘90s through her last performance and disappearance in 2008. Her story and that of her family is told in a series of letters, news articles, podcast interviews, and the narrative of her younger sister, Sasha.

Like her previous novel, Oona Out of Order, Margarita Montimore throws different characters and timelines at you at a fast pace. To me, that makes the book all the more interesting and fun. The various narrators did an excellent job with all the different character voices and personalities. I enjoyed the mystery of Violet’s disappearance, and it was fascinating to hear the way certain magic tricks are performed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this ARC.
#Acts of Violet #NetGalley #bookreviews #booklover #books #booknerd #bookrecommendations #reading #goodreads #audiobooks

A novel about a 90’s magician named Violet Volk who disappeared mysteriously during one of her notoriously edgy acts. She leaves behind her sister and their family to speculate and try to heal from lack of closure for the next ten years. Considering her social impact and die-hard fans and haters , Violets’ family aren’t the only ones speculating.

I enjoyed the journalistic feel of this book and it was a super fun listen. The mystique surrounding Violets’ general persona was well-written and captivating. This was an Audiobook ARC from NetGalley, thanks!

Do you consider magic a high form of entertainment? Or do you always want to know how such tricks are possible?

Wow! It is tough to separate my feelings about the actual book from the audiobook. First of all credit where the credit is due. This audiobook is one of the best I've ever listened to. Great production with a full cast. It was a great experience. The podcast soundbites, the interviews, the intro music between chapters...

Acts of Violet is about magician, cultural icon, Violet Volk's rise to fame and her mysterious disappearance. In the mid 1990's a young Violet Volk comes out of seemingly nowhere and elevates magic to a bonifide artform. She revolutionizes stage magic and faces her share of controversies over the years. And then she vanishes into thin air in the middle of a performance. 10 years after her disappearance a podcast called Strange Exist is in production. So we get to hear from her fans, her critics, her ex husband, a journalist who interviewed her, experts (!) in various fields, close sources who wouldn't want to reveal their identity, and lastly her sister Sasha with whom Violet has a strained relationship.

The book focuses on Violet's disappearance as much as her personality and the relationship with her estranged sister. Violet is a prickly character. She sounds so cool and charismatic but also she is self-serving, conniving, full of flaws.

I loved the storytelling format switching between Sasha’s narration and Cameron’s podcast transcripts, interspersed with documents that offer a peek at Violet herself. I liked meeting Violet through the eyes and experiences of the people who knew her. I liked her backstory. I liked that her sister's storyline too.

The book on the other hand left me confused in some parts. And unfortunately bored. only a couple times. but still... There are a lot of characters being interviewed for the podcast and some of these peculiar characters and their outlandish theories about the disappearance of Violet gets over the top. Like the lady who claims she combines science with the metaphysical "if a person can change their vibrational frequency, their mind, soul, astral body can travel to different dimensions" But I think the point of Strange Exits like most true crime podcasts is hearing about people's occasionally very strange theories.

I wanted more from the ending but I think it somehow worked. it felt like it left so many unanswered questions or maybe I am not smart enough the get it:) Anyway the book itself was 3.5 stars for me but the audiobook is definitely a 5er.

Wow. WOW. I don't even know how to write a review for this book, but I am going to try my best because I need to let people know just how amazing it is. I did read Oona Out Of Order last year, another book that Montimore wrote, but Acts of Violet is in another league entirely. The writing is outstanding, the storyline is captivating, and the characters are so well developed, that I truly cared about all the major players. I would not be surprised if Acts of Violet was my favorite fiction book of the year and I see it being a hit with readers from all backgrounds after its publication.

This one was one my highly anticipated books of the year. I absolutely loved Margarita Debut Oona Out Of Order. This book was made for audio! Want an amazing job they did with the casting as well as background noise. It had the listening experience similar to Daisy Jones and the Six and Opal and Nev. Shifting from interviews/podcast to Violet’s sister Sasha’s perspective. This one is full of smoke and mirrors and found myself not wanting to turn it off to the very end. It had it all family drama, feminism, magic, bonds of sisterhood, suspense. I definitely enjoyed this one.

This multi-narrative book centers on the story of a young, female magician who disappears during a show. The plot crosses timelines to show the perspectives of each character, adding depth and intrigue as the plot unfolds.

I found the book really unique, unsure if the plot was magical, paranormal or all just a complex smoke-screen for a very explainable answer. This is what made the book so intriguing and hooked me in.

I particularly enjoyed learning about the family dynamics as the relationship between the sisters was explored, seeing how it changed over time and the impact this had on other family members.

I listened to this as an audiobook which was really well done- the different voices and sound effects made me feel like I was listening to a podcast that was interviewing different people.

Overall, a great story that felt like a mashup of Daisy
Jones meets the Serial podcast, with a magical twist.

I think this is the best audiobook I have ever listened to. I don’t know if I would have enjoyed reading the book nearly as much as the full cast audiobook that even includes a podcast full of interviews. There were times I forgot I was listening to a fictional book and not a podcast series.

As for the actual plot of the book, it was entertaining and kept my attention, but I didn’t love it. I think it was because it wasn’t my typical genre so it wasn’t super fast paced, but overall I did enjoy the story.

If you can get your hands on the audiobook, I definitely recommend reading the book that way!

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

Wow, just wow! Listening to Violet’s story on audio was an experience like nothing else! I loved the different formats, coming from multiple POV’s and on top of that with SO MANY TALENTED NARRATORS! I’ve never felt so fully immersed in a story before, and it made it that much more magical!

This book had it all! A mystery that kept me guessing, magical elements that made me believe in the impossible and a sprinkling of family drama to keep things… relatable? The perfect combination for a story I could not stop listening to! I was just as enthralled by learning about Violet’s past as I was about finding out how/why she disappeared without a trace.

If you love a good mystery with a bit of a magical twist I highly recommend this book, and I urge you to listen to it on audio because it is simply a masterpiece! Please check this one out when it is published on July 5th, 2022!

Huge thanks to the author, Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was blown away by the writing style, narrators' performances, and plot of this book! Told from the point of view of Sasha whose famous magician sister disappeared ten years ago, with snippets of blogs, correspondence, media articles, and episodes of a fictional investigative podcast. An entire cast of narrators made the experience engaging and I finished listening to the book in a few days. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy.

Acts of Violet
by Margarita Montimore

Narrators: Alejandro Ruiz; Amy McFadden; Brittany Pressley; Dan Bittner; Fred Berman; Hillary Huber; Johnny Heller; Katharine Chin; Ramon de Ocampo; Suzanne Toren

Ten years ago the magician and pop icon, Violet Volk, performed her last vanishing act. Disappearing without a trace, her family and adoring fans were left to unravel the mystery of what happened to Violet. Everyone has a theory, and the public feels entitled to know the truth. Cameron, a podcaster, sees a golden opportunity and plans to capitalize on the upcoming anniversary to make a name for himself. An interview with VV’s sister Sasha, who has kept radio silence on all things Violet, would surely cement his own celebrity.

The novel unfolds in an investigative reporting style reminiscent of the podcast Serial but never takes itself too seriously. The reader becomes Cameron’s Strange Exits audience as we experience the interviews, emails, letters and every twist and turn as he attempts to uncover the mystery of the magician’s disappearance. While Violet’s public persona was one thing, it is quite another as viewed through the eyes of her sister Sasha with whom she has a complicated relationship, and her husband Gabriel.

Acts of Violet comes alive as voiced through a cast of distinctive narrators and special audio effects that greatly enhance the reading experience. This is one of those times when I will recommend the audio format over copy. This wholly entertaining and clever read is a bit camp, magic, mystery and family drama. What more could you want in a summer read!

My sincere thanks to @MacmillanAudio, @FlatIronBooks and @Netgalley for the opportunity to review this advance listening copy.