I have mixed feelings about this book. I did like the writing. I thought it was good and the relationship between the sisters was well developed and the best part of the story. But that ending, y'all. I really hated it. If it had ended right after they decided to go on vacation and skipped the last handful of pages, I'd probably have a better rating for this book. I didn't want an answer to how Violet escaped and whether she was alive or not. Mostly because it is difficult to make that satisfying. I have a hard time with books that have a "is it real or is it something supernatural" plot line. I think it's kind of hard to pull those off and for me, it's easier to enjoy the story if I never learn what actually happened. That sense of mystery is usually more interesting to me than the truth. The relationship Sasha has with the legacy her sister left behind was more interesting to me. I do think it could have had more nuance since Violet especially was portrayed as a caricature of a brilliant but volatile artist. The last few pages of the book made it worse and really, cutting those out would have made it a better read to me. Overall, it is an interesting book and if you like books that play with the "real vs. supernatural" trope, you'll probably enjoy it more than I did.

I adored "Oona Out of Order", reviewed it here in October 2020 giving it huge praise, added it to my all-time favorites list, and have told everyone I know about it, so needless to say, I was expecting very big things from Montimore’s follow up, “Acts of Violet”.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t hold a candle to OOOO.

Very interesting premise surrounding illusionist, Violet Volk that may or may not have supernatural aspects to her magic act, since she disappears without a trace and nobody can seem to explain it.

The theme of the story, though, is more about how her family feels being left behind, specifically her sister, Sasha with whom she had a estranged relationship.

Much of the book involves transcripts from a podcast, magazine and newspaper articles, and emails. While a fun way to tell a story from a lot of different viewpoints, it did become tedious.

I loved the mystery element and that’s what kept me reading, because I just *had* to know what happened to Violet.

I was really disappointed in the end and irritated that we are given no real explanation. I would’ve liked one more chapter from Violet’s perspective to help end the story.

Quote from the book I loved: “When you really don't want to believe something, you'll create a new logic to circumvent the truth; sometimes necessity isn't the mother of invention so much as denial.”

I should have liked this more than I do. I'm not sold on the layout, the primary story heard through a podcast, emails, and Violet's sister. I'm not satisfied with the closing, questions unanswered, or the way Sasha (Violet's Sister) finally gets closure.

This book had me in its grip in the beginning but as things progressed I found a lot of it redundant and convenient.

Idk. Maybe it's just me.

**3/5**
Fantastic on audio but the story itself got quite eccentric and lost me a bit at the end.

The audio version of this book is an experience. It’s half audiobook, half podcast. Loved the characters. The ending was a tiny bit anticlimactic, but it didn’t leave me feeling disappointed. I recommend it highly!

This book was entertaining when you were trying to figure out if Violet really vanished from her magic act, or if it was just a way for her to escape… but I can’t say I’d recommend it. I did like the way the author included a podcast type set up/interview in some of the chapters.