The London Séance Society: A Dark Mystery of Murder, Magic and the Secrets of the Supernatural in Victorian London from the Author of The Lost Apothecary
Don't miss THE AMALFI CURSE! Sarah's next spellbinding book to unearth a centuries-old curse, powerful witchcraft, and perilous love on the high seas.
"An atmospheric and evocative whodunnit steeped in suspense, mystery, and illusion." --Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the author of the sensational bestseller The Lost Apothecary comes a spellbinding tale about two daring women who hunt for truth and justice in the perilous art of conjuring the dead.
1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.
Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister's death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. With shared determination, the women find companionship that perhaps borders on something more. And as they team up with the powerful men of London's exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves...
Written with intoxicating suspense and sultry prose, The London Séance Society is an entrancing tale that blurs the lines between truth and illusion, and reveals the grave risks women will take to avenge the ones they love.
"Penner brings history to vivid life in this atmospheric and evocative whodunnit." --Nita Prose, author of The Maid
Named a Most Anticipated book by Good Housekeeping, Washington Post, Bookpage, CrimeReads, Readers Digest, Popsugar, LitHub, E! News, Goodreads, and more
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Community Reviews
3.5 Stars, Rounded Down
I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner so I was eager to get my hands on her newest release, The London Séance Society. The plot of the book instantly intrigued me - a murder mystery set in the occult-obsessed Victorian London. Sign me up!
A few things I really enjoyed about this novel:
1. The backdrop of Victorian London and its society's focus on the fascination with spiritualism. I'm far from a spiritualist, so I learned a lot reading this book. While I love most historical fiction books, this was unique in setting and subject-matter.
2. The sense of danger. My heart raced the last 75 pages or so and I really was unsure what was going to happen to our main protagonist, Lenna. This felt very similar to how I felt reading the last 100 pages of The Lost Apothecary.
Ultimately, this book fell flat in a few areas:
1. The mystery was predictable. This was my biggest qualm with the book. I figured out the "mystery" about 25 pages in. I think this was due to the duo-POV nature of the book and I think the novel would have benefitted being told solely from Lenna's POV.
2. The book seemed to repeat itself multiple times as if it needed to hammer home the most basic points. With a mystery that was easy to guess, this felt almost belittling to the reader.
3. I felt like there were forced elements of romance that weren't ever really exposed. Penner touches on some matters of sexuality but I never felt like they were fully dived into and examined. Lenna has a boy who is pinning after her despite having romantic feelings for females. I felt like her sexuality and romantic feelings for two different women read like after-thoughts and felt under-developed in a book that at times felt significantly longer than necessary.
Overall, I think this was a quick-paced mystery with a unique and intriguing setting. If you were a fan of The Lost Apothecary, I would recommend picking this up and giving it a read!
Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner.
I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner so I was eager to get my hands on her newest release, The London Séance Society. The plot of the book instantly intrigued me - a murder mystery set in the occult-obsessed Victorian London. Sign me up!
A few things I really enjoyed about this novel:
1. The backdrop of Victorian London and its society's focus on the fascination with spiritualism. I'm far from a spiritualist, so I learned a lot reading this book. While I love most historical fiction books, this was unique in setting and subject-matter.
2. The sense of danger. My heart raced the last 75 pages or so and I really was unsure what was going to happen to our main protagonist, Lenna. This felt very similar to how I felt reading the last 100 pages of The Lost Apothecary.
Ultimately, this book fell flat in a few areas:
1. The mystery was predictable. This was my biggest qualm with the book. I figured out the "mystery" about 25 pages in. I think this was due to the duo-POV nature of the book and I think the novel would have benefitted being told solely from Lenna's POV.
2. The book seemed to repeat itself multiple times as if it needed to hammer home the most basic points. With a mystery that was easy to guess, this felt almost belittling to the reader.
3. I felt like there were forced elements of romance that weren't ever really exposed. Penner touches on some matters of sexuality but I never felt like they were fully dived into and examined. Lenna has a boy who is pinning after her despite having romantic feelings for females. I felt like her sexuality and romantic feelings for two different women read like after-thoughts and felt under-developed in a book that at times felt significantly longer than necessary.
Overall, I think this was a quick-paced mystery with a unique and intriguing setting. If you were a fan of The Lost Apothecary, I would recommend picking this up and giving it a read!
Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner.
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