keekeeshoey's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Sarah Penner has once again crafted an immersive atmosphere of mystery and suspense steeped in an eerie world dripping with illusion. Another artfully written piece of gothic historical fiction that brought the Victorian era to life; awakening all of my senses as if I were right there on the cobblestone streets of 19th century London. I was drawn into this spellbinding storyline just as much as I was captivated by The Lost Apothecary. Do not miss your chance to preorder a copy of The London Séance Society as I’m sure shelves will be cleared on March 23rd!
samschnell19's review
I really wanted to love this book. I loved the setup and idea of the book but the characters felt flat and I personally don't like when timelines and narrators flip flop every chapter. I normally get emotionally attached to characters within a couple pages but I just can't make myself interested in these characters.
nicolelw1013's review
5.0
This book was so good. I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary last year, and The London Séance Society was even better. I kept thinking “seductive mystery” when trying to decide how to describe the overall vibe of the book.
Lenna has suffered great loss in her life and is doing everything she can to find out what happened to her sister, Evie. She’s brave, determined, and trying to open her tangible science mind to the intangible world of séance to study under spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. There’s an underlying current between the two of them that you can feel in the pages as they work in Paris and then travel back to London. Vaudeline is asked to return and perform a séance to reveal who murdered the Society president. Through the perspective of Mr. Morley, vice president of the Society, more of Evie’s backstory is revealed and scandal in the Society begins to be exposed. The whole novel is a winding and weaving tale that comes to a dramatic conclusion with a twist I didn’t see coming. There’s an added finale moment that was unexpected, but so satisfying.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC copy.
Lenna has suffered great loss in her life and is doing everything she can to find out what happened to her sister, Evie. She’s brave, determined, and trying to open her tangible science mind to the intangible world of séance to study under spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. There’s an underlying current between the two of them that you can feel in the pages as they work in Paris and then travel back to London. Vaudeline is asked to return and perform a séance to reveal who murdered the Society president. Through the perspective of Mr. Morley, vice president of the Society, more of Evie’s backstory is revealed and scandal in the Society begins to be exposed. The whole novel is a winding and weaving tale that comes to a dramatic conclusion with a twist I didn’t see coming. There’s an added finale moment that was unexpected, but so satisfying.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC copy.
nikkilking's review
5.0
London in the 1800s… ghosts, seances, spookiness… all my favorite things! The scams and misleading ways… the characters were like able and well developed. A definite page turner. The book was well researched. I definitely recommend.
macaronoui's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
carireadsbooksandtarot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
In 1873, Lenna, desperate to solve her younger sister’s murder, turns to well-known medium, Vaudeline, to learn the art of summoning the dead through séance. When Vaudeline’s help is sought to solve the murder of the president of the London Séance Society, the two women start to uncover sinister truths about the organization. These discoveries put their lives in danger while their feelings for one another grow.
Penner does an excellent job creating the dark atmosphere in this novel. It’s a gothic mystery/thriller and as the reader, I found myself anxiously waiting to learn if the London she painted really was full of spirits or if all of it was a ruse. I enjoyed this aspect of the book. Those who love spooky vibes will love this read.
However, the characters never quite felt like fully formed persons and there was a lot of hand-holding and repetition as new pieces of the mystery were revealed. It seemed like the author didn’t trust the reader to be smart enough to understand what certain revelations meant. So much was revealed to the reader in the chapters that featured Mr. Morley and I prefer a mystery in which the reader is only privy to the information the main character possesses. The way the mystery was solved was unsatisfying.
Overall, this book is fine for me. I think many people who love historical fiction and ghost stories will really enjoy it. Fans of Penner’s first novel, The Lost Apothecary, will not be disappointed.
jadavis95's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ramseyreads's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley and Legend Press for the eARC of The London Seance Society in exchange for my honest review.
I found The London Seance Society quite entertaining once the plot picked up and we got to the thick of it. Victorian London/Paris was the perfecting setting for this murder mystery. I loved the relationship between the women in the novel and how they supported each other throughout it.
The ending was very satisfying the fitting to the entire book! I would definitely recommend if you're a fan of mystery/thrillers
I found The London Seance Society quite entertaining once the plot picked up and we got to the thick of it. Victorian London/Paris was the perfecting setting for this murder mystery. I loved the relationship between the women in the novel and how they supported each other throughout it.
The ending was very satisfying the fitting to the entire book! I would definitely recommend if you're a fan of mystery/thrillers
wildflowerz76's review
DNF. I liked The Lost Apothecary and frequently recommend it at work. So, of course I was happy to get this ARC. It sounded like a good story too. But I was just bored. I couldn't get into this one. Like at all.
I was also a tad annoyed that by page 17, we get a throwaway line that was historically inaccurate. The story takes place in 1873. But Vaudeline says, "You will not find any Ouija boards or planchettes in my possession." The first Ouija board wasn't made until 1890. Before that, they were just called talking boards, but they were only around for a few years before that. And I also think the planchette early on was just referred to as a table. I'm not sure this would have even registered to me, but I just listened to a podcast about talking boards. It's a small detail, but it's very easily checked.
I was also a tad annoyed that by page 17, we get a throwaway line that was historically inaccurate. The story takes place in 1873. But Vaudeline says, "You will not find any Ouija boards or planchettes in my possession." The first Ouija board wasn't made until 1890. Before that, they were just called talking boards, but they were only around for a few years before that. And I also think the planchette early on was just referred to as a table. I'm not sure this would have even registered to me, but I just listened to a podcast about talking boards. It's a small detail, but it's very easily checked.