Historical

The London Séance Society

The London Séance Society

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  • Create Date：2022-12-21 11:21:50
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Penner
  • ISBN：B0B8BKCVDC
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Summary

May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium…

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。 But as the women 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…

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Reviews

Jen ，

4。5 stars， rounded up because I’m delighted by the recipes in the back of the book！ Started off a bit slow， but once the pace picked up I was unable to put it down！ Intriguing story with historical and supernatural elements。 A truly enjoyable read！Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC。

kaitlyns_library ，

I love the paranormal vibes， sapphic relationship and murder mystery set in Victorian era vibes。 This was highly engaging and I really liked the ambiance of the book。 I can’t wait for people to pick this up next year！

Maureen ，

It’s 1873， and on the outskirts of Paris， France， a seance is about to commence in the eerie confines of an abandoned chateau。 Leading the seance is acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire， who has a talent for bringing forth murder victims， in order to discover the person responsible for their deaths。 Not unnaturally， D’Allaire is very popular both with grieving widows and investigators alike。Lenna Wickes has come to Paris as an understudy with D’Allaire but she’s also here to discover who k It’s 1873， and on the outskirts of Paris， France， a seance is about to commence in the eerie confines of an abandoned chateau。 Leading the seance is acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire， who has a talent for bringing forth murder victims， in order to discover the person responsible for their deaths。 Not unnaturally， D’Allaire is very popular both with grieving widows and investigators alike。Lenna Wickes has come to Paris as an understudy with D’Allaire but she’s also here to discover who killed her sister Evie， but unlike Evie， Lenna is rather sceptical about the afterlife， never mind contacting the dead。 After the seance， D’Allaire’s services are required in London by the London Seance Society， to solve a high profile murder， and accompanied by Lenna， the two will find themselves in extreme danger as they battle some of the most powerful men in London， because Lenna is determined to avenge Evie’s death， regardless of whether that person yields power or not。Victorian London is brought deliciously to life in this creepy gothic storyline， and especially the popularity of spiritualism， it’s simply oozing with atmosphere。 It’s eerie， full of suspense， with a little romance thrown in for good measure， not to mention some salacious propositions！*Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review * 。。。more

Kim ，

The London Seance Society checked lots of my favorite boxes: female empowerment， queer representation， Victorian England， ghosts， secret societies， and well-researched historical touches。 This book follows Lenna， a woman searching for answers regarding her sister’s death。 She uncovers a deeply rooted conspiracy among a misogynist secret club intent on being the go-to society for spiritualism in London。 Not content to let that stand， she then embarks on a mission to publicly reveal their wrongdoi The London Seance Society checked lots of my favorite boxes: female empowerment， queer representation， Victorian England， ghosts， secret societies， and well-researched historical touches。 This book follows Lenna， a woman searching for answers regarding her sister’s death。 She uncovers a deeply rooted conspiracy among a misogynist secret club intent on being the go-to society for spiritualism in London。 Not content to let that stand， she then embarks on a mission to publicly reveal their wrongdoing。 The author’s previous book， The Lost Apothecary， included similar themes of Victorian-era women using their intelligence and sisterhood to upend the misogynist power structures。 I rooted for Lenna even though I found her feelings too easily swayed by circumstantial evidence。 Vaudeline was charming。 I enjoyed learning about some of the techniques that spiritualists would use in that era to fool clients into thinking they were truly making contact with the deceased。 I also appreciated the educational extras at the end on Victorian mourning customs as well as recipes for the biscuits/cookies they would give to funeral attendees/wake visitors as “favors。” I definitely recommend this book！ 。。。more

Rae-Lynne Byerley ，

This was a great book by Sarah Penner， I really enjoyed the writing style and the story。 The setting in time with the LGBTQ2+ was an added bonus。 Very much enjoyed and look forward to sharing with the readers at Yooneek Books。

bookstahere ，

Get ready to be transported to the world of London in 1800s and definitely a bonus if interested in topics like afterlife， medium， reaching out to people who passed away and seances of course！ Throw in a murder mystery in these settings， and it makes a very intriguing novel。 I loved understanding the finer nuances and workings of a Seance society in London and the scams they use to lure people in。 But there was also real medium and communication in the plot that helped murder investigation in ca Get ready to be transported to the world of London in 1800s and definitely a bonus if interested in topics like afterlife， medium， reaching out to people who passed away and seances of course！ Throw in a murder mystery in these settings， and it makes a very intriguing novel。 I loved understanding the finer nuances and workings of a Seance society in London and the scams they use to lure people in。 But there was also real medium and communication in the plot that helped murder investigation in case of our main character， Lenna as she tries to identify killers of her sister Evie。 It was an interesting and intriguing spooky mystery that is perfect for fall season！ 。。。more

Asha - Joyof_reading ，

I was so excited to see that I was approved for an eARC of this book from NetGalley！ I loved The Lost Apothecary and couldn't wait to read Sarah Penners latest book。 The story was definitely an interesting one as it talked about Mediumship， the afterlife and connecting with those that have left us。 I remember when I was 13 and went to my first sleepover and we had ouija board。 I remember being was skeptical of using it but when we called upon spirits， the counter did move across the board and sp I was so excited to see that I was approved for an eARC of this book from NetGalley！ I loved The Lost Apothecary and couldn't wait to read Sarah Penners latest book。 The story was definitely an interesting one as it talked about Mediumship， the afterlife and connecting with those that have left us。 I remember when I was 13 and went to my first sleepover and we had ouija board。 I remember being was skeptical of using it but when we called upon spirits， the counter did move across the board and spelt out some things。。。 definitely an interesting experience！ I enjoyed reading about the inner workings of seances， the lengths the Society went through to pull scams and ， the lengths Lenna and Vaudeline went through to uncover the deceptions and to get to the bottom of Evie's death。The acknowledgements at the end were so nice to read， especially the message from Sarah's Dad。 。。。more

Sam ，

I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but I jumped at the chance to read this as I'm a lover of anything to do with the occult。 This book was a treat， murder， mystery and ghosts。 London in 1873， Lenna's sister is murdered and her goal is to find out how， who and why。 I really enjoyed this and will definitely be interested in reading more of Sarah Penner's work。 I was gifted the book by Netgalley for an honest review。 I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but I jumped at the chance to read this as I'm a lover of anything to do with the occult。 This book was a treat， murder， mystery and ghosts。 London in 1873， Lenna's sister is murdered and her goal is to find out how， who and why。 I really enjoyed this and will definitely be interested in reading more of Sarah Penner's work。 I was gifted the book by Netgalley for an honest review。 。。。more

Jenna ，

I really enjoyed this one！ A huge thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for my advanced copy of The London Seance Society！ What I Loved- ✨ The Cover- Stunning。✨ The Atmosphere- Amazing。✨ The Dual POV。✨ The History。✨ The Characters。✨ The Mystery。Why this wasn’t a Five Star Read- The beginning of the novel moved very slow for me。 It took me a minute to get into。 Overall- highly recommend。 I cannot wait to see what this author puts out next。

Hailey Rautanen ，

"May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium。" HOW DOES SARAH PENNER DO IT？！？ I was so excited to see that I was approved for an ARC of this book from NetGalley！ I loved The Lost Apothecary and would not stop telling people about it when they asked for book recs。 Sarah immerses us into the setting of London during the late 1800's。 I could hear the horses hooves clacking while I was reading。 I felt the fear for Lenna and Vaudeline as I was reading。 I sensed the det "May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium。" HOW DOES SARAH PENNER DO IT？！？ I was so excited to see that I was approved for an ARC of this book from NetGalley！ I loved The Lost Apothecary and would not stop telling people about it when they asked for book recs。 Sarah immerses us into the setting of London during the late 1800's。 I could hear the horses hooves clacking while I was reading。 I felt the fear for Lenna and Vaudeline as I was reading。 I sensed the determination Lenna had in trying to figure out what happened to her sister Evie while coming to terms with she may not have known everything beforehand。 You can tell that Sarah does her research when it comes to the time periods her books are set in。 I tried so hard to stay up and finish this book in one day as I had to know where their journey was taking them in uncovering the London Seance Society。 As sad as I am for this book to have ended， I am so looking forward to what else Sarah has up her sleeve！！！ 。。。more

Susan ，

I received the book， London Seance Society by Sarah Penner， as a result of a Goodreads giveaway。 The book is a Gothic mystery that tells the intertwining story of three women and set in different timelines where a seance is to take place in an abandon chateau outside of Paris。 It's an interesting story with a twisted surprising ending but unfortunately didn't hold my attention。 I received the book， London Seance Society by Sarah Penner， as a result of a Goodreads giveaway。 The book is a Gothic mystery that tells the intertwining story of three women and set in different timelines where a seance is to take place in an abandon chateau outside of Paris。 It's an interesting story with a twisted surprising ending but unfortunately didn't hold my attention。 。。。more

Jenny LaVigne ，

This book is the definition of a page turner。 Sarah has developed such tangible characters with descriptions that truly bring them to life。 The story itself is full of suspense and is historically intriguing。 You can tell the research behind the story’s setting and the way Sarah describes each scene is realistic。 I feel like I can visualize， smell， and taste everything alongside the characters。 This is a must read！

Michelle ，

The London Seance Society is the next book by Sarah Penner。 It is an entertaining book of historical fiction with an air of murder mystery。 I was hooked from the start！Lenna searches for answers about her sister's murder and studies under the famous medium Vaudeline D'Allaire。 Vaudeline is invited to the London Seance Society to help solve the murder of the society's president。 Lenna tags along hoping to find out more information about her sister。 This was an entertaining read with many twists a The London Seance Society is the next book by Sarah Penner。 It is an entertaining book of historical fiction with an air of murder mystery。 I was hooked from the start！Lenna searches for answers about her sister's murder and studies under the famous medium Vaudeline D'Allaire。 Vaudeline is invited to the London Seance Society to help solve the murder of the society's president。 Lenna tags along hoping to find out more information about her sister。 This was an entertaining read with many twists and turns that keep you guessing and wanting more。 I highly recommend this book especially if you like Victorian historical fiction and murder mysteries。 。。。more

Chelsea ，

Evie Wickes was found dead by her sister Lenna。 Evie was an understudy of a medium by the name of Vaudiline。 When Evie died， Lenna took Evies place as an understudy to find out who killed her sister。 The London Séance Society is a group of men mediums。 Evie was investigating them for reasons we find out throughout the book。 Honestly， this book drug on。 I enjoyed the first few pages and the end。 The middle was not very interesting to me。 My favorite character is Lenna。 She is so loyal。 A true det Evie Wickes was found dead by her sister Lenna。 Evie was an understudy of a medium by the name of Vaudiline。 When Evie died， Lenna took Evies place as an understudy to find out who killed her sister。 The London Séance Society is a group of men mediums。 Evie was investigating them for reasons we find out throughout the book。 Honestly， this book drug on。 I enjoyed the first few pages and the end。 The middle was not very interesting to me。 My favorite character is Lenna。 She is so loyal。 A true detective despite the hurt。 Thank you netgalley and Legend Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Sheri Metzger Karmiol ，

I loved Sarah Penner's The Lost Apothecary and have recommended it to everyone I know。 The London Seance Society is a very different novel。 The premise of The London Seance Society seems like an interesting topic。 It is a subject I know little about， but after reading Penner's novel， I found the topic ponderous and uninteresting。 Except at the end of the novel， the whole topic of seance seems more like a con game than reality。The female protagonists are interesting， but are ultimately redundant I loved Sarah Penner's The Lost Apothecary and have recommended it to everyone I know。 The London Seance Society is a very different novel。 The premise of The London Seance Society seems like an interesting topic。 It is a subject I know little about， but after reading Penner's novel， I found the topic ponderous and uninteresting。 Except at the end of the novel， the whole topic of seance seems more like a con game than reality。The female protagonists are interesting， but are ultimately redundant and repetitive。 The mystery suggests an interesting and intriguing plot--two murders connected by time and possibly location。 but before readers get to the heart of the mystery， we must all slog through character descriptions that constantly repeat themselves。 The real problem is that I lost interest just as the mystery was getting solved。 I no longer cared because I had figured it out long before。 It also felt like the author had become tired of the whole thing and decided to wrap it up in a rush and get it over with。 I know that Penner is a talented writer。 The Lost Apothecary proved her talent。 Unfortunately， The London Seance Society fails to fulfill that talent。 I am glad that I read this novel， and will look forward to Penner's next novel。 I appreciate that the author and publisher provided this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you also to NetGalley for having providing access to this novel。 。。。more

Susan ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review。 This will appear on goodreads。Stop here if you don’t want spoilers。I real Sarah Penney’s book The Lost Apothecary in pre-release as well and loved it！ I told everyone I knew to look for it’s release， and shared it with many patrons。 I was so excited to read the London Séance Society。 My review here， unfortunately might be unpopular。This book never got off the ground for me。 More than half the book was a Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review。 This will appear on goodreads。Stop here if you don’t want spoilers。I real Sarah Penney’s book The Lost Apothecary in pre-release as well and loved it！ I told everyone I knew to look for it’s release， and shared it with many patrons。 I was so excited to read the London Séance Society。 My review here， unfortunately might be unpopular。This book never got off the ground for me。 More than half the book was a slow repetitive character build。 It lost me a third of the way through but I kept going until half way when I gave up。 Other reviews say it picks up at the end but I fear you will lose many readers before they can get there。 I did not like the lesbian romance。 I feel as though too many historical fiction books are sliding forbidden love into their novels for really no other reason but to have it in there。 A hint of it is one thing， but it’s becoming a thing in books now。 Because of that， I can’t suggest it to patrons， not knowing their threshold for language， violence， sex， or homosexuality。 Is the book good after half way？ I don’t know。 I wanted to enjoy this as much as the lost apothecary。 I wish the front end of the book was tightened up so it moved better and kept me reading。2* 。。。more

Natalie ，

Sarah Penner is back with another mystery featuring a strong， but sometimes impetuous， female looking to find her place in the world after tragedy or hardship。 In “The London Seance Society，” Lenna is seeking to find the truth about her sister’s murder while still grieving the death of her best friend。 Though Lenna is driven by logic and is somewhat dismissive of Spiritualists， she becomes a student of her sister’s mentor， acclaimed medium Vaudeline D’Allaire。 The quest for truth pulls Lenna and Sarah Penner is back with another mystery featuring a strong， but sometimes impetuous， female looking to find her place in the world after tragedy or hardship。 In “The London Seance Society，” Lenna is seeking to find the truth about her sister’s murder while still grieving the death of her best friend。 Though Lenna is driven by logic and is somewhat dismissive of Spiritualists， she becomes a student of her sister’s mentor， acclaimed medium Vaudeline D’Allaire。 The quest for truth pulls Lenna and Vaudeline into the murky inner workings of The London Seance Society， an exclusive men’s club that provides medium services…among other things。I enjoyed the twists and turns in this fast-paced story。 Clues as presented throughout， but， as in real life， sometimes the information is interpreted incorrectly by Lenna， leading her deeper into the mystery until she has no choice but to act。 The story is told from the dual points of view of two characters。 “The London Seance Society” is great for those who like twisty， turny mysteries as well as those who enjoy stories featuring Spiritualists， the Spiritualist Movement， or the paranormal。Take the time to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book。 Ann Braude’s “Radical Spirits，” referenced in Further Reading， is an excellent read on women’s role in the Spiritualist movement in the 19th century。 Thanks to #NetGalley and Park Row publishers for providing an e-ARC for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。 “The London Seance Society” will hit shelves in March 2023。 。。。more

Meryl ，

I was thrilled to win the Goodreads giveaway of Sarah Penner’s second book， The London Séance Society， after loving The Lost Apothecary。 While it got off to a slow start， the thrills picked up and continued growing throughout the story along with the twists and turns I didn’t expect。 It is so easy to misunderstand the ones we love when we look at the events as they unfold before our own eyes。 It is only later in the story when the truth comes out。 The feel of 19th century London comes through lo I was thrilled to win the Goodreads giveaway of Sarah Penner’s second book， The London Séance Society， after loving The Lost Apothecary。 While it got off to a slow start， the thrills picked up and continued growing throughout the story along with the twists and turns I didn’t expect。 It is so easy to misunderstand the ones we love when we look at the events as they unfold before our own eyes。 It is only later in the story when the truth comes out。 The feel of 19th century London comes through loud and clear， and I can imagine myself walking the London streets and sitting in the final séance along with the characters in the story。 Thank you to Netgalley， Harlequin， and Sarah Penner for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Sara ，

The London Séance Society by Sarah PennerThank you Netgalley and Legend Press for an arc ebook for an unbiased review。I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Apothecary， and so was extremely excited to read this arc。Lenna's sister Evie is killed。 Up until then， Lenna Wickes was driven by a belief in the sciences， and most certainly not by something she had considered to be meaningless and irrational。 Now， Lenna travels to an abandoned château， where she asks the renowned medium， Vaudeline D’Allaire， to se The London Séance Society by Sarah PennerThank you Netgalley and Legend Press for an arc ebook for an unbiased review。I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Apothecary， and so was extremely excited to read this arc。Lenna's sister Evie is killed。 Up until then， Lenna Wickes was driven by a belief in the sciences， and most certainly not by something she had considered to be meaningless and irrational。 Now， Lenna travels to an abandoned château， where she asks the renowned medium， Vaudeline D’Allaire， to see if she can get answers about Evie's death。 Despite becoming Vaudeline's understudy， Lenna still finds it hard to accept séances as anything other than exaggerated parlour games。From the château， we then end up in London， where at the bequest of Mr Morley， Vaudeline accompanied by Lenna， travels to try and find a killer。I won't say more， as it might verge into spoiler territory。 Suffice it to say， there are layers of complexity and connection that not only were surprising to me as we went along， but could easily become too entangled， and yet Sarah manages to weave them nicely。 Engaging， vivid and once it got past an initial slow buildup， was superbly paced。 Murder and mystery aren't always something that can be pulled off， yet here it works。 From the abandoned château to Londons Séance Society， we are drawn into a world that is rich with the right amount of gothic vibes。 We have some romance， and usually， in the kind of setting such as this it would annoy me， yet it isn't the focus here， and so blends into the background without distracting you from the book's true purpose。 I am so tempted to just give 5 stars， but I felt the pacing was just a tad too slow initially， and that pulls the star off。 Well more of a ½ star。 Others could easily give it 5 stars， and I wouldn't have any qualms about them doing so。 In one way I feel almost disappointed in not giving it 5 stars myself。 Argh， the dilemma！ lol Certainly a book I will place onto my bookshelves once released， and have no problem gifting or recommending it to others。 4/5 stars 🌟 。。。more

Mana ，

Welcome to the world of the occult， romance， and death。Vaudeline is known throughout the world for her skill in conjuring the spirits of murder victims in order to ascertain the identities of their killers。 An esteemed spiritualist， she had solved several of Europe's most baffling murder mysteries。Lenna， Vaudeline's apprentice， would have to learn the art of séance herself in Paris， then return to the site of Evie's death with the hope of conjuring her sister's spirit on her own。 These ghosts we Welcome to the world of the occult， romance， and death。Vaudeline is known throughout the world for her skill in conjuring the spirits of murder victims in order to ascertain the identities of their killers。 An esteemed spiritualist， she had solved several of Europe's most baffling murder mysteries。Lenna， Vaudeline's apprentice， would have to learn the art of séance herself in Paris， then return to the site of Evie's death with the hope of conjuring her sister's spirit on her own。 These ghosts were victims of violence， and they are gone too soon。 They'd been murdered， every one of them。 And worse， their killers had gotten away。Could women find their voice， their power， and their mission in the 19th century， when men were in charge？The lively female protagonists， who are not only looking for the killer but also their passion， are perfectly described in this historical fiction。Good read。 。。。more

Jeremy Booty ，

This was a fun， different read for me。 It is a historical novel which mixes mystery and the occult together。 As the title suggests， the story involves The London Seance Society， a good old boy network of mediums who conduct seances which are not well done 。 （Sorry， I couldn't resist）。 Its members are entwined in the deaths of Evie Wickes， a young medium and a Mr。 Volckman， the president of the society 。Volckman's former protege， Vaudeline D'Allaire and Lenna， Evie's sister and now Vaudeline's st This was a fun， different read for me。 It is a historical novel which mixes mystery and the occult together。 As the title suggests， the story involves The London Seance Society， a good old boy network of mediums who conduct seances which are not well done 。 （Sorry， I couldn't resist）。 Its members are entwined in the deaths of Evie Wickes， a young medium and a Mr。 Volckman， the president of the society 。Volckman's former protege， Vaudeline D'Allaire and Lenna， Evie's sister and now Vaudeline's student， journey to London to solve the mystery of their murders。Penner keeps the plot chugging along and I stayed up late at the end of a long day to reach the surprising ending。 I am giving it 4 stars rather than 5 because the author keeps switching the narrator in a kind of clunky and annoying way when the story would have gone just as well without this device。 Thanks to Park Row Books and Netgalley for an ARC copy in turn for an honest review 。。。more

Kristin ，

Interesting read。

Tamara ，

Review to come。Quick thoughts:I enjoyed Sarah's debut so when I saw this one，I knew I had to read it。I enjoyed the characters and setting quite a bit！ Review to come。Quick thoughts:I enjoyed Sarah's debut so when I saw this one，I knew I had to read it。I enjoyed the characters and setting quite a bit！ 。。。more

bookish_vespa ，

The London Séance Society 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕/5 “Penner conjures a masterpiece。”Summary: 1873。 After the murder of her sister， Lenna Wickes travels from London to Paris as a Spiritualist understudy to renowned Vaudeline D’Allaire。 When shocking news arrives of a murder at the London Séance Society the two swiftly depart for London。 Vaudeline intends to use her abilities to unmask two murders。 Twisted truths， malice and a budding romance awaits them。 What I Liked: - The protagonists are well developed， relatab The London Séance Society 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕/5 “Penner conjures a masterpiece。”Summary: 1873。 After the murder of her sister， Lenna Wickes travels from London to Paris as a Spiritualist understudy to renowned Vaudeline D’Allaire。 When shocking news arrives of a murder at the London Séance Society the two swiftly depart for London。 Vaudeline intends to use her abilities to unmask two murders。 Twisted truths， malice and a budding romance awaits them。 What I Liked: - The protagonists are well developed， relatable， strong women。 - Fascinating insight into physical techniques used by mediums。 Flame reading， spirit horns， ectoplasm， etc。 - Written in alternating POV’s added mystery and intrigue between the antagonist and protagonist。 - The way Penner researched and conveyed Spiritualism in the Victorian era is perfection。 - The curious， innocent， unapologetic exploration of female sexuality in the 19th century adds texture and beauty to the story。 What Could Have been Improved:- Less repetitive details from Lenna and Morley’s POV during the final scenes。 - Mr。 Morley’s character could have been more aggressive， defiant at the end。 Final Thoughts: I was naturally drawn to this story from the first chapter since I relish anything supernatural。 Sarah’s female characters are always powerful and invoke confidence。 The story is not only about death but also the depths to which we go to in our grief to find solace。 I felt empathy for a couple characters who were judged， ostracized and ridiculed by a fear induced society。 This book is magic。 Thank you Harpercollinscanada， Park Row Books for this eARC。 。。。more

Emily ，

In Victorian England， Lenna Wickes is apprenticing with renowned medium Vaudeline D’Allair to find out what happened to her sister Evie， who was killed under mysterious circumstances on Halloween night。 Through alternating points of view， we follow Lenna and Mr。 Morley， the Vice President of the Department of Spiritualism in the London Seance Society， as Lenna uncovers what happened that fateful night。This is a mystery set in 1873 Paris and London， with women making their own way despite the lim In Victorian England， Lenna Wickes is apprenticing with renowned medium Vaudeline D’Allair to find out what happened to her sister Evie， who was killed under mysterious circumstances on Halloween night。 Through alternating points of view， we follow Lenna and Mr。 Morley， the Vice President of the Department of Spiritualism in the London Seance Society， as Lenna uncovers what happened that fateful night。This is a mystery set in 1873 Paris and London， with women making their own way despite the limitations of Victorian convention， ambitious and avaricious men， and， of course， seances。 It’s atmospheric and interesting， taking us into worlds such as a select London gentlemen’s club， a brothel， and a chateau。 The sisters’ relationship plays a strong part in the plot， as does Evie’s growing relationship with her mentor Vaudeline。 Other themes are the tension between science and the supernatural， between reason and emotion。 While the story feels a little slow in the beginning， it picks up further in。 Some surprising twists add originality and intensity in the second half of the novel， and there are some strong suspenseful scenes， climaxing in a seance that reveals the murderer。 At times， however， I can still feel the authorial strings on the plot。 There’s also some stereotypical tendency toward good， loving， and brave women vs evil， scheming men。 It seemed as if the characters would be more complex at points during the novel， but ultimately it resolved in a more black-and-white （less interesting） way。 Still， this is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in Victoriana， Spiritualism and seances， gothic novels， historical fiction with empowered women， and lesbian/queer re-visioning of 19th century stories。 I recommend it。 。。。more

Coral W ，

I enjoyed this！ Ghosts ， mediums ， murder mystery？ Sign me up。 Sarah really knows how to take you back in time and slowly unwind an exquisitely beautiful gothic tale。 The suspension and tension was well done and had me flipping through until the final page。I have yet to read her other works， I've had the lost apothecary sitting on my shelf and after reading this I'll be diving right in。 Thank you netgalley for providing me an arc for an honest review I enjoyed this！ Ghosts ， mediums ， murder mystery？ Sign me up。 Sarah really knows how to take you back in time and slowly unwind an exquisitely beautiful gothic tale。 The suspension and tension was well done and had me flipping through until the final page。I have yet to read her other works， I've had the lost apothecary sitting on my shelf and after reading this I'll be diving right in。 Thank you netgalley for providing me an arc for an honest review 。。。more

Courtney ，

Magical realism， spirits， and murder from the author of THE LOST APOTHECARY。Sarah Penner's sophomore novel is atmospheric and full of dark magic， with a writing style that has matured and seasoned from her debut。 The plot lines felt better-controlled， and the plucky investigative heroine was given greater depth。 I liked the book's LGBTQ+ representation， and enjoyed the extra content at the end， which explains more about mourning rituals and even includes some recipes。I thought the plot's pacing Magical realism， spirits， and murder from the author of THE LOST APOTHECARY。Sarah Penner's sophomore novel is atmospheric and full of dark magic， with a writing style that has matured and seasoned from her debut。 The plot lines felt better-controlled， and the plucky investigative heroine was given greater depth。 I liked the book's LGBTQ+ representation， and enjoyed the extra content at the end， which explains more about mourning rituals and even includes some recipes。I thought the plot's pacing could've been a little quicker; at times there was a lot of filler， observations of surroundings or characters' thoughts that could've been trimmed down， but I enjoyed this one overall and look forward to seeing how the author's writing style continues to evolve。Thank you to Park Row Books for the gifted ARC！ THE LONDON SEANCE SOCIETY releases March 21！ 。。。more

Kathryn Tam ，

The London Seance Society is the second book from Sarah Penner。 This one is another historical work and I really enjoy the writing style。 I was initially drawn to the beautiful cover art， but the story holds its own。 Ive yet to read Jenner's first novel， but I'm excited to dive into it after enjoying this one so much。 Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy。 The London Seance Society is the second book from Sarah Penner。 This one is another historical work and I really enjoy the writing style。 I was initially drawn to the beautiful cover art， but the story holds its own。 Ive yet to read Jenner's first novel， but I'm excited to dive into it after enjoying this one so much。 Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy。 。。。more

Leith Bookstagram ，

Overall I really enjoyed this book， and I loved that the ending really kept me on my toes， there were so many twists that really surprised me。 I thought that the book was quite slow until the end when it all really picked up the pace。 I also thought that a lot of thoughts were repeated which felt like space filler， conversations and scenarios were not realistic （after a violent fight were unrealistically calm）， and that more attention could have been given to the relationship between Vaudeline a Overall I really enjoyed this book， and I loved that the ending really kept me on my toes， there were so many twists that really surprised me。 I thought that the book was quite slow until the end when it all really picked up the pace。 I also thought that a lot of thoughts were repeated which felt like space filler， conversations and scenarios were not realistic （after a violent fight were unrealistically calm）， and that more attention could have been given to the relationship between Vaudeline and Lenna which， I felt like， was forgotten about frequently。 I really enjoyed Sarah's writing style and I thought the storyline was fantastic。 I don't think anyone could have guessed what would happen in this book！ All the characterisations were really well-developed and， again， kept me on my toes。 The changes between POVs was really great， and it was really smart that the reader knew what happened before some of the other characters because of the POVs。 I love the additions at the front and end of the book， they're really unique， and Sarah's acknowledgements at the end was beautiful。 I would really recommend this book。 I haven't read Sarah's debut novel The Lost Apothecary before， but I'm really interested in reading it now！ Thank you again NetGalley， Sarah Penner and Legend Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Jessica Johnson ，

I enjoyed this book。 It was a little bit mystery， romance， and spooky combined。 I think it is a prefect fall read。 The story is told mainly through Lenna’s perspective and I found her likable。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The London Séance Society

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The London Séance Society&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The London Séance Society&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0