An intriguing premise but to be honest, this wasn't what I expected it to be. There's good world building and those who enjoy the mix of paranormal, alternate history and mystery should give it a try.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book. I was intrigued of the premise of this story. This book give the the Ghost Whisperers vibe meet historical century. While reading this book I did find some scenes very boring and did not understand the character and side characters abilities.

As I really enjoyed Leanna Renee Hieber's first trilogy when I read them a few years ago, I was very excited to get to review this new title. There are some fun nods to those novels, set a generation earlier, but none that would keep this new series from standing on it's own.
In this paranormal story set at the start of the twentieth century, Eve is the head of a team of young mediums, who have only just been accredited by the New York Police. Struggling both with being taken seriously as a woman speaking with ghosts, and with her ghosts behaving according to the rigorous roles set for them, she is pulled into a mysterious dissapearance of a young child, and an even bigger mystery involving herself...

I'm sorry to say that this book wasn't my cup of tea. I've struggled to get into the story and felt that the plot and characters just didn't work for me so I will not review this book on my blog since I didn't finish the book.

Nothing gets me more excited than learning that my favorite author is starting a brand new series. That’s right, Leanna Renee Hieber is back with more Gothic gaslamp fantasy! The first book that I ever reviewed on this blog over three years ago was Leanna’s Darker Still, a thrilling love story about a young woman named Natalie who saves the dashing Lord Denbury from demonic forces. Now, nineteen years after their happily ever after, it’s time for the next generation to join the fight against evil. The Spectral City is the first book in a new series starring Eve Whitby, Natalie and Lord Denbury’s daughter. The book comes out tomorrow, November 27. If you’re in the area, join me at the Spectral City Launch Party at WORD bookstore in Brooklyn on November 29!

For Eve Whitby, a connection to the supernatural seems to run in the family. A talented medium like her grandmother Evelyn, Eve has decided to turn her ghost-related abilities into a career. With the support of New York City governor Teddy Roosevelt, she quietly forms a Ghost Precinct within the NYPD to solve cold cases via otherworldly means. Their specialty is finding missing children, but when one of their own ghost operatives goes missing, Eve realizes that they may be dealing with something bigger than she’s ever faced before. Meanwhile, a troubling thread of strange coincidences seems to be running through all of their cases: poison, the powerful Prenze family, and the ominous warning “Don’t let anything in.” Eve will need to call on all her allies—from her grandmother to the long-time veteran of psychic battles, Clara Bishop, and the handsome Detective Horowitz—in order to get to the bottom of this mystery.

The best part of this book is the girl gang of powerful and compassionate women that form the Ghost Precinct. Eve heads the group, but luckily she doesn’t need to work alone. Her second-in-command is Cora, the mixed-race daughter of Andre Dupris, whom Hieber fans will remember from the Eterna Files series. Cora uses her special relationship with her ghostly uncle Louis and her skill with psychometry—getting psychic readings from objects—to find new leads for their cases. But even more invaluable is her ability to take up the reins when Eve is worn out or pulled in too many directions. The next member of the team is Antonia, who was led to Eve’s doorstep by the spirits while the precinct was in the middle of a seance. As a trans woman, Antonia had to leave her home and family behind in order to live her life on her own terms, and she finds a new family in the Ghost Precinct. I view her as the heart of the group, since she prioritizes making sure they are all healthy and cared for over the glory of being the first on the scene, and she helps to balance out Eve’s impetuousness. Last is little Jenny, an eight-year-old Irish orphan who was brought to the precinct by the ghosts of her dead parents. While she is a powerful member of their team, the others recognize that she is still a child and try not to push her beyond her limits. These four women, brought together by their connection with the spirits, create a powerful sisterhood that makes crime-solving a collaborative effort.

As much as I love beautiful female friendships, I’m also here for the romance! Eve and Detective Horowitz’s relationship follows one of my favorite romance tropes: the fake boyfriend. Eve needs to pretend to have a suitor in order to get her parents off her back. Since she and the detective have been working together on a case, he’s a convenient choice. But when she’s with him, it feels just a little bit too easy to pretend…. Theirs is a slow-burning romance, and I can’t wait to see where it leads in the rest of the series!

If you want to read The Spectral City for yourself, you can preorder a print, digital, or audio copy now from your preferred online retailer or order the paperback directly from Leanna’s Etsy page to get a personalized signed copy. You can also find it at your local bookstore starting tomorrow. And, again, if you’re in town come to the release party at WORD on Thursday!

Eve Whitby is a medium. She can see and talk to ghosts. She has been chosen to be in charge of the Ghost Precinct. Her unit will assist the police when only a ghost can lead them in the right direction. Not only is the Ghost Precinct unusual because of it's supernatural ties, but this is back when women couldn't hold those types of jobs. It was unseemly.
I really wanted to like this book, but I was bored from the start. I didn't connect with the characters, and I didn't really care what happened.

The Spectral City is a really interesting concept - historical urban fantasy with ghosts and female detectives in a time when prejudice is rife but attitudes are changing. There are some pretty badass characters in this story and I was intrigued right from the start as to what the mystery was and how it would be solved.

I would say it perhaps needed a firmer hand in the editing process - the pacing is off and at times dragged, in part because it feels like every single character is introduced with a lengthy backstory, overloading the reader at times with information. Given that this is the first in a series, I felt that secondary characters could have their backstories introduced and explored in later stories when they became relevant.

The book explores a lot of themes and issues, and at times it felt like it was trying to do too much when I'd rather it would have focused on the plot to keep the story moving. However, it is still an enjoyable read and I imagine the series will pick up in the next instalment.

I discovered Leanna Renee Hieber way back in 2011 when I read one of her early books. I saw it in a local used book store and randomly picked it up. When I got home I started reading and couldn’t put it down.

I loved the romance and the paranormal and her overall storytelling and because of that first book in the Strangely Beautiful series, I fell in love with this author. She writes a spicy romance with great brooding heroes so I was thrilled to read this new book.

Her name is Eve Whitby, gifted medium and spearhead of The Ghost Precinct. When most women are traveling in a gilded society that promises only well-appointed marriage, the confident nineteen-year-old Eve navigates a social circle that carries a different kind of chill.

Working with the diligent but skeptical Lieutenant Horowitz, as well as a group of fellow psychics and wayward ghosts, Eve holds her own against detractors and threats to solve New York’s most disturbing crimes as only a medium of her ability can.

But as accustomed as Eve is to ghastly crimes and all matters of the uncanny, even she is unsettled by her department’s latest mystery. Her ghostly conduits are starting to disappear one by one as though snatched away by some evil force determined to upset the balance between two realms, and most important—destroy the Ghost Precinct forever. Now Eve must brave the darkness to find the vanished souls. She has no choice. It’s her job to make sure no one is ever left for dead (summary from Goodreads).

Ok so this book is a strong start to what will hopefully be a promising new series. I loved the idea that this book is built on—-detectives (women) solving crimes with ghosts. It’s different and interesting and I think will give fans of supernatural lit a lot to enjoy.

Eve is so like-able. I loved her determination to solve crimes and she is dedicated to her job but what I loved the most was her abilities and how she connects to the ghosts. I loved discovering her character and getting to know her in this book. I think she will be a character that appeals to a wide variety of readers. She’s ahead of her time and quirky but yet so like-able that you can’t help but be excited to read more.

Let’s talk about Detective Horowitz for a minute. I loved him. Every time he was in the story I was like swoon city. He was progressive and interesting and I loved that chemistry that he brought. My only bit of disappointment was that we didn’t get to see more of him in this story. I get that it’s supposed to be more about Eve, but I wanted more of Detective Horowitz.

I think this book was a promising start. You can tell that Hieber has written a number of paranormal books because her world building was excellent. I loved the amount of historical research and facts she added into this story. I recently read The Alienist this year which featured Teddy Roosevelt and this book also featured him and I loved how she brought TDRs police background into this book.

The only thing that I felt like was wanting in this book was the fact that not everything was resolved in this book. I am sure some of the lingering questions will be wrapped up in future books but for me I needed a little more closure and resolution. I read a few other reviews on this book as well and many said the same thing, more closure.

Overall I would say this was a four star book for me. It was good but there was room for improvement with the ending. If you are looking for a new paranormal or para-romance style book then you should consider picking this one up. Hieber is an excellent writer with lots of stories in her arsenal. This author is one to watch!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Spectral City (Spectral City #1) by Leanna Renee Hieber

Kindle Edition, 248 pages
Expected publication: November 27th 2018 by Rebel Base Books
ASIN B07B76MT16
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own
Recommendation: 4 out of 5
Genre: pararomance, paranormal, supernatural lit, romance
Memorable lines/quotes

The Spectral City is an enticing blend of fantasy and mystery set against the backdrop of turn of the century New York.  For those intrigued by the idea of spiritualism - seances, ghosts, mediums etc.., it is a perfect fit.



The New York City Police has an additional department headed by Eve Whitby.   This group of young women are mediums who use their abilities and their spiritual contacts to obtain clues and help solve cases.  Both their gender and their profession receive little respect, but they are successful and have a powerful patron in Roosevelt.



The novel is somewhat uneven.  The prologue is suspenseful, but the first few chapters are correspondingly dull.  The focus is primarily on the secondary mystery of a missing young girl, as opposed to the corrupt Prenze family (introduced in the prologue) and how and why they are trapping spirits (also discovered in prologue).  I believe the purpose of The Spectral City is to prepare for future installments, with each one allowing discovery of more of the Prenze purpose. While the mystery aspect was lacking, the characters and their interactions were well done.  It is easy to like Eve, her family and coworkers as well as see the chemistry developing between her and Detective Horowitz. But as handsome potential suitors abound, there may be some hiccups in future. I did think things resolved too easily at the end, but I’ll wait until the next novel to pass final judgement.



In all, it is an entertaining turn of the century mystery/fantasy that will appeal primarily to readers interested in spiritualism.



3 / 5 (4 / 5 readers interested in spiritualism)



I received a copy of The Spectral City from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.



— Crittermom

The Spectral City by Leanna Renee Hieber is the first book in the new series by the same name. This one is perhaps one of those books that may be easier to tell what it is than what it isn’t being a bit of book soup. First you take a bit of historical fiction, set in 1899, and mix it with the paranormal, ghosts, bringing fantasy to the story then let those ghosts help solve some mysteries and perhaps even add a dash of romance.

What we also have with The Spectral City is this is sort of a spin off of some of the author’s other work but she assures readers it’s fine to be read as a standalone. Eve Whitby who is the nineteen year old medium and star of this story is the daughter of Natalie Stewart-Whitby and Jonathon Whitby, Lord Denbury, the stars of the Magic Most Foul series.

In this series Eve works as a medium and can communicate with ghosts. Eve is a part of The Ghost Precinct in which ladies like herself use their gifts to help solve different mysteries even working with the police to solve cases. Eve teams up with the skeptical Lieutenant Horowitz to help with his case all the while trying to figure out what is happening with the ghosts around The Ghost Precinct.

The opener of this series certainly started off as a slow burn read so that did not gets things off to the best start for someone like myself that prefers a faster pace. However, things do pick up a bit later on in the story but dare I say it can also get a tad confusing with a lot going on there too. I would also warn that the end is a bit up in the air being the first of a series to carry over into the next read. So when adding all these things together I decided to rate this first book at three stars in the end, it’s a nice enough start but hopefully will improve in book two.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I loved this book, it's a wonderful paranormal mystery, well written and enjoyable.
I loved the historical background, the paranormal element, and the cast of characters.
The plot is a bit slow at the beginning but when it starts going you are hooked.
An entertaing read, recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

"Solving crime isn't only for the living.

In turn-of-the century New York City, the police have an off-the-books spiritual go-to when it comes to solving puzzling corporeal crimes...

Her name is Eve Whitby, gifted medium and spearhead of The Ghost Precinct. When most women are traveling in a gilded society that promises only well-appointed marriage, the confident nineteen-year-old Eve navigates a social circle that carries a different kind of chill. Working with the diligent but skeptical Lieutenant Horowitz, as well as a group of fellow psychics and wayward ghosts, Eve holds her own against detractors and threats to solve New York's most disturbing crimes as only a medium of her ability can.

But as accustomed as Eve is to ghastly crimes and all matters of the uncanny, even she is unsettled by her department's latest mystery. Her ghostly conduits are starting to disappear one by one as though snatched away by some evil force determined to upset the balance between two realms, and most important - destroy the Ghost Precinct forever. Now Eve must brave the darkness to find the vanished souls. She has no choice. It's her job to make sure no one is ever left for dead."

Olde thyme, check. Medium, check. Author I like, check. Yep, this book ticks all the boxes!

When I think about ghost stories what comes to mind are horror stories with ghosts haunting people or houses. But The spectral City by Leanna Renee Hieber is not that kind of ghost story. It’s something else. I LOVED it!

Eve Whitby is a medium, an especially gifted one. She talks to ghosts. And she uses this gift to help the police solve crimes or try and prevent them. And she cares about said ghosts very much. So when one of them disappears she is desperate to find out what happened. What could harm something that is already dead?

And the other mediums as well, I very much like all of them which is rare for me. They all have the gift but use different way to converse with the dead.

The plot was interesting although it seemed a little chaotic sometimes. I was sometimes lost between all the cases they handled simultaneously. But everything connects with everything.

The ending is not satisfying. Almost all the questions are left unanswered so I hope the next book is out soon.

This is my first book by her but won’t be the last.

There is a thing that I think might be a mistake in Chapter 9, when Eve is talking to a guy and he calls her Miss Whitby but then he asks for her name a couple of sentences later.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebel Base Books for this advanced copy.

This book started out pretty strong and the characters are likable, but I ended up at 50% not really interested in continuing. It's not a bad story and the subject matter and time period are interesting, but it didn't grab me the way I thought it would.

The Spectral City is a promising series opener. Leanna Renee Hieber does a brilliant job of bringing the historical fantasy paranormal world of early 1900s NYC to life. I love the level of real life historical detail that she's inserted into the story. I also particularly enjoyed the paranormal elements with the ghosts, mediums, physics, and of course the mystery element of The Ghost Precinct. Basically, Eve and her team solve crimes with the help of the dead. The cast of characters, though, is what really makes the story in the long run - the main cast and supporting characters. Eve is brilliant - I love her dedication, willingness to do whatever it takes, and her abilities of course - and it doesn't hurt that she's ahead of her time. Detective Horowitz, though, is a real scene stealer and I wish we got to see a little more of him throughout. Hopefully, we'll get to see more of all of these great characters in the upcoming sequel. Finally, there's so much to love about this historical fantasy series opener and I'm really looking forward to seeing what's next for these characters. Until then I'll need to look into more of Hieber's works starting with The Eterna Files.

Having read an earlier novel by this author, I was immediately interested in The Spectral City. Set in New York City in the late 19th century, the story revolves around Eve, a young woman who can communicate with spirits and uses her talent to assist the police in solving crimes. Eve must endure boorish policemen who believe her out of her depth, as well as well-meaning family members who would just like to see her marry and take her place in society. Fortunately, her grandmother, another sensitive, is at her side, as are a somewhat motley group of other young women who share her gift. Eve is further aided by a handsome detective, Jacob Horowitz, who has his own difficulties with the police force at large. I look forward to the 2nd title in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rebel Base Books for the opportunity to read the eARC.

Loved loved loved!

The main character can see/speak to the decesed, usually in the form of spirits. She has a small role in the police department, helping cases with the assistance of a cadre of women spirits. When some religious artifacts go missing, she is tasked by her police liason (and future love interest?) to help investigate. The mystery itself is heartbreaking, and a lot a bit spooky. It was a great fall read.

The Spectral City

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Overall I enjoyed this novel. I liked the characters and I found the plot to be adequately intriguing. I had some issues with the story but for the most part I enjoyed it.

Characters

Eve: Eve was an amazing character. She was most definitely before her time. Her dedication to her job and her dedication to those who were seeking her help was admirable, her love for all was beautiful, and her willingness to do anything in her power was refreshing. Eve was a very unique character. Her supernatural abilities and her connection to the dead made for an interesting character who was enjoyable to read about. As for Eve’s personal life I loved all the interactions between Eve and her colleagues and her family. I especially loved her interactions with her grandmother and detective Horowitz. Eve was a beautiful character who I truly enjoyed reading about.

Detective Horowitz: Detective Horowitz was a open minded man willing to give new things a try without unprecedented biases towards them. This made for a man who was unique for his time and somewhat shunned in the police society. I loved his willingness to give new things a try. In fact his willingness helped to further along the cases that he was assigned throughout the story. Overall I enjoyed Horowitz as a character. My one regret was that I didn't get to see more of him throughout the progression of the plot. My hope is that in the next book I will have the opportunity to read more about him.

Gran: I absolutely adored Gran. I loved her spunk, her personality, and her blatant disregard for societies restrictions. In some ways Gran reminds me of my own grandmothers. Gran’s interactions and worries for her granddaughter (Eve) were genuine and beautifully crafted. The one thing I would wish for when it comes to Gran’s character would be that I wish I could have learned a little bit about her history and life story. Throughout the novel we get little glances and peeks into her life before but nothing concrete or solid. I hope that in the next book we get to learn a little bit more of her backstory.

Secondary Character: I found all the secondary characters in this book to be unique and fairly fleshed out. I loved Cora, Jenny, Antonia, Eve’s parents, and all the spirits that helped them during their case. I sometimes wished that I could have seen more personal interactions between Eve and the secondary characters. I felt that a great deal of the interactions they shared were more in a work related setting and this made their relationships seem more formal and less like a blended family.

Plot

The plot of this novel was at times difficult to follow. I struggled at first to get into the plot line but once I did I was in. Once the story picked up momentum it very rarely slowed down. Even though I enjoy a fast paced plot I sometimes felt emotionally drained after this novel for an extended period of time. I found that while the novel made sense at the basic level I struggled to make some of the connections between the different cases and I struggled to see how they were related. The biggest issue I had with the plot of this story is the fact that it was not resolved for the most part by the end of the novel. This however is a personal preference and other readers may enjoy the cliff hanger. Overall the plot was adequate. The thing that made this novel worth reading however was not the plot the characters and their individual personalities.

I would recommend this book to anybody who loves the supernatural, a mystery, and a hint of romance.

I enjoyed this book very much. The story of a young woman named Eve, in New York around the turn of the 20th century, who is able to speak to ghosts who help her solve crimes. She has a benefactor in Teddy Roosevelt, who actually forms a division of the NYPD based around her ability to solves crimes. The book has a nice level of historical detail, with a main character who feels very contemporary in her thinking-something which normally feels jarring to me, but worked well in this book.

I was a bit worried that this book would fall within the paranormal romance/mystery genre of books like Charmaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels-which I simply do not enjoy very much. But this book did not feel like that series to me, instead reminding me more of Connie Willis’ Blackout.

The only issue that I had was the abrupt nature of the ending, which raises another immediate mystery for Eve to pursue. As I was reading an advanced reading copy not due for release for another two months, I am very frustrated by the prospective wait for the next book to find out what happens to Eve and her companions.