A Sanctuary of Spirits (Spectral City #2) by Leanna Renee Hieber is a great sequel to Spectral City and I enjoyed just about every second of it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres and Hieber does a fantastic job of working in real world elements into this ghostly police procedural. Eve and her team are pretty brilliant and it's so cool to see Teddy Roosevelt. Just like with the first installment, though, Detective Horowitz steals every scene he's in and it was always a pleasure to see him. I can't wait to visit this world again and see these characters again in the future. I need to read so much more by Leanna Renee Hieber.

A Sanctuary of Spirits should have a warning that you should read the first book first. This was a bit hard to get into not having read the first book. I will go back and read the first book.

When I received this book, I wanted to read it right away but I noticed it was the second book of a series so I got the first book and read it. I liked the first book but I enjoyed this book so much more. This series is a spin off of another series so when I was reading the first book I felt there was a lot of back story that I was missing. This book was not burdened by all of that so it was much more refreshing. Continuing from the first book, in late 1880’s New York City, Eve is besieged by the spirits of children begging her to help them. They say they want her to find their pieces and they ransack her office showing her their case files. She is working with Detective Horowitz on finding them but they are also working on a missing persons case. They continue the “ruse” that they are courting but their courtship is heating up. When the ghost of Maggie returns after being missing, she tells Eve and Jacob she was attacked but was rescued by a sanctuary of spirits that is being endangered by the actions of a bad group. Eve and Jacob work together to stop the evil and solve their cases. All in all this was beautifully written and the characters are well fleshed out. It is a little slow paced but I liked it. The relationships between many of the characters are quite touching. This is a ghostly tale with a little romance mixed in. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The story took a long time to get in to. It was very slow and difficult for me to stay interested in the plot and characters.

Halloween may be over, but that just means it’s time for my other favorite thing about fall: a spooky new release from Leanna Renee Hieber! In A Sanctuary of Spirits, the second installment in Leanna’s new Spectral City series, the girl-gang of the NYPD Ghost Precinct return to investigate a horde of restless children’s spirits. The book comes out tomorrow, November 12. And if you’re in the New York City area, you should join me tomorrow for the launch party at WORD bookstore in Brooklyn!

At the end of The Spectral City, Eve Whitby and the handsome Detective Horowitz were just about to kiss when they were rather rudely interrupted by a ghost. A Sanctuary of Spirits picks right up from that moment with the ghostly Maggie leading the two lovebirds on a quest to the physical entrance of Sanctuary, a special place carved out of the spirit world for ghosts seeking safety and rest. But not all spirits are so lucky. Eve and her colleagues find their headquarters increasingly haunted by the distressed spirits of children begging the mediums, “Put our pieces together” so that they can finally find peace. Eve and company soon discover a series of threads that weave together into a complicated web endangering not just individual spirits, but the entire spirit world and those who communicate with it. A dead man seems to still be exerting control over one of New York City’s most powerful families. A fanatic undertaker has been stealing body parts from unknowing clients. A creepy magician has created an unsettling performance that blends macabre imagery of heaven and hell with frightening demonstrations of mesmerism. And all seem to be connected through a secret organization that lives by the motto Arte Uber Alles—art above everything.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the way that Leanna takes care to explore the differences in the ways her heroes and villains treat the dead. It might be fair to say that both Eve and the unscrupulous undertaker Dupont are rather preoccupied with the dead in ways that others might find morbid. They both root their identity in the professional work they do with the deceased and find in it a higher calling. But their motivations for and methods of working with the dead differ in significant ways. Dupont views dead bodies as objects, while completely ignoring their personhood and subjectivity. Dupont believes himself to be honoring the dead by incorporating body parts into works of art, while refusing to acknowledge the fact that neither the dead themselves nor their living loved ones feel the same. In contrast, Eve’s work with spirits focuses on giving them greater agency and making sure their wishes are respected. Though the book never uses this term, the conflict hinges on the idea of the Good Death, a phrase I’ve learned from Caitlin Doughty and the Order of the Good Death, which relates to both the manner in which someone dies and the way their body is treated after death. Exactly what constitutes a Good Death varies by culture and by individual, and Leanna makes a point to clarify that it isn’t necessarily the fact of severing body parts and making them into art that makes Dupont in the wrong. Rather, it’s that Dupont does these things without the knowledge or permission of the deceased or their kin and that this treatment of the bodies is counter to what the victims consider to be a Good Death. When interacting with the dead, as with the living, not only do your intentions matter but so, too, does your impact. And as always, consent is paramount.

On a lighter note, A Sanctuary of Spirits also paints a loving portrait of how families full of opposites can still live in harmony. The first example is Eve’s immediate family. Fort Denbury, the two-family townhouse where they live, is exactly how I imagine a house would look if I lived side-by-side with my sister. Eve’s side is dark to match her all-black wardrobe, with the lights usually dimmed for better spirit work. The side her parents live on is brightly lit and filled with pastel decor. These contrasting aesthetics reflect their different interests: Eve spends her life immersed in the supernatural, while her mother Natalie does all she can to distance herself from ghosts and her past trauma. Though these differences occasionally cause conflict, Eve and her mother love each other deeply, even when they don’t entirely understand the other’s point of view. My favorite side characters, the Veil family, are in somewhat of an opposite situation. Actor Nathaniel Veil and his wife Lavinia are the gothest of the goths, melodramatic and reveling in ostentatious clothing and jewelry in blacks and reds. Their more sedate and introverted son, Daniel, is pretty embarrassed to be out with them in public. But like the Whitbys, the Veils are a happy, loving family. So whether you’re the black sheep goth of the family, or the normal kid being raised by goth parents, aesthetic differences are no obstacle to love!

If you want to read A Sanctuary of Spirits for yourself, you can find it on shelves at your local retailer starting tomorrow, or order it online and support The Gothic Library in the process using the Indiebound link below. If you preorder the book from WORD bookstore before tomorrow, you can get a signed paperback and a special art print by Kelley Hensing. And again, don’t forget to come out to the launch party at WORD if you can!

A Sanctuary of Spirits is the second in Leanna Renee Hieber’s absorbing Spectral City novels. The premise of this series is marvelously entertaining and thoughtful. Take a young woman, Eve, who can communicate with the dead, a dashing, intelligent Jewish detective, and a series of cold murder cases that will take something entirely out of the ordinary to solve. Tweak them into an alternative history in which Theodore Roosevelt, as Governor of New York, establishes the Ghost Precinct in the New York Police Department with Eve in command, ably assisted by several supernaturally talented women and a number of ghostly “assets.” Mix those elements together and ground them with superb use of historical detail. The results make for engaging fiction that defies a tidy categorization. I’d use a lot of words like historical, mystery, fantasy, Gaslamp, Victorian, paranormal and highly recommended.

Early in A Sanctuary of Spirits Eve’s staff conduct a séance. “There was a rushing sound through the room, in an ethereal echo, as if a great door had been opened.” One of the consulting ghosts brings them alarming information. A host of children has gathered. They’ve been wronged and need help, but these spirits cannot communicate the necessary details. That is up to the Ghost Precinct to uncover. The only clues the spirits can offer come when the angry children throw open locked file drawers of old, ignored cases. Files and papers fly onto the floor. This mesmerizing scene continues: “’Find us…’ came a murmur that consolidated from the voices, the words racing around the room in a freezing chill, though no spirits could be seen to have made the declaration. It came from the fabric of the air itself, repeating again, in aching earnest. ‘Come find what we’ve lost!’”

Little do the women of the Ghost Precinct realize that they are being drawn into a twisted plot masterminded by someone who can harm even the dead. Throughout the smart untangling of this macabre scheme, Hieber builds up the sensuous chemistry between Eve and Detective Horowitz—a relationship Eve views as entirely forbidden. She cannot let herself be sidetracked from her passionate belief in this new form of crime solving and the positive view of spirits that it will offer the world.

Hieber explores the realms of death with creativity and sensitivity in a rich mix of Victorian Spiritualism and cross-cultural ideas. She weaves these philosophical strands into a page-turning, dark tale where art, death, and the human yearning for exaltation collide in murderous ways.

It looks as if I’m in love with a new urban mystery series!!! I tend to be quite picky about my urban mysteries, but this series checks off so many things on my list. I’m very excited to have found The Spectral City series and I hope I’ll be able to convince you that you should start reading it right away too.

So let me start with a short list of things that fascinated me so much about The Spectral City series:
it’s set in 1899 (swoon)
it focuses on strong women
there is a ghost precinct
seances, ghosts, readings – not the kind of thing I believe in too much in real life, but I’ll have ALL the fiction about this stuff, please
there is super cute fake dating!!! Or fake courting, cause it’s 1899 (again, MAJOR SWOON)
the author really does care about diversity – despite how many authors are unwilling to include it in settings of the past, even if the past is recent
a lot of that diversity is focused on disability or being neuro diverse in particular (although with century appropriate terminology)
all the characters are such caring softies
the story isn’t a one-case-one-book sort of thing – it’s larger than that and more overarching

So let’s start with the individual Spectral City books – there are two already – where you should start, and more on why you should start!

The first book in the series is called The Spectral City, and while I enjoyed both books, I certainly enjoyed the first one the most. It sets up the tone so well and goes quite slowly, putting you into the whole situation bit by bit. This whole series revolves around Eve, a gifted psychic, who is building a police ghost precinct from scratch in New York, albeit with some support from big names, but mostly just a lot of scorn and distrust from skeptics who are mostly men – and they’re not just skeptical about the ghosts doing police work, let me tell you. It’s as if they’re more skeptical of the women, doing the police work! The precinct has already gone off to a nice start and Eve is happy with her results, when… One of her best ghostly assets, and a dear friend as well, vanishes. To get to the bottom of it, she will have to try her best, because this could be enough to put the whole project in jeopardy. So the search begins…

So What Did I Love About The Series?

The Setting

I really enjoyed the setting. I have a weakness for books set in the not too distant past – perhaps the steam and industrial revolution age the most. I really loved this series by Emma Newman that had this funky steam power magic system, but sadly, it seems the series is now on hold (or I haven’t been able to hear anything new about it *sob*). So since reading the last book, I have been sad about not being able to read anything in this amazing time setting, perhaps even with a little magical twist. So although The Spectral City and A Sanctuary of Spirits aren’t about magic, the paranormal element (working with ghosts) and the time setting is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for. I just wish more books were being written about this time period and fantasy settings!

The Strong Women

As for the strong leading ladies, I think the time setting makes it all the more relevant. After all, that was the time when women fought to be recognized as equals, as in individuals, the most – or, at least, when they started the fight. Eve, the main character, fights on two fronts – she is trying to build herself and her colleagues not only a place to work and to be valued in the police force, but she’s also working through paranormal means and is trying to let the ghosts have their say. In Eve’s world, much like in our world, mediums are mistrusted about as much as women must also have been mistrusted back in the day, so Eve has a double battle to wage. This kind of story makes for some really powerful female characters. They’re women who have to fend for themselves, prove that they can, and because of the nature of their work, also prove that they’re not lunatics. Hard work!

The Diversity

While this book is probably not meant to champion diversity specifically, it does not shove it under the rug either. Most urban fantasies just carry on without any mention on this front whatsover, but The Spectral City has quite a bit of diverse characters: one is Jewish, another is of Native American heritage, and another one is trans. A lot of the characters suffer from some sort of impairments or even disabilities. Racial questions are portrayed less, but it’s certainly talked about in terms of the unfairness, the hardship, the double standards. The author takes care to mention the heritage of some characters, and they are definitely not only European-American of origin.

What appealed to me the most was that these books represent the “spoonie” status quite well. Since most characters have some paranormal abilities, they also have some illnesses or troubles that come along with them. One of them suffers migraines and bouts of weakness, another one has seizures. Quite a few of the characters speak ASL to accomodate one of their colleagues with selective mutism, and that’s not the only character in the book to have had it (there are like three!) I have to stress that most authors wouldn’t “go out of their way” (as it’s often considered, when it comes to these time periods) to include ASL, a trans woman and spoonies into a book that’s set at a time when none of this was recognized – but she did. It’s one of the reasons I truly loved this book.

The Lovely And Supportive Vibe

I also really loved the vibe in the books. Everyone cares about one another so much! The characters are, as I said, true softies, and I really like reading such stories. Perhaps to some it will seem sugary – but I don’t think it is. I felt like the vibe went really well with the time setting. Just think about books like Little Women – doesn’t it have that vibe? I can’t claim society was ACTUALLY like that back then – but we can definitely say that might have been an ideal of the time. And it’s certainly a pleasure to read.

The Fake Courting

Oh, finally this part! Could I swoon any more? I don’t know when I became such a softie – I’m usually not a big fan of romance, but I guess I’ve found my poison, and that’s slow-burn fake dating. So basically, not to spoil too much, but this book has a lovely trope – a pair of characters start fake courting to get their parents to stop meddling in their affairs, as well to prevent as a possible end of the career that just started for the female character. And this fake dating to appease the folks bait is just about melting my heart.

The fake dating couple so clearly have a spark between them, and it seems they are the only ones too blind to see it. There’s a lot of blushing and not understanding their own feelings, there’s shyness and all that – oh, I just can’t! I’m so invested and completely shipping it. Swear this never happens to me!

What’s Next In The Spectral City Series?

The book that follows and is being released right now is called A Sanctuary of Spirits, and I certainly enjoyed it too. Out of these two, perhaps my favorite would be the first book, but I certainly like where the story is going, and I am really putting high hopes into this series and can’t wait till the last one comes out.

A Sanctuary of Spirits follows the first book quite closely, and to me felt more like it was just another half of the same book, as I read them back to back. You know how some urban mystery series tends to come neatly packaged in little chunks, like separate stories? A Sanctuary of Spirits didn’t feel like that – instead, it felt like a cohesive story. The plot is quite large and overarching, and only part of it is uncovered in this one, so you’ll certainly want to read on. Of course, all the good parts are still present – the slow burn romance simmers on, we get to find out more about Eve’s past and get into the methods of her precinct some more. I can’t wait to find out where the next book will take us!

I thank the publisher for gifting me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest opinion. This has not affected my opinion.

I love Leanna Renee Hieber's writing-- there's a warmth to it that really shines so you can just sink into her Victorian/Edwardian era novels. I love coming back to them.

This is an entertaining and engrossing book even if it took a bit to be hooked.
I loved the feisty and well thought characters, the historical background and the plot.
It was a good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A Sanctuary of Spirits sounded like something right up my alley. I love anything to do with the supernatural, and a strong female lead is an added bonus. However, this one moves too slowly for my tastes, and it's the second in a series. I didn't realize that, so that's on me, but I figured it out pretty quickly from the lengthy explanations of events that I'm assuming happened in that first book. For me, those explanations are new, but had I read that first book, I would've been irritated with the space those parts took up. As it stands, those parts really didn't further the story for me. For this book, things took a really long time to get going. Plot building is important, but when you're approaching the halfway mark and feel like you're still waiting for the story to get going, that's a problem for me. In the end, the story was just too slow, and I didn't care much for the characters. They all seem to be cookie-cutter versions of each other, including our heroine.

When I requested this book, I didn't realize that it was the second in a series. I started A Sanctuary of Spirits as the first book I read in the series. It wasn't a bad thing to start in the second book, but it was obvious a continuous story from the first book. In my opinion it wasn't a terrible thing, I got the hang of characters/plot relatively quickly.

This was a nice, simple read. I enjoyed the characters/plot and felt a draw to continue to read it from day to day. I also very much enjoyed how endearing all of the characters are to one another. I'm not usually into books that are all fluffy rainbows and butterflies. But the amount of praise and endearment that each character gives to the rest of the characters was heart-warming. I normally like the evil, misunderstood characters, but this book just put me in an all around good mood.

I will definitely consider continuing on with this series for sure. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I really struggled with this book. While on its face it has everything I'd love: supernatural, historical, female led. It just didn't hit the mark for me. Normally, I read these types of books in one sitting but I found myself putting this down after every few pages.


We follow our protagonist Eve and her Ghost Precint of living and not so living detectives and investigators in 1899 NYC. It is very slowly paced, if you like a slow burn then this is definitely for you.


It should also be noted that this is a second book in a series which I did not realize. There is a lot of explanation of events that happened not only in the previous book but from earlier books of which this series is an offshoot. I love long series and know that reminders of past events can be necessary for new and old readers alike but to me this just served to slow things down further. As a new reader most could have been left out and I wouldn't have missed it.


I found Eve and her compatriots almost indistinguishable from each other. Dialogue is fairly bland.


The basic plot is good and an interesting concept. Not having read read any of its predecessors may be playing a part in why this book didn't connect for me.


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.

"New York, 1899, and the police department's best ally is the secret Ghost Precinct, where spirits and psychics help solve the city's most perplexing crimes...

There's more than one way to catch a killer-though the methods employed by the NYPD's Ghost Precinct, an all-female team of psychics and spiritualists led by gifted young medium Eve Whitby, are unconventional to say the least. Eve is concerned by the backlash that threatens the department-and by the discovery of an otherworldly realm, the Ghost Sanctuary, where the dead can provide answers. But is there a price to be paid for Eve and her colleagues venturing beyond the land of the living?

Searching for clues about a mortician's disappearance, Eve encounters a charismatic magician and mesmerist whose abilities are unlike any she's seen. Is he a link to mysterious deaths around the city, or to the Ghost Sanctuary? Torn between the bonds of her team and her growing relationship with the dashing Detective Horowitz, Eve must discern truth from illusion and friend from foe, before another soul vanishes into the ether..."

Psychics and spiritualists fighting crime? I don't just want to read this book I want to live it!

Continuing to explore the Gaslight world developed in the Spectral City, Hieber plunges the reader deeper into the perilous world of spirit communication. In this universe, those who have passed over can linger, communicate, and interact with living humans. These interactions are facilitated by skilled psychic mediums such as Eve Whitby, the leader of The Ghost Project. As in book one, The Ghost Project has been asked to aid
the police resolving a very troubling case.

However, other things are more troubling for Eve. The hoard of spirit children who are badgering her; the 'wrongness' of the Prenzie family, the long disappearance of Maggie, her spirit confident, and coming at an inopportune time, her growing attraction for Detective Horowitz. She are Detective Horowitz are continuing their ruse of a 'sham' courtship. Now, however, Eve is beginning to long for the real thing. Does he feel the same way?

The discovery of a one of the few living world's anchors to Sanctuary provides some answers but beckons Eve
to explore more. The Sanctuary contains the thinnest of parts of the veil between the mortal and spirit world. It served as a portal to return Maggie to Eve. Hieber has created a place that is permanently of and for death. It serves as a refuge for those not ready to go on but need respite from the task that is binding them to the mortal world. A mortal entering Sanctuary would not be welcome, and would put their own existence in jeopardy. What would make Eve succumb to this temptation? Will she yield?

The plot is compelling, working well as a stand alone as well as part of this Gaslight series. A good ghost story must be realistic enough to be believable. Hieber's thorough knowledge of New York City on the cusp of the 20th Century fills the reader with a sense of credibility. I look forward to reading more of Eve's and The Ghost Precinct's adventures.

Full disclosure: I received an ARC e copy from netgalley.com and Kensington Publishing Corporation in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.

**I was provided with an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Leanna Renee Hieber continues her Spectral City series with book two, A Sanctuary of Spirits. The series follows Miss Evelyn "Eve" Whitby, medium and head of the secret Ghost Precinct instated by Governor Theodore Roosevelt, and Jewish police detective Jacob Horowitz. The two and their respective teams attempt to solve cases utilizing the additional resources presented by the ghosts who have not yet crossed over.

I was not provided with book 1 of the series, but did seek it out on my own so that I would be best prepared for book 2. I am so very glad that I did. Book 2 picks up very neatly where book 1 had left off. While it is certainly possible to start with book 2, this is truly one of those series where it is best to read in order or you will miss out on important details.

I found that the general pace of this book was rather meandering, even with the overarching and driving plot which continues through the series in addition to the romantic subplot and individual book-specific mysteries that were introduced. I enjoyed the amount of representation in the book (POC, disability, religious beliefs, LGBTQ) particularly given the time period in which it was set. Once the final wrap-up began, the pace was much faster, which felt a little imbalanced toward the end.

I enjoyed Hieber's writing style and tone, and find that it definitely lends itself toward eerie or paranormal type novels. That being said, I am glad to have read this book, but feel it is more in the range of "okay" or "good" rather than "excellent" or "great".

I do own others of Hieber's books and do look forward to reading them in the future.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this ghostly book before halloo ween...

this has all the elements, pychics, mediums,ghosts, madmen, seances...just enough to give you a taste of what this series is about....

a chilling tale with our band of pychics and mediums being inundated with visits from ghosts that have been violated, though they scream and shout they are also unable to make themselves understood to the mediums

and who is this shadow man that seems to be hanging around

can our band of mediums work out what is going on before its to late... and a love interest between one of them and the detective makes for worrying time for all

look out for book 3 in this series

This book was received from the Author, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own

This thrilling, gaslight magical realism drama has great sensory appeal and is jam-packed with action, amusement and turns of events that keep your attention from the beginning.

The NYPD’s Ghost Precinct, an all-female team of psychics and spiritualists, take on the cases that no one else seems to touch. They speak for the women and children of the city who the police force ignores.

The main character is Evelyn Whitby (Eve), supervisor of The Ghost Precinct of New York City in 1899. Eve is a medium who sees and talks to ghosts and, with her staff and one male detective from the police force, handles crimes of a supernatural nature. Eve and her friend Maggie, who is now a ghost, are trying to solve the mystery of why so many ghost children are unsettled and unhappy. There is a very slow burn romance building between Eve and David Horowitz, the detective assigned to The Ghost Precinct.
Suspenseful and intriguing storyline that was engaging and captivating to read


#ASanctuaryOfSpirits #NetGalley

A Sanctuary of Spirits by Leanna Renee Hieber, an interesting premise. I personally struggled to connect with this book, though I can see how others will enjoy it. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

This book is truly a lot darker than the first, especially towards the end. I felt that the first sort of hinted at the darkness, it wasn’t as outwardly twisted. I’m not at all opposed to that, but I felt almost as if this book ramped up the series and it will be interesting to see what happens in the next book. Will it continue on this dark and twisted path? It seems likely.

I also know that the author has previous series which go on with the lives of Eve’s parents, which the reader of this series is continually left in the dark about. Honestly, the way it’s hinted at almost makes it feel like we should know the events that happened to Eve’s parents. I feel like reading the previous series may help with that. I haven’t yet, but I am honestly so curious that I probably will end up checking them out.

I really enjoy the author’s writing in general. But, I wish she did not summarize so much of the last book. Having just finished the first book and diving straight into this one, it felt a bit strange to me. However, I am guessing there may have been more than a 30-second gap between the two books for the average reader. So, I am sure they may have appreciated the reminder of scenarios and characters.

Overall, I really liked this book. It brought me back to my ghostly adventures that I have been cravingly lately. I think it’s very well written, plus, who doesn’t love a bunch of super cool ladies investigating murders? If you enjoy the ID channel, but you wish that you could ask the ghost who killed them, then you’re going to enjoy these books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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I really enjoyed this. Although I was not aware that this was the second book in a series, I will definitely be going back to read the first book and continuing the series. The characterization was great and the plot unfolded at a decent pace.

Overall rating: 4/5 stars