I had such high hopes for this based on the description, and I think the concept is great, but the execution just isn't there.

We get dropped in the middle of the action with very little grounding details/information. I'm a reader who likes to be very grounded right away and this just didn't deliver.I hate to say this, but overall, this was so boring! Lots of telling and uninteresting characters that I just couldn't bring myself to care about. So it was even more disappointing to have this highly anticipated book that just wasn't keeping my attention at all.

I seem to be in the minority, but this just just didn't work for me.

New Hampshire, 1877. Maud Price was once a celebrated child medium, a true believer in lifting the veil between the living and the dead. Now penniless, her guiding spirits gone, the so-called “Maid of Light” is desperate to regain her reputation—but doing so means putting her faith in deceiving others.

Clementine Watkins, known in spiritualist circles for her bag of tricks and utmost discretion, creates the sort of theatrics that can fill Maud’s parlor again, and with each misdirection, Maud’s fame is restored. But her guilt is a heavy burden. And the ruse has become a risk. Others are plotting to expose the fraud, and Clem can’t allow anyone—even Maud—to jeopardize the fortune the hoax has made her.

When the deception hints at a possible murder, Maud realizes how dangerous a game she’s playing. But to return to the light from which she’s strayed, she must first survive the darkness created by Clem’s smoke and mirrors.

THE DECEPTION is a gloriously twisty slow burn of a gothic that dramatically reveals the heartbreaking clash between ethics and faith of the early Spiritualism movement. Kim Taylor Blakemore’s finely wrought prose and compelling characters illuminate a dark chapter of nineteenth-century history that'll bring shivers down your spine.

An historical fiction gothic style novel series in the late 1800's. Maud Price was a child prodigy in the art of Spiritualism but her " spirit guides" have deserted her so a friend enlists the help of Clem Watkins. Rather than helping Maud speak to the dead on her own terms, Clem decides it should be a smoke and mirrors act and comes up with other ways to enhance the performances sometimes not all that ethical.
This novel made me wonder about my own experiences of spirituality, I have visited mediums before and have had positive experiences, unlike Clem I never gave anything away to assist the medium in her quest to reach my departed loved ones.
An enjoyable read for lovers of gothic fiction. Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, I am under no obligation to leave my review

I love historical fiction that introduces me to a new time and place. This novel is set in 1870s America during the spiritualism era following the end of the Civil War, when the public clamored to speak their dead loved ones. This is a specific subject & era I had no familiarity with and found quite interesting.

The story is told from two points of view. Maud is a “true believer”, and was a renowned child medium who has lost her ability to channel spirits. She is desperate and in debt so she contacts Clementine to help her practice. Clementine is an amoral con-woman who believes in nothing and no one and resorts to trickery and has no conscience. Their uneasy partnership lends a sense of menace to this Gothic tale, as does the death of one of Maud’s client and the suspicion thrown on Maud. I enjoyed learning about the “tricks of the trade” employed by Clementine, and she is truly a villain to root against.

*2.5*

"The Deception" is a historical mystery set in the second half of the 1800s and it follows the Spiritualism movement that took place in those years.
This novel follows Maud, that when she was young was known as a great medium, with the name of "The Maid of Light". Now, as an adult, Maud seems to have lost her contact with the otherworld, and so she relies on Clementine, a woman who seems the answer to all of her problems, and with Clementine's lover, Russell.

This novel surely was good in setting the ambience, and the setting of the story. I liked the depiction of this particular matter that I never read about in other historical fiction novels, but sadly my interest started and ended there. I thought this book was quite slow, and it redeemed itself only in the end. The final chapters were very interesting and gripping, also quite spooky, a characteristic I searched in this book from the beginning, but I felt like did not deliver.
Also, I didn't really connect with any of the characters, that I found all to be quite unlikable. I think this was the intention, but I really did not like to read about them.

The "mystery" only took part in the final part of the book, and while the ending left me hooked and spooky it wasn't enough to redeem this novel.
Overall, I liked the writing style, so if you like historical fiction books with a gothic element, this could be the one for you. Sadly, it wasn't for me.

First of a huge thank you to the author Kim Taylor Blakemore and Lake Union Publishing for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley.
The Deception by Kim Taylor Blakemore is a mystery takes on the subject of Victorian Spiritualism. It’s quite obvious that the author definitely did her homework on the subject and in fact the acknowledgment at the back of the book contains a detailed explanation of not only the books she read but experts on the subject she met with. If only the details in the story were as detailed as the acknowledgment I might have enjoyed it a bit more and felt less like I was working to get through it.
The story of two women on both sides of the spiritualism divide(one a true believer and one who sees as a combination of showmanship and con jobs) has more than enough facets to keep you interested and the subject itself is so fascinating that it could provide plenty of meat for a truly lush story. The problem lies in being dropped in the middle of the action with zero explanations of the time, circumstances or even the relationships of the characters. It’s as if the author has lived with this story for so long she forgets her readers haven’t which leaves ones using the majority of their attention trying to understand the basics instead of focusing on the plot. The other problem is that unless the readers themselves have read up on the subject of spiritualism in the late 1800s, they are going to be confused at times as the author assumes that everyone is familiar with not just the terminology but how things like planchettes or spirit cabinets work.
The plot itself isn’t overly complicated and once it gets on its feet really starts to pick up speed after the first 150 pages. The main character Clementine is definitely the strongest written and has the clearest backstory although I’m still not quite sure what her motivations are to go to the extremes she did. I wish the characters of Maud and Russell were as fully written and we spent more time learning about them especially Maud who shoulders a large portion of the spiritualism plot on the side of true believer.
All in all The Deception is an interesting fictional tale with an easy straightforward writing style on a subject that often times gets lost in the weeds and a good starting out point for anyone with a passing interest or curiosity about spiritualism in the 1800s.

Delightfully wry as it is unsettling, THE DECEPTION had me turning pages at a blistering pace. Blakemore bewitches with her shrewd, incisive look at the Spiritualist movement and two down-on-their-luck heroines bound in an unlikely partnership. Teeming with intrigue, seething jealousies, and theatrical atmosphere. Absolutely impossible to put down!

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union, and the author for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Deception, a novel by Kim Taylor Blakemore, is set roughly a decade after the conclusion of the American Civil War and uses the backdrop of the rise of spiritualism as a setting for the novel. The narration takes turns between the viewpoint of Maud, a medium who is the genuine article and having difficulty communicating with her spirits, and Clem, a woman who sees a way to make money over a grieving and trusting populace by using flash and gimmicks and will do anything to maintain her control over Maud. The 19th century (specifically the mid to late 19th century) is the time period that holds my interest the most, and I have always found spiritualism and just supernatural things in general to be utterly fascinating, so this book was definitely appealing to me.

The tale moves slow at first and then rapidly, and the reader will be swept up in wishing to see Maud get her powers back and for Clem to get her comeuppance. The last few chapters especially will keep one turning the pages as quick as they can to see what will happen next.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like the time period the book is set in and initially the character interactions. But Clem pretty quickly became unbearably annoying to me, constantly interrupting other people or having something cool to say. I dislike the character too much to enjoy my time reading the rest of the book. There were also too little descriptions of character actions or scenery, which left me confused too many times in the 50 pages that I've read.
The themes and the setting overall are interesting and if you're a fan of that, this might still be worth checking out for you.

3.5/5 stars

Set during the spiritualism craze in America in the 1800s the book follows Maud Price, a real medium who has been contacting spirits since she was a child. When she finds herself losing her powers and in a lot of debt she turns to Clementine Watkins, a woman who specializes in conjuring ghosts and spirits with tricks and mechanical inventions. But soon both women will come to be at odds when someone seems to be onto their hoax.

I found the premise of this book to be interesting and different from anything else I've read and I did enjoy the book. The two alternate POVs were a great way to tell the main story and the individual stories of the two main characters. I do think that the pacing could have been tightened up a little bit, specifically in the first third of the book. The setting up of the world and the characters took quite a lot and slowed down the pace. Once the action picked up a bit the book became far more enjoyable.

There were these scenes that confused me a bit, when suddenly the characters think back on events that happened where it seemed like the narration jumped and it left me feeling disoriented. Hence why I'm giving this 3.5 stars and not rounding it up.

Overall an enjoyable book. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the spiritualism trade and how cons work.

When more price was a young girl, she was considered the maid of light. As an adult it seems her spirit God has left her. She send a note to Clementine a lady who helps psychics “prove“ that they’re psychic. Maude immediately regrets calling for her and even after her fame starts the return to her the under handedness is causing her to feel guilty. It doesn’t help when Mr. Sullivan A widow she has “help“ in the past has been murdered. It helps even less when she is a prime suspect. This book was really good I kind of sort of liked Clementine but I didn’t like the way her and Russell took over maude’ house and even bought their dog, whose name I loved! I thought the mystery was great and didn’t overwhelm the already awesome plot I think this author has a great talent for storytelling I love the characters even the nosy made next-door. It seems every character was created first specific purpose in the execution of that purpose was perfection. I truly enjoyed this book and will probably read it again in the future. I was given this book by Nick Galli and Kim Taylor black more and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

This is well-written with great character development. It has great diction and imagery. I really enjoyed the way the view point alternated between Clementine and Maud. The story is set in the 1870s and the author did a wonderful job of detailing the setting and atmosphere. I believe this book will especially be well received by dark academia enthusiasts. I binge read this; it was hard to put down. The only issue I had was that some of the chapters felt like they jumped ahead. It felt like I skipped to mid chapter and was missing information and was having to play catch up and look for clues to figure out what was going on. I think it would fair well with a little more background and explanation in some areas. I think this is because the chapters are written from the characters' perspectives, so they know things the reader does not. Some third person narration could add some clarity. Overall, a captivating and enjoyable read!

A wonderfully gothic tale of spiritualism in 1870s America.

The characterisation, plot, and world-building are all excellent, and the unusual historical setting and subject matter was a welcome change from the usual suspects of the historical fiction world.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I do like a good book about spiritualism, or how it's faked, and this is a very good book about it.
There's a slight war being waged between our two main characters, with Maud the mouse wanting it all to be true again, and Clem revelling in the trickery she designs.
I warmed to Clem immediately, she seemed a bit bad ass , with only one weak spot...
Turns out she's a lot more than that, and a whole lot darker.
A very entertaining book that has a very satisfying ending.
I enjoyed all the tricks and turns.

An incredible read that focuses on spiritualism in America during the 1800s. It was a compelling read that gripped me right from the start. I loved it, historical fiction at its best.

“The Deception” by Kim Taylor Blakemore is a historical fiction book focusing on the world of spiritualism back in the 1870s. For those not in the know, after the Civil War, where so many US lives were lost, spiritualism - or talking to the spirits of the dead - was a large “thing.” Some people, such as one of our main characters Maud, really did hear spirits. Others, such as our other main character Clem, knew how to trick people into thinking spirits were around them. Ms. Blakemore has done her research into this arena and her Author’s Note has a wide swath of books and literature about spiritualism. [My own (limited) “knowledge” of this arena comes from “Confessions of Madame Psyche” by Dorothy Bryant.]

What I liked was the tension between Maud and Clem. Maud seemed someone to pity opposed to dislike. Clem knew how to “bring ‘em in,” but when push came to shove, she was basically always in for number one - herself. I liked how the spiritualism tricks were explained and must admit to being a bit curious about Clem’s “fire in the palm” trick. I’m not sure in the end that either character found peace with their lives, but the tension between them worked very nicely on the page. I didn’t really like the backstory of Clem - at times it worked to explain why Clem was who she was but the part about the murder (meaning all the backstory) felt a bit too “the stars aligned” for me. I enjoyed the writing style and the story I did find interesting.