Between the setting and description, this book promised to have elements that usually have me eagerly reading, but it fell short with unlikeable characters, a lack of subtlety, an underdeveloped romantic relationship and a meandering pace.

The first half of the book creeps along, introducing the three main characters with painful slowness. The "set up" shouldn't take so long. The chapters alternate between using a female main character's point of view (told in third person) and the male main character's (told in first person). There is a dramatic change at the halfway mark in the male's narration that is disturbing. It might have been better to forego his POV completely and let the two female main characters make all the revelations through their sleuthing.

There is an action scene, of sorts, in the last quarter of the book where the female main character seems to be treading into TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) territory.

I was provided a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

It’s February 1873 and spiritualism is at a high point in Europe. Leena Wickes has recently found her sister Evie dead on All Hallows Eve the previous year. Leena does not believe in spiritualism but is willing to do just about anything to discover what happened to her sister. Evie was interested in séances
and studied under the famous medium Vaudeline D’Allaire. Leena is more interested in fossils and tangible objects. However, since Evies death, Lena has decided to study under Vaudeline as well.

Vaudeline has made a few enemies in London, and has escaped to Paris where she is still conducting séances.
She receives a letter, asking her to return to London when the head of the London Séance Society has been murdered.
It is up to Vaudeline to figure out who the murderer was. She and Leena embark on an adventure, and find more than they ever hope to discover in London. There are many things going on in the London, Séance Society and it is up to the women to bring these wrong doings to light.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Penner’s first novel, “The Lost Apothecary”, was an instant five star read for me. This novel was good, but I found it missing some thing. What, I’m not quite sure, which is why I rated it four stars. It was a very interesting concept that I have not read before and did enjoy.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Victorian London is the setting for séances, murders, and a bit of romance. The plot was engaging and the characters fairly well developed. There were just a couple of instances where a main character didn’t seem to act/react as you’d expect. I loved the information provided by the author at the end of the book on funeral practices at that time and even recipes for the take home favors given to the mourners.

Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row Books for the ARC to read and review.

Penner’s writing is entrancing, moody and eerie, and will send shivers down your spine as you’re fully immersed with these characters as they seek to communicate with the dead while infiltrating an exclusive, gentlemen’s only séance society. What began as a slow burn quickly picked up speed as Lenna and Vaudeline uncovered clues that brought them closer to solving the murders of London’s elite.

I didn’t feel a strong connection to the characters, but was very invested in their stories, especially wanting closure for Lenna. The author’s note was wildly fascinating and I enjoyed learning the inspiration behind Penner’s fictional society. This paranormal mystery had me quite captivated!

After loving Sarah Penner's first book The Lost Apothecary, I was really looking forward to this read. Unfortunately, for me, it fell flat. The premise was interesting- a woman tries to uncover the mystery of her sister's death by finding frauds within the London Seance Society. However, this book lacked the charm and the endearing characters of The Lost Apothecary. I wasn't rooting for any person and the build up to the reveals in the book felt a bit clunky and slow. There is an actual supernatural element in the book which was surprising and fun twist but overall this book fell flat for me.

The setting: "1873 [Victorian England]. 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…"

Sounded interesting/intriguing--especially as there were strong women--in Victorian England!--involved. BUT, the more I read, the less I liked this book.

Lenna, Vaudeline, and Mr. Morley, Vice President of the society's Department of Spiritualism, take turns as narrators, advancing the plot.

As to the sapphism--in these parts the "mush" language was wretched [IMHO].
For instance:
"...had let their lips linger so long..."
"...her lower belly, the place in her body that fueled want and desire."

I just didnt care enough about the characters or the plot trajectory--intriguing for a while, I became bored as it became somewhat predictable.

Some interesting things about clairvoyancy and new words [for me]: clairtangency and lampadomancy. And,
well-researched in the art and tools of the seance but not nearly enough to keep me interested.

Flat, boring, slooow, Just not for me. Very disappointed.

I really REALLY REALLY loved Lost Apothecary so I guess I may have hyped it up too much. This was just ok for me. I didn't love the subject matter and didn't really feel like I connected with any characters. I would still try another book of hers, but it's a tough job to live up to the first one.

Brilliant plot honestly. Though this book was predictable throughout most of it, the last quarter surprised me and I found the same author I fell in love with when I read The Lost Apothecary, 2020s favorite read. I love a good supernatural story. I love the mystery and reading about what people can come up with. It fascinates me.
The London Seance Society is not a five star read for me, but it was a good book so it gets a four star from me. I'm excited to see what grand adventure Sarah Penner comes up with for her next book. I hope this review helps. Thank you once again for the opportunity.
Happy Reading and Blessed Be.
Lily Ashtree

"From the author of the sensational bestseller The Lost Apothecary comes a spellbinding tale about truth, illusion and the grave risks women will take to avenge the ones they love.

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

1873. At an abandoned ch teau on the outskirts of Paris, a dark's seance 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 Seance 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..."

Here's the thing, I LOVE reading about seances, probably because I'm not stupid enough to ever be a part of one.

I loved The Last Apothecary so I was elated to review this digital arc! It's the Victorian Era, where in London, séances, spiritualism, and the mystical arts are en vogue. There are secret societies, costly séances, parties, and lectures, but corruption and fraud exist.
It is here, in the mid-19th century, where we meet our characters. Lenna Wilkes has experienced tremendous loss and is determined to find her sister's killer by working with the renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire. Despite being a skeptic, Lenna works as D'Allaire's pupil, hoping to find her sister's killer. Much is uncovered in the mysterious death of Lenna's sister, including the death of the head of the London Séance Society, but not until more than halfway through the book.
This leads me to the main critique of the story, the pacing. The pacing was relatively slow, with character building and the budding romance between Vaudeline and Lenna being the bulk of the novel's first half. Only some of the character development was even; I would have liked more background or Mr. Morley; after all, he's a main character. Overall, not a bad story. I enjoyed the mystery and ambiance despite the pacing.
I recommend this book to fans of mysteries and Victorian spiritualism

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row & NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC

Penner immerses readers in a dark and troubled London where two women skilled in the art of seance seek to discover the truth behind mysterious deaths. Vaudeline is an accomplished medium now practicing her art in Paris where she is safe. Her apprentice, Lenna, is a skeptic, merely schooling herself as a means to an end. She must know how and why her beloved younger sister met her untimely end. Vaudeline is called back to London in secrecy, ostensibly to protect her from those who would malign her and worse. Lenna tags along. Both women are caught up in an intrigue that far exceeds their plans.

The story, told in 2 voices, reveals deftly over time, a back story to present events that is like peeling layers off the proverbial onion.

Just finished The London Seance Society. What a fun book! Our story is about a young woman, Lenna, whose sister , Evie, has been recently murdered. Evie was very interested in seances and the afterworld and had received some instruction from a medium, Vaudeline.
Lenna travels to Paris to meet and train with Vaudeline. The two of them come back to London to investigate the death of the director of the London Seance Society, a friend of Vaudeline. Is the work of the society legitimate and how is Evie connected to it?
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters and the developing relationship between Lenna and Vaudeline. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, give it a try. I think you’ll enjoy it. Happy reading!

First, let me say. I was super excited to read this one because I absolutely LOVED The Lost Apothecary. However, this story didn't live up to my expectations at all. Finished it feeling fairly disappointed.
I was only a few chapters into this story and so tired of the word "flicker" (so overused and really affected the flow of the novel). Also, a lot of information was repeated multiple times. We get a detailed explanation from one character and then we hear the information, repeated in the same painful level of detail, by a different character. Overall, this made the story move very slowly, and I found myself skimming quite a bit. Additionally, some of the "secondary characters" could have used a little more development. I got to the end and a more minor character was mentioned again and I could not for the life of me remember the character's significance to the story. We are given a reminder of how the characters relate, but there was very little that was memorable about the more minor character. For some reason, I was also expecting this one to jump from historic times and modern day, and obviously that wasn't the case.
Overall, I really liked that Vaudeline feels unseen and unacknowledged in her pain. It made her seem more human and her pain and emotion is relatable on a basic level and she ended up being the character I cared about the most.
Not Penner's greatest work, in my opinion, but I also went into this one with really high expectations because of her previous book, so that probably played into it quite a bit.

My review will be posted to my instagram @leannaslittlelibrary later this week (2/10)

Sarah Penner is honestly one of the best historical fiction writers and I was blown away by this book just like I was blown away by The Lost Apothecary. I'm not a mystery fan for my pleasure reading (I get enough from true crime and non-fiction books) but Sarah weaves together history and the mystery aspects so well that I always forget that it usually found in the mystery section of the library that I work for. I'm always hooked to her characters where I really care about what happens to them and that to me is the marking of a truly great author.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advance release copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Lost Apothecary was one of my absolute favorites of 2021, and it holds a special place in my heart as I read it on maternity leave with my daughter. Sarah Penner returns with her sophomore work in The London Seance Society, following Lenna as she becomes an apprentice learning the art of performing seances. My biggest critique with Penner’s first work was that the dual timeline didn’t work, as the past scenes were so much more engaging than the present, and for this work, everything takes place in the same time range, we just alternate between Lenna and Mr. Morley’s viewpoints. This one took me a really long time to read, and you can tell it’s written from the same author - if you’re looking for something super fast paced, this one won’t be for you, but it was a really unique setting that I enjoyed.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC - Pub date is 3/7/23 if you’d like to pick this one up!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
I loved Sarah Penner's previous book so I couldn't wait to start this book. Unfortunately, I was a little underwhelmed this time around. I think the problem I had with this book was that the characters were a bit unbelievable. Mr. Morley changed from a sympathetic character with his shame over his birthmark to an evil, moustache-twirling type caricature. It was rather a jarring turnaround. Lenna struck me more of a bodice-ripping book character. I did enjoy the final séance scene where everything finally came to a head, but it still wasn't enough to redeem the overall story.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, and for the opportunity to publish my honest review.

Like many others, I adored Sarah Penner's debut, The Lost Apothecary, and eagerly awaited the release of The London Séance Society. I'm a huge fan of this historical period in time, and an even bigger fan of all things paranormal/supernatural. Ms. Penner's intelligence and impeccable research once again shine through here, but as a novel, I'm afraid it was disappointing.

The premise: 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…

My overall feeling while reading this was that the story was overwrought and melodramatic. I didn't feel the connection to the characters as I did with The Lost Apothecary. Mr. Morley's POV is written in first-person which I found jarring, as our protagonist is written in third person. I wasn't quite sure why the choice was made to present the POVs that way.

The plot was interesting but the read felt like a stone skipping across the surface of the water—beneath is where the deeper story, the emotions, lay and it all fell flat for me, I'm afraid. At times, the book felt like an overacted silent movie—wringing wrists, twisting of a waxed mustache (not really those things, it just felt that way).

I wanted to love this, I wish I did. I have the utmost respect for the author and her talent and will look forward to her next.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I was a fan of Sarah Penner’s previous release, The Lost Apothecary, and was so excited to see what else she had in store for us. Unfortunately, the first 50 pages or so of The London Seance Society were so full of exposition it was nearly a chore to get through. After that point there’s much more plot and character development rather than the info dumping introduction. The plot itself hinges on possibly connected and mysterious deaths, but the mystery itself was fairly weak. I’m a huge lover of everything mystical, paranormal, and gothic so that’s really what held my attention. I’d give this high praise for concept, but the execution fell a bit flat for me.

It’s Paris in 1873 and world renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire has just taken Lenna Wikes under her wing as a new apprentice, but Lenna isn’t there just to learn the craft, she has come to discover who killed her sister, Vaudeline’s last apprentice.

When Vaudeline learns of the death of a colleague, friend, and leader of the London Seance Society, she brings Lenna with her to London to investigate his murder. But once they arrive they discover things might not be as they seem at the Society.

This book was a very enjoyable read. The story was interesting and the twist kept me hooked until the very end. It was very fast paced, which made it an easy read.

I thought the world building was done very nicely. I really felt like I was in 1873. I also really appreciated the differences that were brought out between the culture in Paris and in London at that time. I found it really interesting and it sucked me into the world even more.

Most of the characters were well rounded and believable. I enjoyed all the hidden secrets and layers that were given to them. I didn’t, however, really connect with Lenna. I felt she was very one note and I didn’t feel like I got to know her well enough. Especially since she was our protagonist.

I think if you enjoyed “The Lost Apothecary” you will definitely like this one as well!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

Victorian London, 1873, seances and spiritualism. What a great gothic atmosphere. Lenna Wickes comes to Paris as spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire's understudy. Lenna wants to discover who killed her sister Evie who also was D"Allaire's understudy until she died suddenly and unexpectedly. Lenna and Vaudeline realize that the answers to Evie's death may lie with the esteemed with London Seance Society where they find an abundance of fraud, lies and deceit. This story was a little slow in the beginning but events start to move quickly toward the middle and it was hard to put the book down because there is so much going on towards the end.

Great descriptions of London society in the 1870's. I enjoyed this very much.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.