I loved Sarah Penner's first book, and if possible I enjoyed this one even more. She did such an amazing job at describing the time period and I loved all the women-- Penner writes such amazing women, I can never get enough.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

There are seven steps to a successful seance for Vaudeline, a French medium who aids in solving crimes by summoning the spirits of the dead. After the sudden murder of her younger sister, the skeptical Lenna seeks answers under the tutelage of Vaudeline. When a letter arrives from the London Seance Society, Vaudeline and Lenna must use extreme caution and disguise themselves as they seek to uncover the mysterious death of the Society’s president. But what they discover leads to more than what they bargained for.

Sarah Penner does it again in her sophomore novel The London Seance Society, crafting a masterful weaving of historical feminism, forbidden passion, and the fight against the patriarchy in this Victorian murder mystery.

3.5 Stars

I loved The Lost Apothecary so I was excited to read this one.

I really liked that it was set in the Victorian era, and I thought that the concept of the London Séance Society was unique and interesting. It was full of mystery and paranormal elements. My biggest complaint was the pacing was a little off to me. I enjoyed both the beginning and ending but the middle was slow. If you enjoy historical reads, I suggest giving this one a try!

I really liked the twists and turns of the plot and also how the novel was framed, but I found Lenna such a frustrating, inconsistent, and unbelievable character that by the conclusion of the book I was just happy that I wouldn't have to read about her any more.

I don’t know what it is about Sarah Penner’s novels but I genuinely enjoy them so much. I loved the characters and switching perspectives. The plot twist was somewhat expected but I was still invested in how the story ended.

#TheLondonSéanceSociety #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-arc copy of this novel.

When Lenna Wickes' sister, Evie dies suddenly, Lenna decides to pick up where Evie left off- trying to unwrap the mysteries of life after death, by studying the paranormal under Vaudeline D’Allaire, Evie's former tutor and renowned for contacting victims of crime in the afterlife. Lenna is a skeptic, but travels to Paris to learn Vaudeline's techniques and see if she can make contact with Evie in the afterlife. Bt suddenly, Vaudeline is called to England for an important mission by the London Seance Society, an all-men's paranormal investigation club which is at it's wits end when one of its own in murdered. When Lenna discovers a link between the Society and Evie, she decides she will join Vaudeline on what may be the most dangerous seance of her life - but the danger might not be from the dead this time.

The premise of this book captured my attention right away - ghosts, secret societies, murder, what isn't there to intrigue someone? Well all of that and more is there, along with touch of a little sex, lies and betrayal (ok, a lot of betrayal). I was completely hooked throughout the book as the main protagonists' stories unfolded and each of their secrets came to light. And most of them were indeed hiding secrets - some of them quite large. Twists abound in this one, guys!

The ending is quite good with plenty of said twists, just when you finally think you finally have it all figured out. Some of the ending was a little muddled as things moved pretty quickly, but everything ended up getting resolved and I was satisfied.

The author also weaves several details and side plots into the story that add layers to the story that make for a deeper book and I really enjoyed that. It just makes for some really good storytelling that kept me interested and coming back for more. When the dots became connected I found myself saying "Oh yeah!" multiple times.

Overall, this is another great novel from Sarah Penner, on par (I think even better) than her mega popular debut The Lost Apothecary.

I adored Penner's previous book and so London Seance society was on my radar early, possibly one of my most highly anticipated books of early 2023.

And there were things about it that were wonderful. The unique seance descriptions and themes were creatively done. The characters were bold and well fleshed out. Being in the world of the late 1800's with all of its societal norms, taboos and cultural views on women, specifically, set an ambiance for the story that was especially atmospheric. Even the mystery itself started off intriguing and sets a suspenseful vibe.

That said, even though it started out quite optimistic, the execution was somewhat lacking. Even though it's not actually long in page count, it felt long and, perhaps, repetitive until about the last quarter of the book. I could have done without several entire scenes in the middle.

The ending wraps up with a bang and even a few surprises...it just took a bit too long to get there for my liking.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for my free e arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book so much! I really didn’t know what it was about when I started reading it, but I quickly was obsessed! The characters are well developed, and I couldn’t help but love them all!

The London Séance Society is the second novel by Sarah Penner. Unlike her first novel, which was dual timelines in the present and the past, this one is purely historical fiction. This story was well-researched and combined fact and imagination to create a believable setting. While I did enjoy reading this book, I much prefer The Last Apothecary.

I jumped at the opportunity to read The London Seance Society after absolutely devouring The Lost Apothecary. I enjoyed this book - don't get me wrong, it had it's issues - but overall I really enjoyed it! Much like the Lost Apothecary, this book heavily picks up at the end of the story. I adored the ending and I cannot wait to read more of Penner's books in the future!.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eGalley to review!

This was a thrilling story about skepticism, mysticism, feminism, and a will-they-or-won't-they slow-burn queer romance. Phew. It was definitely a ride.

I would like to first mention the structure of the book. It goes back and forth between our main protagonist and skeptic Lenna who is the student of the famed medium and seance conductor Vaudeline, and Mr. Morley, a department head in the London Seance Society who is quite an anxious man; however, Lenna's point of view is in third person while Mr. Morley's is in first person. This threw me off at first but eventually I hardly noticed it, believing there to be a reason why it went back and forth between the two. Turns out there is--and I won't spoil it, but it's quite clever on Mr. Morley's part! Though I don't quite know why Lenna's POV couldn't have been in first-person too. I think it may have benefited from having it totally in first-person perspectives, but everything still works regardless.

As for the story itself, nothing is as it seems. Let me tell you, I ended up having to read the latter two-thirds of the book in one sitting due to time issues and that was not a problem because I was enthralled--the twists and turns and doubts that are seeded in your mind are genuinely interesting. I kept thinking one thing and then something new would come to light and change my mind. I was as confused and invested as Lenna in working out what is the actual truth of the situation. The only time this falls apart is when--SPOILERS--there is merely only evidence that Mr. Morley is a fraud and then in the very next perspective shift, he suddenly outright admits to wrongdoings without prompt. There's no time for us to wonder if we were indeed wrong about him as we analyze his next actions and words, we're just simply told we are wrong about him and it's like he becomes an entirely different person on the page. It was jarring, because it went against how his character was presented this whole time. I would have just liked a better transition into it. That said, later character reveals did make me gasp.

The queer romance in this story I mentioned is between Lenna and Vaudeline and it's, as I said, definitely a slow burn. Lenna has so many conflicted feelings and her doubts are legitimate given the circumstances. I didn't have any issues with how their relationship was portrayed nor with how it progressed. It made sense, it was sultry, and it kept their interactions with each other interesting. I also quite liked that while it was repeatedly mentioned how it was not customary/traditional in Victorian London for two women to be romantically involved with each other, we didn't get bludgeoned over the head with homophobia, internal or otherwise. It was nice.

The final third of the book--namely the seance for Mr. Volckman--was fascinating and probably the most fun part and I couldn't help but think about how great it lent itself to a horror movie adaptation. It wasn't as cheesy as I'd fear it would and could have been. Skeptics reading the book would probably think otherwise, but it's a perfect "just desserts" situation in my opinion, which is arguably the more important outcome. Following the ending is a most interesting author's note about the inspiration for the book along with some Victorian funerary customs, a set of recipes for Victorian wake dishes, and instructions for making a trick candle. I thought that was awesome.

Overall, I would say that structurally it could have used a bit more refining, but I enjoyed this thrilling ride.

This book just wasn’t for me. I did not find the story as engaging as I had hoped, and the reveal was not surprising for me. I do think others would enjoy the setting and the characters so I would recommend it to the friends I think would enjoy it

***I received a free digital copy of The London Séance Society curtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

Boy oh boy am I glad I received this copy via NetGalley! Truth be truth (the driving theme of this novel) I requested a copy because of the breathtaking cover art, but the real beauty lay in the words on the pages! Set in Victorian England - with few jaunts to Paris - we find a murder mystery that can only be solved by communing with those who’ve departed. Séance deception and those deceptions of the most human of natures push this who-done-it forward, with this read loving every twist and turn. Although the spiritualism was intriguing, the over all feel of the book was that of a historical mystery and I highly recommend to those who love the genre. This is one of the best in the class.

3.5 Stars, Rounded Up

I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner so I was eager to get my hands on her newest release, The London Séance Society. The plot of the book instantly intrigued me - a murder mystery set in the occult-obsessed Victorian London. Sign me up!

A few things I really enjoyed about this novel:

1. The backdrop of Victorian London and its society's focus on the fascination with spiritualism. I'm far from a spiritualist, so I learned a lot reading this book. While I love most historical fiction books, this was unique in setting and subject-matter.

2. The sense of danger. My heart raced the last 75 pages or so and I really was unsure what was going to happen to our main protagonist, Lenna. This felt very similar to how I felt reading the last 100 pages of The Lost Apothecary.

Ultimately, this book fell flat in a few areas:

1. The mystery was predictable. This was my biggest qualm with the book. I figured out the "mystery" about 25 pages in. I think this was due to the duo-POV nature of the book and I think the novel would have benefitted being told solely from Lenna's POV.

2. The book seemed to repeat itself multiple times as if it needed to hammer home the most basic points. With a mystery that was easy to guess, this felt almost belittling to the reader.

3. I felt like there were forced elements of romance that weren't ever really exposed. Penner touches on some matters of sexuality but I never felt like they were fully dived into and examined. Lenna has a boy who is pinning after her despite having romantic feelings for females. I felt like her sexuality and romantic feelings for two different women read like after-thoughts and felt under-developed in a book that at times felt significantly longer than necessary.

Overall, I think this was a quick-paced mystery with a unique and intriguing setting. If you were a fan of The Lost Apothecary, I would recommend picking this up and giving it a read!

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner.

The premise of this story is what drew me in initially. I was really intrigued right from the beginning of the novel. I went in with strong hopes after reading the Lost Apothecary, which was fantastic. I think this is a great addition into YA historical fiction. It has many elements that I enjoy in a novel: exploration, whodunnit mystery, the setting, the background into seances. I would say this is a pretty solid story overall, I think where it lacked in my opinion was the characters overall. I just hoped for a little more by the ending of it all. I would recommend because there is definitely an audience for this book!

I approached The London Seance Society with very high hopes, having devoured The Lost Apothecary last summer. In some ways, this book met my expectations, while in others it unfortunately fell short. Looking back, I wish it had been titled differently; I had expected the Society to play more of a starring role and not to be lurking more in the background. Our way into the Society, Mr. Morley, was slimy from the start and I found myself almost wanting to skim through his chapters - in my opinion, he was just that unlikeable. Lenna and Vaudeline were decent characters, but I would have liked to hear more about their backgrounds.

The story really picked up at the end, where the only full seance we get to witness takes place. These last chapters contained the masterful storytelling that made me fall in love with Sarah Penner - clearly well researched, amazingly well written. I wish we'd gotten more of this through the rest of the book! And I may or may not have cheered reading each character's ending, happy or not.

Overall, I enjoyed it and I look forward to Ms. Penner's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and invitd for providing a copy of The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner in exchange for an honest review.  Penner’s last book, The Lost Apothecary is a favourite of mine so I was quite excited to dive into this book.  Set in the late Victorian period, this story is about loss and love.  Lenna Wickes has lost both her younger sister and best friend tragically, and sets off to Paris to study under respected spiritualist Vaudeline in hopes of finding out how both have died.   At this time, séances are common following the death of a loved one and The London Séance Society is ready, willing, and able to help grieving families connect with their lost loved ones. Vaudeline’s specialty is helping murder victims name those who have killed them.  Lenna is a skeptic, but also feels that Vaudeline might be able to help her find answers about her loved ones.  Vaudeline is summoned to London with Lenna in tow by Mr. Morley, a member of the London society, to help solve the murder of a society member’s death.  This story is told in turn between Lenna and Mr. Morley revealing clues and memories leading up to a séance where faith and facts ultimately collide through supernatural voices.  This book would be perfect for those who love a historical mystery or a touch of the supernatural.

As someone who read, and loved, The Lost Apothecary, I went into The London Seance Society with extremely high hopes. The story at is base is a whodunnit - Lenna, apprentice to famous medium Vaudeline, is trying to solve her sister's murder. Told in a similar manner to Apothecary with its dueling narrators, we hear about events from Lenna's perspective as well as those of Mr. Morley - the man who runs a department of the London Seance Society.


There were parts of this book that I did enjoy, the whodunnit aspect, the discovery and exploration (exploitation?) of seances and what is real versus trickery. But there were also elements that I did not enjoy. Penner did such a fabulous job with the dual narrators in Apothecary that I expected the same here...but it just fell flat. The plot was extremely drawn out, and extremely repetitive at times. We would learn something from Lenna, and then learn it yet again from Mr. Morley - or vice versa. I found myself bogged down in the middle of the book due to this back and forth and seriously considered if it was worth my time to finish. I ultimately did finish, obviously, and the payoff was good, but the pacing had a serious effect on my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of the London seance society by Sarah penner. The book was very good but the lay out was almost impossible to read with the words being gray