The London Seance Society was exactly what I wanted, it had everything. Gothic elements, Victorian London, murder, seances - a perfect mixture.

First, I want to thank every for this gifted copy in return for my honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading this book when I saw that it came available, but unfortunately it just didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t get into it—it felt very flat, boring and disconnected. It honestly sent me into a major book slump, and I chose to DNF after a while.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The world building was good and I really felt like I was in London and Paris in the 1800s. the magic was subtle but ever present. I also really enjoyed the two points of view. I will say, the book had some peaks and valleys in terms of the plot and it made the big reveal at the end a little less *shocking* because there were so many other reveals throughout the book. However, the vibes of this book are fun enough that I did not mind too much. Additionally, Lenna was such a compelling narrator that I just loved seeing things through her point of view.

Also, I loved the conversations about the afterlife. specifically how fossils prove that we will always have leave our mark, it was surprisingly sweet and incredibly deep.

Penner's The London Séance Society is a page-turner. It escapes the sophomore slump, following her huge hit The Lost Apothecary. This is a mystical whodunit and a perfect vacation read.

3.5 stars! A very unique and intriguing book - this is a fantastic mix of historical fiction and magical realism/spiritualism. The story lagged a bit at times (a bit slow and repetitive) but it was very atmospheric and I felt immersed into the world the entire time. A great ending & loved the feminist themes!

Thank you NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wasn’t dazzled but intrigued enough to find who murdered the head of the London Seance Society and main character Lenna’s sister, who we find had a completely hidden life and motivations for her association with the Society.

The London Seance Society:

It’s not you, it’s me. The London Seance Society was one I had major high hopes for, but it just didn’t work out. It may have been the timing, but for now, it’s a DNFFN.

I honestly don’t think I’ve heard the word “ectoplasm” this much since my child went through her Ghostbusters phase. The concept was wicked and I was totally engrossed in it for a little bit. But, the execution left me wanting more. Much more.

I did enjoy the dual POVs of what was happening. I found myself more interested in Lena’s POV. The read was completely atmospheric and I felt like I was in the 1800s in their homes easily.

The part I didn’t like was how many breadcrumbs were thrown are way. This is hard to make sense, but it felt like the author couldn’t trust us enough to make up the decision on who the bad guy was? Listen, my Nancy Drew skills may be a bit rusty, but throw me a bone here, I know a bad guy when I see one. (Except Hans, he got me too Anna. I was shocked) I was hoping for a slew of seances and interesting medium things, but I got one. One.

This was a miss for me. Now it may be a hit for you and I hope you loved it. Thank you Harper for my copy. The London Seance Society is out now.

Lenna, age 30 was considered a first stage of seance; studying with Vaudeline, after her sister Evie was murdered. Lenna moved to France in order to study with Vaudeline. However, Lenna did not buy into the afterlife or contact the dead. Shortly after arriving in Paris, Lenna and Vaudeline were dispatched to London.
Vaudeline was known for her skills in bringing up the spirit of murder victims in order to ascertain the identity of their killer. These skills make her the go to for both the grieving and investigators. While in London, her skills were called up to solve the murder of Mr. Volkman, the president of the Seance Society.
The author did a great deal of research with Victorian England and seance. Although I appreciated the writing, I did not enjoy this novel as much as her previous book
Thank you Sarah Penner, Parkrow Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the novel, and I’ve written an honest review.

DNF @ 50%

This is one of those books that just exists. It didn’t entice me, and I didn’t hate it…it just exists.

This is really disappointing because I was really looking forward to this one. It had so many potential elements that I absolutely adore:

* historical fiction ✅
* seances ✅
* Murder mystery ✅
* Victorian era ✅

So what went wrong?

There was absolutely no atmosphere. For historical fiction, I NEED the atmospheric setting. I want to feel it.

The characters all fell incredibly flat.

The pacing…what even happened for most of this book?

Overall, it was just flat and lifeless. Sigh.

I loved Ms. Penner's first novel The Lost Apothecary and The London Séance Society is a solid follow up. I always enjoy stories that give me multiple POVs especially when they are diabolically different. Lenna is a character that is torn between what she can see, which makes it easy to believe and what she can't see and can't understand. It wasn't too hard to figure out the villain of the story but I enjoyed the story and learning about some history I wasn't knowledgeable about.

I received this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; however, since I was unable to read it on my kindle at the time and the audiobook was available at my library, I checked out the audiobook and listened to the entire audiobook.

The London Seance Society was a very good read. I really enjoyed the characters and the mystery throughout the book. I was a huge fan of The Lost Apothecary, so when I saw this one, I knew I had to read it. And it was really good! I did enjoy this one a lot. Sarah Penner is an amazing writer and knows how to suck you into the world she has created. I love how this was loosely based off how people did seances during this time period.

I do believe I would have enjoyed this one more though if I had not listened to the audiobook. The female narrator was very good. I enjoyed her sections of the book. The male narrator was awful. There were times that I needed emotion from his voice and he just sounded bored and unemotional. I mean imagine a character saying that they are lying in agony with the most unenthusiastic and disinterested voice you can imagine. That's what the narrator did!

My advice is that if you want to read this book, don't listen to the audio. But I do recommend it otherwise.

This book had a very slow start and because I don’t have much time nowadays I DNF it.

The narrative was split, with Lenna’s (3rd person) and Mr Morley (1st person). I liked Lenna’s POV but Mr Morley was just too much, too much to say without getting to the point.

The explanation of Victorian era was well done at least.

I’m quite disappointed as I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary

After having read and enjoyed Sarah Penner's debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, I was thrilled to be able to read her newest novel The London Séance Society.
Set in the 1870's two women travel together to London to conduct a séance in hopes of solving a murder or two. They team up with the men of London's exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery.
A compelling story of mystery, spiritualism, vengeance and a tad bit of romance.
A highly enjoyable novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

What an interesting book. I found myself devouring it, which says a lot because it is a dark topic. The whole tone of the book was very somber and serious, but it was fascinating just the same.

During the Victorian Age the population was fixated on death and the afterlife. The London Séance Society was formed during this period as a Gentleman's Club, and séance services were offered for loved ones (who could pay the price) to have closure with those who had passed on from this life. Lenna has traveled to Paris to apprentice to renowned medium Vaudeline. Her sister had recently died unexpectedly and brutally, and Lenna knows there is more to the story, Lenna is a skeptic, but she catches glimpses of Vaudeline's true nature. Together Lenna and Vaudeline travel back to London, and the mystery of Evie's death starts to unravel, along with the strings of the society itself.

Truly dark; I felt like it was perpetual night as I read, the twists and turns of this book keep the reader guessing until close to the end - what really WAS the truth of the society and a recent string of deaths in London? Part ghost story, part romance, part mystery this was a fascinating book to read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers of 'The London Séance Society' for the advanced reader copy.

Sarah Penner returns with a historical fiction novel with a murder mystery plot set exclusively in the past (London/Paris 1873). Many readers will find this refreshing given the current market for time-split historical fiction which can often times create a disjointed narrative.

Lenna is skeptical of the world of spirits and seances, but when her sister Evie, a devoted follower of the Victorian London Séance scene, is found dead outside their home she seeks out the help of world renowned crime solving spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire to discover the truth behind her death. Lenna finds herself questioning how well she actually knew her sister as she discovers that Evie had infiltrated London's premier all mens spiritualist club "The London Séance Society'. Having threatened to expose several sinister secrets about the clubs ethics and practices, Evie's sudden death draws together Lenna and Vaudeline to investigate the truth behind her death and the shady underbelly of the 'London Séance Society.'

A fun historical, mystery, LGBTQ+ read. I would recommend for those who enjoyed Sarah Penner's 'The Lost Apothocary.'

The women are talking… there are rumors of meddling… séance shenanigans are afoot.⁣
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Super moody and atmospheric, The London Séance Society will possess you with its spellbindingly sinister plot and fearlessly female phenomena.⁣
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Wickedly sharp Vaudeline is a skilled spiritualist who takes Lenna under her wing after her sister is murdered. The conjuring of the dead is more than just sending messages for these women though. They contact those who have been murdered - specifically to find their killers. When a high profile murder occurs, some shady secrets come to light as the women must team up with the men of the Séance Society in London. And when contacting the paranormal becomes even more perilous, a spellbinding mystery unfolds and the two women must uncover a nefarious evil stronger than any occult magic.⁣
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Skillfully crafted with all the powerful vibes of women fighting the patriarchy, The London Séance Society is a dark and enchanting read. Picked as March book of the month selection and an instant ny times bestseller, it’s safe to say this one will haunt you in the best of ways.

Lenna Wilkes apprentices herself to celebrated French spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire, in the hope of contacting her murdered sister Evie. Evie was training with Vaudeline to become a spiritualist when she died. Evie's murder broke Lenna's family, and sent Lenna on a search for answers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Morley, the Vice President of the London Séance Society, requests Vaudeline's assistance to determine who murdered the society's president Mr. Volckman. Mr. Volckman had been investigating potentially fraudulent spiritualists when his life was cut short.

Vaudeline and Lenna travel to London, with Lenna still intent on finding answers to her personal search.


Much as I liked how the setting's time period was fleshed out, I found this book to be entirely too predictable, as I figured out immediately at the book's outset who the culprit(s) was. Also, it wasn't really a surprise that a gentleman's club dealing with vulnerable people would be regularly committing fraud, and abusing its privileges and access to society, such as various wealthy men's grieving widows.

Lenna was a little unusual, in that she was scientifically minded, something I often don't see in books set in the Victorian period. Additionally, Lenna and Evie were both somewhat unconventional, which I also liked. However, Lenna frequently came across as not particularly sensible or analytical, which is in opposition to what the author tells us who Lenna is.

I liked Vaudeline and Evie, and found them both much more intriguing and interesting than Lenna.

So, much of my dissatisfaction with this book comes from being able to figure out the mystery so quickly -- I like more of a challenge--and with the poor characterization of main character Lenna. It's not great when supporting characters grab one's attention to the detriment of the protagonist.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Another wonderfully engaging, intriguing and unputdownable novel from Sarah Penner.
The reader will enter the sultry and entrancing world of the seance. Sarah’s hypnotic and electric prose paints a picture of life in Paris and London brimming with mystery and the lines that easily blur reality from illusion.
If you loved ‘The Lost Apothecary’ you will relish in the authors new offering.
5 Stars!
With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Park Row for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this delightful book! I adored it and could not put it down. This is the second book I have read by Sarah Penner, and it will not be the last! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and will read it again and again - that is how much I enjoyed it. I heartily recommend this wonderful book!

The London Seance Society is not the same as The Lost Apothecary. It is told through two perspectives, but they are both in the same timeline. The Lost Apothecary has a historical perspective and a present storyline. This book just takes place in the past. Lenna is an understudy of Vaudeline, who is a leader of seances. Lenna is mostly interested to find out how her sister Evie died. She was murdered on All Hallow's Eve, along with Mr. Volkman, who was the president of the London Seance Society.

The journey to find out the truth about the deaths takes Vaudeline and Lenna into the London Seance Society, where they contend with Mr. Morley (who is the other narrator). The setting of the book was done very well, talking about the role of women within this time frame, but I think the author tried to tackle too much.

I enjoyed the elements of the supernatural, but I just couldn't quite get into the storyline. I'm not sure if it was the flashes to the past that took me out of the current storyline or just the story itself, but it fell a bit short of The Lost Apothecary.