I thoroughly enjoyed Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis. This gothic mystery unspools from the point of view of two different sisters in 19th century Paris. It includes a bit of upperclass Paris, a bit of the underbelly, and lots of spiritualism. What's not to like? Lowkis is an excellent writer who deftly moves the plot forward while also describing (with beautiful turns of phrase) the small details of life. I look forward to reading more from her.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Set in 19th century Paris, we follow two sisters who are known for their abilities of being a medium. Though they are frauds, this gothic story will keep your toes curled during a seance and your heart will ache for the turbulance. If you love everything dark and gothic pick this read up!

I loved everything about this. Victorian spiritualism, scheming and cons, mystery, dual POV's of estranged sisters with vastly different views, a dash of haunting and sapphic romance; a deliciously wicked concoction that I couldn't get enough of!

This time period setting is absolutely one of my favorites to read and this didn't disappoint one bit. It definitely quelled my deep yearning for a Sarah Waters/Laura Purcell-esque type of story...a bit anyways

A beautifully written gothic mystery about two estranged sisters in a historical Paris setting. The story starts with Sylvie, a baroness who receives a surprise visit from her sister Charlotte and gets pulled into a scheme involving their old profession as faux spirit mediums.

This was a really captivating and page turning mystery which had me questioning whether the hauntings were real or not. There were so many secrets to uncover and a very unexpected ending. The POV does switch halfway through from Sylvie to Charlotte, who isn’t quite as likable, but it is nice to get both sides of the story. Her POV includes a sapphic romance as well. I would recommend this book if you like historical mysteries with a supernatural aspect.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC!

Sylvie Devereaux has been estranged from her younger sister Charlotte Mothe for years, but that’s about to change as these faux spirit mediums embark on one last endeavor to bring peace to the de Jacquinots family.

I found that I was much more fond of Sylvie than Charlotte. Within the story the girls reference a tale from their childhood about two sisters - one good, one bad. In the end the good sister spits gold out whenever she speaks and the bad sister spits out frogs. We are given a dual POV which allows us to understand the motivations of each sister and see the different perspectives behind the scenes. Sometimes the dramatic irony was painful to endure and I had some strong feelings throughout.

I would love to read more from this author - Carmella Lowkis’ style of writing is captivating and this book was hard for me to put down. I was definitely in suspense and wanted to know what was really going on — it’s challenging to know what to trust or believe.

I will say that as a new mother, the last part of the book can definitely be triggering so be mindful of that if you are a mother who is going to read this. I definitely shed a few tears and my heart felt so heavy. Otherwise I definitely recommend this book to those who like supernatural stories and puzzling mysteries.

To say that I'm obsessed would be an understatement. This was brilliant, and definitely my favourite read of 2024 so far.

On the technical side, the writing was brilliant, the pacing was perfect, and the chapters were not too long, so I never lost interest. The narrative voices were also really strong and consistent, which is not always the case with dual POV. I could tell just by the writing whether it was Sylvie or Charlotte who was speaking.

The real star of this book, though, were the characters. Every single one of them, even the side characters, felt complicated and multi-faceted and real. Mystery doesn't usually hold my attention, but this one did specifically because of Sylvie and Charlotte and their messy romantic and familial lives. Even when I wasn't sure who was 'good', and who was 'bad', I found myself rooting for them, and anxious to figure out the ending. And the unexpected sapphic romance was *chef's kiss*.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eARC :)

I love books where a mystery is central to the plot. I've got to know what happened and who did it! And opening with a woman talking about how she is wanted for murder.
Although this mystery is the driving force of the novel, it really is focused more on relationships between family-- specifically sisters. It marked how complicated sibling relationships can be. No matter what, at the end, they are one of the few people who know you and what you went through.
Spitting Gold was really well done and I really enjoyed it!

I adored this one! The writing was so good, and the pacing was excellent. A deliciously haunting debut for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Penner set in 19th-century Paris, blending gothic mystery with a captivating sapphic romance as two estranged sisters—celebrated (and fraudulent) spirit mediums—come back together for one last con.

Paris, 1866. When Baroness Sylvie Devereux receives a house call from Charlotte Mothe, the sister she disowned, she fears her shady past as a spirit medium has caught up with her. But with their father ill and Charlotte unable to pay his bills, Sylvie is persuaded into one last con.

Their marks are the de Jacquinots: dysfunctional aristocrats who believe they are haunted by their great aunt, brutally murdered during the French Revolution.

The scheme underway, the sisters deploy every trick to terrify the family out of their gold. But when inexplicable horrors start to happen to them too, the duo question whether they really are at the mercy of a vengeful spirit. And what other deep, dark secrets may come to light?

3.5/5 ⭐️

As someone who finds the history of faux-spiritualists like the Fox sisters incredibly compelling, this book sounded like it would be right up my alley. I was eager to have a new novel that included mystery, history, and romance, and I’m somewhat satisfied with the way most of these story elements played out.

In her debut novel, Carmella Lowkis navigates the secrets that are foundational to sisterhood and con artistry and spins them into a mystery that is, for the most part, quite gripping. However, at times it could be difficult to push through the unlikeability of one of the book’s main characters to enjoy the mystery; In particular, I found myself dragging my feet while trying to get through the half of the book written in Sylvie’s perspective. Her high-society oriented behaviour could feel difficult to sympathize with in some chapters, and her role as narrator discouraged me from feeling completely engaged in the story.

Overall, I commend the author’s ability to create characters whose motivations feel appropriately murky, and where neither protagonist is perfectly “good.” The mystery plot was also unique, even though I felt it could have been developed further — something the romance elements could have benefited from as well.

While this particular book wasn’t my favourite, I really look forward to seeing what she writes in the future.

Likes:
- Compelling mystery, with a mid-story twist that caught me by surprise
- Sapphic character (yes this is a flat addition to this list, but too bad — lesbians are always a bonus point to me)

Dislikes:
- Romance feels overly emphasized in the blurb, when it was more of a loose element of the plot rather than its focus
- Characters can feel unlikeable, but some readers may enjoy grappling with a narrator whose motivations feel morally grey

An atmospheric thriller about haunted places and haunted people. Sylvie and Charlotte are estranged sisters who were once talented charlatans who convinced people their houses were haunted. They used numerous tricks to make each rouse convincing, but were ultimately undone by their own secrets and ambitions.

This book was, for me, about relationships. Family and romantic relationships were at its core, but there were so many relationships. I felt as if there was a new relationship revealed on each page, which made it hard for me to keep up with the main plot. There were also a lot of secondary plot lines hinted at, but were never explored. That was a bit frustrating for me.

Still, this is an engaging story with well developed characters. It really does keep you guessing at some points, which is always good in a book. This is a good book to read on a dark rainy night because it will have you jumping at every noise you hear.

Full of twists and turns, this gothic mystery kept me on the edge of my seat!

Highly suspenseful with spooky spirits, this novel is perfect for lovers of historical fiction who want a story driven by strong female characters. I really enjoyed the shift in perspective between the Mothe sisters in the middle of the book, it was really engaging to relive certain events from a different POV - this was an impactful choice to have a hard perspective switch, and it had me changing my mind about who to root for. Lowkis did a great setting the scene of 19th century Paris. Also I love to read a queer love story and this one didn’t disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books Publishing for providing this eARC!

This entire book was remarkably boring. While the use of dual-POV helped keep the story from being actively sleep inducing, it still did nothing to help make the book genuinely engaging. For what the story was, it is incredibly well written however, and I suspect for fans of historical mysteries with POV tricks, they’ll enjoy this a lot more. I’m not that fan. And I was expecting this to be fantasy.

The comparisons to Sarah Waters's novels are what drew me to "Spitting Gold," but the similarities are superficial. Like Waters's first several novels ("Tipping the Velvet," "Affliction," "Fingersmith"), this takes place in the 19th century, there's deception involved, and there are LGBT characters. And like Waters, author Carmella Lowkis excels at evoking the setting and creating flesh-and-blood characters. In some ways, though, "Spitting Gold" is more ambitious, attempting to depict pivotal events from the disparate viewpoints of two sisters and commenting on the elusiveness of truth and the definition of good. It doesn't fully achieve these lofty goals, however, and elements of the plot felt shallow and simplistic, with a rushed ending.

All that said, I did enjoy the book, racing through it and being surprised by a plot point or two. If you enjoy well-written historical fiction that depicts life among both the high-born and commoners, the rich and the struggling, you'll find this entertaining.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

this was incredible, right from the start. i missed reading a good mystery, and this brought me back.

writing — ⋆⋆⋆⋆

this is such a genuinely funny book. so many scenes where i couldn't keep the smile off my face. the dialogue, especially charlotte's lines, is commendable.

worldbuilding — ⋆⋆⋆⋆

this book isn't fantasy, but i found the paris established within its pages a complete delight. i love historical fiction set during this time period, and lowkis did an excellent job bringing it to life. one thing i will say is that it's not really as gothic or paranormalesque as the blurb would have you believe. it's a very straightforward, logical mystery. i would have preferred something of the former, but this was still enjoyable.

plot — ⋆⋆⋆½

this had twist after twist after twist. i was completely hooked. very well planned, with no holes i can see, with the mystery being completely solved, and the character motivations being thoroughly explained. however, there was too much buildup to be proportionate to what the ending was. spoiler, it was boring.

structuring — ⋆⋆⋆

the structuring, however? i can't say i was a fan from the beginning. switching from sylvie's pov in the first half to charlotte's in the second with no warning was jarring. objectively, the two opposing perspectives added more tension to the story, and structuring it this way rather than alternating every chapter did make the reveal more impactful. i just personally wasn't a fan.

characters — ⋆⋆⋆½

florence, my one love. i disliked at least either charlotte or sylvie throughout 90% of the book, and both of them at least 25% of the time. which isn't a fault, i think they're written to be purposefully hateable. i think lowkis has an immense talent for stirring up hatred, and i was invested in the book despite, or even because of, that same hatred. i really can't comment on their personalities or actions without spoilers, but it's like rereading caraval again, except both sisters are donatella. the side characters are funny, but not anything remarkable, which isn't a negative point—the story is fascinating enough with just the two sisters. charlotte's arc where she wrestles with her feelings for [redacted] and how to admit them was so relatable as someone still closeted.

overall — ⋆⋆⋆½
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I think this is the author's debut novel, and it is a strong one! The characters were distinct and well written. The setting was evocative, and the plot was delightful. I'm one who usually predicts the ending of books but the plot twists in this novel weren't predictable.

The story of two sisters who are spiritists and con artists. I honestly couldn’t decide who to love or who to hate in this book. I did feel that Charlotte’s telling of the story but in a different angle made the book seem a bit long.
All in all it ended tidily and was a good read.

This is a phenomenal book. From page 1 it grips you and holds you in your seat. I thought the author was descriptive, detailed, expressive, and really writes for the reader. This was a breath of fresh air!

Spitting Gold
by Carmella Lowkis
Pub Date: 14 May 2024

A deliciously haunting debut for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Penner set in 19th-century Paris, blending gothic mystery with a captivating sapphic romance as two estranged sisters—celebrated (and fraudulent) spirit mediums—come back together for one last con.

Paris, 1866. When Baroness Sylvie Devereux receives a house call from Charlotte Mothe, the sister she disowned, she fears her shady past as a spirit medium has caught up with her. But with their father ill and Charlotte unable to pay his bills, Sylvie is persuaded into one last con.

Their marks are the de Jacquinots: dysfunctional aristocrats who believe they are haunted by their great aunt, brutally murdered during the French Revolution.

The scheme underway, the sisters deploy every trick to terrify the family out of their gold. But when inexplicable horrors start to happen to them too, the duo question whether they really are at the mercy of a vengeful spirit. And what other deep, dark secrets may come to light?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for sending me a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was not for me. I found it dense and fairly lifeless, but i do belive that was a me issue. I struggled to find clarity in what exactly was happening on page to page because of how the narrator descibes or doesn't describe people in a scene.

This book i would not even market the romance in this. It's not a large enough aspect of the story in my opinion that it should be marketed that way. It is more a mystery novel than anything else.

So, I finished this a few days ago, but I needed some time to process my thoughts on it. Overall, I think I was just... whelmed.

The story is split into two parts and the first part was, I think, the stronger of the two. It really gave the feeling of creepiness and this feeling of being haunted. Sylvie wasn't my favorite character, but I definitely felt for her during the moments where things started to unravel. I had a bit of a harder time with the second part of the book, though. Charlotte's POV isn't all that distinct from her sister's and the anticipation and tension from the first part is immediately doused. That's not to say that there wasn't anything to like about Charlotte's POV. By the end of it, I definitely felt more for Charlotte than I did Sylvie. However, I feel like Charlotte's POV had a bit of a pacing problem. There were moments where I wanted things to be savored a bit more (each chapter jumps around to different points in time), but it didn't always pan out that way. That, and I felt like certain conflict resolutions were very unsatisfying to me. The resentment and misunderstandings between Charlotte and Sylvie were, I felt, very well done, but the actual big conflict didn't happen in a way that worked for me. That, and it felt like neither sister really ever got closure for what happened. Which, while realistic, I guess, definitely impacted my enjoyment.

The last thing is that the actual ending bit felt so rushed and a little confusing, if I'm honest. When I read it, I didn't really have too much of an idea what actually happened and then, it cuts straight to an epilogue. It just felt like there needed to be something more there. Some more clarity, definitely, but also just something that showed a bit more of Charlotte's feelings and thoughts.

I feel like this will really work for some people, but it was just okay for me.