In 1866 Paris, sisters and con artists Sylvie and Charlotte Mothe are reunited two years after Sylvie had “retired” to marry Baron Devereaux. Charlotte reappears to inform Sylvie that their father is ill and she cannot support him alone. She begs her estranged sibling for assistance to act again as a “celebrated spiritist duo” to defraud a fading aristocratic family out of their gold — a family mostly convinced that a relative slaughtered during the Revolution is haunting them (and looking for hidden jewels). The sisters use tried-and-true techniques to further terrify their marks; but — uh, oh — things that they have not fabricated are happening, too. Is there a real ghostly presence?

Told in two parts, we get to know Sylvie first — who seems to be really trying to leave the trickster life behind, but still is willing to help her sister out. She’s haunted by the memory of a fairy tale — a good sister will be able to spit out gold; a bad sister will have a mouthful of toads. Which one is she? In the second half, we meet the “true” Charlotte and the revelation of a love story that twists the mystery around. The story is fascinating and atmospheric and unlike any story you’ve heard before. It’s a creative and fascinating exercise in historical fiction. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Pale, dark and glittering, but no eye colors are mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The fragrance of orange blossoms is part of the plot.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was engaging from the get-go! I loved the sister element and the surprise twist in the middle! If you are looking for an atmospheric and dramatic read, this is for you! Thank you Net Galley for my ARC.

Such an amazing read.

Absolutely loved the world building and the characters.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Baroness Sylvie Devereux would enjoy her life a lot more if she wasn’t haunted by the fear that her past might catch up to her. Before she married her baron, Sylvie and her sister Charlotte were the Mothe sisters. They conducted seances and banished ghosts for whoever could pay. Now that she’s a member of respectable society, Sylvie does her utmost to keep that past far away from her. Unfortunately for her, that past has just turned up across the street from her home in the opening pages of Carmella Lowkis’s intriguing novel, Spitting Gold.

When they were children, Sylvie and Charlotte’s mother read a story to the two sisters that stuck with them forever. One sister, the good one, fetched water for an old woman (fairy in disguise) and was rewarded with the ability to drop gold from her mouth. (I would be worried about chipped teeth, personally.) Her sister, the not-so-good one, waited at the well for the old woman, only to be fooled when the fairy took the shape of a wealthy woman. This sister’s punishment for telling the woman to get her own water was to start spitting out toads when she spoke. (Gross, but easier on the teeth, maybe?) Sylvia and Charlotte have always wondered which of them was the good sister and which the not-so-good.

Charlotte has arrived on Sylvie’s street with a proposition: one last gig in exchange for not ratting Sylvie out to her husband and promising to leave Sylvie alone forever. With deep reluctance and a lot of fear, Sylvie accepts. The job is to find out who is haunting the de Jacquinot family. The family was once very wealthy and is hanging on to their status by their collective fingernails. The youngest de Jacquinot, Florence, and her grandfather, Ardoir, say that they have seen the ghost of Sabine de Lisle. Florence is terrified but Ardoir believes that this ancestor (murdered during La Terreur) might point them to lost family treasure. If the Mothe sisters can figure out what the ghost wants, they will be handsomely rewarded.

The whole thing is a scam, of course. Sylvie knows that neither she nor her sister can actually talk to the dead and, besides, ghosts aren’t real. Except, strange things start to happen at the de Jacquinot house that Sylvie can’t explain. Charlotte swears up and down that she didn’t create fake ectoplasm for Florence to spit out of her mouth when Sabine appears to speak through the girl. No one takes responsibility for the damage done to the portraits and walls in the library.

There are plenty of twists in Spitting Gold‘s plot and almost as many macabre revelations as a sensational Victorian novel. I had a great time teasing out who was scamming who, discerning who was really telling the truth, and wondering what on earth was going to happen next. This was a very fun read. I encourage fans of historical mysteries to give it a try.

Well-written and intriguing with a plot of scam spiritualists. I can kind of understand the comparison to Sarah Waters, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Spitting Gold is full of magical twists and surprises. A lifelong power struggle between two drastically different sisters.
Will an end to their years long estrangement truly bring them together? It is for the reader to decide.
A classic tale of good versus evil.

Sylvie and Charlotte, two 19th century Parisian spiritist mediums must join together to carry out single-handedly the largest job in their career. Will they risk it all for love or family?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. Truly difficult to put down!

In 1886 Paris, Baroness Sylvie Devereux receives a visit and a request from her estranged sister. The only stipulation of her wedding to the Baron two years ago was that Sylvie cut ties with her family of con artists. Charlotte has come, because their father is ill and she cannot pay the bills. Sylvie is convinced to pull one last job.

The two will pretend to contact a great aunt of the de Jacquinots who was murdered during the French Revolution. Just a few visits and some of their old tricks should get them a purse full with no one the wiser. Except things happen that the sisters didn’t plan. Could this job be real? Is there actually a vengeful spirit this time?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love unreliable narrators and or situations, and with this one, for a while, we’re not really sure what’s going on, and the possibility of a real haunting is thrilling. I am a bit fascinated by the early spiritualists and the craze of contacting spirits and holding seances. \I loved the characters, the plot development, and the twists and turns. The evolution of the sisters’ relationship gives the story added depth and bonus for a bit of queer rep.

A fantastic debut. The story is dark and atmospheric and will transport the reader to 19th century Paris. It is a blend of secrets, spirts, and sibling rivalry.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The first half of the book, told from the elder sister’s perspective, was captivating and well written. The second half of the book, told from the younger sister’s perspective, was whiny and annoying. I thought gaining insight through the eyes of the younger sister would help to ease my dislike for her, but it further solidified my hatred. The over arching story however, was as unique as it was haunting, and allowed for a quick and enjoyable read.

This book was a really fun historical mystery. I enjoyed reading about these estranged sisters coming back together for one final con. I enjoyed the dual pov, and thought it was an interesting way to switch up the story halfway through.

I think "Spitting Gold" will appeal more to fans of Sarah Penner than Sarah Waters, and I thought of a connection to Laura Shepherd-Robinson, too. The first part of the novel is the most immersive: Sylvie, the older sister, has left the family grifting business to marry a baron, an older man who she loves. Her sister Charlotte appears to convince her to help the family out with one more spiritualist con. This decision costs Sylvie everything and she is stuck back in the swirling vortex of the father she despises and her twisty sister. Once Charlotte takes over the POV, "Spitting Gold" loses traction.

Novels about mid-19th century women spiritualists are sort of a trend now and If you are enjoying these stories, dig right in. Otherwise, this is an enjoyable read with plenty of nice period touches.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital advance review copy of this diverting novel.

Overall, Spitting Gold is a dark story with fascinating characters and relationships. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in easy historical mystery read. This book wanted to be so good. There are moments when you question if the author understands human emotion and then moments when you’re struck by the skillful way the author manipulates you and makes you hate each of the sisters in turn. But overall, with a comparison of being like Waters’ tales, it left me very unsatisfied.

I started reading this book as soon as I was approved for the arc and finished it in less than a day. I just couldn't put it down. It's as if Practical Magic met Penny Dreadful and was sapphic. I LOVED it. The story was original-two con women have one last score before they can put their past behind them-and this is helping an aristocratic French family learn the truth of their ancestor's murder during the French Revolution. The story is lush, the descriptions are brilliant, and the action and romance kept me up til 5 am reading it! I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

I can safely say I am not usually a fan of mystery, nor historical fiction. But if you say something is sapphic and reminiscent of Sarah Waters' writing, I'm going to pick it up.
This is a 19th-century, sapphic, gothic mystery centering two sisters -- who have seemingly put their fraudulent, con-artist spirit medium ways behind them -- come together for one last job that promises to be the payout of a lifetime.

I unfortunately DNF this around 60%.
The flow and dialogue felt stilted and stiff. The premise of this is amazing, but the execution fell flat.
I will revisit later and hopefully can appreciate it more.

Cheers!

With a dose of “Practical Magic” and gothic undertones, SPITTING GOLD is exactly the right book for anyone with a fondness for ouija boards and Salem.

The novel follows estranged sisters whose controversial careers as spiritualists created an impassable rift between them. While Sylvia has since reinvented herself as a noblewoman with her marriage, Charlotte has resigned herself to being their father’s caretaker at the end of his life. Even their shared grief for their mother, whose traumatic death in their childhood shaped them, is not enough to rebuild what is broken in their relationship.

Until an affluent family pleads for their intervention, that is. They are being haunted, they insist, and the ghost is a vengeful one. Of course, the compensation for the sisters
gifts as spiritualists will be generous - enough to grant the younger sister her independence, enough to assuage the older sister of her guilt for leaving her family behind.

What unfolds is an intricate and deliciously spooky ghost story set in a historical context that creates a perfect atmosphere for the events. Is this family hysterical, or is there truly a vindictive spirit in their home? Is this a con, or do the sisters have a genuine connection to whatever exists beyond the here and now? Bring your skepticism and your willingness to believe, because if you’re anything like me, you’ll be jumping between them with every new revelation in this book.

This book is written with precision and an almost lyrical quality. I typically do not enjoy multiple perspectives but here, each sister’s narration was intentional and meaningful. And for what it’s worth, the cover art and title are brilliant.

I’m not sure if there is more to come but I would absolutely read another in this series. If you love Sarah Penner or Dana Schwartz’ Anatomy series, you’ll devour SPITTING GOLD in just one night like I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advance reader’s copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

This was just plain fun. The writing, plot, and compelling were well done. Readers looking for a story to escape into, who are fans of Sarah Penner will love this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I LOVE this book; the author created a captivating story in which you will quickly ( and eagerly) become emotionally invested.

The plot: Paris, in the 19th century, a woman from an aristocratic family is victimized and discovers she is pregnant. After she gives birth, her grandfather lies and tells her child was stillborn, However, the woman better - she KNOWS her baby is alive and healthy, and she knows her family pulled her child from her loving arms and ruthlessly gave her tp someone else to raise.

With no money of her own, how can she get the one being that will make her life complete back in her arms? She comes up with a clever plan by visiting a medium, someone who can haunt her suspicious family members to trigger them to return her baby, or their dead fierce family member will make them all pay forever in the spiritual realm, and haunt them forever in the physical world.

This author is one to watch. With her clever and whip-smart imaginative talent, she will surely bring forth more literary gems in the future, I for one, can't wait!

An easy ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rated 5 stars originally, but came back and knocked a star off for grammatical issues - "weren't" is used at least two dozen times when "wasn't" should have been used, and 2nd sister's remembrance of an event (ch 12) duplicates EXACTLY the 1st sister's verbatim.

Needs, and deserves,a better editor.

You know you’re reading a truly spooky novel when you fear what you’ll see if you lift your eyes from the book and stare into the dark. Some scenes of Spitting Gold are like that. A historical novel set in 19th century Paris, a seance gone wrong is unbearably creepy. I really liked Sylvie, a fake psychic who managed to marry a Baron and get out of the gutter, leaving her sister behind. But that was my problem with the book, I didn’t like Charlotte at all. The bad sister, who had to stay behind and has no qualms about dragging Sylvie back into the world she escaped from. The first part would have gotten 5 stars from me but I just didn’t care for the second part. Sylvie is the narrator in the opening chapters and Charlotte takes over in the middle. She is manipulative and not a very good person. We are told that she is poor and simple and yet her narration is as flawless as cultured Sylvie’s. This didn’t work for me. The main twist was a little too predictable. I liked the ending but, by then, I wasn’t invested in the characters anymore. The book is well written and I loved how atmospheric it is. I think that the author is very talented, I may just not have been the right reader for this.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Atria Books.

Thanks to Atria Books & NetGalley for the prerelease copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an atmospheric gothic novel told from the perspective of two sisters in 1866 Paris. Sylvie and Charlotte have dealt with tragedy, separation and other difficulties in their past which is reflected in their complicated sibling relationship. Sylvie has a chance to help her younger sister but are things what they seem? There are many twists and turns, and it kept me guessing until the end. Well written and a very engaging story!

50% gothic mystery, 50% sapphic love story, 100% complicated sisterly love. Two estranged con artists sisters team up for one last con to cheat a “haunted” household out of some money — or is that really the play? The first half of the book is from the POV of Sylvie, the eldest sister, which is where most of the gothic/supernatural elements take place. The second half is from the POV of Charlotte, the younger sister, which contains the romance subplot and where the mystery is solved. This did lead to a large tonal shift in the middle and took a lot of the magic away for me, but it was still gripping with a satisfying ending (fear not; as with most gothics, the villain gets what they deserve). I swung wildly from loving Sylvie to hating her, and likewise with Charlotte. Made me torn between wanting a sister and feeling very glad that I don’t have one. Florence, you are flawless and I love you unconditionally.

The prose — beautiful! I have such a detailed vision of 1866 Paris and I feel like I’m going to have dreams of dusty, dingy homes and muffled voices in the walls.

I genuinely was expecting a supernatural horror scene during one of the seances in which Florence would start puking up bloody gold. This didn’t happen, so now that imagery is just trapped in my brain forever. Maybe my dreams of 1866 Paris will be nightmares.