A fantastic book that drew me in right from the very start and kept me in its clutches until the very end. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting

Haunting, chilling, reflective.

Dual timelines, both essentially in the 19th Century and the realm of spiritualism split between Wales, Scotland and the US.

Nairna Liath, a teenager in the 1890’s travels Scotland with her charlatan father, reading cards, making ‘contact’ with spirits for those desperately seeking hope and living from their paltry earnings and scans. Almost by chance Nairna is taken in by the outrageously wealthy Edinburgh spiritualists and impresses them with her skills enough to head to Boston as Nora Grey, channeling the spirit of Lottie Liath.

Lottie Liath, a young widow in 1860’s Wales, imprisoned in an asylum, both a feisty human and an even more feisty spirit.

As Nora and Lottie collide in both their worlds, we’re treated to an incredibly heart wrenching journey.

Gorgeously told, terrifying for both women and a real immersion in the spiritualist world. Not usually a genre I’d read, nor a world I know nothing about. A highly recommended 5 star read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Kensington Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such an incredibly beautiful and detailed book following two women that share a connection as they try and fight the ones that try to control their psychic gifts. The heart-wrenching information about the abuse that is subjected on those in spiritual groups was oh so sad, and the way that greed, control, and fame led to them being exploited just sickened me to no end. Such a powerful story, unlike any that I have ever read before and I know that this book will stick with me for a long time to come

Rating: 5/5*

The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey is a satisfying stand-alone historical fiction with strongly presented magical realism. It expertly blends tragedy and hope while granting a voice and power to feminine rage and the victims of unjust captivity in cruel mental asylums.

Each character was robust, and I was increasingly invested in their development as the story progressed.

Structurally, the story combines two interrelated timelines, as in The Square of Sevens.

If you enjoyed The Square of Sevens or want a shorter answer in a similar style, The Museum of Extraordinary Things or The Unmaking of June Farrow this book is perfect for you.

This book said, “What if spiritualism, feminine rage, and the gothic asylum aesthetic had a séance?” And I said, “Take my money.”

Kathleen Kaufman weaves a darkly mesmerizing tale of a Scottish girl with a real connection to the spirit world (and a charlatan father who just wishes he did). The turn-of-the-century setting is deliciously eerie—think tarot cards, shadowy corridors, and ghostly whispers in a place that definitely should be condemned. If you love books that make you want to light a candle, put on a flowy dress, and mutter about The Patriarchy, this one’s for you.

Perfect for fans of Sarah Penner and Alice Hoffman, this is historical fiction with a supernatural twist—and just the right amount of vengeance.

The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman is a story about two women who share a psychical connection across time as they fight for survival against those who seek to exploit their gifts.

Nairna Laith travels the Scottish countryside with her charlatan father contacting the dead and reading cards to earn a meagre living. Unbeknownst to her father, Nairna possesses a real psychical gift which catches the attention of a spiritualist group who recruits Nairna into their society where she will hone her gifts and become well known as Nora Grey within the spiritual community. Nora's gift is inherited from her grandmother, a woman who was exploited and locked away in an asylum, experimented on for her abilities. Lottie contacts Nora through time to help her navigate the world of fame and exploitation, empowering Nora to fight for her freedom. Lottie's tragic story will inspire Nora to leave the world of spiritualism behind and live life on her own terms all the while helping Lottie to pass on to the otherside.

This was a heart wrenching story about the abusive nature of spiritualism in the mid to late nineteenth century. Women with psychical gifts were enslaved for their gifts and in the case of Lottie, were held against their will in institutions where they were experimented on. Greed, fame, and control were the motivating factors for those seeking to exploit both genuine and fake talents. I thought it was ingenious to have Lottie, Nora's grandmother be her spirit guide, and Nora be Lottie's spirit guide in her future visions. I have never read a story like this before and I really liked how the idea of inherited psychic gifts was told in this way, with a grandmother and granddaughter being each other's spirit guides. The author's detail and historical research is evident throughout the entire book, which made me feel as though I were sitting in on one of the seances, getting a peek behind the veil of the time and place of the spiritualism movement.

It was fascinating to read about the spiritualism craze in the 1800s from the perspective of two characters who were victimized by it in different ways. Nora experienced it from the business side while Lottie experienced it from the medical side. The story felt rooted in something real, I feel that there probably was a real Nora Grey, just like there probably was a real Lottie Liath. Its their experiences and truths of the their grueling ordeals that are the haunting ghosts of the dark side of spiritualism, kept alive with both warning and memory for future generations.

Excellent book, not your run of the mill spooky ghost story,and I would love yo read more from Kathleen Kaufman. In 1901 Marina Loath and her father Ravish travel the roads of Scotland performing fake Swansea in which Marina contacts nonexistent spirits or reads cards for gullible girls seeking love.One day a member of the Edinburgh Spiritualists meets Hair a at a country fair and sees something else: real power. Nair a is swept into the Spiritualists' midst and becomes Nora Grey. Nora discovers her even greater talents when she Maoists a spirit not once, but twice
In 1866 Lottie Liath lives. She is not a spirit and she lives. Who is the young girl who appears to her and sees her and speaks to her? As the connection between Lottie and Nora gets stronger, the stances get more turbulent and violent. When the mysterious Order of St. Cultish becomes interested in Morale talents, Nora must strong and not lose control of her powers... at least not too much..in order to save Lottie and herself. Thank you to Net galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was excited to read this book, because it sounded unlike other books I have read. (I don’t read a lot of horror, so its a new genre for me!) The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey is a haunting mix of historical fiction, spiritualism, and slow-burning horror. The story jumps between the 1860’s and 1901, following Nairna Liath (later known as Nora Grey) and her grandmother, Lottie—two women with supernatural abilities who face exploitation, abuse, and the ever-present threat of being deemed “insane.”

Nairna starts out faking séances to survive, but when she has a real vision, she’s pulled into the world of psychic research, where men either want to control her or destroy her. Lottie’s story is even more heartbreaking—she’s locked in an asylum for the same abilities. The book does a great job weaving in historical newspaper excerpts, making it feel like a lost piece of history, and the paranormal elements take an interesting and unique angle on spirits.

Some parts of the story can get a little repetitive, and a few twists didn’t quite land, but overall, this was eerie, thought-provoking, and totally immersive. If you like historical fiction with a supernatural twist, this one is worth checking out!

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Publishing.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that element that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the historical element that I wanted. It was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed getting into this story-line. Kathleen Kaufman has a strong writing style and was able to weave the characters and story together. I enjoyed the cover and the description and was glad I read this. I'm excited to read more from Kathleen Kaufman as this was so well done.

This was such a fantastically unique story. I usually am not one for jumping around different times and spaces in books, but this was masterfully done. It was really cool to see how the two protagonist's lives intertwined, and how they slowly came to discover their connection. The ending was tragic but absolutely beautiful. One of my favorite books with ghosts I've read in a while!

Okay, well, I’m not sure what I was expecting but wow. This story immediately captivated me. It starts off with 16-year-old Nairna Liath traveling with her father. He is a con-man always looking for a get rich quick scheme. Set in Scotland in the early 1900s, life isn’t exactly easy for these two. Nairna’s father schemes away while she reads tarot cards for a little bit of money. Soon the reader finds out that Nairna is the real deal. She is a physical medium who can cross from this realm into the spiritual one. She faces the possibly of being branded a witch, moving to a new country, and deciding between facing her destiny and hiding away from the world forever. As her identity changes, the now Nora Grey faces off against scientists, spiritualists, and her own family who doubt her abilities. Nora is the embodiment of female rage - with the men and women in her life attempting to control and make money from her talents. She often feels confused, angry, and disheartened. Nora’s story really held me in a vise grip. With dual timelines, and with the question of how these two stories connected I was deeply invested in how this story would end. This story is tragic, and maddening. I enjoyed the supernatural aspects, the dual timelines and POVs, and the beautiful writing. I could tell that the author really put some thought into setting the perfect historical scene for the reader. If you love historical fiction, magical realism, and paranormal vibes then you will love this book! I would include a content warning about birth trauma & death.

A young woman with a genuine gift for communicating with the spirit. Originally named **Nairna Liath**, she assumes the identity of Nora Grey after fleeing to a secluded community near Boston. Nora is courageous and determined, navigating the challenges of spiritualism, manipulation, and betrayal[. Her journey is deeply intertwined with her grandmother Lottie Liath's story of imprisonment and exploitation in a notorious asylum.

A haunting dual-time line (1901 and 1860s) story about spiritualism and power.
Her father peddles the half-starved Nora Grey (not her name at the start of the story) around fairs as a fortune teller. Although her act is a fraud, she also has natural psychic powers which are spotted by an eminent member of society into psychic research. Nora’s life is transformed, but when her powers taken an unexpected turn, the havoc she caused makes her look like a witch. Driven out of her native Scotland, Nora and her father travel to a sister research organization in America. Once there, Nora forms an unexpected allowance with a celebrated American psychic. Between them they summon Nora’s spirit guide in the ghostly form of Lottie, Nora’s grandmother…which is when the story really catches fire.
I found this to be an absorbing read. I can be lukewarm about dual timeline stories, but it works really well here. I especially enjoyed Lottie’s story – she was utterly believable and I was so rooting for her, especially as she was right and the men in control of her life were wrong. The book got stronger as it went on, and the partial redemption of Nora’s father was particularly touching. Lottie’s fate was thrilling and Nora’s decisions would have made her grandmother proud.
On a side note, there was the odd word that jarred a little as out of place for the time and place, such as the mention of throwing out ‘trash’ from a 19th century asylum. I feel pretty sure it wouldn’t have been in common usage in mid-19th century Wales as it is more of an Americanism and even in the current day in the UK we refer to rubbish rather than trash. But this was a minor (and somewhat pedantic) point so not to dwell on it.

I was attracted to this book primarily from the title as I love books that explore the paranormal and metaphysical. Nora Grey begins with the story of Nairna Liath, a poor Scottish woman in 1901 who travels with her father around Scotland reading tarot cards and pretending to summon spirits. It's all a hoax for survival until she is brought in to be tested by a spiritual society and has a vision that is real. In between Nairna's story is the story of her grandmother Lottie Liath, who had similar spiritual abilities, and was locked up and tortured in an asylum for the insane 40 years earlier following the death of her husband.

Beginning each chapter are clips from news articles about the asylum or Nairna (now known as Nora) spanning from the 1860s to our present day. This format was interesting because it felt like someone actually researching her in order to write this "entirely true story"

The aspects of the paranormal that this book explored were very interesting since this is not a typical story about ghosts or poltergeists, it's an entirely new angle on what "spirits" might be which I found to be a very cool concept. I also appreciated that woven into the story about the paranormal is the story of how women who were different, stood up for themselves, or made men angry in any way could be deemed "insane" and subjected to horrible abuse and gaslighting (abuses like this still exist today). This book also explores the commercial exploitation of women who have any kind of talent.

There are several strong women characters in this (and one man who supports Nairna although he doesn't appear much) who have completely rejected men, and while one of them still participates in commercial exploitation, it's how she is able to survive and prevent men from taking advantage of her.

One disappointing aspect of this book is some of the viewpoints that switched between Lottie and Nairna/Nora became very repetitive and didn't advance the plot much beyond "horrible men can do horrible things to women and get away with it." The intro media blurbs also hint at what is going to come next in the upcoming chapters and some of it ended up not being what I expected, like those bits hyped something up that didn't end up happening.

This book is a good read for folks who are interested in both historical fiction and magical realism. It reminded me a little of The Death of Jane Lawrence with alternative explanations of what "spirits" could be.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

If you liked Square of Sevens or The London Seance Society, you should definitely make this as one of your next reads!

This book pulls you into a world of magic and mysticism—a reprieve from the mire of reality where we follow two women connected not by time nor proximity, as they search for freedom and autonomy in a world where the cards are not always in their favor.

World War I and the Spanish Flu epidemic killed millions worldwide and helped create the spiritualist craze. In this book, a young woman travels the backroads of Scotland with her father, while he convinces gullible and grieving relatives that he can contact their loved ones on the other. His talent is all smoke and mirrors, but his daughter's is all to real. Atmospheric and absorbing