Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond

Coming into this, I was expecting a dual POV between the sisters but I’m glad that wasn’t the case. It would’ve felt tedious since Violet was so sheltered from Edie’s experience with their mother’s death. I haven’t done a lot of reading on the Spiritualism movement but this was interesting enough that I may look into it more.

Sometimes books with mystical elements get wishy-washy with their rules for the world but not here. There was no hand waving over the details. It spells out exactly what gifted people need in order to commune with the dead or cross into the Veil- the liminal space between living and dead. Edie was a delight and I enjoyed the dynamics between her and Laws, as well as her and Violet. She really embodies the YA trope of a traumatized teen who needs to learn how to trust again.

My copy of the book included an excerpt annotated by Amanda Glaze and I appreciated the peek into her mind. It was my favorite scene (I’m a sucker for a little romance) and seeing Glaze’s breakdown of Violet lowering her defenses was sweet. I wish more books included some author annotations.

The only reason I’m not rating this higher is because I had to truly focus to gain some momentum. The beginning was a little slow and I could tell that if I put it down, I might not pick it up again for weeks.

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youarethelibrarian's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

At first I wasn’t sure why this wasn’t dual POV of Edie and Violet, but it is really Edie’s story. She is having to work through her grief and guilt, believing that their mother’s death was her fault. She doesn’t trust easily, but she learns she has to open up to those she loves most in order to thrive, not just survive.

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themoonphoenix's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond is a YA novel that mixes historical fiction with paranormal fantasy; It's set in Sacramento in 1885.

We have:

• Medium twins

• Mystery

• Sisterhood

• A bit of romance

• Women's rights

• Conditions in psychiatric hospitals

Edie and Violet are identical twins except for their hair, Violet is red hair and Edie´s hair is almost white. Edie can cross the veil that separates life and death and Violet can contact spirits.

Both work on a traveling tour, Edie uses her ability to give political speeches through the spirits she contacts, people prefer to believe that their political speeches are from dead men instead of a young woman.

The Sisters are close, but Edie has a secret; she knows how their mother died, Edie does not want to scare her sister, but the reality is that her mother was attacked by a shadow when she crossed the veil. She is now dedicated to investigating who the murderer was.

I enjoy the setting, think the author did a good job in portraying the society of the 19th century. Edie attends a few feminist protests,we are in a time where women still do not have the right to vote, there are few universities where they can study and your husband, father, or brother can lock you up in a psychiatric hospital against your will.

Edie is brave and intelligent, wants answers and is determined to find them, in the investigation of her mother's death, she will discover that there are more secrets and will realize that other mediums have disappeared, including Ruby, a friend, and companion of the tour.

Who will help Edie in her investigations is Laws, a skeptical reporter, for him everything is lights and smoke until he begins to see things that will make him unable to deny that spirit world exist.

It is a great debut, the perfect balance between reality and paranormal, and very suitable for autumn, It's fast-pacing, with a good doses of mystery, read it if you are curious about spiritualism or if you want to follow the trail of missing women.

As a curious fact, the author was inspired by her grandmother and her twin protagonists, they earned a living as mediums.

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debussy's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is a delightful historical fantasy debut by Amanda Glaze. Set in the late 1800s, when women were sent to asylums for little more than liking to read, Edie and Violet Bond are part of a traveling spiritualism show. Most of the so-called mediums on the circuit are frauds, but Violet and Edie are the real deal, being able to call spirits out of the veil or enter into it with the right burned herb. When a shadow nearly breaks free from the veil during one of their performances, Edie finds herself drawn into spiritualism intrigue--a spirit is possessing someone, leaving behind a shadow in the veil that's angry and, if it gets out, could wreak havoc. Edit must find the spirit, leading her down a twisted path of nineteenth century misogyny and keeping secrets that threatens her life and that of her sister.

All together, I really liked this book. Its themes were well drawn and the romance between Edie and Laws was well done. If there are any criticisms, I wish there had been more for Violet to do--she seems to get ferried out of the story too frequently up until the stakes include her in the last act. I also wasn't quite sure on the magic system, how the herbs seemed to be doing all the work so why is it important that the girls have abilities others don't? That was never quite explained, but whatever. It's a strong debut and I loved the spiritualism vibes.

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