Reviews with content warning for Blood - The London Séance Society

"Established in 1860, the mission of the London Séance Society is to provide clairvoyance and mediumship services throughout the city of London, with the intent of providing peace to mourners and satisfying the populace's growing curiosity about the afterlife."

In Sarah Penner's sophomore novel, "The London Séance Society", we meet one miss Lenna Wickes who is trying to find out who murdered her sister. Despite being a skeptic regarding anything afterlife-related, the need to solve Evie's death sees Lenna becoming renowned medium Vaudeline d'Allaire's apprentice. Under Vaudeline's tutorship, Lenna will find out that another gruesome murder took place the night Evie died; that there's a lot more to the mysterious London Séance Society than it seems; and that the spirit world might be more real, and more dangerous, than she ever thought.

Through the winding streets of Victorian London, and in the hushed backrooms of upperclass houses, this novel takes place in an exquisitely Gothic manner. There's a certain melancholy to Penner's writing, a certain delight in the dark details of the tale, that make this a perfect read for stormy nights in front of a fireplace—or, if you're like me and don't have one, in front of a YouTube video of fireplace ASMR. Filled with ghosts, mystery, and tangled deceit, this was an excellent read for the rainy week we've had where I live, and I was mesmerised by the tale Penner has spun.

Our main character, Lenna, is an exceptionally intelligent young woman who loved her sister enough to plunge into a supernatural world of séances and mediumships she doesn't believe in, if only in case it'll lead her to Evie's murderer. Despite her lack of belief in anything that can't be explained by science, Lenna finds herself growing ever closer to her mentor, the elegant and renowned Vaudeline d'Allaire, who has more than one trick up her sleeve. Even though Lenna and Vaudeline start off student and teacher, they soon develop a much tighter bond, which evolved right before my eyes in a heartwarming way. I was really fond of these two women—but also really intrigued about whether they would get this or that resolution, since more than one character's doings kept twisting reality and messing with Lenna's head. I was really glad to find that, despite being women in a Victorian society that held little to no sympathy towards females, Lenna and Vaudeline didn't allow any man to step on them and their skills. As misogynistic as many male characters were, this book was also filled with strong female characters who stood their ground, and I was absolutely delighted to watch them thrive.

This book has another narrator: mister Morley, one of the most important men in the London Séance Society, who hides a deep insecurity and secrets he would do anything to keep safe. Morley's chapters, unlike Lenna's, were told in first person, and it was really intriguing to go down that path and see things from his point of view. I believe that seeing things through his eyes really added to the mystery, and the eventual unfolding of the truth—no matter how much I disliked him personally, I was really fascinated by him as a character.

Although the story took a bit to truly capture me, once I got into the rhythm of it I was hooked. I felt like I would've liked a slightly broader plot, but everything tied up nicely; and there were a couple of plottwist that, although previsible, nonetheless made me gasp and hold my chest. I was entertained all along, and I would, without a doubt, recommend this book to everyone who enjoys good murder mysteries, spirit world reads, and strong females proving misogynistic times wrong!

Content Warnings

thenewschureview's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

It's the Victorian Era, where in London, séances, spiritualism, and the mystical arts are en vogue. There are secret societies, costly séances, parties, and lectures, but corruption and fraud exist.
It is here, in the mid-19th century, where we meet our characters. Lenna Wilkes has experienced tremendous loss and is determined to find her sister's killer by working with the renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire. Despite being a skeptic, Lenna works as D'Allaire's pupil, hoping to find her sister's killer. Much is uncovered in the mysterious death of Lenna's sister, including the death of the head of the London Séance Society, but not until more than halfway through the book.
This leads me to the main critique of the story, the pacing. The pacing was relatively slow, with character building and the budding romance between Vaudeline and Lenna being the bulk of the novel's first half. Only some of the character development was even; I would have liked more background or Mr. Morley; after all, he's a main character. Overall, not a bad story. I enjoyed the mystery and ambiance despite the pacing.
I recommend this book to fans of mysteries and Victorian spiritualism.
⭐⭐⭐
Note I received this advanced reader's copy from Net Galley in exchange for a review.
Further note, the arc had a lot of spacing issues and a few grammatical errors.

Content Warnings

More...