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A review by thenewschureview
The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
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.
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
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and Grief
Minor: Rape