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A review by ceruleanheather
The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a fun, fast-paced mystery that was reminiscent of Miss Scarlett and the Duke or Sherlock Holmes. A little dark, more realistic, but with a touch of the supernatural.
At first the little snippets of flashbacks were annoying, but I did end up being grateful for them. They helped give insight to the motivations and thoughts of the characters. Especially Morley.
Lenna had the best point of view chapters. She was fairly observant, and her descriptions were compelling. This story was a great example of what can go wrong when there is constant miscommunication and secrets though. If a few of the characters had just communicated earlier, a lot of things could have been avoided.
Victorian misogynistic men are not my favorite viewpoint to read. But it was interesting being in Morley's head.
I did see the end coming for the most part, but the writing was very enjoyable. The audiobook came available from my library, and listening while reading was a nice treat.
At first the little snippets of flashbacks were annoying, but I did end up being grateful for them. They helped give insight to the motivations and thoughts of the characters. Especially Morley.
Lenna had the best point of view chapters. She was fairly observant, and her descriptions were compelling. This story was a great example of what can go wrong when there is constant miscommunication and secrets though. If a few of the characters had just communicated earlier, a lot of things could have been avoided.
Victorian misogynistic men are not my favorite viewpoint to read. But it was interesting being in Morley's head.
I did see the end coming for the most part, but the writing was very enjoyable. The audiobook came available from my library, and listening while reading was a nice treat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting