I made the mistake of reading this, not knowing it was the 2nd book in the series.
But I fell in love with the world, so now I'm going back to read the first book.
Give it a whirl, readers.

Although i need to go back and read the first book, I really enjoyed this story. It took me a little while to get into it, but was hooked once i started to figure it all out and follow along. I loved the characters and development of the story. Definitely want to read more from this author.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

This book picks up right where 'The Spectral City' left off, with Eve and Jacob following Maggie to the mysterious Sanctuary of Spirits. And off starts another phenomenal addition to the series.

One of the things I liked best about this book is that we get a bit more of a peek into the private lives of our favorite Girl Squad and see them each develop a little bit more. And, as usually, Leanna Renee Heiber's writing is amazing. She has this amazing ability to write in such a way that is immensely evocative. Many times through this book I found it so easy to picture what was happening. And there are so many plot twists! Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't.

But the best part, in my opinion, is the developing romance between Jacob and Eve. The writer wasn't kidding when she said slow-burn. The teasing and near-misses and undeniable attraction had me nearly.pulling my hair out in frustration. But GOOD frustration.

The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that I have to wait a while year for the next installment. This book is SUCH a delightful and quick read. If you like strong women, ghosts, handsome detectives, intrigue, and MORE ghosts then you absolutely need to read this book!!

I didn't realize this was a second novel and boy was I lost. It was extremely slow-paced and confusing about what is plot and what is irrelevant to the plot. A cliffhanger ending left me irritated because I had invested time and didn't want to read the first book or wait for the 3rd.

I would especially like to thank Kesington Books Rebel Base Books and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book. Too bad I read this book before reading the previous one. This book is the second in the series: "Spectral city".

The story takes place in 1899 in New York City. It features the Ghost Precinct, a team of psychic women led by the young Eve Whitby who is concerned about the discovery of a kingdom in the afterlife. Eve will investigate the disappearance of a funeral worker and will meet a magician and hypnotist, she had never met anyone with all these abilities. Is he connected to the mysterious dead, the ghosts' sanctity?

A book read in one go, so much so that I hooked on the story, so captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns with endearing characters. Can't wait to read volume one of the series.

This book was another fantastic read in this series! I enjoyed spending more time with these characters, getting deeper into the mystery with the Undertaker and the Prenze family. Plus there's the Sanctuary of Spirits, which I enjoyed learning about!

I learned in time time that I was reading this book, that there's another series connected to this world, the Eterna Files, which I haven't read. So I'm probably going to be reading those two series soon, though I'm not sure if it'll be before or after reading A Summoning of Souls. But this fact, now it makes sense, the comments Natalie made of Jonathon being dragged into the supernatural business when Eve was a child!

There were two parts of this book. The main part was the investigation into the undertaker, the one who had the pack of ghost kids clamoring for attention. I didn't expect it to go where it did, that was pretty horrific! And the minor part was Eve's relationship with Detective Horowitz, which was pretty full of misunderstandings. Really enjoyed how it worked out!

That ending though! We knew some of it, that the one brother was still alive. But I didn't expect how it would play out, and while I'm not quite sure of how it worked out, well, I can't wait to find out, and have this bad guy taken down!

Loved this book, and I'm so excited to see how it all ends in the final book!

I found this difficult to get into because I had not read the first book and was unable to finish it. As this is not the fault of the author I will be giving four stars

I didn't realize this was part of a series and felt lost. I set it aside and hope to grab book one before looking at this again.

I am grateful to Leanna Renee Hieber for offering an advance copy through NetGalley! Due to time constraints, this is is my potted, slightly edited review, as posted on Twitter: "Read it, it’s LOVELY. Such representation throughout, yet the heartfelt polemic never overshadows the even, steady pace of this wonderfully goth adventure. Deeply likeable heroine, keeping her little community of women together as they battle macabre crime in the world of the living and the dead."

As I came at this series backwards, I fully intend to buy the first book, The Spectral City, and I look forward to any more forays into this world. It's really good to have a female-centered paranormal detective agency trope, explored in such a gentle way but with wonderfully dark tones and vistas. To be read with a cup of tea, curled up in your cosiest chair.

Addendum: the docking of the star is for editing errors.

Awesome book with paranormal aspects, some twists and turns and a little tiny romance in it.
The plot quickly suck me in because it was not only interesting, but also well written. The author has this ability to make things clear when there are not sometimes and that is how this book made me love what I read and felt.
I need to read more for the paranormal aspects for sure!

In this second volume of the series, Eve is recuperating from previous events as she is thrust right into her next adventure. She and her colleagues of the Ghost Precinct are fascinating characters, and amazingly resilient, strong-willed women up against the obstacles of their time, while still remaining open-minded and kind-hearted. They, as well as the more minor characters in the story are very well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed the budding courtship developing between Eve and Detective Horowitz as a side-plot.
The mystery at the heart of the story was incredibly creepy, and not for the faint of heart - I could not stop reading once I got stuck into the story, although it took me a while to get started. I can't wait to see how the series continues in the next one!

Some of the concepts in this book absolutely fascinated me. Very original. I also loved the way the author wove in historic details and period elements of the city. If I have any complaint, it is that things seemed too easy. There was little sense of difficulty or risk. This was not, however, enough to hinder my enjoyment of the book.

The publisher and Netgalley provided me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

It's the dawn of the twentieth century, and NYPD has a Ghost Precinct. The Ghost Precinct is a team of women who exist at the fringes of society - spiritualists and psychics. The ability of these women to commune with the dead makes them invaluable. They ferret out the information that traditional forensic methods cannot - and venture into territory forbidden and inaccessible to most.

Eve is desperate to locate her friend that has disappeared. She uses all of the tools at her disposal as the leader of the Ghost Precinct. Her sleuthing is unwelcome and she soon becomes entangled with a powerful mesmerist. Eve must strike a delicate balance between her responsibility to her team, her pursuit of justice, and her growing attraction to Detective Horowitz.

This book was a unique exploration of the world of early forensics, the occult and the dawn of women's rights.

This was a cute period piece, that was about family, sisterhood and women finding their voice and place in a stifling patriarchal society. Add in elements of the supernatural, and this made for a interesting read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

The cover is what caught my attention. The color scheme is beautiful.
I wasn't aware that this was the second book in the series, but I was able to follow along with this book with no issues.

A Sanctuary of Spirits is an unique paranormal read. The characters were interesting and well-developed. The storyline was easy to follow and quite interesting.

A Sanctuary of Spirits carries on from its predecessor in what is an effective continuation to the urban-murder mystery series. Written with a cohesive manner, the plot acts as an overarching force between the two existing novels, in order to develop its dynamic nature.

The characters in the novel continue to be effective, with deliberate and intricate relationships and a depth that astounds from a YA novel. Eve, who can communicate with the dead, the Jewish Detective (no, this isn't the start to a bad joke), and a murderer on the loose makes for an alternate take on history, assisted along by the urban-supernatural mystery that is Eve. By mixing these themes together, we get a novel that defies that traditional confines of a Historical Fantasy.

The series absorbs the reader into its folds, and carries them along on a journey that is entertaining, and thoughtful.

I have enjoyed reading this series so much! And I don’t say that because it’s over – I don’t think it is, actually. Or at least, it better not be! There isn’t a third book listed on GoodReads yet, but I really hope there will be one at some point. I have questions!

I never got around to writing my review for book 1, The Spectral City, because I finished that one right before my blog hiatus, but I gave that book 5 stars on GoodReads. A lot of my comments for that book also apply to this one. The writing is just so good. I love how Hieber has built this story world, which is familiar while still being mysterious and new. Half the time, these books read as pure historical fiction, but then ghosts show up and help solve crimes. How cool is that! The characters are wonderful to read, starting with our protagonist, Eve. Eve has been aware and able to speak to ghosts all her life. She has used this ability to find others like her and is now a part of the New York Police. What I like best about Eve is that she is such a hard working person and extremely empathetic. She wants to help everyone she can, living or dead, and this trait sometimes gets her in trouble.

In the first book, the stakes were pretty high (trying to find out how one of their best ghost friends had disappeared), the second book takes it to a whole new level. It is actually terrifying and kept me guessing who the actual villain really was. The creepy mortician with the collection of dead people photographs? The tonic salesman whose customers keep having ill effects? The magician whose show is so spooky and evocative of hell, it feels like you actually travel there? And who the hell is the scary, shadowy guy who keeps appearing outside Eve’s window!!!

I do think one of my favorite parts of these books has been watching the relationship develop between Eve and Detective Horowitz. This isn’t a romance novel, but their relationship is building in such a beautiful, organic way. They are so compatible, so respectful of one another and each other’s work. It’s a joy to read every time he turns up.

I want a book 3 so bad! Hopefully we’ll find out if there is one soon because I can’t wait to disappear into this world again!

GoodReads rating: 5 stars!!

This is a second book in the Spectral City series. I didn't know that when requested that. I thought if I liked this one I will buy book one, but that won't happen as this story was completely out of control in my mind.
It was too slow, too long took getting into ANYTHING at all... like you have 400/500 pages, and... half of it is somehow out of the plot and reminding of some things that were not important or intriguing... so it had lost me there. There is also something about the way that romance was created that irritated me as it was TOO extreme slowly IMO.
Not for me, but maybe it will work for you.

I really, really, really wanted to like this book. The premise is intriguing, and I loved the setting. But I had a very difficult time accepting that an eighteen year-old woman could do everything that Eve does; she strikes me as way too young. Additionally, the interactions between Eve and some of her spirit guides were cloyingly sweet -- too sweet. I feel like this book should have been marketed as YA or New Adult; it will appeal to that audience.