I don't think I really liked this book...

First of all, it wasn't really about both sisters. The story is more about Edie and Violet seems like a background character who only at the end has an important role. I could feel the sisters' bond throughout the book though.

Second of all, it was promoted as a fantasy-mystery book in which the story takes place on a historical background, but (!) it's more a historical fiction book with fantasy-mystery accents which isn't really my type as the same version. Props to the research, it was done masterfully and you could really feel that you're living in the 19th century.

The action is really slow and at the same time it feels like nothing is happening. I had the impression that I was reading a book a little bit different than the description and it wasn't something else than a chilling story with ghosts.


I liked the main and historically accurate idea that about those medium girls who "were using their powers" to promote modern thoughts. I didn't know about that and I'm glad that I learned about it.

2,5✨

I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to read a book based on real-life teenage twin spirit mediums from the early 20th century set in Sacramento, the city I’ve lived in most of my adult life (don’t look for me there right now though, lol). Not only do I love a good tale about spiritualists and spiritual movements, but I love historical fiction set in Sacramento. I think it’s the part of me that wants to test the mettle of the author and gleefully see if they’ve done their due diligence when it comes to researching California’s weird capital city.

I absolutely loved the accuracy Glaze got with all of the real-life historical elements of Sacramento, right down to the historically accurate street layouts of the time (which are somewhat different now) and the modes of transportation available at the time and which streets they were available on (for instance, the omnibus only ran on K Street). It’s that kind of research and detail that absolutely thrills a reader like me who is intimately familiar with the history of Sacramento (part of my Geography degree is in Urban Planning, so I did some field studies in our downtown area and became familiar with the historical layout of that area). And I love seeing mentions of real historical figures (Miss Crocker, whose family name and mansion would go on to become the Crocker Art Museum, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city) and real historical landmarks like the Union Hotel, which is located inside of the Old Sacramento waterfront (a state historical park and a historical landmark) and currently houses an Irish pub.

Like I said, it’s stuff like this–the devil in the details–that separates great historical fiction from mediocre historical fiction.

So, I think it’s safe to say I loved the plot of the book. Where the book lost some points for me was the pacing. It started off slow and took me a while to get into. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to really get into it for about the first 25% of the book. Then it started to pick up a little, but I still wasn’t fully invested until close to 35%. After that? It was smooth sailing and I enjoyed it all the way through to the end.

I do have one warning: While I personally don’t have literary triggers, I know some others do. Eugenics is a huge trigger for me as a talking point, but not in fiction. There is some talk of eugenics and asylums due to the time period in which this book is set. If you feel this may trigger you, proceed with caution and take care of yourself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed this book very much and I think it is valuable for both the complexity of the story and for the way it frankly discusses the use of asylums to shame, threaten, silence, and harm women. I was pleasantly surprised by some characters and really liked how we saw into Edie's hopes for and faith in her sister.

Set against 1885 California, this is a novel about sisterly love, loss, triumphs and the supernatural, inspired by the author's grandmother.

I loved this slightly spooky historical fiction. Edie and Violet are such well written characters, and the story is absolutely amazing. From the settings to the description, this has got to be one of my new favourite spooky books.

Edie and Violet are twins who share a special gift: they can interact with the Veil that separates life and death. Together, they can perform seances, and it’s up to the client to decide if they believe or not. They’re part of a traveling show, along with many other girls who have similar talents, real or not.

Everything about this was a wonderful read, and I can’t wait to find a finished copy and read the story all over again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Union Square, and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

First of all I loved the cover, the colours and image, mysterious, hinting at something 'otherworldly' it would have me reaching for the book on the shelf wanting to learn more about the book.
I really enjoyed the interesting plot about the two girls being able to communicate with the other side, the era of men being in charge and there's the mention of the suffragette movement and its speakers. Theres lots going on, the girls and their gifts, the other women on the tour with them doing what they have to do to 'dumb down' their talents, the asylum with its shady goings on. The corruption where those with money or a bit of power turn a blind eye to using those less fortunate to further their own cause. There is also tha camaraderie between the different show acts, the way they cover for each other or look after each other at certain sections in the book. Of course theres some humour, the bicycle riding that Ruby, Edie and Violet get up to. Theres also some romance thrown in, Ruby disappearing on regular dates with various males, Violet being courted and of course Edie and her more gradual what starts out as mutual irritation, then friendship and finally romance.

I felt that this book really was a slow, slow burner to begin with but looking back having finished the book it perhaps needed the slower build up to the 'action'. It has all the snippets of information that you may think are somewhat irrelevant or 'image building' just pieces to help you visualise surroundings but once the pace picks up and gets in the nitty gritty parts of edge of your seat action, you remember those smaller snippets and the add an extra level to the whole story. It makes the book multi layered and all the more enjoyable to become immersed in to read. The backdrop and era of the setting of the book made it all the more of a 'believable' read. If some of these things were happening why not all!
The book takes you through a whole range of emotions. I found the subject of the veil, death and Violet & Edie dealing with it deeply fascinating. I found all the information about the different herbs and their uses really interesting, and engrossing to read about.
I adored the close relationship between the spiritual sisters. So strong together but when Violet wants to pursue acting Edie is immediately willing to encourage her sisters dream and step back to allow her to grow and shine despite it meaning loosing the life together they have so carefully built. The twins may not be identical to look at but they certainly have identical thoughts when it comes to saving each other from anything they are up against. The non verbal way the girls had of communicating was written into the everyday and the high action scenes so well and subtly, so totally believable.
I loved the character of Lawrence Everett, a skeptic when it comes to Violet & Edie's gifts. He is a perfect partner to Edie, helping her investigate the Asylum despite the dangers. Edie and Lawrence really do have to learn to trust each other fairly quickly.
I felt so broken and teary at the end of the edge of your seat stuff, the interactions between Edie & Violet willing to sacrifice everything for each other I also thought the final moment between Edie and her father were so touching too.
I enjoyed the 'Three Month later' chapter, kind of an epilogue that tied up all the loose ends whilst hinting at what was in store for Violet and Edie.

It definitely felt like a slow, slow starting pace with this book, setting the scene, then the pace changes slightly and you're slowly pulled further in with all the different characters and their individual back stories. When the faster pace and the 'action' starts it's full on and you don't want to put the book down!
I could honestly see this as a movie or TV mini series....I would watch it even though I have read the book already!

I loved the fact that this was paranormal and historical fiction. It was a bit slower paced but that helped focus on the characters and the relationship between them. I really did enjoy this book but I felt like the romance was a bit forced and got in the way of the sister's connection. A book like this is great for spooky season!

I received an arc from NetGalley.

This was such a fun book. It focuses on two twin sisters who work as mediums/ are mediums. They both have actual powers, but instead pretend to be mediums on stage to earn money.
The book is historical fiction, with a lovely dose of fantasy thrown into it. It's very easy to read, and the characters are really interesting. Edie and Violet are our two sisters, though the book focuses mostly on Edie. The differences between them are well described, and reading about their bond was lovely.

The mystery was fun to read about, though obviously not as fun for our characters. The view of mental assylums and the focus on women's rights was done very well in a way that felt completely natural and necessary for the story.

The romance was also well-done, imo, though there are some lines near the end that pretty much say it was insta-love from the guy's side. It definitely wasn't from the girl's though, so make of that what you will. Overal a really fun book, that I absolutely enjoyed.

Lovely novel that speaks to the depth of family bonds especially sisterly ones . I very much enjoyed this book especially Edie’s personality and strength. I was very surprised but pleased how dark this book did get in regards to what women in the 1800s had to endure with asylums and the lack of freedom women had. Also loved Laws and how the book come together overall

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond was had amazing writing and a really interesting concept. However, I felt certain parts of the story consisted of pacing issues. Additonally, I felt I was missing connection between the characters to be invested in the story. I do think The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond is worth checking out, but it was not for me.

A bit slow, though I liked the sister bond and the supernatural/spooky vibes a lot. The romance felt a bit forced as well, and it would have been nicer if the focus was just on the sisters.

A SWING AND A MISS

This was just not a book for me. It wasn't a bad book. Others might really enjoy it. But it was just not my kind of story. The pacing was too slow. Edie was - in my opinion - a selfish and unlikable character, who disguised her selfishness as concern for the wellbeing of others, when in actuality she only protected herself. What's worse, she never even owned up to it, showing no growth over the course of the story. And the 'romance' with Laws was just completely out of the blue and unnecessary. They only had one romantic scene together for crying out loud. So yeah, just not my kind of book..

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. The idea of twin mediums in a historic setting was right up my alley. The beautiful cover also cemented this as a book I was definitely intrigued by.

However, my main reaction while reading this was boredom. The pacing seemed off, I did not find the characters particularly likable, and the mystery was not intriguing enough for me to be engaged.

I think the author has a strong writing style, but it simply is not for me which I am deeply saddened about. Many others really enjoyed this book, so I could see myself giving it another try eventually.

I really liked this one! It was set in Sacramento, which was WEIRD. I've been to Sacramento. My town got mentioned in it. I never expected to see my home city mentioned in a book, so i was super surprised. It was just a fun bit in a book I really enjoyed. The sister bond was awesome, and the magic system was super unique. I'd definitely recommend!

4.25 Stars. This was a fun and entertaining read. While I would happily read paranormal, urban fantasy, or horror anytime of the year, something about reading them during October always puts me in a great mood. I live in New England where the fall and Halloween has always been highly celebrated so I just love this time of year and I’m happy to let reading of the spooky books begin. This book in particular is half paranormal/half magical realism, YA historical fiction. Since I do review a lot of LGBTQ+ books, I want to mention that this is not one of them. This has a light but cute YA m/f romance. What really attracted me to this book was the premise which I will go into more soon. I’m happy to say that this book was as good as I hoped and a very well written debut for Glaze.

I love this premise and the fact that this book was actually based on two real people. Glaze wrote about her great-grandmother Edie Bond and her twin sister Violet, who were mediums and part of the Spiritualist movement of the nineteenth century. I mean how cool is that and what a wonderful start to base a book around. You could tell that Glaze did lots of research and I felt like I was right back in the 1880’s. While of course this book was fiction, the fact of knowing I was reading about real twin sisters made the book that much more special for me.

I was really impressed with Glaze’s writing. I was surprised to find that this was her debut and it proved to me that she has a long fiction writing career ahead of her if she wants one. I found the book very easy to read and even the slower parts I found to be very interesting. I was into this book from page one. When it comes to the creepy scale I would say about a 3 or 4. Personally I would have loved something even higher. For me what I found to be the most creepy was tales of the sanitariums, which was all too real and hard to think about how many women were forced into them with no rights, but the paranormal parts themselves were not as creepy in my opinion and I could have used even more creepiness -but keep in mind I’m a horror fan.

In the end, this is an entertaining read that I would recommend to YA and historical fiction fans. This was a well done debut and a good book to get you in the mood for some October reads. I had a lot of fun with this and the fact that this book was based on two real twin sisters, just made the read even more fun for me. I would absolutely read another book by Glaze in the future and I can’t help but wonder if she picked up any talents passed down by her great-grandmother. Hey, maybe she already knows how well this book is going to do…

An ARC was kindly given to me for an honest review.

As twins and two halves of a medium partnership, Edie and Violet are compelling characters with an intriguing bond. Edie’s love interest is sympathetic and rakish. Their father’s dark presence and threat is an interesting conflict. I also enjoyed the depictions of the Veil of the afterlife.

But the methods of entering and navigating this space are incredibly convoluted, and the laws governing one’s relationship to it are murky and superfluous. Trying to follow them is taxing, especially during the climax, and I found myself wishing I had ignored their constructed logic throughout.

I did enjoy many aspects of this book, but ultimately found it not as well executed as I’d hoped.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

A perfect book for the Autumn and Hallowe'en season. A creepy story about two spiritualist sisters with a mystery built in. I did not see the ending coming !

This story is suspense filled with a shocking twist.

Synopsis

Edie and Violet Bond know the truth about death and the beyond. The seventeen-year-old twins are mediums, spending their time traveling and crossing into death-- just like their mother. While Violet can open the veil between life and death, Edie can cross into the mist of the spirit world. But when it mattered their abilities couldn't help them when their mother died and their father wanted to have them committed to the state-run insane asylum.

Now on the run, Edie and Violet are a part of an act of traveling spiritualists show, of women that although has to demonstrate real abilities hide under the guise of communing with spirits. But when Violet's act goes wrong, on a night they need everything to go perfectly, Edie learns that the dark spirit responsible for the death of their mother is now taking other mediums. As they investigate the true identity of their mother's final client, they realize they've been set up, and they are next.

My Thoughts

This story was so enthralling. As with most books, the synopsis sounded so good, I decided to pick it up. It was easy to follow and had me hooked from the first chapter. This paranormal fantasy was very original taking inspiration from the author's great-grandmother and her twin sister. I loved seeing Edie and Violet grow as they struggle through a society that was made to condemn, touching on things in current times like women's rights that of course were a struggle during the times. You watch them be independent but still support each other, keeping the bond that they have tight despite the fact that they each have their own desires, and never truly want to be apart.

This novel is definitely one you can sit and binge-read for hours without stopping. And I definitely did NOT expect that ending. The more I read the more nervous I got because I really wasn't sure what was going to happen. There were so many ways that it could have gone. I definitely was giving this a reread.


Thank you to Union Square and NetGalley for my copy of the book for my honest review. This book will be released on October 4th, 2022.

This book is absolutely perfect for a spooky season read. I loved the world building and the way the two girls required herbs to interact with the spirit realm. The story of sisterly love as well as self-growth and figuring out to forgive yourself is so valuable. The romance aspect is also a nice touch, but I was glad it didn’t center in this story and take away from Edie as a character. The writing was wonderful and very descriptive.

Thank you for an advanced copy of The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond. This book was a unique read!

Star Rating: 2⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Pub Date: October 4, 2022

I wanted to like this book, but I just could not get into it. I can tell a lot of research went into the story, so it pains me to rate this one so low...but it just didn't resonate with me.

I didn't connect with the characters, and the story itself felt like it kept dragging on and on...it was not the book for me unfortunately!

The research that went into the story earns it 2⭐️s, but it did not hold my attention enough for more than that. I think, with the right reader though, this one will be a big hit!

Thank you for the ARC! It was a delightful dark adventure with a touch of humour and a hint of romance. Although, I think the story could have done away with the romance as I felt it didn’t add much to the story. Regardless, I’d recommend this title!