"Travel beyond the veil in this thrilling and chilling supernatural debut with timely feminist themes, perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco - inspired by lives of real teenage twin mediums in the 19th century.

Sacramento, 1885

Edie and Violet Bond know the truth about death. The seventeen-year-old twins are powerful mediums, just like their mother - Violet can open the veil between life and death, and Edie can cross into the spirit world. But their abilities couldn't save them when their mother died and their father threatened to commit them to a notorious asylum.

Now runaways, Edie and Violet are part of a traveling Spiritualist show, a tight-knit group of young women who demonstrate their real talents under the guise of communing with spirits. Each night, actresses, poets, musicians, and orators all make contact with spirits who happen to have something to say...notions that young ladies could never openly express.

But when Violet's act goes terribly wrong one night, Edie learns that the dark spirit responsible for their mother's death has crossed into the land of the living. As they investigate the identity of her mysterious final client, they realize that someone is hunting mediums...and they may be next. Only by trusting in one another can the twins uncover a killer who will stop at nothing to cheat death."

Aw yeah, bring on the mediums!

Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co for providing an eARC to review!

Really interesting concept and I loved that this was based on the author's real relatives - added a personal and historical element which I thought was neat.

I did find at times it was a bit 'yeah, we get it, life sucked for women in the olden days' and I wish it did a little more with this. For example, seeing how Edie and Violet got their break into the spiritualist tour as young women who had just run away from home without a male guardian and very little money. Or when Edie confronted the reporter about being part of the system that represses women - the reporter felt very quick to be an ally even though he had benefitted a lot from the oppressive system and had an inherent distrust of spiritualists, so it could have been neat to go into a bit more depth with this. I didn't think the romance was super necessary either but it also didn't play a huge role so wasn't so bad!

Overall though, I found this to be an enjoyable read! I really liked how this story was ultimately about two sisters realising how much they meant to each other. I also thought it was interesting how spiritualism served as a way for women to express their views and express themselves, but then that there was also a 'real' element to it. I'd definitely like to see what this author puts out next, since it was a pretty solid debut!

I received an E-ARC through Netgalley, this in no way affected this review.

I took some time writing this review, because there were parts of the book that I really enjoyed, but other parts kind of felt like they were dragging.

Edie was a loveable main character to read about in the beginning, but I felt like she didn’t have that much growth throughout the book and some things felt kind of repetitive as the book progressed.

The plot was very well thought out and I was constantly on the edge of my seat to know what would happen next and there definitely were some scary moments throughout the book!

With a perfect mix of sisterly bonds, historical moments, chills, and thrills, this is a read to cuddle up with and enjoy.

Edie and Violet are twins, who have inherited their parents' talents as mediums. Violet can open the door to the afterlife, while Edie can cross over to the spirit world. Despite their strength, they were unable to hinder their mother's death and barely escaped their father's attempt to lock them away in an asylum. Now, in hiding, they travel with a spiritualist show and, along with other talents, entertain without completely exposing themselves. But that even falls apart when Violet accidentally releases the spirit, who killed their mother, into the world. Edie is at odds with Violet and is determined to battle this dangerous secret alone, but soon, she discovers that, alone, she's in way over her head.

Let me just say that this is the perfect novel to pick up if you're looking for something to slowly get you into the Halloween mood. From the foreword, which gives a personal account of the true history of the twins, through the entire read, and all the way to the end, this book delivers. The author has done their research on the time period and spiritualism...and that already makes it a treat and gives it a wonderful touch. Add the quick-paced plot, smooth writing, and well-laid mystery, and there's little to criticize.

The relationship between the sisters is believable and takes a journey of its own. They don't always get along and often find themselves in larger arguments. And yet, the sisterly bond never truly breaks and is there when it is needed most. There is growth on many ends with the two, giving a wonderful character arc on both ends. Violet was a little less present in the first half, as far as her talents are concerned, but she shines when her time comes.

This is mystery, chills, and a bit of romance, but just enough of this last one to keep the tale from heading nose first into a very dark ride. The mystery comes first right along with the chills of a released murderer and the realm of spirits, and this is well done all the way to the end. There are more than a few surprises and moments, which made me hold my breath. The romance is well woven as to come across naturally without over-shadowing any of the main story arc.

I highly recommend picking this one up if you're into paranormal historical reads. I received an DRC and thoroughly enjoyed this read.

It took me a little bit to really get into this one, but once I did, I ended up really enjoying it! I loved how the story wasn’t just about the paranormal, but about the inequality of women in that time period and how men were so easily able to control them in all aspects of their lives. It was certainly a timely book to read. I loved the foreword by the author at the beginning about her family and the real life Edie and Violet. I found that really interesting and the photograph she included beautiful and haunting. I do wish we would have gotten Violet’s POV too, but I did enjoy Edie as a narrator. She was strong and fierce, but also scared and vulnerable and that made her all the more relatable. The twist in the book, I did not expect and it was so well done! And LAWS. I adored Laws. He was wonderful. He and Edie had amazing chemistry. I definitely recommend this one if you like spooky historical fiction.
TW: suicide, medical experiments, death, religious trauma

Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond was absolutely fantastical! Glaze wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond is a fast paced paranormal thriller. Having run away from home, Edie and Violet make their living performing as spiritualists in a travelling show. Here, they hide their true talents under the pretence of communing with spirits. But not all is right—girls are disappearing and, when one of their shows goes horribly wrong, they realise there’s something more sinister going on.

As I said at the start, this is a fast paced book. There’s a little build up to everything but then you get thrown straight in. It’s also a book where you can feel the tension in it, the creepiness of the spirits that are haunting them, the questions surrounding their mother’s death and the disappearances of the girls. You’re sucked into it, so much so that you have to keep turning the pages just to find out what’s going on.

It helps enormously that all of the characters are likeable and sympathetic. You can’t help but root for Edie and Violet and the people they meet. Their relationships too are very compelling, with the potential for some very sweet romances (although those were mostly only hinted at in this—if you’re looking for a book with minimal romance then this might be for you!).

And, honestly, this one had a twist that I genuinely didn’t see coming (and not in the way where it’s not telegraphed at all). When you find out who’s behind it all and what they’re doing—well, in an effort to be as non-spoilery as possible, let me just say you’ll probably have to put the book down just to let yourself think about it a while.

This story was very entertaining. The summary sounded like my cup of tea so I was excited to read it. The story is original, and the character development and world building make you feel like you're right there watching the plot unfold. I would sometimes mix-up the details of the twins, mostly because it felt like the had the same voice. At times the story had some turbulent pacing, bogged down by extra details, but that was its only major flaw. A solid 4 stars, and I'll be sure to watch out for this author. Thank you to NetGalley for offering this book in theirs catalogue. These opinions are my own.

I loved The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond.  It’s a wonderful mix of genres: young adult, historical fiction, paranormal fantasy, with a bit of mystery, romance, and spookiness.

This book feels so confident and clever that I was really surprised to see it’s Amanda Glaze’s debut. It’s one of my favourite YA debuts of 2022.

The Second Death is set in 1885 San Francisco and tells the story of two runaway twins, Edie and Violet, who work in a travelling spiritualism show.  They both have genuine powers to contact the dead and move beyond the veil separating life from death. They’re on the run from their father (who is planning to have them committed to an asylum) and reeling from the mysterious death of their mother (who was also a medium).

I loved Edie and Violet.  The book is told from Edie’s perspective, and she sees herself as responsible twin hiding a secret about how their mother died, while Violet is more flighty and yearns to be a stage actress.  They’re both strong and flawed in different ways and I completely believed them as twin sisters.

The setting is totally immersive, and I loved that Amanda Glaze combined a ghost story with the history behind young female spiritualists: both the positive aspects of how spiritualism empowered women to speak their minds and support themselves, and the terrifying way that any woman seen as crazy or hysterical could be dismissed and imprisoned.

The paranormal aspects also felt well thought out and immersive, and the romance between Edie and a young reporter named Laws was adorable and believable.  (I wish we could have spent just a smidge more time with them…deleted scenes somewhere, maybe?)

I’d recommend this book to fans of Libba Bray, Kendare Blake, and Dana Schwartz, along with anyone who loves a genre-bending tale with strong female characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for my review copy of this book.

A story about spiritualists, yes please!

The plot was very interesting, the story of these two twin sisters with that bond and the powers they possessed made the story something that caught you without letting go.

It kept me on edge until the end, because I needed to know what was going to happen to the sisters!

A lot of girl power and feminist struggle, which I appreciate reading in these kinds of stories.

This was the perfect spooky read for me. There were seances and evil spirits (shadows), but it wasn’t creepy enough to give me nightmares (I’m a wimp.)

The twin aspect was fun, though we only had the point of view from one of the twins, the other was more of a side character. Their bond was a driving force in the plot and I love a good, strong family relationship.

The romance was so cute and kind of snuck up on me, definitely a slow burn, but a good one. Like, Laws Everett, you can help me escape a sticky situation anytime.

The story held me captivated. It had a good flow and the characters were all very interesting. I loved the “runaway to the circus” vibe but make it traveling mediums.

Thank you Netgalley and Union Square Co for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond has a beautiful cover that truly captures your attention. Paired up with an atmospheric writing style and a haunting background story, I was sadly disappointed and slightly bummed. The pacing of the book is a bit slow and I've put the book down a couple of times to read other releases. I was able to finish after a few sessions but I almost didn't.

While I had issues with the pacing I did however like the mystery, the amount of research the author has put into her book really shows, and Edie as our main narrator. Her sisterly bond with Violet is one I enjoyed reading about. I do recommend The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond if you're looking for a mysterious and slow-burn read, perfect for the autumn season.

3.5 stars

DNF at 45% unfortunately. I do this will work for a lot of people. The atmosphere is fun. I just didn’t connect to the writing style or the characters very much

I was really drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and description and it sounded like the perfect fall read. It was a decent book but it didn’t hold my attention. I liked the bond between the sisters and the feminist theme. It’s also super cute how the characters are based off of the authors distant relatives. The author did a great job writing the time setting which I loved. I think this is a good YA book!

I had such a fun time reading this book. The premise of it all, being based on the photograph from the author's family, set it up in a very unique and interesting way. I definitely read the name Edie wrong the entire time, but I loved the feminism focused plot and the use of the time period was well done!

This is a great book. I was really interested with it while reading but it was hard for me to pick it up once I put it down. It's a shame though because I really want to like the book. It's interesting and has nice feminist message. Maybe I'll read this in another time.

Both the title and the premise of this book are intriguing (and the cover is gorgeous). The idea of exploring mediums, the Spiritualist movement, and adding the complexity of twins makes for a strong foundation. Edie and Violet are both well-developed, distinct characters. However, the characterization sort of dies with them--the others are not as three dimensional and seem to have only one main defining attribute. The mystery of the villain, as well as their motivations, seems to be hurriedly introduced and then resolved. I would have liked more of a backstory to go along with it. With that being said, this is mostly Edie's and Violet's story, and I enjoyed both their character arcs as they learn more about themselves, their relationship, and how to stand on their own. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the bond between twins, mediums, the Spiritualist movement.

this was really underwhelming. it was supposed to be about the bond (excuse the pun) of these sisters, but they hardly had any scenes together. i liked that it was based on the author’s distant relatives but that’s about it. the writing put me to sleep, the story was mediocre and the characters were forgettable. i did like the hints of feminism (i believe this story takes place in the early 1900’s?) but it wasn’t really explored much, unfortunately.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.


I’m beginning to think that YA just isn’t for me anymore. I had a hard time with comparing this book to others with a similar premise and nothing really set this book apart. The characters are flat and I didn’t really care about any of them.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, the blurb and the cover drew me in like a moth to a flame, but DEAR GOD, IT WAS SO BORING!

I don’t know if it was because I guessed the plot twist at the beginning, or if it was because I hated the narrator, Edie, who is not like other girls and she will let you know that but, like, very subtly.

Maybe I’m getting too old for this kind of books, who knows?