4.5/5.0

Thank you to NetGalley, author Sarah Penner and publisher Legend Press for gifting me an e-copy of this arc.

I find it very hard to resist the charm of a gothic Victorian London, but combine that with spooky seances and a haunting murder mystery - yes please!

Sarah Penner managed to perfectly capture the atmosphere of Victorian London - I was transported to the dark back alleys and the seedy underbelly. The amount of research which must have gone into this book is astonishing - from the Victorian dress and death rituals to their obsession with the supernatural.

I loved the hints at romance in this book but found it so refreshing that this was only such a minor part of the plot. It was great to read the adventures of two women sticking it to the man in a Victorian era.

This read had me turning the pages well into the night to unmask the murder culprit and solve the mystery. Another fantastic historical fiction novel for Sarah Penner.

E-ARC provided by NetGalley for a review! I haven’t read the author’s debut, The Lost Apothecary, though it’s been on my tbr for awhile, so I was excited when my request for this book was accepted.
We follow Lenna, a nonbeliever seance student of Madame Vaudeline, as she attempts to find the truth behind her sister’s murder on all hallow’s Eve. She’s more interested in science than the supernatural, but she’s taken her sister’s place under Vaudeline in hopes they can solve her murder together. Lena’s pov alternates with Mr. Morley, head of the spiritualism department of the titular London Seance Society. Lenna uncovers secrets and deception and pursues a romance with Vaudeline as she becomes tangled in the seance society’s dark web.
I was so excited based on the premise and the gorgeous cover, but it fell short of my expectations. The characters felt flat, the plot was predictable, and there was nothing very unique or special about the writing. Another reviewer described this book as compulsively readable, and although I prefer to read books in one sitting, I’m afraid I didn’t have the same experience as that reviewer. There were several big reveals, notably at 50% and 70% through the book, but I had already put them together, and they didn’t leave me dying to know more- sometimes this book felt like more like a chore than a page turner. I also thought that many of the overlapping POVs were repetitive, and some of the mysteries were over explained. I did enjoy the last 25% of the book, so I’ve rounded up 3.5 stars to 4. Ultimately though, it didn’t leave me wanting to read more from this author, so The Lost Apothecary will probably sit on my TBR awhile longer.

Lenna Wickes is in Paris to investigate the oddities of her sister's death. Studying under acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire, Lenna embraces the unknown and overcome her own bias and unease against the occult. When the pair are called to London to help with a murder deep inside the London Séance Society, they begin to see wires crossing with the murder of Lenna's sister. Will they solve the crime? Or become victims of crime themselves?

At once, who could pass on another wonderful historical thriller by Sarah Penner. This one, told with dual POV between Lenna, who has lost her sister and it seems herself too and Mr Morley, Vice President of the London Séance Society. Once again, Penner has created an immersive world, cleverly playing into Victorian London's death rituals and love for mediumship. Introducing you to not one, but two gruesome murders, dropping tiny clues along the way, you will not pick where this ending goes! Along with the murder-mystery story, you will also find stories of self-discovery, relationships, and a conflict of interests regarding ghosts and the afterlife. It is a wonderful all-rounder for anyone who wishes to be transported to Victorian London in a new fashion - much like Sherlock Holmes (but with ghosts!) This one is available from 21st March 2023. Don't wait, make sure you add it to your lists for next year.

Things to love in London Séance Society:
✔️ Ghosts, mediums and Séance's.
✔️ Grizzly murders.
✔️ Scenery descriptions of London that transport you to the 1800's.
✔️ Strong female driven book.
✔️ LGBT+ relationships and representation.

This was a great story with so many twists and turns that it was hard to trust anyone. I was hooked from the first few pages.

The ending....wow..A definite recommend

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read and give my honest review.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone else

Thank you NetGalley for this book!

When I saw Sarah Penner was releasing another book, I clicked request so fast. I absolutely loved The Lost Apothecary, and could not wait to dive into The London Séance Society. While this one had the alternating two person POV's like The Lost Apothecary, it did not go from past to present. It all took place in Victorian London.

This book had everything I love in a book: set in Victorian times, ghost story, double murder mystery, historical fiction, and so much more. Additionally, I loved how after the book there was a quick, bonus history lesson on the Victorian times paranormal beliefs, and even some recipes!

I really enjoyed this page-turner! Sarah Penner tells the story from two POVs, Mr. Morley, the president of the London Seance Society and Lenna, whose sister Evie was murdered. At Mr. Morely's request, Lenna and her mentor Vaudeline return to London with a goal to solve the mystery of two murders. I loved reading from each POV and couldn't put it down until I figured out who was behind everything. I didn't see the ending coming which always makes a thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for the ARC!

Wow, where do I start, this book has it all. The story centres around two murders, the sister of Lenna, Evie and the president of the London Séance Society, Mr Volckman. Vaudeline is a well-known medium who holds seances to determine the cause of murders and who mysteriously had to leave London quickly.
Lenna is determined to find out how her sister died and tracks Vaudeline down in Paris. Whilst studying under Vaudeline a letter arrives, which asks Vaudeline to go back to London to hold a séance to try and find out who killed Mr Volkman. The story takes on so many twists and turns when Lenna and Vaudeline return to London. Is anyone who they appear to be, is the story as simple as it seems, who is being truthful, who knows what about who… its all in there.
The characters are well written. I loved the relationship between Lenna and Vaudeline but is this as it first appears or is there much more to this relationship?
It’s a well written story with many turns and surprises on the way, you begin to question all of what you think you know about the characters and their parts in the story. The story is told from two perspectives, Mr Morley who is a departmental vice-president in the London Séance Society and Lenna. This gives a great dual perspective to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the ending took me off guard but was brilliant. I was hooked from the first few pages. If you love books that keep you guessing, with characters who are interesting, and a bit of the spookiness of a society of mediums, then this book is for you!

Thank you to Legend Press and @netgalley for the ARC of this book! I absolutely loved this read!

Opening the book to the seven stages of a seance gripped me immediately. I enjoyed that the supernatural abilities were learned and taught as a skill rather than a genetic disposition. This was unique to similar books I've read and I loved this change!

The two sisters were so beautifully written. Two stubborn individuals with differing and sometimes opposing views of the world, but with a solid connection and love for each other that was evident from the start. This was very well written and shown throughout the book!

The dual perspective was enjoyable, with both timelines happening alongside each other, both set in the 1870s. The characters had varying levels of depth, keeping the reader wondering how involved they were in different aspects of the mystery.

From the first page, I was captivated by the plot unfolding. This continued in a suspenseful way, that kept me hooked through to the last page, rooting for these characters as the mystery unfolded.

The supernatural elements, the spirits, the suspense, the mystery, and the characters worked together for a wonderful novel! I loved this read!

Keep your eye out for this one, coming out March 2023!

This is a highly-atmospheric story with a queer love story in the middle. You can smell the reeking London fog, the vile puddles, the ectoplasm and seance candles. Penner uses scent creatively in the story and deftly inserts explanations of Victorian mourning practices and body prep.
But despite all this historical care, there are some out of period bloopers. First and foremost is the use of Ms., which was not even dreamed of until the 1970s. In 1873 unmarried women were called Miss, although as a sign of respect, Vaudeline might have been called Mrs., or, because she's French, Madame. Shockingly sloppy in a novel where so much care has been lavished on period detail. Let's also look at the fact that Lenna and her sister Evie do not think or behave like young Victorian women at as time when women were hampered by some of the most cumbersome fashion ever and would not have gone anywhere unaccompanied. I think that adding that layer of societal stricture would have made the story even more powerful and the women more remarkable.

A great mystery, with a magical edge. It has a fun cast of characters and I loved the style, particularly how each character had their own perspectives.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

The london seance society is an atmospheric masterpiece!

If you like murder mystery, ghost stories and Gothic vibes this is the book for you!

Penner does an amazing job of building a rich and atmospheric world for us to dive into and you won't be able to put it down!

The London Séance Society is a Victorian era murder mystery that takes us to 1873 London and Paris. Lenna, a sceptic of all things ghostly, is trying to solve the murder of her sister Evie, a staunch believer in the afterlife. Lenna is studying the art of the scéance under Vaudeline, a renowned medium, in order to get to the bottom of how and why her sister was killed. Vaudeline learns a friend of hers was also murdered, and the two travel to London to work with the London Séance Society, a renowned gentleman’s club popular for performing authentic séances.
I enjoyed Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary, so I was excited to read her new novel, and I was not disappointed. The characters were well developed, the storyline was interesting, and I was surprised several times throughout the book as the mystery was unraveled.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The London Séance Society in exchange for my honest opinion.

The novel is set in 1873, and starts with a séance. Lenna is an apprentice to famed medium Vaudeline D'Allaire in Paris. Lenna is skeptical; she's not sure she even believes in ghosts. She's drawn to Vaudeline because her younger sister, Evie, was also an apprentice of Vaudeline's before she was murdered in London on All Hallows Eve. Then we are introduced to Mr. Morley in London, who is the Vice President of the London Séance Society, who is also trying to solve a murder that occurred on All Hallows' Eve. Morley sends Vaudeline a letter asking for her help to find out who killed Mr. Volckman, the Society's President. She agrees, and Lenna comes to London with her so that she can also host a séance for Evie.

I thought this was a really well told story. I had no idea that people in the Victorian era were so obsessed with the paranormal, seances in particular. The novel is suspenseful most of the way through, and little bits of what happened get revealed over time. It is hard to know who to trust at times, and it kept me guessing. The last quarter of the book (the séance) was really well done. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend! 4.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Legend Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Penner's second book is a worthy successor to her first blockbuster, The Lost Apothecary. Set in the late Victorian era, when spiritualism and séances were wildly popular in England, it tells in great detail the story of two young women--Vaudaline D'Allaire, a prominent medium, and Lenna Wickes, her protégé and "understudy." Lenna hopes to use her training and her association with Vaudaline to find out who killed her younger sister Evie, a budding medium herself. Vaudaline has been lured back from Paris to London to preside at a séance to identify the killer of the president of the men-only London Séance Society, some of whose members have been accused of being charlatans in the pursuit of easy money rather than authentic spiritualists.

I thoroughly enjoyed this look into the spiritualism dichotomy--are séances an authentic way to contact the dead to bring comfort to their families, or are they simply smoke and mirrors to cheat gullible, grieving customers out of their savings? I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two women and Mr. Morley, vice president of the Society's Department of Spiritualism, who narrates alternate chapters. But my favorite part of the book is the highly suspenseful final chapters culminating in the important séance that could turn deadly for both Vaudaline and a suspicious Lenna.

My thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

3.75 ⭐️ Richly imagined brilliantly plotted.
A beautiful work of historical fiction perfectly sets the mood.
Told in alternating character voices, bringing the story fully to life.
Gorgeous cover!

With great thanks to NetGalley & Legend Press for this e-ARC!

The main character Lenna who wants answers to the brutal murder of her dear sister Evie. She decided to become an understudy to the world’s most renowned medium - Vaudeline who is also known to be an authentic conjurer of spirits who were victims of violent crimes. Lenna doesn't believe in Vaudelines gift to talk to dead but she feels that working with Vaudeline might teach her how she can conjure her sister and find out the truth.
Without giving too much away I want to say a big thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an opportunity to read this. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt like I was sent to a completely different time zone.

The London Seance Society is an engaging historical fiction story with elements of mystery and the paranormal, a touch of romance, and a wonderfully dark, atmospheric setting of 1870's London.

Lenna Wickes is studying to become a medium after the murder of her younger sister, Evie. She's searching for answers. Evie was a believer in spiritualism and studying under Vaudeline D'Allaire, a medium renowned for conjuring murder victim's spirits in order to discover the identity of their killer. We also have the point of view of Mr Morley, the Vice President of The London Seance Society, a prestigious gentleman's club that organizes seances and other clairvoyance services. The club president was murdered the same night as Evie and hints of a dark connection between the two deaths quickly emerge once Lenna begins searching for answers.

I loved this book's strong sense of time and place. It vividly captures the Victorian era, with its love of spiritualism and challenges facing women as they struggle to move beyond a limited place in society. We follow several resourceful women as they rebel and push back against the stifling limitations being forced upon them.

There is mystery present in this story but much of the focus is on tangled, tumultuous bonds, the resulting guilt and pursuit of answers and vengeance after unexpected loss, and women struggling to forge their own path in life.

The paranormal aspect was a major part of the story and yet subtle enough that it didn't overpower the narrative. The reader is often left wondering what is real and what is manipulation as events unfold and secrets are brought to light.

This was an atmospheric, engrossing, and at times creepy tale about complex, multilayered characters searching for answers in a time of superstition and deceit. The author found a nice balance between the different elements of this story and provided an ending I found both fitting and satisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for providing me a copy to read and review.

It’s February 1873 and Lenna Wickes is in Paris at an abandoned Château where are dark séance is about to take place. Lenna is there to learn the appropriate skills to become a medium by studying with Vaudeline D’Allaire, renowned for her skills in summoning ghosts and thus identifying their killers. Despite this, Lenna is sceptical, she’s unsure if any of this is proven but she has an excellent reason for her presence. Her much loved younger sister Evie is murdered one All Hallows’ Eve and Lenna is prepared to commit to anything to reconnect with Evie as she’s on the pursuit of justice. Meanwhile in London, Mr Morley, Vice President of the London Séance Society is also after justice following the murder of the society’s President Mr Volckman which takes place the same night as Evie’s death. Is this a weird coincidence or is there a connection? Morley asks for Vaudeline’s help, she agrees and Lenna will accompany her and in addition Vaudeline will do a séance for Evie too. The story is told in the third person by Lenna and in the first by Morley.

Sarah Penner has done it again in this Victorian tale of trickery, revenge and skulduggery. The author wonderfully captures the Victorian enthusiasm for séances in this atmospheric story. Places are cleverly used to create suspense and tension, it’s full of danger and wickedness around every corner of Victorian London and what is achieved is a compelling Gothic tale. It gives you the chills and goosebumps as discoveries are made and sinister revelations unmasks cheats and liars. It’s spooky, dark and very creepy as the storytelling leads us one way and then in an entirely unexpected and shockingly unpredictable direction. The séances are quite simply entrancing .

This is beautifully written with some wonderful creative images, it’s very evocative of the times with the contents of the novel enhanced by the lovely cover. A murder mystery lies at the heart of this but there’s also a romance element and some accompanying sensuality. I highly recommend this especially if you are a fan of Gothic storytelling.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Legend Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I loved The Lost Apothacary and so I was so excited to get the chance to read and review this book and I wasn't disappointed. The writing once again hooked me in from the start and kept me in its clutches until the very end.
The book is well written with a compelling storyline centred around the Victorian Era and the wave of spiritualism that became popular in this time and I completely loved it, as this is a thing that I find totally fascinating.
The story was fast paced and had a good amount of twists which kept me guessing.
I loved it.

I DO like a good book about the victoriana and spiritualism.
This is a good book.
It's fast paced with quite a few turns along the way.
A clever, strong female lead in a time where being female and clever wasn't always encouraged.
I got a few surprises along the way, and a lot of enjoyment from this book.
Nicely done.