The story is a gothic mystery that focuses on the spiritualism trends of Victorian London. The characters are complex and several have secrets that slowly come out as the truth is revealed. Lenna wants Vaudeline to help her find her sister's murderer and gets way more than she bargained for when she accompanies Vaudeline back to London. There they are working to find out who murdered the head of the London Séance Society. There are numerous twists and turns with danger around every corner. The ending stuns everyone and what was once thought true, proven to be false. The author adds a lot of extras to the story at the end, which are fascinating to read.

I found this book a little difficult to get into at first, however did enjoy the plot twists towards the end, every time I thought i had it figured out, something else was revealed that changed my mind. Overall I enjoyed the storyline however found it difficult to connect to any of the characters, I didn’t really have any kind of feelings towards any of them which made it difficult for me to fully get into the story, and there were times were i found myself skimming over parts as I felt there was some parts of the narrative that were unnecessarily long and didn’t add much to the storyline.

Unique, quick read. One that ventured into the supernatural and murder mysteries of the 19th century. It was one that touches on power; a woman's place in the world and Victorian society. All things I love to sink into. I do think that it was missing something for me though and perhaps it was just that I absolutely adored the Lost Apothecary so much that I went into this with extremely high expectations. That sometimes happens with a smash debut too.

3.75 stars for the writing and honestly, I'm still going to shout from the roof tops to read her debut because it was fabulous. Recommend this one for HF lovers

Thank you to NetGalley, Legend Press, and author Sarah Penner for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. The London Seance Society comes out March 21, 2023!

Seance, Mysterious Murders, Sister Conflict, Mediums, and queer love! This perfect mystery takes place in 1873 at the height of the occult movement and is closely based on the real Ghost Club. Lenna Wickes is a skeptic and science lover, but when her sister is brutally murdered, she picks up her sister's career as a medium. She studies under the renowned french spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Together, Vaudeline and Lenna travel to London to uncover the linked murders of her sister and the President of The London Seance Society. This eerie mystery is a perfect read for those that love the occult!

“Men want to feel pursued, but still superior. They want to feel understood, but not exposed. They want control over you, but they want to believe you’re a fool, unaware of it.”

“Your little perch cast that you cannot stop staring at. The fish is dead and gone. Yet the form of him is right in front of you, just as it will be in that clay for all of time. It’s the same of ghosts. We may die, but we are never really gone.”

The London Seancé Society is an enjoyable read that explores the underbelly of the medium and mystical scene of Victorian London. I enjoyed learning more about the cultural aspects of mourning.

Like her previous work, The Lost Apothecary, Penner switches from different POVs, and I felt myself drawn into the mystery and suspense as the two main female characters seek vengeance for those wronged by fraudulent mystics.

London in 1873. Victorians are fascinated by the possibility that they might still remain in touch with their departed loved ones. Mediums are sprouting from every crack in the walls and are eager to help wealthy widows to get in touch with their husbands; who conveniently tell them to get married again, as soon as possible. Ahum...
The society overseeing all that activity is a bastion led by men of good reputation, but lately rumors have spread and the said reputation tarnished. Add in two murders and help from France is called in. The flamboyant Vaudeline d'Allaire arrives together with her protegé Lenna, who happens to be the sister of one of the murdered victims, to investigate.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the setting in London and the detailed eerie atmosphere found on the cobbled streets lighted with hissing gaslights and jumping horse carriages, I just found the mystery to be too predictable and too thin to truly enjoy the book.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️

Historical fiction set in the spiritual world of seances which the Victorians were fascinated with. Here it incorporates a murder mystery element too.

Somewhat sceptic Lenna Wickes is mentored by renown spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire who specialises in communing with those who have met a violent premature end to their lives at the hand of another. Lenna is seeking her own answers about her sisters death.

I really liked the premise of the art being used to help solve crimes rather than for just flippant amusement or to help those grieving.

Firstly spiritualism and communing with the dead I’m neither a believer or sceptic.

The language and the descriptions give a real feel for the time.

The author certainly knows how to set up the creepy atmosphere for a seance, it felt really spooky.

I found it the description of explanation of the world of spiritualism fascinating, as well as the con tricks used. It also incorporates the superstitious practices around death and the grieving period of the era which were enlightening.

The 3 main female characters are very different to the stereotypes of the era. All rebelling against societal boundaries in their own way.

I really liked Lenna, rooting for her to both get answers to Evie’s death and to find love.

It’s quite different it combines history, spiritualism, mystery and romance. I found it fascinating, I’m always craving something a bit different.
If you enjoy Historical fiction and spiritualism you’ll love this.
If you enjoy an unusual whodunnit you will enjoy it if you’re open to the element of seances.

This book took me a few tries to get into. I stopped and restarted a several times before it began to grab my attention. The beginning was more slow paced than I am used to and the switching of timelines and POVs took some effort to keep track of.

I liked all the mysticism and mystery surrounding the seances and the goings-on at The London Seance Society. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Lenna and Vaudeline.

The book sort of fell flat for me, but I am sure that others will love it. The last part of the story made it worth the read and I am glad that I did not choose to DNF.

Thank you so much to Legend Press and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book and loved the atmosphere of it. It was a quick and interesting read and I could not put it down.

Set in the late 19th century, a young lady is investigating the death of her sister in this gothic tale of corruption, the spirit world and romance.
I found it quite exciting and I enjoyed the mix of human and spiritual element. Particularly the contrast between the way the men chose to run the society compared to the women.
The characters had quite complicated personalities that kept you guessing their true agendas throughout.

The London Séance Society

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so excited when I got this one after I loved Sarah Penney’s last book, the Lost Apothecary.

The London Séance Society is set in 1873 and Lenna is trying to work with Vaudeline to discover how her sister was killed. They work as a spiritualist and an understudy to uncover what exactly is going on with the London Séance Society.

I didn’t love the plot in this one as much and it took a while for me to get into. The last third of the book really made this more interesting with a few twists as they discovered what was really happening.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC.

Well suited to a winter reading, I enjoyed the characters and atmosphere of The London Séance Society immensely, though I felt the premise lacked a bit. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with this title.

Having read her first book found this one just as great. Definitely an author to look out for.
Told from two perspectives ... interesting story all around.

A tightly-woven murder mystery in a supernatural setting, this book was an unexpected joy to read. Absolutely loved Lenna and Evie and Vaudeline. The alternating POVs is an excellent way to offer different glimpses into the whole story. I do have to say some of the plot twists came out of nowhere (no spoilers). Though, to be fair, I have only read the book once. Maybe a second read will help me see any clues the author has left behind foreshadowing the twists.

The romance was impeccably done. Loved it!

I appear to be the only reviewer who hasn’t read Sarah Penner’s first book The Lost Apothecary and having read the London Seance Society I am now a big Penner fan and will have to go and seek it out!!
I really loved this novel. Told in two voices, the slightly creepy Mr Morley who has clandestine meetings with a young woman in the Seance Society offices after hours and from the point of view of Lenna a sceptical student of famed medium Vaudeline D’allaire. We find that Lenna is a student of Ms D’allaire’s because Lena’s sister was her first student and she was brutally murdered. Lenna wants to know why her sister was killed and by whom and thought skeptical she is willing to learn to perform a seance so she can try and contact her sister.
Vaudeline has been away from England in hiding in Paris but agrees to come back to England at Mr Morley’s request following the murder of an eminent member of the Seance Society.
The novel is part who dunnit, part ghost story and part love story as the sexual tension between Lenna and Vaudeline is crackling with electricity. As the book builds in speed it becomes a page turning thriller and one that has a twist round every corner.
A really good novel for anyone who likes historical fiction.

This was such a good story. I think it will be a book club pick for many. Highly recommend this one!

I was really eager to read this since I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary so much! I always appreciate a good mystery combined with historical fiction.

The spiritualist movement in Victorian times has always fascinated me and I really appreciate the author’s note at the end giving more detail and even some fun recipes. I enjoyed that touch.

I liked the relationship between Lenna and Vaudeline and was hoping to have a little more depth from the characters. This book is a very slow burn and bordered on boring at times because I felt not a lot was happening. I appreciated the story but hoped for more action not as late into the plot.

The ending was solid and I was surprised by a few of the events that transpired but I was left a little underwhelmed. I still think it’s a good story and recommend it to historical fiction fans and those who have a general interest in the spiritualist movement in Victorian times.

The London Seance Society is a parallel narrative told from the perspective of both Lenna and Mr Morely, a member of the London Seance Society. Lenna is in the hopes of discovering the murder of her sister, whereas Mr Morley has asked Vaudeline to investigate the murder of a member of the society. Sarah Penner is excellent at bringing a story even more depth and understanding through the use of a multiple perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from both perspectives, and, it helped to understand the story further.

The book started off strong, drawing you straight into the world of the occult and supernatural. You are introduced to the main plot at the very first instance, however, the continuation of the tale was slow. I would have enjoyed the mystery part of the novel more if it was quicker to the punch. Nonetheless, the way Sarah Penner writes is a delight to read, she really captures the scenes and the personality of her characters throughout her writing.

One of the main reasons I gave this book a three star rating is purely because in novels of this parameter we are always introduced to a character, whether that be a main character or side, who is of logical and scientific mind but quickly is turned to the occult due to one incident. Having met people like this in the real world it is very difficult to sway them of their beliefs as they always have a way of justifying, regardless of what evidence you present. I wish this trope was used less in novels of this genre.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the overall plot of this novel. It was interesting, seductive and focused upon powerful women achieving what they want. I definitely recommend this book if you are interested in Sarah Penner and her works, she has a very beautiful writing style that is easy to read yet gripping for the reader.

This Atmospheric Victorian Novel pulled me in from page 1, it had all the elements that I love, especially secret societies. It is written in a dual POV system which follows our two main characters from different sides of the society. This helps the reader to understand all aspects of the patriarchal society which was evident in the Victorian Society. The writer handles the element of same sex relationship delicately and this is something which is building throughout the novel until the end when this comes to fruition. I love the way that Sarah Penner builds the characters in a layered way which helps us to see the flaws and strengths of them as the novel builds. In essence this is a story of how one person can take down a society with help from a previous character that has been murdered. It is a thriller type novel as you are reading about the take down of society while investigating the female main character's sister's murder. We have a mentor/mentee relationship which is built and this is put into questions as you investigate the murders with the main characters.

This novel will appeal to readers who love the Gothic Victorian London coupled with a creepy storyline of the paranormal aspects.

Having previously enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, I was excited to start this one. The London Seance Society is a brilliant story in its own right - a slow burn but one that sucked me in and I was excited to see where it went. I loved the dual point of view and each of the characters. Fab read, I'll be purchasing a physical copy when its released. Huge thanks for the arc of this one!