Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis was such a pleasant surprise for me! It’s a mystery, historical fiction, and family drama with captivating characters and complex relationships.

The story is set in 1866 in France and is about two sisters, Sylvie and Charlotte, who formerly worked as fraudulent mediums and conned wealthy families out of money. The job was part of their family business built by their mother, who has since passed, and their father who is currently very ill. The father’s illness reunites the sisters for one last con, but this new job sets off a string of events that leads to wide-ranging consequences.

Both sisters are complex characters and have complicated feelings towards each other. The story references Charles Perrault’s The Fairies throughout. The Fairies tells the story of one good sister and one bad sister. Spitting Gold argues that the story would be far more nuanced than that. All stories have more than one side. Sylvie and Charlotte are both the good sisters and the bad sisters. They love each other dearly but also harbor anger and resentment. They both make decisions that both hurt and help the other. They are both doing their best in the world they are living in. This complexity makes for such a riveting story!

While the sisters and their relationship is the star of Spitting Gold, I also loved the mystery plot and the cast of side characters. There’s also a sweet Sapphic love story entwined (and a few other delightful queer characters too).

I highly recommend Spitting Gold to anyone who loves gothic mysteries and stories about thorny family relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it’s a story that will stick with me for a long time!

Parts of this are absolutely fascinating and wonderful. There’s a genuine sort of creeping terror regarding all of the horrors, both imagined and real, human and spirit-based, that really grounds this in the gothic genre. I loved the interplay of the sisters and the push and pull between what is “good” and what is “bad” and how the heroine of the story changes with your perception.

What didn’t work for me was how heavy handed a lot of it felt. Especially by the time we got to the midway point, the themes felt hammered in, and while there are genuine twists, the marketing comparisons have you looking out for them, so they feel a little less impactful (and honestly, it’s not a strong enough novel to stand up to Fingersmith, so that kind of hurts it). I also would have loved to see some more of the sibling relationships and past relationships explored a little more, since they do very much impact everyone’s present actions and choices.

That said, I did enjoy this thoroughly and flew through it, so rounding up a solid 3.5

Spitting Gold should’ve been so good. All of the pieces were there: gothic mystery; spiritualist movement; sapphic heroine; post-Revolutionary France. Overall, when compared to Sarah Waters (and this book is trying so hard to be Fingersmith), I just feel unsatisfied.
The story takes place in France in the mid 1860s. Sisters Sylvie and Charlotte are mediums and spiritists — but most importantly, they’re charlatans, faking ghosts and hauntings and robbing their wealthy clientele blind. Or, at least, they were — Sylvie, now the Baroness Devereaux, hasn’t had any contact with Charlotte since Sylvie abandoned her two years earlier. Now, with their father dying of a tumor, Charlotte has tracked Sylvie down for one last con — promising to use her share of the payout to disappear from Sylvie’s life for good.
Remember when I mentioned Sarah Waters? The comparison is aspirational, but, more than that, it’s a big flashing neon sign for anyone paying attention. As it happens, The Handmaiden (Park Chan-Wook’s 2016 adaptation of Fingersmith) is one of my favorite movies, so, when I saw “Sarah Waters” and “con artists,” I felt like I had a good sense of where Spitting Gold was going. Spoiler alert: I was right on the money.
The main difference being, where Fingersmith is split into three acts, Spitting Gold has two. Two acts, two sisters. Honestly, I feel like this worked against the novel. Most of the reviews I’ve read have heavily favored one part over the other (I seem to be in the minority for favoring Charlotte, but, what can I say, I’m always a sucker for messy lesbians). In terms of planting and payoff, there’s also too much buildup for a twist that is, quite frankly, not worth the hype. I’ve also seen reviews that mention being confused by the sudden POV switch between parts one and two. Altogether, I think the division of “acts” could’ve been handled a lot more cleanly in order to improve both clarity and pacing.
This was, obviously, compounded by how similar the narration was between the two sisters. There was the potential for some interesting writing, but it was truly too bland to spark any kind of emotion in me. We’re told Sylvie is the cultured, aristocratic sister and Charlotte is the poor, manipulative sister, but you wouldn’t know it from how they talk. (I think this also contributes to some of the confusion around that POV switch.) And this, really, is probably my main complaint: I just felt whelmed by it all. I should not be feeling whelmed by Victorian ghost stories and sapphic mysteries, dammit!
I can tell this is the kind of book that will really work for some people, so, if you’re at all intrigued, I’d still recommend giving it a look. It just didn’t particularly work for me.

"A deliciously haunting debut for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Penner set in 19th-century Paris, blending Gothic mystery with a captivating sapphic romance as two estranged sisters - celebrated (and fraudulent) spirit mediums - come back together for one last con.

Paris, 1866. When Baroness Sylvie Devereux receives a house call from Charlotte Mothe, the sister she disowned, she fears her shady past as a spirit medium has caught up with her. But with their father ill and Charlotte unable to pay his bills, Sylvie is persuaded into one last con.

Their marks are the de Jacquinots: dysfunctional aristocrats who believe they are haunted by their great aunt, brutally murdered during the French Revolution.

The scheme underway, the sisters deploy every trick to terrify the family out of their gold. But when inexplicable horrors start to happen to them too, the duo question whether they really are at the mercy of a vengeful spirit. And what other deep, dark secrets may come to light?"

Fake mediums dealing with a real haunting? Oh, my, yes.

4.25 ⭐️
Spitting Gold was a great historical gothic mystery with a little sapphic romance. I was hooked right away. I loved the 1800s setting and storyline of sisters Charlotte and Sylvie performing seances as spiritualists. It was eerie and a little creepy, with a lot of intrigue. Part 2 of the book switched perspectives and slowed down a little for me. It felt a little repetitive learning the same stories from part one but from the other sister's perspective. I still loved the vibes, but that did bring it down a little for me. The ending was surprising (and a little darker than I expected, but that fits the gothic mystery vibes, right?). Anyway, this was a great debut novel. I look forward to seeing more from Carmella Lowkis.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARc.

When Slyvie’s sister shows up at her door after years of not seeing her asking for her help, she decides to do it. Charlotte and Slyvie are spiritualist, or at least that’s what they call themselves. Using tricks they learned from their parents both girls are masters at pretend. Sylvia and Charlotte are asked to help to get of the spirit of a murdered family member and hopefully help the family find lost riches. What unfolds is a great story about the power of sisterhood, revenge, and getting justice.

This book has been compared to the writing of The Lost Apothecary and I definitely see that comparison. Very easy read that was very enjoyable. Had a bit of mystery to it which I really enjoyed.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me a free advance reader copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Synopsis
Sylvie Mothe go herself out of the spiritualism game when she married a baron. But her impoverished, estranged sister shows up on her doorstep one day begging for Sylvie's help on one last job so she can pay for their father's medical bills. Sylvie accepts Charlotte's plans, but soon their seances have Sylvie wondering if spirits exist after all.

My thoughts
I really enjoyed this story of sisterly support and betrayal. The reader gets Sylvie's narration first, and then rewinds to Charlotte's perspective of the same events. It makes for an interesting, layered mystery and the reader isn't quite sure which is the "good sister" after all.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, sister stories, or stories about con artists.

This is being publicized as a sapphic romance, but there's no spice. if that's what you were hoping for. Half a chili pepper for kissing only.

Sensitive readers, please check TWs.

This review will be shared to Goodreads on April 26, 2024 and Instagram on April 29, 2024.

I'm extremely conflicted about this story. On the one hand, it is fantastic. A ghost story, a love affair, and a side of historical fiction. I really loved the Mothe sisters and the jump in the POV in the middle of the book and at the end. The dual point of view showed how much the sisters cared for and resented the other one. Ultimately though, they just wanted a relationship with the other.

I felt for Florence, a victim of a lot of things, including the era she was born in. Her relationship with Charlotte just added to that. I appreciated the post-revolution Paris setting. That is not one I read a lot of.

However, on the other hand, it was such a melancholy read. Just when you'd have hope for one of the characters something absolutely dreadful happened. I don't believe that it was said outright but Florence's family is cursed for sure. The ending was a little too abruptly happy for what everyone went through. It was almost a last-ditch effort to have a fairytale ending. However, make no mistake this is not a fairy tale.

Fans of Simone St. James, K. T. Blakemore, and Katherine Arden will rejoice in this novel.

A stunning debut filled with mystery and suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat right up until the end.

4 stars
——————

Two sisters meet once again to pull off one final seance in this clever debut by Carmella Lowkis.

I really enjoyed this book. While I’ve read several historical books with seances recently, I particularly enjoyed this one. Lowkis took this idea of a con seance by two sisters and somehow managed to spin it on its head. The plot of the book was engaging and I found myself hooked. It was a bit slow to begin but once it picked up, I couldn’t stop reading it. The twist is portrayed rather early in the book, but I found the explanation that followed to be satisfying in the end. The ending was kind of anti-climatic, I feel like it could have been better. But overall, a solid plot and execution.

The contrast between the sisters is really well highlighted. Spitting Gold is multiple POV in a super unique way. The first half of the book is the events from Sylvie’s POV, while the second half focuses on Charlotte’s versions of those same events. The style made things a little repetitive in Charlotte’s half, but I still enjoyed seeing the story from both sides. It works well for this particular book and this plot because of how the plot plays out. The sapphic romance was cute, but slightly unconvincing overall.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, especially seance fiction, this one is for you!

The title Spitting Gold references a fairy tale (The Fairies) with a good sister, a bad sister, and the consequences each faces. The book is split equally between the points of view of Sylvie, the older sister, and Charlotte, the younger, and shows how neither is either the good or bad sister, but a bit of both.

The first half of the book is told from Sylvie's perspective, and I did enjoy this half more. She is unwillingly pulled back into her past when her sister shows up at her door wanting to put on one last spiritual con.

The second half is from Charlotte's perspective, after a significant twist ends Sylvie's point of view. Due to the nature of the twist, I found most of this section lacked tension, and I wasn't as invested in the plot until the final chapter. However, that final chapter did end up delivering on the build up!

The sisters are complicated characters; neither is necessarily likable, but both felt very human - Sylvie, who abandoned her sister while convincing herself it was for her own his; and Charlotte, who guilts her sister into risking her marriage in order to help her with the con.

I think the biggest issue was the jarring perspective shift in the middle - it made it harder to empathize for Charlotte and her anger at her sister after spending half the book with Sylvie, and then it made it hard to understand Sylvie's final decision without seeing first hand any of the character development that led to it.

Overall, this was a fun, well written read that I enjoyed, and I loved the way the author wove in references to the titular fairy tale throughout!

Rating: 2.5

I liked the story, but the writing style wasn't for me. It made the story seem long and boring and I kept zoning out.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this through physical ARC and eARC!

Wow! This goes onto my list of top books I've read this year. I was so excited when Atria Books reached out to me to receive a physical copy (my first!). The blurb compared the book to Sarah Penner's The London Séance Society, which was a book that I loved last year. Spitting Gold did not disappoint. It definitely had the same creepy Gothic atmosphere of "Seance Society", but was very much it's own book. I loved that we got the story from two points of view. The pace steadily kept increasing and I raced through it to find out who and/or what the spirit could actually be. A mystery with a ting of horror, mixed with a touch of romance and a reflection on sibling relationships, "Spitting Gold" was 10/10 for me. Carmella Lowkis is an author to watch and I will most certainly read her next novel! Pick up for a fast-paced Gothic treat, starting May 14,2024!

Thank you, publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.

This book had a huge potential and such a strong start. Con artists/historical fiction in France, gothic mansion, and family secrets, what's not to love? Part 1 was great, but part 2 is where my interest was lost.
I think my biggest issue was the fact that this book doesn't provide a strong sense of place or time, but I craved that given the settings. I wish it had more flourishing descriptions and even more pages where we could have learned and understood the characters.
In the end half of the side characters were introduced for no reason and they did not have any major role to play, and the main characters were one-dimensional and said the same things over and over again. This could have been so much more and unfortunately did not deliver for me.

I thought this was a great story and loved the way the author utilized multiple POV’s to play out the plot. I haven’t read a lot of mystery novels lately but this book proved I need to get back into reading that genre as it always keeps me on my toes. Although I found the ending predictable, I was still enthralled in finding out how it would play out. I thought the sisters characters were well thought out but I think Florence is my favorite. She is still a bit of a mystery to me after reading this book but I loved the revelations of her character throughout the story. 3.5/5⭐️

In 1866 Paris, sisters and con artists Sylvie and Charlotte Mothe are reunited two years after Sylvie had “retired” to marry Baron Devereaux. Charlotte reappears to inform Sylvie that their father is ill and she cannot support him alone. She begs her estranged sibling for assistance to act again as a “celebrated spiritist duo” to defraud a fading aristocratic family out of their gold — a family mostly convinced that a relative slaughtered during the Revolution is haunting them (and looking for hidden jewels). The sisters use tried-and-true techniques to further terrify their marks; but — uh, oh — things that they have not fabricated are happening, too. Is there a real ghostly presence?

Told in two parts, we get to know Sylvie first — who seems to be really trying to leave the trickster life behind, but still is willing to help her sister out. She’s haunted by the memory of a fairy tale — a good sister will be able to spit out gold; a bad sister will have a mouthful of toads. Which one is she? In the second half, we meet the “true” Charlotte and the revelation of a love story that twists the mystery around. The story is fascinating and atmospheric and unlike any story you’ve heard before. It’s a creative and fascinating exercise in historical fiction. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Pale, dark and glittering, but no eye colors are mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The fragrance of orange blossoms is part of the plot.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was engaging from the get-go! I loved the sister element and the surprise twist in the middle! If you are looking for an atmospheric and dramatic read, this is for you! Thank you Net Galley for my ARC.

Such an amazing read.

Absolutely loved the world building and the characters.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Baroness Sylvie Devereux would enjoy her life a lot more if she wasn’t haunted by the fear that her past might catch up to her. Before she married her baron, Sylvie and her sister Charlotte were the Mothe sisters. They conducted seances and banished ghosts for whoever could pay. Now that she’s a member of respectable society, Sylvie does her utmost to keep that past far away from her. Unfortunately for her, that past has just turned up across the street from her home in the opening pages of Carmella Lowkis’s intriguing novel, Spitting Gold.

When they were children, Sylvie and Charlotte’s mother read a story to the two sisters that stuck with them forever. One sister, the good one, fetched water for an old woman (fairy in disguise) and was rewarded with the ability to drop gold from her mouth. (I would be worried about chipped teeth, personally.) Her sister, the not-so-good one, waited at the well for the old woman, only to be fooled when the fairy took the shape of a wealthy woman. This sister’s punishment for telling the woman to get her own water was to start spitting out toads when she spoke. (Gross, but easier on the teeth, maybe?) Sylvia and Charlotte have always wondered which of them was the good sister and which the not-so-good.

Charlotte has arrived on Sylvie’s street with a proposition: one last gig in exchange for not ratting Sylvie out to her husband and promising to leave Sylvie alone forever. With deep reluctance and a lot of fear, Sylvie accepts. The job is to find out who is haunting the de Jacquinot family. The family was once very wealthy and is hanging on to their status by their collective fingernails. The youngest de Jacquinot, Florence, and her grandfather, Ardoir, say that they have seen the ghost of Sabine de Lisle. Florence is terrified but Ardoir believes that this ancestor (murdered during La Terreur) might point them to lost family treasure. If the Mothe sisters can figure out what the ghost wants, they will be handsomely rewarded.

The whole thing is a scam, of course. Sylvie knows that neither she nor her sister can actually talk to the dead and, besides, ghosts aren’t real. Except, strange things start to happen at the de Jacquinot house that Sylvie can’t explain. Charlotte swears up and down that she didn’t create fake ectoplasm for Florence to spit out of her mouth when Sabine appears to speak through the girl. No one takes responsibility for the damage done to the portraits and walls in the library.

There are plenty of twists in Spitting Gold‘s plot and almost as many macabre revelations as a sensational Victorian novel. I had a great time teasing out who was scamming who, discerning who was really telling the truth, and wondering what on earth was going to happen next. This was a very fun read. I encourage fans of historical mysteries to give it a try.

Well-written and intriguing with a plot of scam spiritualists. I can kind of understand the comparison to Sarah Waters, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.