I wanted to love this one more than I actually did. I give it a low 3 star rating.

To its credit, I had to find out what happened and the writing wasn’t bad. But I felt as if, once I’d finished, that the story could have been told in half the time it took.

this story has themes of how women are treated poorly, familial bonds, how different people remember the same event, etc. but for me it fell flat.

I didn’t connect with Charlotte or Florence. I did connect a bit with Sylvia but felt she was unfairly portrayed throughout most of the book.

I may try more from this author but definitely wasn’t wowed by Spitting Gold.

FAVE QUOTE: “just because a story is not politically convenient does not make it fiction.”

One sister, cast out from privilege, is caught back up with her old life as a spiritualist act with her sister. They are asked to visit the large creaky manor of the local gentry, but it may be that this ghost is real? I *loved* this book. The historical fiction with supernatural elements genre can be a little hit or miss for me. This one hit all the way. The character development for our main characters flows naturally and keeps something new and unique in a story that, on it's surface, you might think is familiar. There is, perhaps, too much work done with the folktale that backs the title (a favorite of mine, actually), but that can't take away from the vivid writing and the super fun ending.
(thanks NetGalley for the ARC!)

Paris in the 1860s, spiritism, tangled family relations, and secret queer lovers? Say no more, I already like it! And in fact I found this story deliciously compelling from start to finish. It tells the story of a pair of sisters who run the occasional business of acting as spirit mediums to rich folk willing to pay to contact their dead ancestors. Sure, all the ghosts are fake because the sisters are staging every single rattling table and color-changing candle flame, but if it consoles the family, and the sisters make some money, who could it hurt?

Naturally this story is about the time when someone does get hurt. But even that might turn out to be part of the plan, because this book has a couple of wickedly good twists in it. It’s one of those rare novels where I sympathized with all the protagonists even though none of them were being completely honest nor acting fully honorable—most were backed into a corner and had good reason for acting the way they did. They were lovable tricksters. I couldn’t predict how it would turn out, either, so it kept me riveted through the last page.

Atmospheric, clever, heartfelt, and overall a satisfying yarn—this is a unique and fun historical tale, and I look forward to more of Lowkis’s books!

This will be a book that will really resonate with you or one you will not enjoy. I did find myself engaged with it at the end but the beginning took a while to get into. That could be because I am not one to read much historical fiction. For a
debut novel, Carmella Lowkis has incredible prose and someone who definitely has talent. I am excited to see what other works she puts out in the future

first of all, i would like to thank netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book to read. i am super thankful and am eager to share my review with all of you. alright,

i started reading spitting gold by carmella lowkis mostly blind and finished the book within a day. all that i was aware of going into the story was that it would follow two sisters and their fraudulent spirit medium act. this alone was incredibly enticing to me and the book ended up exceeding my expectations. there was never a moment where i could truly predict what was going to happen plot-wise and it was so refreshing. additionally, i always enjoy finding books with sapphic representation and was ecstatic to read about a queer main character (charlotte mothe). i also truly appreciated how carmella lowkis didn’t shy away from writing a wlw romance with some grit to it. honestly, all of the relationships between characters were incredibly well executed. the two sisters/main characters felt like real family when they interacted- they quarreled, cried into each others arms, etc. although i didn’t anticipate it, spinning gold was also able to touch upon very serious topics that provoked lots of emotion from me. i would highly encourage readers to look up any potential trigger warnings before jumping into the book. if the trigger warnings don’t disturb you then i highly encourage you to give spinning gold a try. i mean there’s even a bit of female rage within the novel- how can you resist?

positives aside, there are a few aspects of the book that might not be for everyone. for starters, this book is written in first persons point of view. while this might appear rather nit picky, i know it’s information that some readers prefer to know beforehand. that being said, as a person who usually gravitates towards books written in third pov, i had no issues with it (the writing is still very descriptive but not overly so). however, it took a bit of time to adjust to the second act of the book where the narration switches from sylvie to charlotte without it plainly being stated. initially i was very skeptical about the shift in narration, but looking back it was a clever way to provide insight into both characters ( you get compare their desires as well as what they think about each other). honestly, carmella lowkis needs to commended for not repeating dialogue when revisiting scenes in the second act of the book.

overall, i think this was a very interesting book to read and if you’re in the mood for a dramatic mystery with tense familial relationships you should give this spitting gold a chance.

Blurb:
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, a 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?

My thoughts:
At no point was this book going in the direction I thought it was. This made for quite an exciting read. The way that Lowkins strings the story together, giving you only the most pressing information up front, leads to a story that takes its time spanning out. I enjoyed learning about the sisters’ dynamic through the tidbits left in the story, having it all culminate in a final reveal. Another aspect I really enjoyed was the differing timelines and POVs. These were handled in a way so that the story didn’t spoil itself and instead followed a cyclical tunnel of realizations for the reader. So many parts of the story I feel like I can’t speak about without accidentally spoiling some part or another, but take my word it is worth the read.

The one critical note I have is about the formatting of the eBook. The indents of the paragraphs are very small so often it looks like a block of text when in fact there are several paragraphs on a page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free review copy.

I loved this book! It had a bit of a slow start but once they had their first seance, things really picked up and I loved the second half when we finally got Charlotte’s POV. Spooky vibes, a vengeful ghost, lesbians, con artists…honestly what more could I ask for. My only complaint was that I would’ve liked to stay with Charlotte in the epilogue, since I simply did not care all that much about her straight sister. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Sarah Waters book I think you’ll enjoy this — it was like Affinity, Fingersmith, and The Little Stranger had a beautiful Parisian baby.

Spitting Gold is a debut novel set in 18th century Paris. Two sisters, Sylvie and Charlotte, are reunited to perform their final con as mediums. The family business was taught to them through their mother’s natural insights and their father’s cunning. Charlotte agrees to help a wealthy, aristocratic family, the de Jacquinots, with a haunting by what is presumed to be their great aunt. To ensure the success of the con, Charlotte enlists the help of her estranged sister Sylvie. Sylvie, now part of the wealthy society, is reluctant to come clean about her shady past and has promised her husband to disengage from the family business.

Told from each sister’s perspective, the story unravels to reveal the tricks of their trade, each character’s different points of view and the unexplainable acts that are out of their control. A fast paced well written debut that mixes mystery, sapphic romance and family bonds in a gothic atmosphere.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in return for my honest review.

It was alright. A bit slow in the beginning but u enjoyed the relationship between the sisters and also its queer which we LOVE!

Sylvie has moved up in the world, and wishes to leave her past hidden long behind her. But when her sister Charlotte shows up on her doorstep, Sylvie fears that the past may come back to haunt her. With their father ill and Charlotte, needing money to support him, Sylvie agrees to return to her past for one final act. But will the past, or the present, be what haunts her the most?

This is a fabulous debut novel from the author. I look forward to reading more from her in the future, as this was absolutely mesmerizing to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis. This gothic mystery unspools from the point of view of two different sisters in 19th century Paris. It includes a bit of upperclass Paris, a bit of the underbelly, and lots of spiritualism. What's not to like? Lowkis is an excellent writer who deftly moves the plot forward while also describing (with beautiful turns of phrase) the small details of life. I look forward to reading more from her.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Set in 19th century Paris, we follow two sisters who are known for their abilities of being a medium. Though they are frauds, this gothic story will keep your toes curled during a seance and your heart will ache for the turbulance. If you love everything dark and gothic pick this read up!

I loved everything about this. Victorian spiritualism, scheming and cons, mystery, dual POV's of estranged sisters with vastly different views, a dash of haunting and sapphic romance; a deliciously wicked concoction that I couldn't get enough of!

This time period setting is absolutely one of my favorites to read and this didn't disappoint one bit. It definitely quelled my deep yearning for a Sarah Waters/Laura Purcell-esque type of story...a bit anyways

A beautifully written gothic mystery about two estranged sisters in a historical Paris setting. The story starts with Sylvie, a baroness who receives a surprise visit from her sister Charlotte and gets pulled into a scheme involving their old profession as faux spirit mediums.

This was a really captivating and page turning mystery which had me questioning whether the hauntings were real or not. There were so many secrets to uncover and a very unexpected ending. The POV does switch halfway through from Sylvie to Charlotte, who isn’t quite as likable, but it is nice to get both sides of the story. Her POV includes a sapphic romance as well. I would recommend this book if you like historical mysteries with a supernatural aspect.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC!

Sylvie Devereaux has been estranged from her younger sister Charlotte Mothe for years, but that’s about to change as these faux spirit mediums embark on one last endeavor to bring peace to the de Jacquinots family.

I found that I was much more fond of Sylvie than Charlotte. Within the story the girls reference a tale from their childhood about two sisters - one good, one bad. In the end the good sister spits gold out whenever she speaks and the bad sister spits out frogs. We are given a dual POV which allows us to understand the motivations of each sister and see the different perspectives behind the scenes. Sometimes the dramatic irony was painful to endure and I had some strong feelings throughout.

I would love to read more from this author - Carmella Lowkis’ style of writing is captivating and this book was hard for me to put down. I was definitely in suspense and wanted to know what was really going on — it’s challenging to know what to trust or believe.

I will say that as a new mother, the last part of the book can definitely be triggering so be mindful of that if you are a mother who is going to read this. I definitely shed a few tears and my heart felt so heavy. Otherwise I definitely recommend this book to those who like supernatural stories and puzzling mysteries.

To say that I'm obsessed would be an understatement. This was brilliant, and definitely my favourite read of 2024 so far.

On the technical side, the writing was brilliant, the pacing was perfect, and the chapters were not too long, so I never lost interest. The narrative voices were also really strong and consistent, which is not always the case with dual POV. I could tell just by the writing whether it was Sylvie or Charlotte who was speaking.

The real star of this book, though, were the characters. Every single one of them, even the side characters, felt complicated and multi-faceted and real. Mystery doesn't usually hold my attention, but this one did specifically because of Sylvie and Charlotte and their messy romantic and familial lives. Even when I wasn't sure who was 'good', and who was 'bad', I found myself rooting for them, and anxious to figure out the ending. And the unexpected sapphic romance was *chef's kiss*.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eARC :)

I love books where a mystery is central to the plot. I've got to know what happened and who did it! And opening with a woman talking about how she is wanted for murder.
Although this mystery is the driving force of the novel, it really is focused more on relationships between family-- specifically sisters. It marked how complicated sibling relationships can be. No matter what, at the end, they are one of the few people who know you and what you went through.
Spitting Gold was really well done and I really enjoyed it!

I adored this one! The writing was so good, and the pacing was excellent. 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?

3.5/5 ⭐️

As someone who finds the history of faux-spiritualists like the Fox sisters incredibly compelling, this book sounded like it would be right up my alley. I was eager to have a new novel that included mystery, history, and romance, and I’m somewhat satisfied with the way most of these story elements played out.

In her debut novel, Carmella Lowkis navigates the secrets that are foundational to sisterhood and con artistry and spins them into a mystery that is, for the most part, quite gripping. However, at times it could be difficult to push through the unlikeability of one of the book’s main characters to enjoy the mystery; In particular, I found myself dragging my feet while trying to get through the half of the book written in Sylvie’s perspective. Her high-society oriented behaviour could feel difficult to sympathize with in some chapters, and her role as narrator discouraged me from feeling completely engaged in the story.

Overall, I commend the author’s ability to create characters whose motivations feel appropriately murky, and where neither protagonist is perfectly “good.” The mystery plot was also unique, even though I felt it could have been developed further — something the romance elements could have benefited from as well.

While this particular book wasn’t my favourite, I really look forward to seeing what she writes in the future.

Likes:
- Compelling mystery, with a mid-story twist that caught me by surprise
- Sapphic character (yes this is a flat addition to this list, but too bad — lesbians are always a bonus point to me)

Dislikes:
- Romance feels overly emphasized in the blurb, when it was more of a loose element of the plot rather than its focus
- Characters can feel unlikeable, but some readers may enjoy grappling with a narrator whose motivations feel morally grey

An atmospheric thriller about haunted places and haunted people. Sylvie and Charlotte are estranged sisters who were once talented charlatans who convinced people their houses were haunted. They used numerous tricks to make each rouse convincing, but were ultimately undone by their own secrets and ambitions.

This book was, for me, about relationships. Family and romantic relationships were at its core, but there were so many relationships. I felt as if there was a new relationship revealed on each page, which made it hard for me to keep up with the main plot. There were also a lot of secondary plot lines hinted at, but were never explored. That was a bit frustrating for me.

Still, this is an engaging story with well developed characters. It really does keep you guessing at some points, which is always good in a book. This is a good book to read on a dark rainy night because it will have you jumping at every noise you hear.