Set in London in the 1870s when interest in the occult was high, this is the story of Lenna who is trying to find out more about her younger sister’s death. To do this, she has enrolled as a pupil of the famous spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire as her sister was also a pupil. Lenna hopes that by carrying out a séance, she can find out what happened to Evie even though she herself is a sceptic and only really believes in Science and things that she can see and touch.

Vaudeline is summoned to London to assist in the investigation into the murder of the head of the London Séance Society and Lenna soon begins to realise that her sister was heavily involved with the society.

The historical setting of this story is excellent as we travel along gas-lit streets and into damp cellars. The book is written as a dual POV as we get events seen from Lenna’s point of view and also from Morley, the assistant head of the séance society who has requested Vaudeline’s help. I enjoyed seeing the events from both perspectives especially later in the story when we begin to find out what has been happening.

The book begins quite slowly but picks up pace around the halfway mark and ends with a thrilling climax which kept me turning the pages until late. I loved the spiritualist element and the way in which unscrupulous men could use it to prey on vulnerable women felt very realistic in a society where women had very set roles to play. I really liked Lenna as she tried to find answers and also reconcile the things that she experiences with her scepticism about the occult generally.

This was an atmospheric mystery which was really well-plotted and had surprises right up until the end. I definitely recommend it for lovers of historical fiction with an element of the supernatural.
Thank you to Net Galley and Legend Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Content Warnings: Sexual Assault, Murder, Death of a loved one, Grief, Mild Gore/Injury

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

AAAAAAAAA I WAS NOT EXPECTING HOW AMAZING THIS WAS GOING TO BE????

I like a good ghost story, but not overly into general spirit stuff but the book seemed great and the mystery was super interesting. Unbeknownst to me, the book had pushed a tiny snowball off a very steep cliff that I was just starting to climb as I turned the first page.
When the ginormous snowball hit me face first and caught me up in it I just could not stop reading. I had some very minor issues with the writing (will explain later) but honestly by the end I couldn't see any other deserving rating than a 5/5.

The characters, loved 'em. Sassy, stubborn, quiet, asshole-ish, all sorts thrown in a mixing pot together to create a cast of wonderful characters who played their roles far too damn well. Are they entirely realistic? Not really tbh. Does that matter? Not even slightly.

The only minor issues I had was with a bit of the writing style. At the beginning of the book a few descriptions felt a bit stilted. "Now sit at the desk and go through each item you can see". Later on I realised repetition was getting a bit annoying, one PoV would find out some information about someone, then we'd go to their PoV and that information would be explained in detail again but with just a couple new additions. It was a tad annoying but it wasn't done too often and the new insight and different take was interesting but probably the second PoV didn't need to reiterate the known info.

The bad thing about reading books early, I have no where to post all the absolutely perfect quotes from the ending I have saved! Honestly, going to do that cliche cheesy frame a book quote type things with one of these in particular.

Also as a note, keep reading after finishing the main story. There's so many fascinating things included after the story ends!!

Be gay, do crime - that's for sure! (also goddamn the lesbian and bi rep was so adorable aaaaaaa)

Thanks to Legend Press for the copy of this book.

The Lost Apothecary was a “like” more than a “love” for me, so I wanted to give Sarah’s next novel a try. Plus, seances! This was also a “like” for me - I enjoyed the mystery with twists, feminist themes, seance talk, and dual POV. This book is perfect for people who love Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie and want that with some spirits, brothels, and LGBT themes. I definitely recommend to that crowd - it’s just not a genre that’s usually a favorite for me!

Part slow burn Murder mystery, part sapphic love story, with some mild paranormal aspects! I found the atmosphere of the story to be great, and the portions about the seances to be cool, but it is on the slow side and I found myself skimming at times. It also feels like a YA story rather than adult.

Overall, I wish there had been more excitement but loved the look into seances during Victorian times. If you’re a fan of detective work then this may be appealing. It was slightly too chill for my taste. I am, however, very in love with the cover! So pretty.

Gothic, mystery "whodunit" set in 1800s London. Atmospheric and evenly paced. An immersive story with strong female characters: steeped in the supernatural and paranormal. This novel was a good time.

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.