Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: March 21st, 2023
Pages: 328
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis:
Lenna wants answers to the brutal murder of her sister, Evie, even if that means becoming an understudy to the world’s most renowned medium. Vaudeline is widely known to be an authentic conjurer of spirits who were victims of violent crimes. She uses her gifts to learn who was responsible for their deaths. Lenna has joined her in Paris to learn the art of séances, and despite being a skeptic herself, she has a natural talent for supernatural gifts.
Vaudeline receives word that a friend of hers in England has been murdered. Mr. Volckman was the founder and leader of the London Séance Society, an exclusive gentlemen’s club that rose in notoriety at the height of the 1873 Victorian spiritualist movement. Vaudeline and Lenna set out to discover the truth behind what happened to Mr. Volckman. Lenna also hopes that returning to England where her sister was murdered will mean they can finally learn the truth of that mystery too. But the plots run deeper than either of them expected and they quickly become entangled in sinister schemes beyond their imagining.
Review:
Everything we loved about her writing in her previous debut, The Lost Apothecary, is back and better than ever! This is sure to be another massively popular release. It’s got a vividly constructed historical setting, creeping tension in the plot, and an atmospheric feel to the prose and style.
The paranormal elements really come to life in a believable way. Suspense and illusions will keep you guessing with so many unexpected twists.
The feminist underpinnings create nuances in the plot and the themes of women empowerment are strong. There is an intensity in the way that Lenna explores her sexuality, with even some mildly spicy moments which I was pleasantly surprised about.
Women during that time were largely suppressed and I enjoyed the journey that Lenna takes in learning to love and express herself, even if it was in ways that were not the status quo.
But the true driver of this story is that the bonds and loyalty between siblings transcends even death. Even through all of the danger and discoveries, Lenna never loses sight of her ambition for justice for her sister.
This is the kind of historical book that I just love to read, with just enough of the magical to make it entrancing. And there is even a section at the end of the story with research and information about the climate of society during that time-period.
The story is passionate, dramatic, and sinister.
If you love the possibility that the supernatural is real, an unlikely Victorian-era female heroine, and a complex murder-mystery plot, then this is the book for you.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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