The London Séance Society: A Non Book Recommendation

Posted On April 12, 2023

Hi Readers! I think April is going to be an amazing reading month. I already read four books in the 10 days! I don’t want to jinx this reading spree, but this is pretty sweet! I’m not exactly going to write the reviews in the order I read the books. So here’s the review of a book I did not like in the least! I was very keen on reading this because the author debut book The Lost Apothecary was mind blowing. This one was beyond disappointing and the only way I will read Sarah Penner’s future books depends on the genre. If only this book was as amazing as the photo I have taken above!

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

A spellbinding tale about two daring women who hunt for truth and justice in the perilous art of conjuring the dead.

1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves..

~~THOUGHTS~~

Every single aspect you can think about in a book is done badly in this one. Be it the overall plot, the characters, the writing style or the execution of the genre itself. I didn’t enjoy anything so it’s a miracle that I actually finished it.

~~CHARACTERS: ANNOYING, DULL & UNLIKABLE~~

Starting with Lenna. Our 23 year old woman who doesn’t believe in séances but that’s the last resort for her to find out how her younger sister died. With so much premise to the character and such a strong back story and her disbelief in séance, you’d think you would be able to relate to her. But all of the potential is wasted because Lenna just comes across as annoying, self absorbed and dull.

Then we have Vaudeline D’Allaire, the 30 year old famous spiritualist murder catcher. She comes across as extremely unlikable and almost a robot. All of this potential also wasted.

Then there’s Mr. Morley, Vice President of Department of Spiritualism at the London Séance Society aka a complete pervert and fraud. I never once cared about this character. It’s actually amazing how the three are so close at competing on who’s the worse.

~~PLOT OR ABSENCE OF IT~~

This was my first time reading supernatural fiction. It was probably the plot, but I didn’t enjoy the genre at all. I have never read such a simplistic plot with so many predictable twists, if you could even call them that. The major shocking factors which are revealed after 50% and 80% of the book were something I knew would happen at the 15% mark. Eloise’s death being somewhat related. Mr. Volckman and Evie’s deaths being related. Evie wooing Mr. Morley only because she planned an exposé on the society. Mr. Volckman being the bad guy. All of it was such hokum.

The only surprise factor was about the kill book. And even something as thrilling as that was not written well enough to make the readers gasp. So, yes, I was still able to manage the characters, but the plot was a big disappointment.

~~WRITING STYLE: FIRST PERSON & THIRD PERSON. WHY?~~

I don’t know why the book was written the way it was. We have two PoVs. One of of Lenna written in the third person. Another is of Mr. Morley written in the first person. And within this narrative, there is the past storyline of him and Evie. For some genres, this might have worked. But it was a big failure with this one. Firstly, because it did not succeed in keeping readers’ attention the way it intended. Secondly, Morley’s storyline gave away a lot and led to most of the predictable ending guesses.

The few things that were thoughtful were LGBTQ+ inclusion, even if it was in the 1870s. Another sweet thing was how all the society men targeted widows and women and vulnerable people but then we have Evie, Lenna and Vaudeline, all women who brought down this all gentlemen fraud Séance Society. That’s all, two good things. So, not a good reading experience at all and definitely do not recommend reading it. I have rated The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner at 1.5/5 stars.

Until next time,