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margot_psd's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Really enjoying victorian stories lately! I did find Constance to be the least engaging of the narrators and the romances to be very... Dated but overally this was a nice average read.
popcorncrunchy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
4.0
The blurb of this book does not do it justice!
This is a Victorian ghost story with intrigue, mystery, scandal, murder and spooks. I really enjoyed it.
This is a Victorian ghost story with intrigue, mystery, scandal, murder and spooks. I really enjoyed it.
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
The novel is successfully creepy and mysterious. However, by the time of the séance I had figured out one character’s crucial secret identity, which made several other plot points clearer. Some readers may find it takes a long time to get to the crux of the novel, but I enjoyed the journey.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-seance/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-seance/
nmorin's review
1.0
Disappointing, very confusing (too many characters and timelines), and weird. Felt like author left a lot of threads unfinished, and ending was surprising because of how simple it was (Elinor ended up with Ada, her ONLY friend who obviously people/magnus who look suspiciously at??). Things that were finished unsatisfactorily were: Edward, her weird mother's obsession with her sister, Nell's mother's obsession with HER sister, the orphanage, etc. I think it could have been a lot better than it was. My favorite part was when they found the weird little bolthole with the shriveled corpse of the uncle. All heroines (and john montague) were very unlikable imo. Also weird romance at the end.
aisling214's review
4.0
I really liked this book, but I think it sort of lost something in the last part of the book. But overall, good read.
paperbacksandpines's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this romp of a Victorian horror novel.
The first thing that attracted me to this book was the title itself. But it was the historical setting of The Seance called to me. It brought to mind other horror novels that I enjoyed, such as The Woman in White and This House is Haunted. Also, the setting of the house itself lent itself to a spooky atmosphere. It's comparative isolation to the nearest town, in addition to its hidden room made it perfect for a horror.
The dual narratives from the two main protagonists seemed disconnected at first but the author eventually revealed how the two were connected. Both of the characters had the cards stacked against them but they weren't pitiable. Their hard lives made me root for them.
I listened to this book on audio and the narrator was so expressive, especially at the most tense moments of the book.
Overall, this was a good read.
The first thing that attracted me to this book was the title itself. But it was the historical setting of The Seance called to me. It brought to mind other horror novels that I enjoyed, such as The Woman in White and This House is Haunted. Also, the setting of the house itself lent itself to a spooky atmosphere. It's comparative isolation to the nearest town, in addition to its hidden room made it perfect for a horror.
The dual narratives from the two main protagonists seemed disconnected at first but the author eventually revealed how the two were connected. Both of the characters had the cards stacked against them but they weren't pitiable. Their hard lives made me root for them.
I listened to this book on audio and the narrator was so expressive, especially at the most tense moments of the book.
Overall, this was a good read.
amycrea's review
3.0
Overall, I liked it, but it had a really cumbersome set up. I realize he's going for that whole Victorian gothic thing, which itself can be a convoluted form, but it seems like he really stretched the main scary story involving lightning and a mysterious suit of armor beyond credibility, even for Victorian gothic. Still, by the end, it was a gripping read with an unexpected but believable ending. For, you know, a Victorian gothic thing.
meggreadsxo's review
1.0
I was so beyond disappointed in this book. This felt more like an episode of Scooby doo rather than an adult thriller. This gives Gothic Thriller such a bad image. I wanted so badly to enjoy this novel, but what parts weren't confusing as all get out were boring and dry. The characters were flat and unlikeable and a majority of the novel was stuffy and boring. This had SO much potential, but really missed the mark for me.
msmagoo502's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75