Set in 19th century Pairs, Spitting Gold, follows sisters Sylvie and Charlotte as they serve as spirit mediums to the wealthy. It’s been two years since, Sylvie left home and married a Baron, and as a Lady she has put her spirit medium past away. That is until Charlotte finds her and convinces her to take on one last job. But will this last job ruin everything Sylvie has worked for?

This book is not a fantasy read and sticks strongly to the historical fiction genre. With that said, I will say I expected more magic and fantasy within these pages, which put me at a disadvantage when reading the story. Another case of incorrect expectations for me.

While the writing and world building (19th century Paris) were descriptive and done well, those were the only two aspects I thoroughly enjoyed about our story. I didn’t find either sister to be particularly interesting or never found myself connecting to them. From a POV perspective, the book is split between Sylvie and Charlotte’s narration. When I say split, I mean almost exactly the first 50% of the story is from Sylvie’s view and the second is from Charlotte’s viewpoint. The perspectives are not interwoven, and it felt jarring to switch so immediately and without warning. It just didn’t work for me.

This story had amazing potential and while the writing was nice, it never turned into a compulsive read. I never found myself fully immersed into the plot, connected to our characters, and overall, just needed more from it. In defense of the story, the gothic genre isn’t always for me and while there was a good twist I did enjoy, Spitting Gold was an unremarkable read for me. Plenty of other reviews are loving it though so if you enjoy more gothic and atmospheric mysteries then this might be up your alley.
AMAZON | GOODREADS |★★★

Spitting Gold comes out May 14, 2024. Thank you to Atria for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.