Sacramento, 1885
Edie and Violet Bond know the truth about death. The seventeen-year-old twins are powerful mediums, just like their mother—Violet can open the veil between life and death, and Edie can cross into the spirit world. But their abilities couldn’t save them when their mother died and their father threatened to commit them to a notorious asylum.

Now runaways, Edie and Violet are part of a traveling Spiritualist show, a tight-knit group of young women who demonstrate their real talents under the guise of communing with spirits. Each night, actresses, poets, musicians, and orators all make contact with spirits who happen to have something to say. . . notions that young ladies could never openly express. But when Violet’s act goes terribly wrong one night, Edie learns that the dark spirit responsible for their mother’s death has crossed into the land of the living. As they investigate the identity of her mysterious final client, they realize that someone is hunting mediums…and they may be next.Only by trusting in one another can the twins uncover a killer who will stop at nothing to cheat death. ( )

With a perfect mix of sisterly bonds, historical moments, chills, and thrills, this is a read to cuddle up with and enjoy.

Edie and Violet are twins, who have inherited their parents' talents as mediums. Violet can open the door to the afterlife, while Edie can cross over to the spirit world. Despite their strength, they were unable to hinder their mother's death and barely escaped their father's attempt to lock them away in an asylum. Now, in hiding, they travel with a spiritualist show and, along with other talents, entertain without completely exposing themselves. But that even falls apart when Violet accidentally releases the spirit, who killed their mother, into the world. Edie is at odds with Violet and is determined to battle this dangerous secret alone, but soon, she discovers that, alone, she's in way over her head.

Let me just say that this is the perfect novel to pick up if you're looking for something to slowly get you into the Halloween mood. From the foreword, which gives a personal account of the true history of the twins, through the entire read, and all the way to the end, this book delivers. The author has done their research on the time period and spiritualism...and that already makes it a treat and gives it a wonderful touch. Add the quick-paced plot, smooth writing, and well-laid mystery, and there's little to criticize.

The relationship between the sisters is believable and takes a journey of its own. They don't always get along and often find themselves in larger arguments. And yet, the sisterly bond never truly breaks and is there when it is needed most. There is growth on many ends with the two, giving a wonderful character arc on both ends. Violet was a little less present in the first half, as far as her talents are concerned, but she shines when her time comes.

This is mystery, chills, and a bit of romance, but just enough of this last one to keep the tale from heading nose first into a very dark ride. The mystery comes first right along with the chills of a released murderer and the realm of spirits, and this is well done all the way to the end. There are more than a few surprises and moments, which made me hold my breath. The romance is well woven as to come across naturally without over-shadowing any of the main story arc.

I highly recommend picking this one up if you're into paranormal historical reads. I received an DRC and thoroughly enjoyed this read. ( )

“The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond” follows the story of seventeen-year-old twins who, just like their belated mother, are powerful mediums. The gifts that have been passed down from their mother, split into two—Violet can open the veil between life and death, and Edie can cross into the spirit world—unfortunately couldn’t save them when their mother died in the veil and their father threatened to commit them to a notorious asylum one year prior.

The night of their mother’s passing, the twins became runaways and now are part of a traveling Spiritualist show, a tight-knit group of young women who demonstrate their real talents under the guise of communing with spirits. Each night, actresses, poets, musicians, and orators all make contact with spirits who happen to have something to say. But when Violet’s act goes terribly wrong one night, Edie learns that the dark spirit (what I would deem as the “Shadow Man”) responsible for their mother’s death has crossed into the land of the living. As Edie investigates the identity of her mysterious final client, N.D, she quickly realizes that someone… or something is hunting mediums and they may be next. Not wanting to cause Violet fear, Edie keeps the secrets of not only the dark presence that has surface but the reason cause of death of their love one is causing a wavering bond among the twins—Edie soon realizes she can’t only trust herself to uncover a killer who will stop at nothing to cheat death.

If that synopsis doesn’t push you to pick this book up this holiday season, I don’t know what would. I can’t begin to describe how much I thoroughly enjoyed this YA paranormal murder mystery book. I came in with low, low expectations and was blown away by the author's research (asylums, women’s rights during the era, society in the late 1800s, spirituality, etc.), writing style, great assemblage of characters (Laws has my heart!), themes, perfect mix of genres that I am living for, pacing, storyline and surprisingly enough, the mild romance that typically tends to fail time and time again in other YA paranormal books. Another thing I was highly impressed by was the fact that each of the sisters had their own identity. They had their unique personalities, quirks, abilities, strengths, and opinions—despite that, there was a strong sense of understanding between them.

Despite the raving review, I do want to point out the one thing that I highly dislike was the lack of Violet. Her skills and gifts were only showcased during the later book of the novel but all throughout, the story primarily focused on Edie. Maybe it’s just me but I really wanted Violet to more heavily involved in the murder mystery investigation.

Altogether, “The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond '' downright unputdownable and has become the first YA I have come across in a long time that lives up to the hype. Across the board—a phenomenal read I know I will pick up time and time again this spooky season.

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