𝑆𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐺𝑜𝑙𝑑 | 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝐿𝑜𝑤𝑒’𝑠 | 𝟑.𝟕𝟓*

𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑆𝑦𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑠
Two estranged spirit-medium sisters reunite for one last con of a bizarre family that claim they are being visited. When things start to unravel and they have to wonder, is there really a malevolent spirit present?

𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑠
⟡ gothic mystery
⟡ sapphic romance
⟡ complex family dynamics
⟡ 19th century paris

𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑
From the prologue, I was hooked. This was much more fast paced than I expected. I think I finished it in around three and a half hours. Once I was immersed in the con just as much as the sisters, Sylvie and Charlotte were, I could hardly stand to put this book down!

I really love the sister dynamic in stories, and the dynamic in this particular story is fraught at best, spitefully resentful at worst. I loved how morally dubious they both were, and how each of the sisters felt cast into the role of the villain. I really enjoyed the parallel of the children’s fable written by Charles Perrault, Toads and Diamonds. The author drew elements of the sisterly natures from this tale and the result is a stunning contradiction of sisters that each have a degree of loyalty until this loyalty gets in the way of what they want.

The solution to the mystery was a bit obvious to me but once I read the context, I didn’t care how predictable it was, only that a just karma was gained. This sub-plot had a really heart wrenching storyline and the emotion from the side character involved was extremely guttural and provocative.

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑
This book is told in two parts. Part one is from Sylvie’s POV and part two is from Charlotte’s. My gripe is that they are both told in first person, and I found this quite jarring. This is completely personal preference, but I’d have preferred this book to be told entirely in third person.

I also thought that the ending was rushed. I loved the climax itself but it seemed to stop prematurely, and the epilogue only deepened my dissatisfaction by undoing the complex resolution that had already been sought.

𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑄𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠
“𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥: 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘗𝘢𝘱𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘢; 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴: 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘱 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 ‘𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴’ 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘔𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘺𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴; 𝘸𝘦’𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘱 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩. 𝘚𝘺𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥; 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘢𝘱 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴.”

“𝘐’𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧; 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘪𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 ‘𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯’, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘪𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.”

This was a very interesting story of two estranged sisters with a history of working together as spirit mediums, joined again for another haunting. I found this book entertaining from the off, and whilst the 'twists' were glaringly obviously to me, I think they were well done, and the romance felt believable. I would've liked more of the ghost/haunting elements, but overall this was a very easy and enjoyable read, and I was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable I found it. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

"Spitting Gold" by Carmella Lowkis is right up my street - a gothic novel with spiritualism, set in Paris, with plenty of twists. I loved that it was told from two perspectives as you really got to see what was happening, and I felt as manipulated as some of the characters as I got caught up in the plot. I'll be on the look out for more books by this author.

This book really intrigued me. Two sisters who fake spiritual connections for others, only to learn that actually the spirits need to talk to them desperately. A gothic, atmosphere fun novel. I enjoyed the dual POVs and really liked the sisters!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Carmella Lowkis writes an engagingly atmospheric and gothic historical fiction of the complex relationship between sibling sisters, with a sapphic romance, and fraud, where little is as it seems, and that has echoes of Sarah Waters' work. Set in Paris in 1866, the author's rich and vibrant descriptions bring the city and time period vividly alive. Baroness Sylvie receives a visit from her estranged sister, Charlotte Mothe, worrying over her troubling and dark history as a 'spiritual medium' is catching up with her position now as a figure of the establishment. However, their father's serious health issues have left Charlotte unable to pay the bills, and it is this that pushes Sylvie to help in the pulling off of a last con.

The sisters decide to target the dysfunctional and wealthy de Jacquinots, most of the family feel they are being haunted by the violent killing of a relative in the French Revolution. Planning to con their way to their gold by frightening them, they utilise all their machinations, skills and pull their tricks, only to be confounded, finding themselves facing the challenge of mysterious and strange terrors. In this sharply witty, well plotted and tense story, structured into 2 parts, we are immersed in the differing perspectives of the siblings, first of Sylvie, and then Charlotte. There is romance, seances, twists and turns, secrets, and more.

Lowkis's debut historical fiction is written well, capturing my interest, and at the heart of the book is her creation, depth, development, the chaos and conflicts, of her distinct characters, and their pasts and relationships, amidst the question of whether the spirit is real. The sapphic romance felt real with its authentic range of emotions which so often pepper the nature of actual relationships. This was a fascinating read set in a wonderful historical period and location, although there are issues of pacing. This will appeal to fans of historical fiction, mystery, relationship dynamics, and sapphic romance. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Historical adventure novel set in Paris in 1866.

Sylvie, now a baroness, once a spirit medium / con artist, is dragged into a new con by her sister with fatal consequences. The plot has a little of everything which makes it engaging and a worthwhile read. The characters are well–defined and interesting. The plot moves along at a good pace. A convenient happy ending is served up in the epilogue. I enjoyed this novel more than I expected. Recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

An intense Gothic romp in which two sisters, divided by fortune and estranged by feelings of betrayal, revisit their past as spirit mediums to do one, last job together, with catastrophic results. This is compulsively readable with a series of strong plot twists that keep you guessing for some time. Rather cleverly, the denouement comes at the mid point of the book, at which stage you might think you know where the book is going, but it pivots really well and is as page turning in the second half, just for different reasons. It will draw comparisons to Sarah Waters' Affinity for all kinds of reasons, but it is a strong novel in its own right. I enjoyed it very much.

Spitting gold is a great book. Unique in its premise I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

It follows two sisters who work together as spiritualists in Paris, there are two parts to the book both read by the sisters. I thought it was a nice little mystery that was quite funny in parts and I’d definitely recommend this to others.

It’s not a gothic as the blurb but I was glad of that.

This story is about a family of spiritualists, tricking people into paying for their services.
I was disappointed in it and really wasn’t keen to pick it up and continue the book. I found myself unable to engage with the characters and was often annoyed with their behaviour. I felt that the home life and the working life didn’t fit together and that at the end, there was a ‘tidying up’ chapter to deal with loose ends.
Sorry, not for me.

Whilst I enjoyed this novel I wasn’t bowled over by it. The premise of spiritists in Paris in the 19th century was right up my street and indeed the descriptions of the seances were well done. I thought however that the second half of the book got a bit boring and somewhat unbelievable and i was anxious to get to the end. I do feel though that this book will be well received and should do well.

Spiritualism in Paris? Two sisters who call the spirits for others (faking it) only to discover that the spirits might well be real and trying to get in touch with them! But for what and why?
Very atmospheric. I enjoyed the technique of one sister telling the story and then another. Gothic and a fun ghoulish experience!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Spitting Gold is a marvellously gothic tale. The sisters are so different and complex, I loved the twists and turns though it is ultimately quite a sad read.

A thoroughly entertaining read, set in 1860s Paris. As a lover of historical fiction I always enjoy catching a glimpse into how different people lived in the past and this book shows the contrasting lifestyles of upper and lower class Parisians at the time. The novel is full of twists, which kept me fully engaged in the story, and the perspective changes added depth. Overall an enjoyable and easy read.

I enjoyed this gothic novel. It had unexpected twists and turns and my interest was kept up until the end. I don't think it's a memorable book, but entertaining enough.

An entertaining tale of two sisters who work together as spiritists in Paris, ‘helping’ families who believe themselves to be haunted or have a possessed family member. Part 1 is very good, narrated by Sylvie, the older sister. She has married a Baron and had stopped this work at his insistence but her sister pleads with her to help her one more time. I enjoyed the descriptions of the ‘show’ the sisters put on for their employers and the sinister turn it took. Part 2 changes the narrator to the other sister, Charlotte. I enjoyed it less. I skim read much of it because although there were moments of suspense and high drama, they were too drawn out and it was easy to skip to the outcome without losing the storyline. There are a few unexpected twists and turns throughout and, although it’s a bit silly really, I enjoyed it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for a review copy.

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis. Due to be published 18th April.
Paris 1866. Two estranged sisters, fake mediums that have fallen out and gone their separate ways, brought back together to 'assist' a wealthy family with a spirit in their house. The first part told from one sisters perspective, then the second part told by the other sister. A clever story with lots of twists. I enjoyed it 5/5.
Cover shows gold coins, frogs and a snow globe with the words Good sister, Bad sister, One last Con.

Spitting Gold is set in Paris in the 1860s. There is a great sense of time and place created through the atmospheric writing and wonderful descriptions. I loved that there were two distinct points of view throughout the narrative and the characters were excellent.

I loved the concept and premise of this so couldn't wait to read, but was not entirely convinced by this read. Plodded along and ok but didn't grip me.

A good read, which I enjoyed. With good characters and excellent storytelling ability shown by the author. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

A dark and exciting read that had my attention throughout. The pace added to the dark and tense moments in the book.