Death is only the beginning….

London, 1873. Ivy Granger, an amateur botanist, is plagued by disturbing dreams and faceless whispers. Misunderstood by her father, she fears for her sanity – threatened with the asylum or worse, the hands of a man she loathes.

But a stranger at her mother’s funeral reveals Ivy’s world has been a lie, and she could have a different life, for she is capable of so much more…

#TheParlourGame #JenniferRenshaw Instagram @jen_renshaw #TheCorvidaeHauntings #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour

Miss Earnshaw, London’s most renowned spiritualist, is Ivy’s only hope of revealing what secrets her mother took to the grave and discovering her true purpose.

Ivy’s journey for knowledge takes her to Blackham House, a building haunted by a terrible past – full of macabre artefacts and ancient studies of the supernatural. But behind closed doors, the Blackhams collect more than relics alone, and Ivy will soon find herself at the centre of a conspiracy spanning generations, and a hidden evil waiting to be unleashed.

Can Ivy survive in a world where women must play their part or risk being silenced?

My Review

This is the book I have been waiting for! A gothic tale of sinister goings-on, mysterious disappearances, hauntings and macabre artefacts with special powers.

As a teenager I was obsessed with Dennis Wheatley and his tales of the occult and black magic. I became fascinated by the stories and even when I read religious studies as part of my OU degree in my fifties, I was still enthralled. Articles such as ‘The Victorian Supernatural‘ and ‘The Fashionable Science of Parlour Magic‘ are just up my street. It was a golden age of belief in supernatural forces and energies, ghost stories, weird transmissions and spooky phenomena. (Source https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-victorian-supernatural)

Spiritualism attracted people from all walks of life and was made popular due to the Victorian’s obsession with mesmerism, clairvoyance and trying to contact the dead. Also, the spiritualist movement did not have to adhere to the strict orthodox rules of the established churches which did not approve of such practices, so it was perfect for those who wanted to contact their dear departed. Its proponents included the famous writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle amongst others. Unfortunately many of the practitioners turned out to be frauds and plenty of paranormal investigators found great pleasure in ‘unmasking’ them. In fact I recently attended a live Victorian Seance podcast event where we learnt some of the tricks that were used.

The Parlour Game really was a book I could not put down. I’m so glad I read it on holiday so I didn’t have to. There is an underlying spookiness in every page, just waiting for the darkness, the bumps in the night, the voices in the walls.

Following the death of her beloved mother and the attendance of the celebrated spiritualist Miss Earnshaw at the funeral, Ivy Granger’s life will never be the same. The spiritualist tells her that she knew her mother and that Ivy’s life is in peril and gives her a card with her address. But Ivy’s father tells her it’s all nonsense and has decided that Ivy is to be married to the local undertaker. Her dream of studying to be a botanist is fast fading.

But Ivy isn’t having any of it. Marriage to this man is a fate worse than death, so she packs her things and heads off alone on the coach to London to seek out Miss Earnshaw.

‘Ivy’s journey for knowledge takes her to Blackham House, a building haunted by a terrible past – full of macabre artefacts and ancient studies of the supernatural.’ Maids who only stay a few days and then disappear, the mysterious butler who is there one minute and gone the next, an evil gardener who feeds the ‘mischief’ of magpies, Master Blackham, wracked with drink and opium, and his mother Lady Blackham, a cross between Mrs Danvers and the Wicked Witch of the West, only worse.

I loved this so much! Poor Ivy is totally out of her depth. But will she have the courage to take on the Devil himself? This is definitely one of my favourite books of the year.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.

About the Author

Jennifer Renshaw grew up in Sussex, England, and is a former analyst. She has always been fascinated by history and enjoys a gothic mystery. She now lives in Denmark with her family and two portly cats.

Website: https://jenniferrenshaw.com/

The Corvidae Hauntings
The corvids are no ordinary family of birds. 
Magpie, Crow, Jackdaw, Raven and Rook.
Each one with a purpose and a distinctive trait.
Collector, Thief, Mesmerist, Trickster and Oracle.
Nobody is safe from their influence in Victorian London.

The next book in the series will be…
Book 2: The Crow -There is a thief in the night!