The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman

The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman

Published by Kensington on July 29, 2025

Genres:  Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Magical Realism

Pages:  448

Format:  Audiobook

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My Rating:

★★★

As spiritualism reaches its fevered pitch at the dawn of the 20th century, a Scottish girl crosses the veil to unlock a powerful connection within an infamous asylum in this thrillingly atmospheric, exquisitely evocative exploration of feminine rage and agency for readers of Sarah Penner, Alice Hoffman, and Hester Fox.

Leaving behind a quiet life of simple comforts, Nairna Liath traverses the Scottish countryside with her charlatan father, Tavish. From remote cottages to rural fairs, the duo scrapes by on paltry coins as Tavish orchestrates “encounters” with the departed, while Nairna interprets tarot cards for those willing to pay for what they wish to hear.

But beyond her father’s trickery, Nairna possesses a genuine gift for communicating with the spirit world, one that could get an impoverished country girl branded a witch. A talent inherited from her grandmother, Lottie Liath, widow of a Welsh coalminer, whose story of imprisonment and exploitation in a notorious asylum is calling out to Nairna from four decades past—a warning to break free from the manipulations, greed, and betrayals of others.

What do the cards hold for Nairna’s future?

Rescued from homelessness by a well-connected stranger, Nairna is whisked into a new life among Edinburgh’s elite Spiritualist circle, including visiting American star Dorothy Kellings. Researchers, doctors, psychics, and thrill-seekers clamor for the rising young medium. But after a séance with blood-chilling results, a shocking scandal ensues, and Nairna flees to a secluded community near Boston, where she assumes a new  Nora Grey.

But Nora can’t stay hidden when Dorothy Kellings offers her the chance to face all comers and silence skeptics at a spectacular séance at Boston’s Old South Meeting Hall, where Nora will come face to face at last with her spiritual guide: the courageous Lottie Liath, whose heart-wrenching story and profound messages are indelibly tied to Nora’s destiny.

🏛️ historical magical realism

🔮 seances & spirits

💥 female rage

👥 dual timeline

First off, I loved the premise of this one - young girl discovers she has a connection to the other side and becomes a famous medium. Her spirit guide is a young pregnant woman trapped in an asylum whose side we also get to see.

It turned out to be just okay - it was a decent story that could have been a little shorter in my opinion. I also wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as a horror either. There was nothing particularly scary going on - except how all the men treated the women.

I enjoyed the dual timeline and going back and forth between Nairna/Nora and Lottie to see what was going on with each of them. Both sides of the story were interesting but I actually think I enjoyed the story arc of Lottie a little more.

It was quite repetitive though. Several times I thought I had accidentally gone backwards in the book because of how the plots sort of overlapped with Nora being able to see Lottie and then how Lottie replayed that interaction during her POV. I wished it had brought up what had happened but not used exact quotes over and over again.

If you enjoy historical fantasy that deals with witchy things such as seances and mediums - then this might be one you enjoy!

🖤 Big thanks to Kathleen Kaufman, Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.