THE SPIRITUALISTS

Mystics band together to pull off the ultimate heist in Tubb’s YA debut.

Life in New York City in 1912 is bustling. To the outside world, 18-year-old Stella Bohdan is Lady Rose, a conduit to the dead, armed with a Ouija board. But her clients don’t know the full extent of her capabilities—Spirit, Stella’s “Team of Light on the Other Side,” constantly guides her. White-presenting Stella needs to keep a low profile; reading fortunes is illegal, and she wants to avoid jail or an asylum. She feels the presence of the Dark Trio, ominous spirits who emerge when she taps into her dark side, unleashing a terrifying power. A lonely, grieving Stella is surviving on her own: Maman “waltzed into death like she was dancing on rose petals,” but her sister Daisy’s death haunts her. Green-eyed, olive-skinned Pax Princip is recruiting psychics for his venture, Julia’s Bureau. Despite Spirit’s strong warnings, Stella is attracted to Pax; they seem to be bound by “something dark and mysterious.” Pax is planning to pull off a heist using the power of his powerful cohort. Borrowing from history—the Hope Diamond, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, and the sinking of the Titanic add historical texture—the Julia’s Bureau team members have an authenticity rooted in their shared trauma. This story acknowledges the darkness of its characters, who will lure readers in as they root for them to make better choices.

A high-stakes page-turner of a thriller.