The Accidental Medium

The Accidental Medium follows Tanz, an actress who is in a bit of a career slump, and has to make ends meet by working in a new age shop. Here, she learns she actually has some pretty powerful abilities. As she becomes more well-versed in using her innate spiritual talents, it does not only able to allow her to help others, but also gets her in a heap of trouble.

There is not really an overarching plot - Tanz moves from job to job, helping people and spirits move on peacefully, while still trying to continue her career as an actress. The stakes do get higher near the end, but I feel like it could have been developed a bit better. Also includes the figuring-out-new-powers-on-the-spot in the end which is, to me, always a bit of a letdown.

I see a lot of criticism for the characters in the other reviews, saying the language used is crude, that the main character judges everyone for their weight, etc. I actually liked that no character is an actual saint and that some are struggling with very real issues. There's nothing crazy about an older actress looking at younger women with a judgmental eye. Should it make you uncomfortable? Well, yeah. But it's realistic and adds to her as a person - what she has been through and what she has been taught to care about.

I'd recommend this to anyone who is in for a cosy read without too many twists and turns. I listened to the audiobook, which is also read by Tracy Whitwell herself, and I do think it adds to my appreciation of the story, as there would be no better voice for Tanz.