I really liked this one! It was one of those books that I just could not put down! The characters were great along with the story!

I didn't realize this book was #3 in a series. I want to read the first two books before I read this one. Thank you.

Thanks Atria Books and netgalley for this ARC.

M. J. Rose cannot be beat for the otherworldly, ethereal, Amazon-like warrior priestesses she creates for her novels. I think this was my favorite but then I always think that until I read her next novel.

This book has an interesting premise and does a fairly good job with characterizations. The story was interesting but the ending was vaguely unsatisfying.

MJ Rose continues the La Lune series begun in Witch of Painted Sorrows with this story of Delphine Duplessi and her gift of painting people’s secrets. The pattern is familar to fans of the La Lune series – a passionate love affair gone wrong, a young artist struggling with her gift, and people who want to use her and her gift in nefarious ways.

Full review at https://itsallaboutthebook.org/2017/06/25/the-library-of-light-shadow-by-mj-rose/

I received this as an ARC through Netgalley. 3.5 stars overall. I first was introduced to this series a couple of years ago when the second book came out. I fell for the second book hard and went back to read the first after (which, I wasn't as much of a fan of). While this still isn't as good as the book about her sister, Opaline, Delphine definitely was an interesting and slightly complex character. I found her magical talent creepy yet fascinating. To see a world with your mind and not your eyes? It's quite something. I will say my biggest love was the lore of La Lune as per usual. It adds a layer of world building that keeps the reader interested. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It felt like a bit of a cop out for Delphine to end up where she did, instead of forcing her to grow and choose another path. Overall though, this was a fun read, solid sensory description and good characterization (albeit a fluffy read!).

As a small child, Delphine was blinded when a schoolmate threw lye in her face. Sebastian, her twin brother, became her eyes and guide until her sight returned. Always a painter, as she regained her sight she also regained a talent to paint a person’s hidden secrets. All the daughters of La Lune have special magick. Delphine uses a velvet eye mask and her magick flows through her fingers onto the canvas. After a horrible incident, she is forced to return to Paris though she no longer has the will to paint. Emotionally wounded she attempts to heal within the loving arms of her family. As her healing begins, continued pressure from Sebastian eventually wears her down to accept a special commission to shadow paint a castle to find a hidden book that belonged to Nicholas Flammel.

I believe this might be my favorite in Rose’s Daughters of La Lune series. Delphine’s painful story slowly emerges like images on a canvas. The supernatural aspect of the story floats effortlessly throughout the novel and does not overpower Delphine’s story. As Rose takes us through Delphine’s haunted life, Rose uses words to paint the descriptions of Delphine’s surroundings and you feel as if you are walking the path or flying down the road sitting shotgun in Delphine’s Bugatti. A thoroughly enjoyable story.

This continues to be a pretty strong series. I guess wasn't as crazy about it as the first two because I've gotten used to Rose's talented blend of history, women's fiction, and the paranormal. That's hardly fair to her, because this was quite a good book and a solid entry in the series. I liked Delphine's "shadow portraits," but I couldn't help but be reminded of Linda Howard's Now You See Her - just because that's the only book I've ever read with prescient paintings, I assume! The historical detail is well done without being too much, including sprinkling in famous artists, notably a very vivid Pablo Picasso, and nuggets about bootlegging and séances, very popular at the time. I think my biggest complaint about this book was the addition of Gerard and his son, who on one hand were vital to the plot but also took away from the plot (enough said due to potential spoilers). Actually, aside from Picasso, none of the men in the book really did it for me as characters, but that's really okay because this series continues to be very much the story of powerful women. Girl power!

The Library of Light and Shadow by M. J. Rose draws you in from the first page with it's beautifully enchanting writing. We are drawn into the mid 1920's Manhattan and later Paris. Delphine Duplessi, a descendent of a powerful witch named La Lune, must decide if her own powers are for good or evil. Delphine has the ability to paint people's innermost secrets from adultery to murder.

This book is a wonderful tale filled with art, mysticism, and a tragic love. Along with Delphine we are introduced to some well know characters such as Picasso and Fitzgerald. It also has a very good message at the end.

I loved this book. M. J. Rose is one of my new favorite authors and I can't wait to read more by this wonderful author. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a little magic in their life.

I acknowledge that I received this book free of charge from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This book is the third in a series about the daughters of La Lune, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. (I read the first book and skipped the second, and it didn't make any difference in the storyline). I really liked the beginning of this book, and the whole concept was interesting, but I thought the middle dragged quite a bit. If it wasn't for the pacing, this book would be a solid four stars, but I think it is more of a 3.5 stars for me.

The Daughters of La Lune have had magical powers for centuries, but Delphine’s gift is a bit more sinister than those held by her mother and sisters. When Delphine paints blindfolded, she can reveal the sitter’s deepest secrets. Often, this is no more than a party game, but when what begins innocently leads to death, Delphine fears a repeat performance – for she has seen in the shadowy darkness that the only man she’s ever loved may be the victim, a circumstance she will do anything to prevent.

Filled with the delicious, atmospheric magic and skillfully rendered description that saturates all of M.J. Rose’s novels, this is historical fantasy that makes you want to live in the novel. After finishing this book I feel like I have truly visited Languedoc region of France. Adding to this, the characters are vividly drawn, with a wonderful multidimensional heroine in Delphine and a romantic, tragic figure in Mathieu (who I may just have a crush on) and an unexpected twist involving a not-so-heroic protector.

Only two things stuck out as points that could have been slightly more developed. The resolution of the quest for the book and its titular library was rather abrupt, leaving me with unanswered questions. Also, because 95% of the relationship between the hero and heroine is recalled from the past, it feels a bit removed from the events of the story. I would have liked to have seen a little more development between them in the present action before the resolution of the story, which would have made the ending more natural.

But I still very much recommend this book to anyone with an eye for the mystical and a love for gothic settings. M.J. has penned another hit.

"The Library of Light and Shadow" is a story that is a mixture of art, history, and magical mysticism.
We meet Delphine, and artist who is a daughter of La Lune, a long line of witches who have immense artistic gifts. Delphine can "see" and paint the secrets of others while blindfolded. She has gained some fame and notoriety for her “shadow portraits” that frequently expose her subjects’ most scandalous secrets. But her art is more than a party trick, and it comes at a great price. When a tragedy occurs in Delphine's New York circle, necessitating her return to Paris, Delphine questions her "gift" and whether she will ever be able to hold a paintbrush again without feeling intense grief.

The novel is set in 1920's France, and there are many notable people who are part of the story: Picasso, Matisse, Cocteau, and others. But these are mere supporting players, the real star is M.J. Rose's richly colorful writing. In addition to the art world, the reader is also lead on a journey into the mystic world of the occult, seances, and a search for a book of alchemy that has been lost for centuries.

Can Delphine return to her art, emotionally painful though it may be, and take her place in the art world once more? Though skilled at seeing the secrets of others, will she continue to hide from her own secrets and her heart? M.J. Rose weaves a haunting tale of lost love and looking deeply into the shadows of the heart.

Too gothic & melodramatic for me but I would buy for my library because the other books in the series.

Delphine Duplessi finds herself in New York after fleeing Paris to escape her one true love. There she tries to rebuild her life, painting shadow portraits. These paintings reveal the sitter's deepest secrets. When tragedy erupts because of her art, Delphine is forced back to Paris and her old life. Her twin and lifeline, Sebastian, persuades her to take up her art once more to discover a secret hidden book. While doing so, Delphine must look into her own shadows to find herself and heal from tragedies past.

This book, a continuation of The Daughters of La Lune, series is magickal. Delphine, while not as sympathetic as her sister Opaline, is wonderful. I enjoyed her independence, but it was a co-dependent independence. I love how MJ Rose weaves in previous stories, without it being overpowering. This story is really amazing and I can't recommend it enough. I loved it enough to purchase the first one in the series, The Witch of Painted Sorrows. I am also hoping that Jadine, the last sister, gets a story. Or even the great grandmother.

Delphine is an artist. Her specialty, shadow portraits. During these sittings, she paints with a blindfold on, her art uncovering the secret of her sitter. After one of her paintings creates a scandal, Delphine's brother arrives in New York, determined to take her back home to France. Despite her desire to give up shadow portraits, her brother cajoles her into painting once more.

I generally enjoy M. J. Rose's books. However, I really disliked Delphine and her brother. Delphine came across as a whiner, someone completely dependent on others, and unwilling to help herself. Sebastian also seemed a stereotype, one who put his own interests before anyone else. Although this book was a bust, I look forward to reading the next book from this author.

Delphine is a talented artist and a Daughter of La Lune, one of a long line of powerful witches. The novel is set in 1920’s Paris, and famous figures from that era appear in the narrative: Picasso, Cocteau, Calve. Can she keep drawing when her art brings so much pain, both to herself and to her subjects? A fascinating, and very different, paranormal historical fiction novel.

I am sorry but I just couldn't get interested in this book. Thank you for the opportunity!