Did not receive/read in time due to technical error on kindle/tablet. Not having left feedback has due to error has impacted my shelves. Leaving 4 stars.

Sandrine Salome flees New York after the death of her father and takes refuge with her grandmother, a famous courtesan in Belle Epoque Paris. On her arrival she finds her grandmother's beautiful mansion closed, her grandmother living in a rented apartment and adamant that Sandrine never visit the old mansion again. Drawn to the house, almost by a mysterious force, Sandrine disobeys her grandmother's wishes and soon becomes entangled in an intricate web of love, passion and a centuries old dark obsession.

An absolutely spellbinding, mesmerizing and unputdownable story that had me intrigued from the very first few lines. M.J. Rose weaves a haunting, sensual and darkly enchanting gothic tale of romantic suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

I read book one in this series, The Wiches of Painted Sorrow and felt the same way about it as I do about The Secret Language of Stones. It starts slow but is full of history and background that is necessary to truly understand and appreciate the story. The picture that M.J. Rose portrays of Paris during the time of war and how the people are affected is amazing and vivid. I could hear the raid sirens and picture the underground areas where they took cover. I could picture the jewelry store that Opaline works in and the people that she worked with.


This story has a ghost twist that I loved! I loved seeing Opaline interact with the different ghosts and help the wives and mothers of soldiers lost to war. This is a great part of the story with so much heart and sorrow. I loved that there was only one ghost… one love…

The Secret Language of Stones is a sequel to The Witches of Painted Sorrow yet this book could be read without reading the first one. As with most series they are better read in order but each could be read in any order. Either way I recommend picking up both books and reading them.

One of the best books I've read in years! I bought the follow-up titles as well and have been recommending M.J. Rose's books to all my students as well as friends and lovers of literature.

The book masters the difficult balance between historical novel and fantastic plot elements. Its rich, and magical descriptions immediately pull you into the world of Rose' s heroine.

"The Witch of Painted Sorrows" is a rich, deeply magical and at times very sensual book and the beginning of an impressive series.

From the very beginning, I didn't like the tone or the writing enough to want to continue.

This book is the story of Sandrine, a wife who flees her husband and goes to Paris. There she finds, danger, intrigue, and possession by the ghost of an ancestor. This was a mysterious book full of unusual characters.