1 April 2015

Review #179: The Witch of Painted Sorrows (The Daughters of La Lune #1) by M.J.Rose



My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“They say a good love is one that sits you down, gives you a drink of water, and pats you on top of the head. But I say a good love is one that casts you into the wind, sets you ablaze, makes you burn through the skies and ignite the night like a phoenix; the kind that cuts you loose like a wildfire and you can't stop running simply because you keep on burning everything that you touch! I say that's a good love; one that burns and flies, and you run with it!”

----C. JoyBell C., an American author



M.J. Rose, a New York Times bestselling novelist, weaves an enchanting and romantic tale called, The Witch of Painted Sorrows which is the first book in The Daughters of La Lune series, that traces the life of a possessed-by-a-witch's-soul young woman's journey through Paris, passion, witchy-drama, revenge and lots of art.




Synopsis:

Sandrine Salome flees New York for her grandmother’s Paris mansion to escape her dangerous husband, but what she finds there is even more menacing. The house, famous for its lavish art collection and elegant salons, is mysteriously closed up. Although her grandmother insists it’s dangerous for Sandrine to visit, she defies her and meets Julien Duplessi, a mesmerizing young architect. Together they explore the hidden night world of Paris, the forbidden occult underground and Sandrine’s deepest desires.

Among the bohemians and the demi-monde, Sandrine discovers her erotic nature as a lover and painter. Then darker influences threaten—her cold and cruel husband is tracking her down and something sinister is taking hold, changing Sandrine, altering her. She’s become possessed by La Lune: A witch, a legend, and a sixteenth-century courtesan, who opens up her life to a darkness that may become a gift or a curse.

This is Sandrine’s “wild night of the soul,” her odyssey in the magnificent city of Paris, of art, love, and witchery.



Sandrine Salome flees from her abusive husband's home in New York to her grandmother's mansion in Paris. Unfortunately, she finds her childhood mansion where she grew up to be locked and vacant and under renovation. The architect of their mansion, Julien Duplessi is captivated by Sandrine's charm and grace from the very first sight. Together they explore a secret room filled with paintings by an artist named, La Lune. When Sandrine asked her grandmother about it, she receives a fierce reply. And instead of her grandmother's warning, Sandrine explores the life and times of that mystifying painter and gradually falls for the handsome architect. But will she keep her romance with Julien hidden given the fact that her husband will do anything to find her? Who is this witch who captivated Sandrine's mind like a firework show?

This is the first book of M.J.Rose's that I read and it easily bewitched my mind from the very first page with Rose's intricate style of laying out her details, sensuality and vividness of the timeline and back-drop. Well, from the synopsis, it can't be guessed easily that the book has a bit of paranormal touch in it's plot mainly due to possession, mind-control and occult paintings and studies. The 19th century picture of Paris is very gracefully portrayed by the Rose's evocative prose and she layered the painting of Paris with 1890's fashion, food, paintings, streets, Parisians thus it instantly transported me back to that Victorian era in a city of beauty, charm, fashion and love. Moreover, the smooth mixture of her setting and her plot with that paranormal touch proves to deliver a dark, passionate atmosphere which is in one word, thoroughly spellbinding.

The characters are all very strongly built and Sandrine- the primary character is very evolving. In the beginning, Rose portrays her someone terrified with her husband's abuses, vulnerable and innocent, but as she gets more involved in the history of those paintings, she turns a bit bolder, brave and passionate. La Lune is a character who is featured through her paranormal presence, although, I didn't find anything much appealing about her. Julien, the handsome architect can only be passed as a great and passionate lover and opportunist. The chemistry or rather say, the love scenes between Sandrine and Julien is layered with the undertone of eroticism and wild passion. Especially their forbidden passionate love story in the 1890's when a married woman was not supposed to have any such extra-marital affair with a man is portrayed sensitively. Moreover, the author allows Sandrine to be strong and bold to take control of her life in women-oppressed society.

The one thing that completely marred the beauty of this book is it's ending which left us with a lot of unanswered questions and the whole thing seemed bit rushed and abrupt. The novel began with a deep, overflowing narrative and storyline which suddenly becomes curt and too short near the ending thus forcing us to lose interest from the novel all together. Overall, this book is very magical, romantic and thought-provoking.

Verdict: An intriguing paranormal and historical fiction which I would recommend you all to read it.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, M.J.Rose's publicist for giving me an opportunity to read and review this novel. 
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Author Info:
M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice… books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it.

Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.

Her most recent novel THE COLLECTOR OF DYING BREATHS (Atria/S&S) was chosen as an Indie Next Pick and her next novel, THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS will be released March 2015.

Rose is a New York Times and USAToday bestseller whose work has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, WSJ, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the '80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors - Authorbuzz.com

The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose's novels in the Reincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and currently serves, with Lee Child, as the organization's co-president.

Visit her here


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1 comment:

  1. I actually own this book myself and received a copy for review! Knowing you loved it only makes me want to read it myself all the more :3 And I will soon. Also that cover is amazing <3

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