The Library of Light and Shadow A Novel
Reviews
*Review for book 1 in series: The Witch of Painted Sorrows *Review for book 2 in series: The Secret Language of Stones I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. "Where did Nicholai Flamel tell you where the book was?" He said, 'The book is in the library of light and shadow. But..," she paused as if remembering "But?" I prompted. "He told us that, only someone who could see in the shadows would be able to find the book." The Library of Light and Shadow is the final installment in the Daughters of La Lune trilogy. This riveting series spins a tale that spans over centuries, through generations of descendants of a French courtesan, later known by the name, La Lune. Delphine Duplessi, the second daughter to Sandrine (the main character in The Witch of Painted Sorrows) finds her artistic niche through sketching portraits of wealthy New Yorkers at upscale parties. These sketches are procured in anything but the norm, as Delphine blindfolds herself and draws "shadow portraits." Thanks to her second-sight, she's able to procure facts about people that lie beneath the capacities of the naked eye. These drawings reveal the deepest, and sometimes darkest secrets of the sitter, which eventually causes problems for Delphine as the scandalous drawing of one woman ends in a man's murder. Distraught by the event, Delphine gives up sketching, and returns to her home in France where she meets another renowned artist, Pablo Picasso. Despite her attempts in leaving her special portraits in her past, Delphine's brother Sebastian coerces her back into her craft with a mysterious project: to make drawings of a famous opera singer's home in attempt to uncover a secret treasure. Invited to the singer's chateau to begin her drawings, Delphine discovers that one of the other guests is none other than her past love--the man she fled from after drawing a disturbing sketch of his future, one that revealed herself as being his demise. Frightened by the experience, and hoping to keep her loved one safe from the tragedy to befall him, she left France for America. Forced to face her past and her fears, Delphine must uncover secrets more than the ones of the old chateau, but about the residents themselves to discover the true treasure within. ---------------------------------- Things that I liked: #1 The overall eloquence to the writing and style. It's easy to feel the grandeur of Manhattan post World War I---not that the war was beautiful, but people in that era had a way about creating mesmerizing social scenes. The way this story is written reflects this very quality due to the description and details given. #2 The presence of explicit scenes were fewer and further between. While I have never been thrilled with the erotic side of these stories, I did appreciate that this installment seemed to have less of an emphasis on this topic. (I wish it had been ruled out completely, and just had a non-descriptive romance instead, but we can't always get what we want.) #3 I appreciate how the author included small details here and there that carried throughout the entire series. These tidbits weren't necessarily pivotal, but they helped to create a sense of fluidity that spanned across all three books. Things that I didn't like: #1 The way in which the story was told, made it difficult for the reader to follow in time and location. Frequently, I was confused with where the main character was (between France and New York) and at which particular time. Much of Delphine's story is told through flashbacks, which I don't necessarily mind. However, the amount that this technique was utilized made for a choppy read. #2 Unlike her predecessors, I had a difficult time forming an attachment to Delphine. In ways, she reminded me of her mother, Sandrine (whom I more-or-less despised). Other than that, her character fell flat. Despite her constant ruminations about her relationship with Mathieu, the fact that she had once been blind, and her twin-connection to her brother Sebastian, little more is revealed about who she is. #3 Even though its presence was less, I still wish there was no erotic factor in this book. The storyline doesn't need it. Overall, I enjoyed the art-related themes within this book. It's been one of my favorite (if not my favorite) aspects of this series that kept me reading it. If not for the erotic nature, I would rate it higher, but I just can't. For me, the eroticism simply retracts from the plot. Instead of character relationship building, the men and women are just thrown together into a bed and WALA! Relationship made. Yes, there are some gems of true relationship building here and there. However, since so much of this story surrounds the topic of that evasive "one true love," I wanted to see more behind why Delphine and Mathieu fell for one another. It's a decent story, but I simply had a difficult time cementing to it. Vulgarity: None that I recall. Sexual content: This is an erotica. Although, I felt it was toned down more from the previous two. There are several descriptive scenes. Violence: Minimal. Make of the blood, a sight. Make of the sight, a symbol. Make of the symbol life, everlasting. 2.5 stars. A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
I started the book, not putting two and two together that I had read the first book in the series, which sets up the Daughters of La Lune. That said, I do think you can read them out of order, but knowing about La Lune does help. Anyway, it's after WWI and Delphine is becoming known as an artist. But an artist with a twist. She paints secrets, using a blindfold over her eyes when she paints. She has also fled her family and France and is living in New York when disaster hits and it's back to France. Not only to face her fears, but also to face her own secrets. Really good read with a lot of mystic practices woven in. Long with big names in the 1920's in art. Now I have to read the book about her sister!
