M. J. Rose
on Tour
July 19-28
with
The Secret Language of Stones
(historical fiction) Release date: July 19, 2016 by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster ISBN: 978-1-4767-7809-9 320 pages Author's page | GoodreadsSource: This book was given to me by France Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
SYNOPSIS
AS WORLD WAR I RAGES AND THE ROMANOV DYNASTY REACHES ITS SUDDEN, BRUTAL END, A YOUNG JEWELRY MAKER DISCOVERS LOVE, PASSION, AND HER OWN HEALING POWERS IN THIS RICH AND ROMANTIC NOVEL BY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR M.J. ROSE.
Nestled deep within Paris’s historic Palais Royal, safe inside La Fantasie Russie’s once-bustling workshop, young, ambitious Opaline Duplessi spends her days making trench watches for soldiers at the front and mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. Opaline has a rare gift, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. Certain gemstones enable her to receive messages from beyond. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message—directly to her. So begins a dangerous journey that will take Opaline into the darkest corners of wartime Paris and across the English Channel, where the exiled Romanov dowager empress is waiting to discover the fate of her family.
Nestled deep within Paris’s historic Palais Royal, safe inside La Fantasie Russie’s once-bustling workshop, young, ambitious Opaline Duplessi spends her days making trench watches for soldiers at the front and mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. Opaline has a rare gift, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. Certain gemstones enable her to receive messages from beyond. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message—directly to her. So begins a dangerous journey that will take Opaline into the darkest corners of wartime Paris and across the English Channel, where the exiled Romanov dowager empress is waiting to discover the fate of her family.
Full of romance, seduction, and a love so powerful it reaches beyond the grave, The Secret Language of Stones is yet another “entrancing read that will long be savored” (Library Journal, starred review).
“Spellbinding.” —Alyson Richman, author of The Lost Wife
My Review: The Secret Language of Stones is the sequel to The Witch of Painted Sorrows, and focused on Sandrine’s daughter, Opaline. Due to her being a descendant of La Lune, Opaline has the gift of clairvoyance. Through the use of certain gemstones, she is able to communicate with people from the dead to pass along messages to their surviving loved ones. One day, a fallen soldier talks directly to her. Soon, Opaline and the ghost, Jean Luc, embark on a dangerous mission as she tries to find the fate of the children of Nicolas II.
Opaline is a young woman who yearns to live a life of her own. She makes the decision to not follow her family to America and stay in Paris to become a jeweler. I really liked the character Opaline, and I believe that readers can relate to her. She does have moments of self-doubt. Yet, over time she grows into a more mature, brave, strong-willed young woman. I also found her romance with Jean Luc to be very entrancing. Because of the supernatural relationship, I was eager to see how it would end.
Overall, this book has a romance, mystery, and a beautiful ghost-story. I really like how it was set in WWI, and I found it to be a darker setting than in The Witch of Painted Sorrows. While I did enjoy this story immensely, this story did not captivate me as much as The Witch of Painted Sorrows. This is probably because I wanted more of the mysterious ghost of La Lune. I also found the book harder to get into than The Witch of Painted Sorrows. It was not until almost halfway that I got absorbed into it. Nevertheless, the writing is very beautiful and the story was entertaining. I do hope that maybe in the future installments, the author will return to La Lune because she was one of my favorite characters. I recommend this story to anyone who is interested in the Romanovs, WWI love stories, and suspenseful, paranormal stories.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
“Spellbinding.” —Alyson Richman, author of The Lost Wife
My Review: The Secret Language of Stones is the sequel to The Witch of Painted Sorrows, and focused on Sandrine’s daughter, Opaline. Due to her being a descendant of La Lune, Opaline has the gift of clairvoyance. Through the use of certain gemstones, she is able to communicate with people from the dead to pass along messages to their surviving loved ones. One day, a fallen soldier talks directly to her. Soon, Opaline and the ghost, Jean Luc, embark on a dangerous mission as she tries to find the fate of the children of Nicolas II.
Opaline is a young woman who yearns to live a life of her own. She makes the decision to not follow her family to America and stay in Paris to become a jeweler. I really liked the character Opaline, and I believe that readers can relate to her. She does have moments of self-doubt. Yet, over time she grows into a more mature, brave, strong-willed young woman. I also found her romance with Jean Luc to be very entrancing. Because of the supernatural relationship, I was eager to see how it would end.
Overall, this book has a romance, mystery, and a beautiful ghost-story. I really like how it was set in WWI, and I found it to be a darker setting than in The Witch of Painted Sorrows. While I did enjoy this story immensely, this story did not captivate me as much as The Witch of Painted Sorrows. This is probably because I wanted more of the mysterious ghost of La Lune. I also found the book harder to get into than The Witch of Painted Sorrows. It was not until almost halfway that I got absorbed into it. Nevertheless, the writing is very beautiful and the story was entertaining. I do hope that maybe in the future installments, the author will return to La Lune because she was one of my favorite characters. I recommend this story to anyone who is interested in the Romanovs, WWI love stories, and suspenseful, paranormal stories.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.J. Rose grew up in New York City exploring the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum and the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park—and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed. She is the author of more than a dozen novels, the co-president and founding board member of International Thriller Writers, and the founder of the first marketing company for authors, AuthorBuzz.com. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Please visit her website, her blog: Museum of Mysteries Subscribe to her mailing list and get information about new releases, free book downloads, contests, excerpts and more. Or send an email to TheFictionofMJRose-subscribe at yahoogroups dot com To send M.J. a message and/or request a signed bookplate, send an email to mjroseauthor at gmail dot com Follow her on Facebook and Twitter Buy the book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Books A Million
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thanks for your nice and balanced review, also with suggestion to the author. Emma at FBT
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading the book! I appreciate your time.
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