A Portrait in Shadow

By: Nicole Jarvis

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

When Artemisia Gentileschi arrives in Florence seeking a haven for her art, she faces instant opposition from the powerful Accademia, self-proclaimed guardians of the healing and necrotic magic that protect the city from plague and curses. As artists create their masterpieces, they add layer upon layer of magic drawn from their very life essence into the paint or marble, draining their power but producing works that will heal hundreds and inspire generations. The all-male Accademia jealously guards its power over art and architecture and has no place for an ambitious young woman arriving from Rome under a cloud of scandal.

Alone and fighting for every commission, Artemisia begins winning allies among luminaries such Galileo and Michelangelo the Younger, as well as the wealthy and powerful Cristina de’ Medici. But when the shadow of her infamous rape trial in Rome turns her thoughts to vengeance and an incendiary preacher turns his ire from Galileo to Florence's art world, Artemisia must choose between revenge and her dream of creating a legacy that will span the generations.

©2023 Nicole Jarvis (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Interesting and a fun take on history.

I loved the book. The lay out of the time line and the showing of how magic could have effected this world is interesting to listen. All the characters have a very strong development with small and large foreshadowing through the book. If you are interested in historical fiction at all I would recommend “A Portrait in Shadow”

A lot of Blood Drakes and Griffins

Main character was very whiny and combative for my liking. Women need to use brains, not emotional fits to get ahead. Wasn’t expecting so much mythology to be tossed in. I’m an artist and I’m Italian and I struggled with her character and the narrator’s accent.

Artemisia deserved better

This was an interesting story with overly flat characters. In particular, the main character was lifeless; constantly buffeted by fate, adding very little to the story. Great writers in the speculative fiction space (Jamison, Roanhorse, etc.) are creating rich, interesting female characters that drive stories forward. This was an indictment of a time and system that needs to be indicted, but that should not come at the expense of creating female characters who are more than just a reflection of the system itself. Modern readers are ready for more.