Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

Kate Mosse is brilliant as always! This is a long book, which when it comes to Kate Mosse, means it is detailed and entrancing. I enjoyed the story, she always seems to find a piece of history I know little about and weave and intriguing story which not only teaches but entertains. She returns to the same area as her previous books, but this time the book takes place in Carcassone and Toulouse during the sixteenth century and the time of the War of Religion, unlike some of her other books, it is not a dual timeline, but I enjoyed the story just as much. It was brutal time and is well told, it is hard to believe what was done in the name of religion. Great book. I never miss a Kate Mosse book.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse from NetGalley and Publishers Group Canada/Pan Macmillan.

"...brilliant, captivating and so rich in detail..."

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and no one does it like Kate Mosse.  Although as with most in the genre, this book is slow to unfold yet definitely worth it.  Ms Mosse immerses the reader with her vivid descriptions of 16th century France. We visit Carcassonne and Toulouse and although the book opens and closes in the 1800’s Africa a majority of the story takes place in 1560’s France.  

As with most of her books, the author has woven a rich tapestry of a plot intertwining mystery, suspense, heartbreak and romance. Carefully crafted vignettes follow the lives of well written intriguing characters whose paths cross when battles erupt between the Catholics and the Huguenots/Protestants and we witness first-hand the barbarity of religious wars.   

Nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert and her family are caught up in it all and their lives will never be the same. One day while working at their bookstore Minou receives a mysterious letter with an unusual seal, it contains four words, “She knows you live” and launches into an intriguing mystery full of religious conflict, adventure, missing artefacts and a murder. Although Catholic their family believes in religious freedom and their store caters to all religions which makes them a target. One day her path crosses with a fugitive and major player in the Huguenots cause, Piet Reydon and their lives take an interesting turn. Minou’s widowed father Bernard is also harbouring terrible secrets which he sets out to make right sending Minou and her brother to live with their aunt in Toulouse while the youngest, very ill sister is left in the care of a trusted neighbour.  While in Toulouse things reach a heartbreaking boiling point, which will keep you turning the pages.  

A perfect read for historical fiction lovers, The Burning Chambers is brilliant, captivating and so rich in detail I can’t wait to read more from Ms Mosse.

Burning chambers were inquisitorial tribunals set up for the trials of heretics, so this title perfectly suits our story, which takes place against the explosive 16th century atmosphere of religious fanaticism that threatens to ignite into violence with the tiniest misinterpreted word or gesture.

Minou Joubert worries about her father, who has recently returned home from a trip and appears so changed that he no longer leaves the house or cares for his bookshop in the Bastide of Carcassonne. She gets the impression that there are things he wishes to tell her, yet he remains silent... She does her best to keep the shop going to ensure her family's survival. One day, she finds an anonymous letter slipped under the door, addressed to her but containing a message she doesn't understand, and her suspicions that there is something going on deepen.

Piet Reydon, a former soldier who has just arrived on a dangerous mission that could have serious consequences all over France, must rely on his instincts and training to remain at liberty and alive. In these troubles times, whom can he trust? Quite by chance, he witnesses Minou's acts of courage and kindness, and instantly falls in love with her.

Life separates them for a short while, but brings them together again in Toulouse. Minou is Catholic, Piet a Huguenot; fortunately they're both enlightened and don't let this bother them in the least as their coreligionists murder each other all over the place.

After a multitude of escapades, our entire cast of characters seems to converge on the small village of Puivert for a grand reunion. Add to this a stolen miraculous shroud, a missing will, treacherous friends, a family secret, and a mystical châtelaine who will go to any lengths to secure her power, and you get an action-packed romance spiced with intrigue.

This novel grows in interest as its different threads come together and as the characters must make life-altering decisions. These characters are well drawn in the main (I became especially fond of Minou's little sister Alis and her aunt Madame Boussay), though prone to act in the predictable, clichéd ways fictional people are wont to do: completely forgetting to ask a highly important question; refusing to listen to someone's critical information, or getting angry at them for no reason, then regretting it; blurting out something they've been expressly told to keep to themselves...

Additionally, we're asked to believe in a number of coincidences, implausibilities and things that are a little too convenient, simply because they help to advance the plot. Just as an example, how credible is it that a person who was physically and emotionally abused for many years will "recover" and become a confident, socially competent individual in the space of a few days?

Despite these relatively minor quibbles, this book provided an engrossing few hours of good entertainment. The few glimpses we're given into the future — the upcoming royal wedding, a curious headstone in South Africa three centuries later — bode well for the other two books in this trilogy... though not for the characters.

A perfectly delicious new Kate Mosse book, focusing on the Cathars in southern France, and the mystery surrounding one family's inheritance. Steeped in history but also adventure. Highly recommended!

My main interest is Tudor fiction so I was anxious to read about a different era in a different area of the world.

This piqued my interest from the beginning and I found myself being lost in the story several times. I enjoyed the characters interactions with the people around them and discovered that one character was much like myself in a decision they made.

The story centers around several characters as they navigate 1562 and its perils, loves, losses, gains and wins.

I would recommend this book to those who ask.