Historical fiction can be tricky; finding the right balance between the solid grounding of history and the ephemeral characters that populate the story is the difference between typing and writing. In Labyrinth and again in this book, Kate Mosse has shown that she knows how to combine scholarship with story. It's like learning to shoot pool; better master the basics before you try the trick shots. The Burning Chambers explores an explosive, horrific part of French history -- the conflict between Catholics and Huguenots in the Languedoc, the southwestern region of the country. Mosse tells this tale of prejudice and persecution through the lives of several key characters who drive the narrative with their own backstories. Amid the carnage, there's intrigue and a love story mirroring the Montagues and the Capulets. Mosse wrote a good deal of this book in situ and it shows. I happen to be familiar with the region and didn't catch a false note, geographic or otherwise. But the story's the thing; and the reader will be propelled through a rewarding reading of the conflicts that shaped modern-day France.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was complex story. It started off a little slow, almost as if Mosse wasn't sure how to lay the groundwork for all of the characters. Once it got going it was an intricately woven plot that included deceit, betrayal, love, ambition, greed, faith and compassion. The history of the French Huguenots and Catholics is comprised of multiple layers. Moose did a good job in harnessing both the corruption and unrest within and between the two faiths. The second book in the series should be even more powerful with having this as its foundation.

Yet another rich historical novel from Kate Mosse. It was everything I expected and helped me while away a rainy weekend, A hint of mystery, drama, character, and most of all the historical detail, make this a must read.

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse is the first book in a new series that follows both Minou and Piet and their forbidden love. The story takes place in 16th/17th century France when the Wars of Religion are occuring.

I wanted to love this story.
So badly did I. It’s historical fiction, a fascinating time period and a retelling of a classic story; Romeo and Juliet. I just had a hard time getting into the story and was not enjoying the read whenever I did pick up the book. Kate Mosse’s writing style is beautiful and she paints a vivid picture of the time period, I just sadly did not jive with this one. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book for review.

I love a great historical fiction and this was not a disappoint as a fantastic tale of the interactions between the Catholics and Protestant Huguenots in the 1500's. As one may expect, there is a little of everything with romance and thriller told through the historical setting. Wonderfully done.

I definitely would recommend this for historical fiction lovers.
#TheBurningChambers #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks

I haven’t read anything else by this author, but I was expecting more historical fiction and less romance novel. I knew nothing about this period of French history or the conflict between the Catholics and the Huguenots. I should have read a nonfiction book about it instead, because it definitely takes a back seat in this book. The book has instalove, a randy priest, a counterfeit shroud, secrets (of course), a stolen inheritance and one extremely melodramatic character (who devolves into totally batshit crazy by the end of the book). I did not realize that this was the beginning of a series until I got to the end of the book. I won’t be continuing with the series. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Burning Chambers is a riveting piece of historical fiction! Set in France during the Inquisition, we meet a young woman, the man she fall for, and witness the destruction of society in the name of religion.

Excellently written and thoughtfully done, The Burning Chambers brings to light and forgotten event in time. A must read for historical fiction fans.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

I remember how much I enjoyed reading Labyrinth & Sepulchre many, many moons ago, so when I saw The Burning Chambers I was all kinds of excited to jump in. Unfortunately, the book never grabbed me in the way I had hoped it would. The descriptions of the times, people and places were very well done, but I just never got lost in the words and had that need to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next and it was way too easy for me to put it aside for something else to read. So, I'm chalking this one up to being the whole "It's not you, it's me" situation and that I just wasn't in the right place to read a historical novel.

I really liked the author’s previous works. This one was enjoyable but I had higher expectations because of those works. I liked the history of the period and plot was twisty but at times I felt modern sensibilities were skewing things.

16th Century France, and all of its violence and turmoil, is brought to life in this historical epic. Part 1 in a series of novels, it centers around the Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestent Huguenots. There’s a prologue that makes it sound like it will follow the conflict between the same two families throughout the centuries, eventually ending in South Africa. This first novel stays squarely in 16th Century France.

Main character Minou is the daughter of a tolerant Catholic bookseller in Southern France. One day a mysterious note arrives for her, with only four, ominous words.

“She knows you live.”

Minou has no idea what it means, but it will set her on a journey to discover the shocking secret of her identity, and why someone desperately wants her dead. Her journey intertwines with that of Piet, a Huguenot activist passionate about protecting his fellow Protestants. This book is loaded with historical details and events, and at the very least will make you want to move to the south of France..

I only had a few qualms with the book. The pace is quite slow, and the perspective changes frequently. Maybe it’s this that makes it feel like you don’t know the characters as well as you’d like? They fall just shy of feeling three dimensional. But it’s a solid historical read, and I’m interested to see how the author continues this story of these families and the religious strife throughout the centuries.

Hugenot conflict in France

I love historical fiction. This particular time, the mid 1500's in France, is fraught with terror, persecution by the Inquistion, and the conflict between Catholics and Hugenots. All seen through the eyes of inhabitants of those times, like Minou Joubert a young Catholic woman and a Hugenot convert, Piet Reydon.
The action sweeps from Carcassonne to Toulouse and back.
Underneath the story is the Inquisition's search for a stolen, important relic, and the terror and violence inspired by this organization. And let's not forget the human politicking and ambition.
The Hugenots fled to many countries and it seems this weighty trilogy in the future will take us in some diverse directions.
A series for the committed.
As a story it's somewhat weighty and yet interesting in the telling.

A St. Martin's Press Minotaur ARC via NetGalley

This book completely swept me up in its adventure. Mosse brings us into 15th century France, where we meet Minou and Piet, two young people on opposite sides of the Huguenot vs Catholic divide. As their paths continue to cross, Mosse creates a fast-paced story that weaves together treachery, love, detailed religious history, and family. The story unfolds at an addicting pace, and characters become more interesting as we learn more about their complicated motivations and personal histories.

I really enjoyed the historical details that are included in almost every aspect of the story—it is clear that Mosse has done her research. And while I was quite caught up in the story, one thing left me slightly disappointed. The love story that Mosse writes seems abrupt and sudden, going from two characters having maybe three conversations/encounters to them pledging their love and loyalty to each other. I found it too fast-paced to be completely believable, which was a bit of a let-down since I really like both of the characters.

If more time and detail had been spared to flesh out their love story a bit more, this book would've been amazing. But even so, I can't complain too much. Definitely one of my favorite books so far this year!

The Burning Chambers is a novel of historical fiction based in France in the late 1500’s. The story is written at a particularly unsettled time in history when there was open distrust between Protestant and Catholic factions. This is a story of love and loyalty as well as deep divisions based on social standing or religion. There are many supporting characters, but the story primarily centers around Minou Joubert, a 19 year old girl who lives with her father who is a notable bookseller and her younger brother and sister. Minou is trying her best to take the reins of leadership with her family after her dad has suffered recent episodes of disassociation and her mother’s death.

Minou is unaware that her family carries a decades old secret that threatens to tear her family apart. The family plays out as religious turmoil spills over threatening stability in the region. This is a historical novel written as a mystery as well as a love story. The story is engaging and the characters interesting. The story will require some patience as the story unfolds slowly. It is worth the wait though. This story is written as a series and I will be interested in seeing where the story goes from here.

My thoughts:

Pros

- This book is chock full of thrills, intrigue, romance, espionage, betrayal, murder and so much more, all wrapped up in a neat little lesson in history. What more do you want in a book? History always provides a wonderful foundation from which to weave epic stories and this book is no exception! This is exactly what a great historical fiction novel should be!

- Beautifully descriptive without being overbearing.

- You will love some characters and you will hate some. Every single character was fully-developed, interesting and pertinent to the story.

- This book is EPIC! It is super complex and it has a lot of characters and just a ton of stuff going on – but it is so well written that it isn’t hard to read or follow at all.

-Intriguing and held my interest throughout. The pacing great considering the length of the book. Honestly this didn’t feel like a 600+ page book.

- You might learn a little French.

- The clash between the Catholics and the Huguenots (Protestants) was a sad time in history, but creates a fantastic backdrop for historical intrigue novel.

Cons

- None. I loved it.

Summary
This is exactly what a great historical novel should be – awash with history, filled with intrigue, exciting to read. Mosse is a master storyteller and I can’t believe I haven’t read any of her previous work. I will be remedying that as soon as possible.

I would recommend this book to anyone that even has a passing interest in historical fiction, particularly French historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It is rich in historical detail and epic in its scope. I have enjoyed every book I've read by Kate Mosse and The Burning Chamber is no exception. I highly recommend it

A historical novel set in France mostly in Carcassonne, Toulouse and Puivert in 1562. This is about families, friendships, power, secrets and religious persecution. There are spies everywhere, no one can be trusted. People keep changing their names to protect themselves from danger.
Protestants and Huguenots are in danger and considered enemies of the Crown. Bernard Joubert is a Catholic bookseller living in Carcassonne in 1562. He needs to retrieve a precious document from Puivert. He sends his oldest daughter Minou and son Aimeric to stay with their aunt in Toulouse. While Bernard is in Puivert his youngest daughter is kidnapped.
Minou and Aimeric are in danger in Toulouse. Piet who is being hunted by Vidal tries to help them. Everywhere there is danger. What is the precious document Bernard is trying to find? Who else knows about the precious document?
This was full of action, surprises and tragedy. At the beginning it was hard to keep track of who everyone was but it all came together at the end. I enjoyed the book.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. However, this review is in regards to the published edition.

Boy, this book has a lot. Everything is so richly detailed and described, but it’s never hard to keep focus. The story is incredibly interesting and compelling.

Huguenot and Catholics collide in France. Everyone is at each other’s throats and no one knows whom to trust. Minou is the daughter of a book seller. Piet is a Huguenot. These two come together at one of the most dangerous times in history. Both end up leaning on each other just to survive and stay alive.

Oh wow! The research Kate Mosse does to write her stories is outstanding. I have been a fan for many, many years. She always teaches me something new. I enjoyed many aspects of this read. The rich history, the setting, and the action and betrayals really keep a reader turning pages. However, I did feel it was disjointed in places. But, I was enraptured and enraged with mans inhumanity to man. Something about Kate Mosse rich historical settings and the way she reels the reader in, will keep me a fan forever!

Don’t miss this one!

The religious conflict in 16th century France is the setting for this tale of madness and adventure. Light on the romance and with murders amok, Minou and Piet find their way from a quiet bookshop to religious persecution. A secret will and a religious shroud become the objects of a quest but who will get what they want? A bit long but the historical aspect piqued my interest.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

I was drawn to this book for two reasons. First, I had never read a Kate Mosse book before (Crazy! I know, right?!) and secondly, I was in the mood for an epic Historical Fiction mystery set in 16th century France - particularly one that focuses on the turbulent religious battles between the powerful Catholic Church and the Protestant Huguenots. Sounds amazing, non?

Mosse has written a lengthy but atmospheric read that brings readers into the religious fervour of the era. We witness the horrors, fear, paranoia and violence as the various factions attempt to torture confessions out of people all in the name of religion. Personally, I was in it for the History and the Mystery … and it's the mystery aspect that I felt, unfortunately, got a little ignored.

The mystery in the blurb was intriguing but on the pages, it was the romance that tended to get more page time. Romance is wonderful (ahh, l'amour and all that), but in this case, I felt disconnected from the main characters, Minou and Piet. Their Insta-Love was hard for me to accept even though the Romeo and Juliet vibe was a nice touch within an era that had such clear-cut sides.

In the end, this was a good read and I enjoyed learning more about France's history, particularly set in the area of Carcassone. And while I wasn't as taken with it as I had anticipated, I plan to read more of Kate Mosse in the future. Any suggestions about which book(s) I should start with?

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.