The Burning Chambers

Author: Kate Mosse
Genre: Historical Fiction
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: St Martin's Press
First Published: June 18, 2019
Opening Lines: "The woman stands alone beneath a sharp blue sky.  Evergreen cypress and rough grasses abound the graveyard. The grey headstone are bleached the colour of bone by the fierce Cape sun."

Book Description from GoodReads: Bringing sixteenth-century Languedoc vividly to life, Kate Mosse's The Burning Chambers is a gripping story of love and betrayal, mysteries and secrets; of war and adventure, conspiracies and divided loyalties . . .

Carcassonne 1562: Nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father’s bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: SHE KNOWS THAT YOU LIVE.

But before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, a chance encounter with a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon, changes her destiny forever. For Piet has a dangerous mission of his own, and he will need Minou’s help if he is to get out of La Cité alive.

Toulouse: As the religious divide deepens in the Midi, and old friends become enemies, Minou and Piet both find themselves trapped in Toulouse, facing new dangers as sectarian tensions ignite across the city, the battle-lines are drawn in blood and the conspiracy darkens further.

Meanwhile, as a long-hidden document threatens to resurface, the mistress of Puivert is obsessed with uncovering its secret and strengthening her power.

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review: 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.