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 thoughts
Like other books by Kate Mosse this historical story is of epic proportions at well over 580 pages long and containing 75 chapters. It took me some time to read as I wasn't able to dedicate the time needed to read it in larger chunks, but that didn't detract away from my enjoyment of it.
I gave this a 4 stars or 8/10. It was a well written historical story surrounding the life of Minou Joubert. The story will appeal to fans of historical stories and is full of mystery, secrets, intrigue, with an element of romance and love thrown in for good measure.
At times it appears to be a little slow, but this is necessary to relate the whole story as it's very involved and the list of characters is huge.
This is the first in The Burning Chambers series and I have the second one reserved at my local Library. I look forward to seeing where Kate Mosse takes us on the ensuing journey.
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