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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
☕ QOTD: Hᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴜꜱɪɴɢ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ꜱᴜʙꜱᴛɪᴛᴜᴛᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʙᴏᴏᴋᴍᴀʀᴋ? Iғ ʏᴇꜱ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ɪᴛ?
The Burning Chambers is a historical novel about the sixteenth-century Languedoc during the period of religious strife between the Catholic Church and Protestant Huguenots. I knew nothing of this period and it was awesome to discover it. The Burning Chambers is a spellbinding story.
A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy of this epic book. The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse is available at your favourite book store.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It took me a while to get into this. The first chapter (set in the 1800s) is fairly gripping, but then we jump back in time to the 1500s and things started to drag a bit. I was keen to see how it all tied up (although, as it is a series, it didn't really - thank goodness for the first chapter of book 2 at the end of the book!) so kept going.
I found the last third of the book better paced. By now the main characters had become familiar, the connections were developing, and events moved along at a better speed. If it hadn't been for this, then I'm not sure I would have bothered to give the second book of the series a chance, assuming it ever crossed my path in the future.
I found the last third of the book better paced. By now the main characters had become familiar, the connections were developing, and events moved along at a better speed. If it hadn't been for this, then I'm not sure I would have bothered to give the second book of the series a chance, assuming it ever crossed my path in the future.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Initially a synopsis for "The City of Tears" led me here, so before I can read that, I start here with “The Burning Chamber”: a lengthy 16th century French tale, written with a lot of character and atmosphere that walks you through the sooty laneways and markets of Carcassone and Toulouse. There is grit, crime, murder and a heightened sense of anxiety round religion, belief and faith – blasphemers beware! Mosse does the book justice in the descriptions and setting each scene with vividness and passion. I am not sure if I warmed to Minou, and certainly didn’t find a connection to Piet. What I did like was the strength that was forged into Minou as a young woman in a very treacherous time in France. Minou's father, Bernard, seemed to lack an bearings of a parent - keeping family secrets from Minou that could put everyone in danger, and shipping her off to Toulouse to keep safe, which at the time in France was the worst possible place to find safety for a Huguenot. I was unsure of the storyline around the stolen Shroud of Antioch and that of its connection to a hidden will and the French Bible until the end. Still I persisted with the "The Burning Chambers", knowing it will set the scene for sets the scene for the next book published a couple of months ago that is waiting in my tbr pile. There was clarity at the finish line. And I am hoping the next adventure provides me with more about Minou that I can connect with.
Classic Mosse; sweeping historical fiction that draws from the author’s vast knowledge of the area and time period the novel is set in. Her knowledge of the politics and conflicts rife in France at the time provide an excellent backdrop to a gripping story with properly fleshed out characters with relatable ambitions and motivations. I see there is a sequel to this, but this works as a standalone novel as well.