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bookfun4anna's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable read - a mix between Da Vinci Code and Pillars of the Earth. Not great writing, however.
ankysbookbubble's review against another edition
4.0
Short Blurb:
In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig, stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery-two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth. Eight hundred years earlier, on the eve of a brutal crusade that will rip apart southern France, a young woman named Alais is given a ring and a mysterious book for safekeeping by her father. The book, he says, contains the secret of the true Grail, and the ring, inscribed with a labyrinth, will identify a guardian of the Grail. Now, as crusading armies gather outside the city walls of Carcassonne, it will take a tremendous sacrifice to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe.
Cover Review:
The cover is something I'd love to include in my bookshelf. It looks really beautiful, not to mention artistic. It has a certain 'old book' charm to it.
Review:
I'm not sure whether I really liked this book or not. There were certain times when I really loved the novel, and others were I got so bored. Maybe that's why it took so long for me to finish reading it.
It was good enough that I didn't want to completely drop it. The writer managed to write in two different time frames quite smoothly, using different styles for both the time frames.
On the other hand, I found the descriptions too lenghty. Five to six pages describing the atmosphere of Carcassonne after the war? Uh-oh. I skimmed most of those pages, noting that there was nothing worth bothering about there.
The plot of the book was quite interesting, and the suspense held on till the end, but sometimes the story got too slow paced.
Labyrinth gets 3.5 Stars, and credit goes to the beautiful cover, and the suspense that managed to build up, despite the slow pace.
In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig, stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery-two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth. Eight hundred years earlier, on the eve of a brutal crusade that will rip apart southern France, a young woman named Alais is given a ring and a mysterious book for safekeeping by her father. The book, he says, contains the secret of the true Grail, and the ring, inscribed with a labyrinth, will identify a guardian of the Grail. Now, as crusading armies gather outside the city walls of Carcassonne, it will take a tremendous sacrifice to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe.
Cover Review:
The cover is something I'd love to include in my bookshelf. It looks really beautiful, not to mention artistic. It has a certain 'old book' charm to it.
Review:
I'm not sure whether I really liked this book or not. There were certain times when I really loved the novel, and others were I got so bored. Maybe that's why it took so long for me to finish reading it.
It was good enough that I didn't want to completely drop it. The writer managed to write in two different time frames quite smoothly, using different styles for both the time frames.
On the other hand, I found the descriptions too lenghty. Five to six pages describing the atmosphere of Carcassonne after the war? Uh-oh. I skimmed most of those pages, noting that there was nothing worth bothering about there.
The plot of the book was quite interesting, and the suspense held on till the end, but sometimes the story got too slow paced.
Labyrinth gets 3.5 Stars, and credit goes to the beautiful cover, and the suspense that managed to build up, despite the slow pace.
knittyreader's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not entirely sure when I read this book, only that it's about 8/9 years ago, and that I liked it more than I expected I would. Now I'm reading #2, Sepulchre, and when I looked for it here on Goodreads I realized it is in a trilogy, and hey, I know Labyrinth too. So yayyy.
deblyn's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. As far as Holy Grail books go, there really weren't many surprises. I liked the story that took place in the past better the the present day story.
lee25's review against another edition
5.0
I first read [b:Labyrinth|14975|Labyrinth (Languedoc, #1)|Kate Mosse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546515370l/14975._SY75_.jpg|1225097] many years ago and absolutely loved it. About a third of the way through re-reading it, I wasn't so sure. But then I became immersed in the story and loved it again.
The history of the Cathars is so incredibly sad, and Alyce and Sajhe bring it to life. [a:Kate Mosse|9343|Kate Mosse|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1358308999p2/9343.jpg] has the most amazing way of taking the reader to her settings. (And she kindly included a walking tour of the books setting at the back of the book making me desperately want to travel though the Languedoc and walk in the modern day Alice's (and Alyce's) footsteps).
The history of the Cathars is so incredibly sad, and Alyce and Sajhe bring it to life. [a:Kate Mosse|9343|Kate Mosse|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1358308999p2/9343.jpg] has the most amazing way of taking the reader to her settings. (And she kindly included a walking tour of the books setting at the back of the book making me desperately want to travel though the Languedoc and walk in the modern day Alice's (and Alyce's) footsteps).
maio's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
akmahoney92's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
angieb307's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
ilaurin's review against another edition
4.0
Slow start, took me a while to get into the story, especially the modern one. Also not my favorite genre. And a very long book but for the last 300 pages, I was very much hooked and wanted to know how it would all end: both the modern and the ancient part of the story.
irenetrexqueen's review against another edition
5.0
I love books like this that have a bit or the past and present in them. I history in this books made it amazing. I found that was the main reason why I loved this book. I suggest it to anyone that loves history and mysteries. The love stories, many as there were, in this were also refreshing. It was a mystery and not a love story who done it. There was no over powering need to pick a side. You saw the story from every angle and why each did as they thought they needed to. love this one for sure