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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I have been debating this in my head for some time now: whether I should rate a book that I cannot find it in myself to finish because I just can't read about characters who are so evil that the word "evil" does not actually suffice?
In the end, I decided that I should not.
I absolutely love Mosse and her writing, and will continue to read her books, but this particular topic in history hits too close to home for me, having lost family members to the Nazis.
In the end, I decided that I should not.
I absolutely love Mosse and her writing, and will continue to read her books, but this particular topic in history hits too close to home for me, having lost family members to the Nazis.
It took me a while to read this book, not because it wasn't a great book (it was), but because this is such an intense and emotional read. I knew how it was going to end right from the start, which meant no matter how drawn into the story I was, I dreaded reaching the end. Kate Mosse takes the reader and plops her right into the shoes of the resistance fighters in WWII France.
Sandrine Vidal doesn't start off trying to save people or defeat the Nazis. She's just a normal girl in a small village living life under the occupation. But it's not easy to stay uninvolved when accidentally saving a man's life brings her to the attention of the wrong people. Sandrine just wants to do what's right, but things aren't black and white in a country full of compromises just to survive.
It's hard not to start to love all of these lives as we watch the Citadel reseau sacrifice happiness, safety, health, even family and friends, for a cause they can't not fight for: the freedom of their country and loved ones. Beloved Audric Baillard plays his part as well. Citadel has not only the support of other resistants, but also all of those in the past who have died to protect the same ideals.
Throughout the course of this book, I cried and grieved, but I also laughed and rejoiced. Though it takes place during a frightening and difficult time, it's uplifting to read about those with the courage to stand up for what they believed was right and to still carry on with their lives despite everything that threatens to go wrong.
It's not an easy read, no, but it's beautiful, romantic, suspenseful, and more. Citadel asks for your faith above all else.
[I received this book for free through First Reads and was not required to write a positive or any other type of review. All opinions stated herein are solely my own.]
Sandrine Vidal doesn't start off trying to save people or defeat the Nazis. She's just a normal girl in a small village living life under the occupation. But it's not easy to stay uninvolved when accidentally saving a man's life brings her to the attention of the wrong people. Sandrine just wants to do what's right, but things aren't black and white in a country full of compromises just to survive.
It's hard not to start to love all of these lives as we watch the Citadel reseau sacrifice happiness, safety, health, even family and friends, for a cause they can't not fight for: the freedom of their country and loved ones. Beloved Audric Baillard plays his part as well. Citadel has not only the support of other resistants, but also all of those in the past who have died to protect the same ideals.
Throughout the course of this book, I cried and grieved, but I also laughed and rejoiced. Though it takes place during a frightening and difficult time, it's uplifting to read about those with the courage to stand up for what they believed was right and to still carry on with their lives despite everything that threatens to go wrong.
It's not an easy read, no, but it's beautiful, romantic, suspenseful, and more. Citadel asks for your faith above all else.
[I received this book for free through First Reads and was not required to write a positive or any other type of review. All opinions stated herein are solely my own.]
Probably my least favourite of the trilogy but still enjoyed it.
A gripping read. Mosse's writing is unparalleled when it comes to the feel and texture of the whole story, the seamless way in which she knits the (fictional) history together. Lovely.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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
Pluspunten: ideaal boek om id stemming te komen als je bijna vertrekt naar het Z van Frankrijk, interessante personages en een mooi uitgangspunt.
Minpunten: een beetje te veel personages en veel te lang uitgesponnen beschrijvingen en verhaal.
Conclusie: 3 à 3,5 sterren, meer niet.
Minpunten: een beetje te veel personages en veel te lang uitgesponnen beschrijvingen en verhaal.
Conclusie: 3 à 3,5 sterren, meer niet.
I'm not sure if it's because it'd been so long since I read the first two or if the thread that binds these together as a trilogy really is that thin. All are set in the same region of France and I think some of the supporting characters families overlap, and it's not until the ending
While I enjoyed having much of the story set during WWII because it lent a sense of urgency, I found much of the details laborious and they detracted from the immediacy of what was going on in the story. It took the author two or three dense paragraphs to say "After a light breakfast, character A left the house and ventured to Town B" because she'd stop to describe the table, the breakfast, the air, the door, the road, the sky, etc. Clearly the author loves creating a sense of space and imagery but after the first couple hundred pages I was no longer paying attention.
Spoiler
in which other characters like Alais and Leonie, etc show up as ghosts that it even dawned on me. This was abrupt and felt tacked on despite clearly being the event everything was leading up to.While I enjoyed having much of the story set during WWII because it lent a sense of urgency, I found much of the details laborious and they detracted from the immediacy of what was going on in the story. It took the author two or three dense paragraphs to say "After a light breakfast, character A left the house and ventured to Town B" because she'd stop to describe the table, the breakfast, the air, the door, the road, the sky, etc. Clearly the author loves creating a sense of space and imagery but after the first couple hundred pages I was no longer paying attention.
I feel like I waited a really long time for this conclusion to Kate Mosse's Languedoc trilogy, but I will admit it was worth the wait. I enjoyed each book in this series, despite knowing virtually nothing about the French countryside or its history. The stories were epic, suspenseful and historically sweeping, filled with ancient religion, richly imagined characters and a building mystery that kept me engaged right to the end. I will continue to eagerly anticipate new stories from Mosse.
This book was a true pleasure! I can't believe how I got through 800 pages within five days... The book contains the mystery and action we can find in the two earlier books, but "Citadel" has its own uniqueness. It has a taste of Deforges' "The Blue Bicycle", but also a storyline that can be compared with Lucinda Riley. The French scenery, I feel like I've been to Carcassonne. This is a book I will recommend to everyone full of wanderlust.