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abiofpellinor's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Murder
ecstasia's review against another edition
3.0
a good book, i liked the plot and all, also there is no heavy romance, i appreciate this a lot. but what i respect the most is the dedication the authr put in the making of this book; the long research and the fine details and linking everything, i respect that a lot. she did a great work. maybe i also liked it more bc of the historical setting, i have a soft spot for europe in 19th century. also my knowldge of frnech helped a lot.
hewlettelaine's review against another edition
2.0
I was very disappointed by this novel. Having read Labyrinth, I was interested to see what Mosse decided to follow up with. Sepulchre follows on from Labyrinth in similar style, flipping back and forth through time between modern-day Meredith Martin attempting to research her family history in southern France and the late nineteenth century Leonie Vernier in the same place.
Meredith and her story are quite engaging. The mysteries of her family past and the hints at the connection back through time to the Verniers' promises an interesting story. This story is entirely ruined, however, with the parts of the book surrounding Leonie Vernier. Leonie is an utterly irritating character. Childish, peevish and utterly stupid for the vast majority of the novel, she quicky began to grate on me. As the heroine of the novel, I found myself unable to muster much sympathy with her. Her brother Anatole and their aunt Isolde are much more interesting characters but they are left mostly in the background, which adds to the frustration with the nineteenth century parts of the story.
The real let-down with this novel, however, are the supernatural elements. The mystery surrounding the Tarot cards and the titular Sepulchre seems almost tacked onto the edges of what is essentially a family drama. Mosse sets up the Tarot as an important element at the beginning of the story and it remains a framing device for events, but it is mostly in the background until the end. There is very little exploration of why the Tarot is magical or what the significance of the Sepulchre actually is. I could not help but feel that this would have been a better novel without the supernatural drama, which came off feeling hollow.
Lastly, the book is incredibly long and many chapters seem to lack any vital action or plot development. All in all, I found Sepulchre to be a lightly entertaining but ultimately disappointing read.
Meredith and her story are quite engaging. The mysteries of her family past and the hints at the connection back through time to the Verniers' promises an interesting story. This story is entirely ruined, however, with the parts of the book surrounding Leonie Vernier. Leonie is an utterly irritating character. Childish, peevish and utterly stupid for the vast majority of the novel, she quicky began to grate on me. As the heroine of the novel, I found myself unable to muster much sympathy with her. Her brother Anatole and their aunt Isolde are much more interesting characters but they are left mostly in the background, which adds to the frustration with the nineteenth century parts of the story.
The real let-down with this novel, however, are the supernatural elements. The mystery surrounding the Tarot cards and the titular Sepulchre seems almost tacked onto the edges of what is essentially a family drama. Mosse sets up the Tarot as an important element at the beginning of the story and it remains a framing device for events, but it is mostly in the background until the end. There is very little exploration of why the Tarot is magical or what the significance of the Sepulchre actually is. I could not help but feel that this would have been a better novel without the supernatural drama, which came off feeling hollow.
Lastly, the book is incredibly long and many chapters seem to lack any vital action or plot development. All in all, I found Sepulchre to be a lightly entertaining but ultimately disappointing read.
cglharmony's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Torture
jilliroo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a journey, I loved following both characters through each timeline and following the plot felt exciting throughout
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the theme of family histories and tracing back the stories. I also liked the way the tarot and music threaded through the stories.
drjoannehill's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable but not as good as Labyrinth for me. Moral of the story, not keep secrets from people who can help you deal with the problem. Most of the issues in the book came down to this.
It was good to return to some characters and places from Labyrinth.
It was good to return to some characters and places from Labyrinth.
alanaleigh's review against another edition
3.0
Have you ever heard/read of the word "juddered"? Not jetted, not jarred, not shuddered... "juddered." Used in the context of this novel (and it was used twice), it was something like "juddered to a halt." Now... I've never seen this word before, but it certainly made me judder to a halt. Though Dictionary.com suggests "judder" means "to vibrate violently," which means I'm not quite sure it means what Mosse wanted it to mean, but if anyone has more info on this, please pass it along. I am totally willing to have my vocabulary expanded.
But why do I mention this as the first point in my review of Sepulchre? Well, not because Mosse's writing is jarring or because it makes me slam on the brakes and quickly end something. It's more because both Mosse novels have let me go along for a while, but then ultimately caused me to tilt my head and ask if perhaps we couldn't have had one more pass with an editor, because a few things could use some review and tightening up.
Don't get me wrong, clearly I enjoy Mosse's novels. I sought this one out as soon as I found it in paperback and I know that I'll read whatever else she writes. The best part of a Moss novel is the beginning... as you meet the characters, ease into the story, and start absorbing the time period. Kate Mosse writes quite well as a historical fiction novelist. Note: I actually do mean a historical fiction novelist here, not a historical romance novelist, as so many female historical writers seem to be these days if there's any hint of romance in the book. And I also want to point out that she is, indeed, a novelist, in the sense that her plot line takes precedence. Mosse clearly does her research when she invests herself in a time period and she's in love with the south of France, which you can also tell from her descriptions of the country. Mosse crafts intricate plot lines, embellishes with beautiful historic detail, and conjures likable characters (though her modern characters are not always quite as fleshed out as the period characters, and they often feel too full of the echoes of the past to have enough personality of their own). But ultimately, it's this ability that makes me expect a little more from her when we keep moving through the novel. These books are suffused with suspense and tinged with the supernatural, but about two thirds through Sepulchre (and, for that matter, Labyrinth), I set the book down with a sigh because I was getting a little tired of the build-up to an ending which I'd already figured out. I won't give anything away, but trust me, you'll figure it out long before the book gets there.
If you have read Labyrinth, then Sepulchre's format will seem familiar with the dual plotline format. (Indeed, even a few characters will be familiar to you.) In the late nineteenth century, a brother and sister have traveled from Paris to visit their aunt in a small town outside of Carcassonne. This aunt has inherited her husband's estate upon his death, a house that has a great many dark and mysterious legends surrounding it. Here we have secret lovers, murder, feigned deaths, desperate attempts to flee evil villains, duels, and dabblings in the occult. In the twenty-first century, we have a young woman who is trying to finish a book on Debussy and, while she's at it, piece together some family history of her own. Here we have the beginnings of a romance, murder, a not-quite-evil-but-mostly-just-led-astray villain, and some more tame dabblings in the occult. Unsurprisingly, these times are tied together and the modern era's quest to discover what happened in the past will also attempt to right any wrongs leftover.
Ultimately, I would say that as long as you're not expecting too much of this novel and you enjoy period novels, then there's a high chance that you'll be pleased with this. Mosse clearly has the researcher's need for detail and that always makes me feel like we're starting on the right foot, but something still needs to come together with the gothic novel part, whether that's inserting a real twist or what. I still finished feeling like I wanted something more, and not just another Mosse novel, though I'll be looking for that, too.
But why do I mention this as the first point in my review of Sepulchre? Well, not because Mosse's writing is jarring or because it makes me slam on the brakes and quickly end something. It's more because both Mosse novels have let me go along for a while, but then ultimately caused me to tilt my head and ask if perhaps we couldn't have had one more pass with an editor, because a few things could use some review and tightening up.
Don't get me wrong, clearly I enjoy Mosse's novels. I sought this one out as soon as I found it in paperback and I know that I'll read whatever else she writes. The best part of a Moss novel is the beginning... as you meet the characters, ease into the story, and start absorbing the time period. Kate Mosse writes quite well as a historical fiction novelist. Note: I actually do mean a historical fiction novelist here, not a historical romance novelist, as so many female historical writers seem to be these days if there's any hint of romance in the book. And I also want to point out that she is, indeed, a novelist, in the sense that her plot line takes precedence. Mosse clearly does her research when she invests herself in a time period and she's in love with the south of France, which you can also tell from her descriptions of the country. Mosse crafts intricate plot lines, embellishes with beautiful historic detail, and conjures likable characters (though her modern characters are not always quite as fleshed out as the period characters, and they often feel too full of the echoes of the past to have enough personality of their own). But ultimately, it's this ability that makes me expect a little more from her when we keep moving through the novel. These books are suffused with suspense and tinged with the supernatural, but about two thirds through Sepulchre (and, for that matter, Labyrinth), I set the book down with a sigh because I was getting a little tired of the build-up to an ending which I'd already figured out. I won't give anything away, but trust me, you'll figure it out long before the book gets there.
If you have read Labyrinth, then Sepulchre's format will seem familiar with the dual plotline format. (Indeed, even a few characters will be familiar to you.) In the late nineteenth century, a brother and sister have traveled from Paris to visit their aunt in a small town outside of Carcassonne. This aunt has inherited her husband's estate upon his death, a house that has a great many dark and mysterious legends surrounding it. Here we have secret lovers, murder, feigned deaths, desperate attempts to flee evil villains, duels, and dabblings in the occult. In the twenty-first century, we have a young woman who is trying to finish a book on Debussy and, while she's at it, piece together some family history of her own. Here we have the beginnings of a romance, murder, a not-quite-evil-but-mostly-just-led-astray villain, and some more tame dabblings in the occult. Unsurprisingly, these times are tied together and the modern era's quest to discover what happened in the past will also attempt to right any wrongs leftover.
Ultimately, I would say that as long as you're not expecting too much of this novel and you enjoy period novels, then there's a high chance that you'll be pleased with this. Mosse clearly has the researcher's need for detail and that always makes me feel like we're starting on the right foot, but something still needs to come together with the gothic novel part, whether that's inserting a real twist or what. I still finished feeling like I wanted something more, and not just another Mosse novel, though I'll be looking for that, too.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
This book has 2 connected storylines, one set in the past and the other set in the present day. I think the main problem with this is that Mosse tries to give equal page space to both plots. I enjoyed the story set in the past and thought it had just enough mystery to be maybe logically explained but maybe supernatural. A bit predictable in places but still enjoyable.
In the present day, there seemed to be long passages which read like a guide book, either about the places or the history and in one place, far too much explanation about tarot. Whilst some readers might find this interesting, it doens't help the plot flow and I found a lot of Meredith's story a bit pointless and contrived. The present day ending spoiled it a little for me too. I'd have preferred Meredith just discovering her past rather than having an 'adventure'.
Needs pruning!
In the present day, there seemed to be long passages which read like a guide book, either about the places or the history and in one place, far too much explanation about tarot. Whilst some readers might find this interesting, it doens't help the plot flow and I found a lot of Meredith's story a bit pointless and contrived. The present day ending spoiled it a little for me too. I'd have preferred Meredith just discovering her past rather than having an 'adventure'.
Needs pruning!