I wanted to like this book as it sounded good but I couldn't get into it. I would have not reviewed but NetGalley insists on a review to keep your profile rating up even when you say you are declining to read it.

A religious war in 16th century France is the theme of this tome of a book which starts rather slowly. Eventually it gathers pace and the chaos, atmosphere and tension of that time were evocative. I like Minou, a strong character and one I enjoyed following through the story. I also enjoyed the wonderful descriptions of everyday life. A great and worth persevering with the slow start. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Minou lives with her father, Barnard Joubert, and her two younger siblings who look nothing like her. She is content helping her father at his bookshop until one day she received an ominous message, “She knows that you live” and a stranger comes looking for her father – a stranger whose body is later found drifting in the river.
A young Dutch Huguenot, Piet is wanted for the murder of Minou’s mystery visitor. Piet was once a student at a catholic seminary, training for priesthood together with Vidal, now an ambitious priest with his sights set high. They used to be friends but that friendship may no longer be what it used to be. What has come between them is a snippet of precious fabric: to Vidal, it is a relic symbolic of power and God’s grace; for Piet, it is a means to funding Huguenot cause.
And so the story begins to gather momentum. At first, the cogs turn slowly as the foundations of the story are laid and characters introduced to each other. But soon, it is a full throttle gallop, the threads of the story passed from one character to another, becoming shorter and more brisk, like gasps for air, until it all comes to a dramatic, spectacular finale.
The book is set in the 1562 Carsconne and from there moves to Toulouse when the brutal forces of the old religion under Duke de Guise on one hand and the Huguenot army on the other are pitted against each other in the streets, in people’s homes and on the barricades. The massacre that follows seems inescapable.
Mosse builds a world of conflicting emotions, tragic endings and beginnings wrought in fire, love, ambition, power and faith. Her characters are intricately constructed. I enjoyed the antagonists the most, especially Blanche and her gradual decline into madness.
Not to be missed. I received this book from Netgalley a while back but it got lost on my kindle to be discovered last month. I’m glad I found it!

This is the first novel in a new series set in sixteenth century Languedoc and follows nineteen year old Minou Joubert as she receives a mysterious note. Her path then crosses with Piet Reydon who may then change her destiny.
I loved the introduction to the characters and was gripped as the story unfolded. Can’t wait for book two.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second time for me reading this book . I don’t know exactly why but the first time I struggled through it . I decided to read it again in preparation for the sequel due out next year, wow what a change It was like reading a different book. It is an epic book that has many characters , which I must admit had to check back a few times to see who was who. It is a story of war based on religion and there is some romance also. Kate Mosse is an exceptional story teller . 4 🌟

I love historical fiction and really enjoyed this first of Kate Mosse's new series. (I come from Chichester which is where Kate lives and bases some of her stories so I feel like I have an affinity with her books.) I didn't love it as much as Labyrinth but it was a great adventure with a love story woven through and the characters were really well written (as you would expect!).

Absolutely love the other books by this author I have read,. For some reason this one didn't work as well. I'll look forward to the next one.

A bit mixed about this. was so looking forward to reading it that I had kept it for a time when I could give it full attention. However, I am a little bit disappointed. Found it overly long, too much details in parts. As usual the writing drew me in an the historical details set the scene but I did feel impatient in the middle, bit of a marathon. Not my favourite Kate Mosse but not my last.

I have read other books by this author and loved them. For some reason I could not get into this book and did not finish it. I will try it again another time as I do like this author very much.

It took a few false starts before I finally persevered to get over the 80-page-hump and completed the first instalment in this excellent new series. Once again set in the Languedoc region, this time we learn about the religious war between the Catholics and Huguenots in the 16th Century. Fascinating history interwoven with beautifully descriptive landscapes and well-written characters. I never fail to be astounded at the research and mastery of the art of story-telling displayed by Kate Mosse. Looking forward to The City of Tears to continue my education.

The Burning Chambers is yet another book that weaves a captivating, historical spell over it's readers.

The story is set in France during the 16th century and focuses on the religious division between the Catholics and huguenots (French Protestants) who followed the teachings of theologian John Calvin. Narrated from two viewpoints - a teenage girl called Minou Joubert (Catholic) and a young man, Piet Reydon (Hugeonot).

Minou cares for her widowed father and is carer for her younger brother and sister and also runs the family bookshop. Minou's father has a hidden past which includes being incarcerated and tortured in The Burning Chambers during which he reveals a long held, deep secret, revealed to the reader as Minou getting a later at the bookshop saying "She knows that you live.”

It's a superb, thrilling, stonker of a novel which held me in it's grip as I became part of the cobbled, tension filled streets of Toulouse and Carcassone.

The Burning Chambers just wasn't for me. I really wanted to love it but I ended up putting it down a few times and didn't pick it back up. The writing is really beautiful but I just couldn't get into the story.

This is a chunker of a book, I won't lie, I was intimidated! Especially with this being a historical fiction. Luckily, I did really enjoy it! This is my first book by Kate Mosse, and I really should go through her back catalog to grab some more of her titles. I did get a little confused with the plot lines at points, but by the end I had figured out my mistakes and I got to enjoy a satisfying ending.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to young readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

It took me a while but I finally finished this. The size of this was quite daunting but the scope of the story meant that a thick tome was needed. The plot was confusing part way through and I did get mixed up with the characters when I was not paying attention. I did like how it followed parallel storylines that became one part way through and Mosse managed to bring detail and excitement to the final third of the book. I'm quite excited for the second book in the series after reading the taster at the back as that seems just as good!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the chance to read and review this book.

I enjoy Kate Mosse's writing and this book was no different. A fantastic story set in a dark and turbulent historical time. The characters and setting we great and I really enjoyed the story.
Mystery, romance and danger all mix together to give an engrossing and well told story, just what we've come to expect from Mosse.

Grab this book for a long weekend because one chapter a night isn't going to be enough.

I really loved Kate Mosse's Labyrinth so I had very high hopes for this one. I was so pleased to be able to read this in advance, however I found it a tad disappointing. I got to around 35/40% and although the writing was great, nothing had really happened. Sure the characters had done a few things and were living their lives, but nothing had happened to grab my interest and keep me engaged. There wasn't anything to make me want to read ravenously to find out how it would be resolved. Fans of Kate Mosse will find everything they've come to know and love in regard to her writing, characters and wonderfully immersive depictions of the past, I've just come to enjoy a faster paced novel these days. Maybe I'll pick it up again in the future.
Please note that the 1 star rating does not reflect my views on the writing or the author, I just can't give more than 1 star for a book I didn't finish.

I kept seeing this book everywhere, so I thought I would give it a go.
Didn't really enjoy the story/ plot line. I had no problem with how the book was written, I just couldn't get into the story

Clearly Mosse is in love with the south of France and it does show in her writing- her books are very much a love letter to the region. This one is about the religious wars of the period and is a bit of a slow burner. Tbh not her best plot, it just didn’t grab me like the others. But still is well written and structured.

I can’t really criticise the book- the story just wasn’t my favourite. But she remains an excellent writer and creator of southern French past.

The story starts in winter, 1562, in the South of France. In a prison in Toulouse, a man is being tortured, while in Carcassonne a young woman awakes from a bad dream, a sad memory. ‘The Burning Chambers’ by Kate Mosse is heavy on atmosphere and historical detail and, like Mosse’s Languedoc trilogy, is slow to start. Despite my confusion, and I admit to being confused in parts for two-thirds of the book, I read on because Mosse is an expert storyteller who spins a tale and reels you in so you sit up late at night reading just one more chapter. Sometimes though, I wished she would cut some of the detail.
This is a story of religious war, of prejudice and violence, of loyalty and love, and principally a woman and a man who find themselves on opposite sides of the religious divide. Minou Joubert is a Catholic, the daughter of a bookseller who believes in selling books of all faiths for everyone to buy freely. When she receives an anonymous letter, sealed with a family insignia she does not recognize and comprising only five words ‘SHE KNOWS THAT YOU LIVE’, she is mystified. That same day, fate crosses her path as Huguenot convert Piet Reydon flees capture. And so starts this spiraling and twisting story of a fight for control of Toulouse between Catholics and Huguenots, the mysterious quest of Minou’s fragile father Bernard, Minou’s mysterious letter, a Bible, traitors who smile and friends who are taciturn. Letter forgotten, Minou and her young brother Aimeric are sent to Toulouse for their safety. There they stay with their mother’s aunt but find themselves in a bad-tempered house where Huguenots are hated and their uncle is a political agitator. Toulouse seems more dangerous than Carcassonne or is the danger following Minou?
Minou is a great heroine and I await the next installment of the series with curiosity. The Prologue and Epilogue hint that this is not a standalone book, set in 1862 in South Africa, a woman is seeking answers in a graveyard. Is this the beginning of book two?
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