Such an amazing book about a little known part of history! Loved the characters and look forward to the rest of their saga.

This book may be a hefty read, but it is absolutely worth it! Gripping, engaging, propulsive, and full of adventure, this one kept me on the edge of my seat and flying through it! This is a great example of historical fiction, and now I'm off to read Book 2!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This was a really good historical fiction novel for those that love a good Ken Follett type epic novel. I do appreciate that this novel represented a part of French history that is not really looked at frequently, especially not to the extent that the religious wars in England were. At times this novel seemed to drag a little bit, however, it made sense later in the novel about the slow bits. Enjoyable and I am excited for the next novel!

This book is the first installment in an epic saga set in the 1500's. In France, there is a civil unrest brewing between the Catholics and the Huguenots. This story follows Minou Joubert and Piet Reydon from their first meeting to their flight from mortal danger in Toulouse. This is a CHUNKY book at over 500 pages. There were a LOT of details and story lines packed into this book. I had to take my time reading it to keep all of the characters and stories straight. The writing style was good and I actually do intend on picking up more of this series. I don't want to give away any of the plot, but I really enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book and am looking forward to see the future of Minou and Piet.

I would rate this one a 3.5 out of 5. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this. I loved following the lives of the Joubert family, Piet and Vidal. They were all incredibly interesting. As much as I loved them, my favorite part was all of the history I learned along the way. I knew very little of the 1500s and next to nothing about the French Wars of Religion. I was so happy that the history was easy to follow and learn. Kate Mosse is an incredible writer and I will definitely be picking up City of Tears.

The life of the Joubert family in the south of France, in the year 1562, is upended by the emergence of a long-held secret and the volatility in the country due to religious tensions between Catholics and Huguenots.

The plot of The Burning Chambers unfolds in a village in the south of France, the city of Toulouse, and a village near the Pyrenees, during three seasons in the year 1562, though towards the end of the novel there is a jump in time to what has happened to the Joubert family after ten years. Occasionally peppered with historical context, this first entry in a series revolving around France’s War of Religions from the Huguenots’ perspective is, however, rather vague on the historical figures. Heavy emphasis is placed on the quotidian, and fictional, ordinary characters that detract from fully grasping the volatility of the era, though the siege of Toulouse was perhaps one of the most vividly rendered passages in the book. I would have enjoyed more a dual narrative from the nobility perspective as well as from ordinary people, but this quibble did not prevent me from enjoying the novel.

The Joubert siblings Aimeric, Alis, and Minou are very engaging characters; Minou, the eldest, more than the others. Their father, Bernard, less so, though it’s possible that it is a literary recourse to illustrate how undergoing torture in “the burning chambers” changed his life irrevocably. The passages involving what transpired in ‘the chambers’ were very vivid as well, perhaps too much so. Overall, the characters were depicted very black and white, especially the villains, though in Vidal’s case, further reasons for his behavior become apparent as the series progresses.

Disclaimer: I received from the publisher a free e-book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse is the first in the series, and the second book The City of Tears just came out!

If you don’t know much about Carcassonne (where this book is partly set), it’s a walled city in the south of France, and one of my favorite places in the world!

In this story, we follow 19-year-old Minou Joubert as she is suddenly thrown into a religious war between the Huguenots and the Catholics, and amidst it all is trying to solve a family mystery she is starting to uncover. On top of all of that, she’s falling for Piet Reydon, a young Huguenot radical. So basically, this book has everything I could possibly ask for in a book, romance, history, mystery and Carcassonne!

It is rich with dates, facts, characters and locations so you’ll want to take your time reading it so you can really soak it all up. I loved watching Minou come into herself and start to challenge things she had always been told, to form her own opinions and beliefs. The supporting characters were wonderful as well, in particular, her Aunt (Madame Boussay) who really came out of her shell once she was separated from her nasty husband.

This book will truly transport you to another place and time, and I can’t recommend it enough! Now to start on book number two!

Kate Mosse’s The Burning Chambers offers a look into what 16th-century Carcassone & Toulouse, France might have been like as tensions rose between Huguenots & the Catholics who denounced (and persecuted) them & their faith.

Adventurous, bold, & seemingly well-researched, The Burning Chambers juggles a big cast of characters & draws connections between them that sometimes only come to light in its final pages.

Without revealing too much: Minou Joubert is Catholic, a 19 year old daughter of a bookseller in 1562. Gradually her eyes are opened as she sees how fellow Catholics persecute Huguenot neighbors. Along the way she learns new things about her own life...

This is only the first book in the series & Mosse lays the suspense for the second book with the cliffhanger prologue.

This book is recommended for those who love big, immersive historical fiction stories—family sagas—with lots of detail & a little romance.

4 ⭐️.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I waited an embarrassing amount of time to read this book and wow, I'm certainly kicking myself.

I was truly blown away by how in depth this plot was. If you're a fan of Outlander and the story telling, you'll adore The Burning Chambers. It takes place in a time of true political unrest and when I say political, I mean religion. They called it a wars on religion but it was clearly nothing more than power hungry people using fear mongering and "God" and "heresy" as a means to get their own ways. While i thought the romantic angle of the story was a bit lacking, the slow build up between the Protestants and the Catholics were what kept my eyes glued to the pages, flying through them.

Great story and I am excited to read the next in the series!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

My first Kate Mosse book was The Burning Chambers, which I loved, so I’ve been keen to try her others for quite a while
Her books are like a more complex, detailed and clever alternative to Dan Brown. They can be quite intimidating, coming in at almost 700 pages, but this one was so brilliantly paced it absolutely flew by!

The Burning Chambers is a deep dive into historical France, portraying the conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, sometimes in painful details.

Warning – the book starts off with a torture scene. However, the scene is brief and you are quickly swept into 1562 France. At the time, protestants were persecuted despite the crown’s decree that they be left alone. The history is tightly interwoven into the story of fictional characters Minou Joubert, Catholic though raised to be tolerant by her bookstore owner father and Piet Reydon, Protestant and a player in the resistance. The story does also incorporate some true historical characters to give the saga of Minou and Piet and authentic air.

When I started it, I was a bit put off by all the history. I suppose I was not in the mood for a lesson. But soon, I was caught up with Minou and Piet. Minou’s father has become withdrawn and rarely goes out. So Minou must become the family provider, running the bookshop. One day, on her way to the shop, she comes across Piet.

Piet is busy raising funds for the Protestants of Toulouse so they can build a church. When Minou and Piet meet, there is quiet attraction of strangers. Though they part with only a few words between them, fate will bring them together in Toulouse.

The book opens with historical notes about the religious wars. A list of principal characters is also included and is a nice reference.

The prologue takes place in 1862. I assumed the story would eventually get back to the characters in the prologue, but that did not happen. I believe the prologue storyline is meant to tie the books in the series together but the connection to the main story is not at all apparent.

The plot is just complex enough to keep the pages turning, but not so complex that the reader loses track of who is up to what. There are many players and many plotters. Piet and Minou are in the middle of it all. The ways all the characters are connected are revealed through many plot twists, much drama, happiness, tears, danger and adventures.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Now THIS is historical fiction. Mosse transports us to the 16th century. Can't wait for the second book!

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often to lovers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels!

Teenager Minou Joubert is sent to Toulouse with her brother for her own safety from 16th century Carcassonne, though she has allied herself with Piet Reydon, a Huguenot subversive. Minou learns a powerful secret that changes her destiny and endangers her beyond her expectations. She must then rescue her little sister from the evil mistress of Puivert. Mosse presents the religious factions at Languedoc in all their gory detail with gorgeous writing. Blended into history are power shifts, unorthodox alliances, and unique and distinctive characters. I was fortunate to receive this beautifully written historical fiction novel from Mantel through NetGalley.

I wanted to love this book, which I received as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm a HUGE historical/period fiction fan and looked forward to this based on Mosse's other book reviews and the promise of a deliciously well-researched mystery during a time period that fascinates me.

To be honest, I had some slight difficulty keeping track of all the characters, got a little bored with some of the "strategic" dialog and found myself falling asleep regularly. I still gave it three stars, regardless, because I was impressed with the depth of research behind it. I've still got the ARC, however, and ideally I'd like to finish it at some point because the story itself IS fascinating.

Mosse's historical fiction is usually on point, but this really fell flat to me. Long and drawn out, sometimes to the point of boring.

Whereas the Languedoc Trilogy described the persecution of the Cathars, Mosse returns to France and the Catholic persecution of the Huguenots . The stage is set in the streets and homes of Toulouse, Puivert, and Carcassonne, with the plot revolving around Piet, a Huguenot, and Minou, a Catholic. The politics, which dictates religion to this day, is well researched, and reads seamlessly without being didactic. After the thorough description of places and relationships, the pacing of the second half speeds along.

Historical fiction can be tricky; finding the right balance between the solid grounding of history and the ephemeral characters that populate the story is the difference between typing and writing. In Labyrinth and again in this book, Kate Mosse has shown that she knows how to combine scholarship with story. It's like learning to shoot pool; better master the basics before you try the trick shots. The Burning Chambers explores an explosive, horrific part of French history -- the conflict between Catholics and Huguenots in the Languedoc, the southwestern region of the country. Mosse tells this tale of prejudice and persecution through the lives of several key characters who drive the narrative with their own backstories. Amid the carnage, there's intrigue and a love story mirroring the Montagues and the Capulets. Mosse wrote a good deal of this book in situ and it shows. I happen to be familiar with the region and didn't catch a false note, geographic or otherwise. But the story's the thing; and the reader will be propelled through a rewarding reading of the conflicts that shaped modern-day France.