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Review Summary:
This is a historical fiction set in late 17th century in the region of Cévennes in the South of France. It follows the two main characters introduced in book one - Amelia and Jehan - as they dream of an 'eden' away from the religious and cultural upheaval of France. Although they hold such a strong bond, Amelia is a committed follower of the Holy Spirit and thus chooses to remain in the Cévennes in the Hospitaller Infirmiera with her grandmother Menina. Her devotion to her faith, and thus her chastity, has created strain on her relationship with Jehan as they both battle the desire for an intimate romantic relationship. Jehan, feeling disheartened by this and the lack of choice or freedom in France's state religion, chooses to leave Amelia and travel to the Swiss Cantons as a refugee. The pair attempt to keep in contact by letter through a book-keeper who travels between their locations. Jehan holds on to a promise from Amelia that she will one day join him in eden, and at night they look to the stars with the knowledge that they are watching each other in the same sky.
Positives are that the writing style is lovely. The descriptive writing of the Cévennes region in particular is beautiful and it was an enjoyable experience for me to learn about an area of the world and its history that I didn't know previously. There are some glimpses of excellent romance writing, particularly scenes of sexual tension. Jehan in particular had excellent characterisation. The political and religious tensions of the regions we are taken to are captured very well.
Negatives are that I feel the story was lacking. There was also an imbalance in point of view with a lot of focus on Jehan but not so much on Amelia. As a result I did not feel very invested in Amelia as a character, and when her story did start to get more interesting in the last quarter of the book it was very rushed and skimmed in comparison to Jehan's. I generally did not feel particularly invested in Jehan and Amelia's relationship as I feel a lot of the development of their bond happened in book one, thus I struggled to conjure the angst and longing the writing was trying to rekindle. Some of the supporting characters were one-dimensional and I sometimes found myself confusing one for another. The main antagonists of the story did not feel very threatening as, again, I feel they were probably more of a presence in book one that book two.

2.5 stars. I do not feel this book works as a 'stand-alone sequel' as advertised. The plot simply wasn't interesting or eventful enough and when I got to the end the words 'is that it?' genuinely came out of my mouth. I was almost annoyed that I had committed to so many pages for so little to happen. The description of this book is essentially the entire plot, there isn't much to add to it. So much so that it has taken me weeks to finish this review as I felt I was really struggling on what to say. I definitely think the characterisation feels lacking if you haven't read the first book, which I haven't. In my opinion, the first half of this book could have been slotted at the end of book one and the latter half could have started off book three. The writing has many good qualities but I don't believe this installment was warranted.

FULL REVIEW BELOW. AVAILABLE WITH THE ADDITION OF HIDDEN SPOILERS ON GOODREADS

World-building:
The depiction of the natural world in Jehan's travels is stunning. I felt truly immersed in the beauty of it but also the perils as the refugees take dangerous routes to avoid discovery. When he and the refugees then reach the Swiss Cantons I really did feel the anxiety and hopelessness at their situation due to the new laws regarding their asylum. I also felt the developing tensions and self-preserving values of the Cantons and later cities whether it be the toll guards along the River Rhine stripping the refugees of as much money as they could, or desperate and vulnerable refugees in the Cantons being manipulated to sign suspicious contracts promising another 'eden'. Outside of this though I struggled to feel immersed in these cities when it came to the environment and the culture. I didn't feel I was envisioning what the day-to-day life was like in these areas for its citizens and thus found myself not really feeling as if Jehan was in an interesting new place. Amelia's life in the Cévennes was developed a little bit better, with the traditions of the Cévennes and the interaction with the natural world being more obvious as well as the developing fearmongering towards some of these traditions by newcomers. The fear of the looming threat of the Dragoons was also touched on.

Characterisation:
Jehan is an interesting, complex character. He is ambitious and in many ways blindly optimistic. His determination to find 'eden' is admirable and his ability to plan and scheme to overcome adversity and injustice is fascinating. He shows himself to be progressive, sensitive and intelligent in how he views and aids those around him no matter where in the world they are from or the lifestyles they choose to follow. He proves to be generous and considerate of others and his cause, aiding the less fortunate with money where needed or placing himself in a leadership role where he feels there is a threat to his or others' rights. But his 'weakness' is romance and intimacy. His frustration with Amelia is evident throughout and his need for closeness and connection creates internal turmoil for him. Amelia's character is in direct parallel; her determination is towards caring for Menina and staying true to the Holy Spirit, her generosity is caring for the infirmed and her leadership is taking young women under her wing to show them the ways of the Cévenole people. And her weakness is the same. Even with her dedication to chastity she too is plagued with desires and impulses towards Jehan and an intimate romance with him. However for most of the book I just did not find Amelia as interesting to read about. She felt too passive and didn't seem to have the same energy, excitement and humour as Jehan had. The only characters outside of the pair I recall are Menina, Grizelle and Jehan's uncle who lives in the Cantons. But if I'm being honest neither they or any of the supporting characters were interesting to me at all because they just felt like obvious plot devices rather than fully-fledged characters who were captivating in their own right. Some of the male characters in the Infirmiera blended into one for me.

Story:
The story is pretty much just Jehan's travels, Amelia's work at the Infimeria and their writing to each other. There is a misunderstanding trope which felt a little obvious and tired and Jehan faces a lot of problems which then seem to get solved fairly quickly. Amelia gets into a couple of sticky situations too which again, get solved easily. The story did start to pick up for me in the last quarter when it felt Amelia was finally getting a storyline... then the book ended. As I've said I felt all of this book could have been merged into another. If the third book became available to me I would probably read it to get closure on this part of the story, but I wouldn't go out of my way to seek it out.

Prose:
Beautiful. Very natural dialogue for the most part. The best aspect of the book for me.

In this fantastic sequel in the Huguenot series, readers continue the Cevenoles saga with Amelia Auvrey, a mystic, holy woman, and healer, and Jehan BonDurant, an apothecary born to a noble Huguenot family, as they cross the Cevennes mountains in Languedoc, France, in 1697 in search of a better life free from the terror and persecution of Louis XIV’s regime. Separated by the increasingly dangerous state of affairs in Languedoc, Amelia and Jehan’s separation forces them to trust the other and persevere in the face of very different struggles. Relying on a secret network to carry their letters, both Jehan and Amelia are presented with different choices and must decide what is best for them. A stand-alone sequel to the first book in the series, this novel is incredibly detailed and draws on real historical events and circumstances about the persecution of Huguenot Protestants in seventeenth-century France. Amelia and Jehan’s perspectives are complex and unique, presenting two different paths towards safety, and their characters are incredibly complex, with fascinating motivations and unique relationships adding to the tension and suspense of this novel. With an incredible historical setting and realistic, clever characters, fans of the first book in this series are sure to enjoy Amelia and Jehan’s journeys to safety in this installment.

Find Me in the Stars – a Cevenoles Sagas novel - Book Two of the Huguenot Trilogy

This novel, the second in a trilogy, is set in a time of religious conflict at once alien, and eerily resonant with, our own.

Book Two continues the journeys of protagonists, Amelia Auvrey, a mystic holy-woman healer, and Jehan BonDurant, an apothecary from a noble Huguenot family. The author vividly reconstructs this late 17th Century world, where freedom, zealotry, and bigotry jostled for pre eminence. Against this striking backdrop, we meet a cast of characters who strive, as people have always done, for love and peace, truth and freedom. Amelia and Jehan’s love is tested by principle and loyalty as much as it is by treachery and misunderstanding. These elements make for a strong story.

As a Kat Mosse fan, and a traveller to the beautiful Languedoc region, I was drawn to read this book. In joining the narrative at Book Two, I’m conscious that I may have done the trilogy a disservice to some extent; an understanding of the protagonists’ relationship here would seem to be key to fully engaging with them. The pacing felt a tad slow to me.

However, the prose is eloquent, the world building detailed and convincing, and the author’s deft portrayal of shifting religious boundaries and alignments sheds light on a fascinating period. Amelia and Jehan’s quest for the freedom to carve out their destinies free of external compulsion is a universal one, told here with purpose and conviction.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an independent review.


SHARON BARBA

I thought the writing itself was beautiful, and the style reminded me of Joanne Harris. But nothing about the story or the characters resonated with me, I didn't connect with it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Thanks to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for providing me with an e-ARC for me to review.

I did not read the first book in this series but I enjoyed the writing style and plot in this book.

This book was also set in a time period that I have not read in a lot of books so that was interesting.

FIND ME IN THE STARS by Jules Larimore is historic fiction about a place I have never been and time I have never lived. Intrigued by the bloody history of a people I was vaguely aware of in a country I love, I dropped into the story of Amelie and Jehan, amazed at the lengths to which they followed their convictions and passionate pursuit for life, freedom to worship, and thrive under incredible hardship and oppression. While the language was clunky at times, the strong love between fascinating people and the vivid events with terrible dilemmas they faced held me throughout shocking events and twists of fate. I learned history of a people in a thoroughly enjoyable way. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Thanks to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for providing an e-ARC!

Fine Me in the Stars picks straight up from the first book with the two main protagonists, Jehan and Amelia going their separate ways. Set during the reign of Louis XIV and his disdain for protestants, book two explores Jehan's spiritual journey as he joins a troupe of refugees to find Eden, their sanctuary. Meanwhile Amelia stays behind to aid her ill grandmother while being accused of witchcraft.

Things I loved about this book:
We get a new pov in the sequel with Amelia and I loved reading her sections. She is such a selfless woman of her time and it's refreshing to read about these type of female characters in historical fiction. The writing though so eloquent is very easy to understand, you breeze through this book. The way the two characters interact through letters traveling through a clever system was endearing to read and I love how they both yearn for each other.

What could be improved:
I do find that this could have been part of book one. The first half of the first book was dragged on a bit, it could have been condensed. There were several filler chapters that I started to skim through. There are magical elements in this book but it was not the forefront. It could have been completely omitted if it's not going to be a main theme.

This book was full of such immersive, atomospheric writing that I was immediately invested and intrigued with the historical world. There were moments in the story that were so powerful, exploring trauma, religious persecution, and relationships in a time when things were deeply uncertain. I felt the setting was authentic to the history while still keeping a rich, engaging fictional narrative at the focus. It was an easy book to finish reading through, and has me curious to read its companion, the first in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an eARC. These are my honest thoughts!

Although I didn’t read the first in the series, I found it really easy to pick up the story of Find me in the Stars and was swept into this beautiful story of romance, persecution and journeys.

Set during Louis XIV’s oppression of the Huguenots, this was a beautifully written, elegant story that wove the trauma of the persecution into a story told through two of the lives it impacted. Although a difficult and traumatic period for French protestants, Larimore crafts a hopeful and touching narrative from it.

Larimore is a fantastic storyteller; creating believable places such as treacherous mountain passes in the dead of night, scenes of rural France and 17th century London, which hook the reader from the start. Their writing is immersive and pulls the reader into an authentic historical setting and believable story.

The novel is engrossing and hard to put down; although it’s not a ‘light’ novel, it’s easy to get lost in the story (I finished it within three days).

Find Me in the Stars is a touching historical novel written with finesse.