La historia de las injusticias perpetradas en nombre de la religión contra sus antepasados es prueba segura de que Dios no existe. ¿Qué dios permitiría tantas muertes agónicas, tanto miedo y terror por su causa?" And then of course it was years of research and getting the real history sorted, but it started in that graveyard. I don't decide to write about something. There's something that taps me on the shoulder; it's like a whispering in the landscape. I admit, I did miss the mixture of past and present characters here, which has become so synonymous with Mosse’s storytelling, however, her ability to produce characters that are instantly relatable, down to earth and likeable still holds true. I particularly enjoyed the delicate way the seperate stories of Minou and Piet converged in a subtle way to a great climactic ending. However, I was less fond of this story than Mosse’s previous novels and I do think this mainly hinges on the romantic elements which sometimes descended too much into sloppy story telling and infatuation. Puntos fuertes: lectura ágil y amena gracias a un lenguaje sencillo, diálogos y capítulos breves, una trama bien construida y la confluencia de diferentes subtramas, la envolvente y cuidada ambientación histórica, la intriga en torno a la protagonista y su pasado, personajes bien construidos, la prosa narrativa de la autora y el final.

The mystery itself and the romance work quite well, but the strength of this book is Mosse’s extensive knowledge and evocative description of the beautiful region in which it is set and the intricacies of the religious problem. Within this she has created a wide cast of believable and fully drawn characters. Although the philosophical differences between Catholicism and Protestantism seem trivial to us today, it’s a timely read as we look to the deadly battles being fought in our own times between different shades of Islam. Mosse does not belabour this point, just as she doesn’t represent Catholics as bad or Protestants as good. Rather, she writes this: ‘Tolerance, dignity and freedom: Piet was ready to lay down his life to defend these principles. He was engaged in a battle for the very soul of France; a battle that would define how men could live and be free.’ Mosse shows a deft command of character and narrative in this second volume of a planned sequence - Sunday Times If you gave Mary Berry flour, butter, eggs and sugar, you could be absolutely sure she’d create the perfect Victoria sponge cake. In the same way, in The Burning Chambers, Kate Mosse expertly combines all the ingredients necessary for a deliciously satisfying historical fiction novel…with the Prologue providing the promise of further appetising slices still to come. The Burning Chambers is a tour de force, a compelling adventure that views the past with insight, compassion and humour, and reminds us of the variety of women's voices so often forgotten in the official accounts. * Observer *

As usual it’s Mosse’s apparent passion for this period of history that shines through here, with vivid descriptions of an extremely volatile time in French history. The story is highly atmospheric, which is only heightened by the wonderful detailed depictions of everyday life during a turbulent time. The underlying feeling of paranoia, mistrust and the threat of being called out as a blasphemer or nonbeliever is ever present and constantly played upon to great effect. Bringing sixteenth-century Languedoc vividly to life, Kate Mosse’s number one bestselling novel The Burning Chambers is a gripping story of love, betrayal, war, adventure, conspiracies and divided loyalties. stars, rounded up. The last quarter really saved the book, and I’m hoping all the meandering and emphasis on the societal aspects of the Huguenot/Catholic wars was setup for the future books in the series, which I will definitely be reading! Set in the 16th Century during the wars between the Catholics and Huguenots Mosse brings alive the story with the descriptive attention to detail giving a real sense of the period. At times I felt it quite hard going because of the religious aspect but I ploughed on to be rewarded with a entertaining story based around this of divided loyalties, conspiracies, love and betrayal.

These are big, timeless questions, all of which Mosse explores through the everyday lives of everyday people. Minou visits her father's bookshop; her aunt prays in the family chapel; her 13-year-old brother gets up to no good in the way only 13-year-old boys can. Piet holds whispered meetings with other Huguenots; a tailor is tortured to death for information; a woman lures a man of power into her bed. On their own, none of these events are remarkable, but as Mosse weaves them together, they become the fabric of a larger story that clips along at a steady pace toward a startling, violent finish. First-rate cloak and dagger excitement – who knew the religious wars between Catholics and Huguenots in sixteenth-century France could be so riveting to modern audiences? Kate Mosse captures the details of life in the Languedoc region of France, famed for its beauty, but hiding many secrets, in this masterful novel - Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of The Confessions of Young Nero Rich with historical detail, as you'd expect from Mosse, but it's Minou, the fiery heroine, who makes this a must-read -- Book of the Month * Good Housekeeping * Kate Mosse’s multimillion-selling 2005 novel Labyrinth reinvented her as a novelist, and reinvigorated the historical adventure genre by putting women’s stories firmly at its heart. After the two subsequent novels, Sepulchre and Citadel, that completed her Languedoc trilogy, and a brief diversion into gothic fiction, Mosse has returned to the geographical and historical terrain of Labyrinth and the epic form that suits her storytelling so well. Henry VIII still believed in transubstantiation & anyone else who did not was executed even though he was head of the church & split from the Pope he still did not follow consubstantiation .A very intriguing historical fiction read! This takes place in the mid-1500's during the time of the religious wars in France between the Catholics and the Huguenots. Mosse did a remarkable job in portraying the atmosphere and the climate of those times as well as imagining a fast-paced mystery that kept my interest - a family with a secret. I liked the strong female characters portrayed and enjoyed the romance between Minou and Piet. I don't know much about this period in France's history other than briefly touching on the period in high school history class, so I found the historical aspect really interesting. Mosse’s narrative lyricism, beautifully drawn female characters and deft journey from the past to the present day are a cut above - Scotland on Sunday on The Burning Chambers After a brief encounter of Minou and Piet in Carcassonne, their paths cross again in Toulouse. The tensions in the city of Toulouse, further take them to Puivert.