This powerful story of love, secrets and deceit is pacy, rich and stylish – and as compelling as they come. One to stay up late for - Isabel Ashdown, author of Lake Child 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 * The story begins with a few characters at different places and it seems as a lot of names are being introduced and it might be hard to follow. But that’s not the case. Most of the story is concentrated on Minou and Piet. And the other involved characters are skillfully woven into their story, beautifully coming together. Kate Mosse's "Languedoc Trilogy": Labyrinth, Sepulchre, and Citadel are three of my favorite historical fiction novels, so I was oh so thrilled when I heard she was writing a new series set again in the Languedoc province of France and even more excited to get my hands on a review copy of The Burning Chambers (let me just say that there's some serious cover love going on between me and this book! Gorgeous!). Mosse does what good popular historical novelists do best – make the past enticingly otherworldly, while also claiming it as our own - Independent

a b c d Dodd, Celia (7 June 2008). "Bestselling author, Kate Mosse, talks about her new book, Sepulchre, and her fascination with tarot cards". The Times . Retrieved 30 January 2017. (subscription required) Ambitious and skilfully constructed...Mosse has an instinctive feel for narrative momentum... The Burning Chambers is a tour de force, a compelling adventure that views the past with insight, compassion, and humor, and reminds us of the variety of women's voices so often forgotten in the official accounts." - Observer (UK) Impressively bold and ambitious, [ The Burning Chambers] features betrayals, broken friendship, family secrets, and the horrors of fanaticism. Fans will love it." - Daily Mail (UK)Kate Mosse has a wonderful grasp of European Renaissance history (particularly French) and with such clever unassuming detail, brings The City of Tears alive with a fictional narrative that is interlaced with fascinating real events. This is the second book in the Burning Chambers series and continues the epic adventure of Minuo Reydon-Joubert and Piet Reydon, with a lens on the Catholic and Huguenot conflicts in the sixteenth century. A period of complex religious and political wars which Kate Mosse manages to tread carefully, illustrating that there is honour and corruption on both sides. These brutal religious wars were just so terrible, and Mosse does an incredible job of bringing this dark history to life. The corruption threaded through society was rife, and each individual had to keep their wits about them at all times. You literally had no idea who you could trust. And yet, within this environment, neighbours would band together to protect their own against the forces that sought to crush them. Community was still rich and evident, albeit, a little more cautious though. Quercy, southwest France. A nine year old boy, named Volusien and known as Louis is taken by a powerful cardinal into his service. The boy is sharp witted. He never received any formal schooling, but he is smart at observing and listening. The author displays her usual flair for descriptive detail, whether it's a dusty Renaissance bookstore or a storm-drenched countryside. Mosse brings vividly to life the mounting strains in a community filled with fear and mutual mistrust." - Publishers Weekly

Louise Reydon-Joubert is de kleindochter van Minou Joubert en heeft zowel Hugenoten als katholieke achtergrond. Ze is de eigenaar van het schip d’Oude Maen en moet door verscheidene omstandigheden Nederland zo snel mogelijk verlaten, samen met haar gezel Gilles. A gorgeously written, utterly absorbing epic and, despite being set in the sixteenth century, has some very pertinent messages for our time about the evils of religious persecution and the transcendent power of love and family. In case it’s not clear enough yet, I absolutely LOVED it - Lucy Foley, author of The Hunting PartyThe second main character is Gilles, a young man who was ‘rescued’ by Louise and taken under her wing. They become close. He has quite a secret. We learn of his difficult upbringing, and about his going to work for his uncle at a young age. 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 I cannot say that I liked the style of Kate Moss writing so much. I don't know what it is, plot it styles that I can give only three stars. 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