katy_bee's review against another edition
3.0
A bit slow to get started, with bitty chapters about multiple characters which I found hard to get invested in. There was a fair amount of references to two different mysteries which I found a bit irritating rather than intriguing at first.
Once it got going and the different strands started to come together, I was interested to find out what happened. The religious persecution/ freedom story was more interesting than the love story for me. The historical context was interesting and felt well researched and detailed. The villains felt quite one note and melodramatic, the female antagonist fell into some "hysterical evil harpy" tropes. Still, the family dynamic was solid and I found Salvadora's sub plot compelling. Everything wrapped up well, although perhaps a little more wholesomely than would have been realistic at the time.
There was a framing device in the prologue which was never picked up. I guess it might be resolved across the series as a whole but I don't feel invested enough to read and find out.
Once it got going and the different strands started to come together, I was interested to find out what happened. The religious persecution/ freedom story was more interesting than the love story for me. The historical context was interesting and felt well researched and detailed. The villains felt quite one note and melodramatic, the female antagonist fell into some "hysterical evil harpy" tropes. Still, the family dynamic was solid and I found Salvadora's sub plot compelling. Everything wrapped up well, although perhaps a little more wholesomely than would have been realistic at the time.
There was a framing device in the prologue which was never picked up. I guess it might be resolved across the series as a whole but I don't feel invested enough to read and find out.
jaded618's review against another edition
3.0
This book was not on my radar until I saw the 2nd book as a Goodreads Giveaway and it sounded fascinating. I entered and won, so I had to read the first!
This novel was very well written and was fun of historic detail as well as a strong array of characters.
I enjoyed Minou and reading about her adventure. There were times I struggled to pick it up, not because I was not enjoying it, but it was full of information and I needed my complete focused attention to know what was going on.
Overall I am looking forward to reading the 2nd book to see where Minou ends up now.
This novel was very well written and was fun of historic detail as well as a strong array of characters.
I enjoyed Minou and reading about her adventure. There were times I struggled to pick it up, not because I was not enjoying it, but it was full of information and I needed my complete focused attention to know what was going on.
Overall I am looking forward to reading the 2nd book to see where Minou ends up now.
emilydg's review against another edition
Sadly I just lost interest in the book - perhaps it was the length although I've read longer books... I think I wasn't invested in the story of Minou.
rhosynmd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
dianawhit's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
dorhastings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I came upon this book in a way I hadn't really expected. I recently read "Marple: Twelve New Mysteries" and really liked Mosse's story. This led me to checking out more of the work of some of the authors, including Mosse. I have a bad habit of not reading the book jacket before reading a book, so you can imagine my surprise reading the first few pages of this book. When will I learn?
Happily, I did quite enjoy reading this book. Historical fiction is something I do at times enjoy, though I find it to be on the heavier side, so that I can read larger chunks over the books over holidays and not get a smattering of chapters every day or so. But the chapters were short enough, and the story was easy enough to follow, that I didn't really mind. I found the book to be slightly more focused on characters instead of spending a lot of time on history, and that's favorable to me. I don't need a lot of elaboration on the setting, in general.
From the beginning of the book, you get the sense that there is something significant about Minou, the main character of this novel. She receives mysterious notes, her father is suffering from a strange affliction, and there are secrets he will not tell her. All of this happens in France, during a time when the Catholic Church in France is cracking down on Protestants, who have by law been allowed to exist. Eventually you learn, through Minou and others, why she is the center of everything to the people we follow throughout the book. It's a decent mystery.
You also have Piet, a Huguenot who was originally raised Catholic and was betrayed by the people representing the faith. It is these betrayals, and the lengths to which people are willing to kill each other for what they believe in, that leads him to follow Minou. Otherwise that part just doesn't make as much sense; why would he change his life for her?
I liked the varied cast of characters, even the ones we are not meant to like. They all have their own personalities (albeit damaged personalities) and motivations for why they're doing what they're doing. If there is one thing that I did not like, it's the little prologue that does not get returned to in the context of this book. Yes, sure, it's a trilogy, but if it's a prologue, I really feel it should be addressed in the same book. It's just dropped in there and never addressed.
Because I am who I am, I'd like to finish the series, which means finding a library in my new home. I'd be interested in reading more of this series and more of Mosse's work.
Happily, I did quite enjoy reading this book. Historical fiction is something I do at times enjoy, though I find it to be on the heavier side, so that I can read larger chunks over the books over holidays and not get a smattering of chapters every day or so. But the chapters were short enough, and the story was easy enough to follow, that I didn't really mind. I found the book to be slightly more focused on characters instead of spending a lot of time on history, and that's favorable to me. I don't need a lot of elaboration on the setting, in general.
From the beginning of the book, you get the sense that there is something significant about Minou, the main character of this novel. She receives mysterious notes, her father is suffering from a strange affliction, and there are secrets he will not tell her. All of this happens in France, during a time when the Catholic Church in France is cracking down on Protestants, who have by law been allowed to exist. Eventually you learn, through Minou and others, why she is the center of everything to the people we follow throughout the book. It's a decent mystery.
You also have Piet, a Huguenot who was originally raised Catholic and was betrayed by the people representing the faith. It is these betrayals, and the lengths to which people are willing to kill each other for what they believe in, that leads him to follow Minou. Otherwise that part just doesn't make as much sense; why would he change his life for her?
I liked the varied cast of characters, even the ones we are not meant to like. They all have their own personalities (albeit damaged personalities) and motivations for why they're doing what they're doing. If there is one thing that I did not like, it's the little prologue that does not get returned to in the context of this book. Yes, sure, it's a trilogy, but if it's a prologue, I really feel it should be addressed in the same book. It's just dropped in there and never addressed.
Because I am who I am, I'd like to finish the series, which means finding a library in my new home. I'd be interested in reading more of this series and more of Mosse's work.
ellenplum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
millie1985's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
asterix77's review against another edition
3.0
Kate Mosse weet in deze roman goed de complexiteit van het 16e eeuws Frankrijk (en de rest van Europa) te omschrijven. Dit doet ze voornamelijk door hier en daar met historische feitjes te strooien. Ze begint haar boek ook met een kort hoofdstukje gewijd aan de Hugenotenoorlogen. Samen met de proloog schept dit verwachtingen.
Het verhaal zelf is verre van complex. Het is zelfs redelijk simplistisch, de personages zijn eendimensionaal. Soms had ik het idee dat ik een jeugdavonturen roman aan het lezen was. Teveel toevalligheden die handig uitkomen voor het plot komen de geloofwaardigheid niet ten goede.
Toch is het een goed geschreven boek, het leest lekker weg en het tempo is goed. Er is ook niets aan te merken op de perspectiefwisselingen. Mosse laat alles netjes samenkomen, technisch gezien, ookal krijgen sommige toevalligheden het karakter van een Deus ex Machina.
Wat mij betreft is dit boek 2,5 ster waard. Het helpt als je dit boek leest terwijl je op vakantie bent in de Languedoc, dus een extra 0,5 ster.
Het onderwerp van haar volgende boek in deze serie spreekt me enorm aan, de gebeurtenissen in Parijs 1572. De Barthelomeusnacht. Maar ik denk dat ik hem laat schieten en in plaats daarvan een geschiedenisboek lees.
Het verhaal zelf is verre van complex. Het is zelfs redelijk simplistisch, de personages zijn eendimensionaal. Soms had ik het idee dat ik een jeugdavonturen roman aan het lezen was. Teveel toevalligheden die handig uitkomen voor het plot komen de geloofwaardigheid niet ten goede.
Toch is het een goed geschreven boek, het leest lekker weg en het tempo is goed. Er is ook niets aan te merken op de perspectiefwisselingen. Mosse laat alles netjes samenkomen, technisch gezien, ookal krijgen sommige toevalligheden het karakter van een Deus ex Machina.
Wat mij betreft is dit boek 2,5 ster waard. Het helpt als je dit boek leest terwijl je op vakantie bent in de Languedoc, dus een extra 0,5 ster.
Het onderwerp van haar volgende boek in deze serie spreekt me enorm aan, de gebeurtenissen in Parijs 1572. De Barthelomeusnacht. Maar ik denk dat ik hem laat schieten en in plaats daarvan een geschiedenisboek lees.
karenks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0