Review by Booklist Review
The second entry in Mosse's epic fictional chronicle of the conflict between the Huguenots and the Catholics in sixteenth-century France finds former Catholic Minou Joubert now married to Piet Reydon, the Huguenot man she fell in love with in the series' first tale, The Burning Chambers (2019). A decade later in 1572, Minou and Piet have two children, but danger still stalks them. A mysterious assassin nearly kills Minou's sister with a bullet Piet fears was meant for his wife. Despite concern that their archnemesis, Cardinal Vidal, might have resurfaced, Minou and Piet take their children to Paris to witness the royal marriage of the Catholic Marguerite of Valois to the Huguenot king Henri Naverre. There they find themselves beset from all sides: the villainous Vidal is in attendance; an ailing Dutch woman shows up on their doorstep seeking Piet; and their headstrong daughter Marta goes missing just as the Catholics launch their attack on the Huguenots, thus changing the course of the Reydon family's lives forever. Mosse presents another absorbing historical yarn that mixes intrigue, action, and family drama with aplomb.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Mosse's vibrant sequel to 2018's Burning Chambers, the year is 1572 and Minou Joubert (aka Marguerite Reydon-Joubert, Châtelaine of Puiver) is now married to Piet Reydon, a Huguenot soldier, and the mother of two children, Marta and Jean-Jacques. Minou and her family leave the peace and quiet of their estate and head for Paris to celebrate the royal wedding of Charles IX's sister to Henry III of Navarre. In Paris, they get caught up in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, the slaughter of Protestant Huguenots on the orders of the French king. In the chaos of those dark, dangerous days, seven-year-old Marta goes missing. As the years pass and Marta's fate remains unknown, Minou faces the uncertainties of life in the midst of religious conflict while dealing with the lethal machinations of her family's archenemy, ruthless Vidal du Plessis (aka Cardinal Valentin). She eventually flees France, taking refuge in Amsterdam, "her city of tears." The fascinating historical detail fuels the drama and keeps the plot zipping along. Wilbur Smith fans will want to check this one out. 75,000 announced first printing. Agent: Mark Lucas, LAW (U.K.). (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In late-1500s France, wars of religion dominate society, but currently there is an uneasy peace as the country gets ready for the nuptials between the king's sister and the King of Navarre. Minou and Piet Joubert have traveled from Puivert to Paris in anticipation of the event, but when disaster strikes and they are forced to flee for Amsterdam, their lives will never be the same. Meanwhile, their enemy, Vidal, secretly plans a religious coup that seeks to forever alter history. The second book in the author's "Burning Chambers" series continues the story of many of the characters from the first book (e.g., Minou, Piet, Vidal, Bernard). It is a solid sequel, ably advancing and aging the plot started in the initial title (The Burning Chambers). Though the narrative is set during a turbulent moment in European history, the believably drawn characters are the focus of the tale and will draw in readers. VERDICT Fans of Mosse will delight in the next saga in this series, while aficionados of historical fiction will enjoy this book that can be read as a stand-alone. [See Prepub Alert, 11/11/19.]--Laura Hiatt, Fort Collins, CO
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this follow-up to The Burning Chambers, (2019) Mosse's characters endure the horrors of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, in which the Huguenots--members of the French Protestant minority--were attacked by Catholics. Minou Reydon, the Huguenot protagonist of Chambers, and her husband, Piet, are now, in 1572, the nobility in residence at Château de Puivert in Languedoc after having wrested it from a usurper. Minou's entire extended family lives in the castle, including her brother, Aimeric, sister, Alis, and her Aunt Salvadora. Minou and Piet have two children, precocious 7-year-old Marta and toddler Jean-Jacques. The family's idyll is about to be interrupted, though. Piet's former friend Vidal, now a Catholic cardinal, is scheming to carry out grudges against both Minou and Piet, one long-standing and one very recent: Vidal has suspicions about Piet's lineage that he is determined to both confirm and conceal. The Reydons' troubles begin when they leave Puivert to attend a royal wedding in Paris. Marguerite, the Catholic daughter of Catherine de' Medici, is to marry Henri, the Huguenot king of Navarre, who will one day accede to the throne of France. Many hope that the match will signal a truce in the religious strife that has rocked France for decades. However, certain renegade Catholics, led by the Duke of Guise and abetted by Vidal, plan a limited strike on key Huguenots in town for the wedding. But the violence spreads until a mob has murdered thousands. Minou, Piet, their son, and Salvadora manage to escape but, through a profoundly unlucky turn of events, leave Marta behind. This act will test Minou and Piet's marital bond as, in exile from France, they establish a new life in Amsterdam. Mosse keeps a firm grip on the extremely complex Reformation history in which her characters are enmeshed. The role of Vidal in the plot is less successfully executed. The aging and ailing prelate appears too overtly crazy to fulfill his intended role as mastermind and nemesis. And there may be too many minutely described stabbings for some tastes. Thrills aplenty as readers await the next installment of this well-researched series. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
