The City Of Tears by Kate Mosse- Blog Tour and review

I am so pleased to be part of the @RandomTTours blog tour for the paperback release of The City of Tears by Kate Mosse, historical fiction set in 1572 Europe devasted by the Wars of Religion .I have to say I really loved this book.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Blog Tour

Series: The Burning Chambers ( Book 2)

Without knowing of the mistakes of the past how can we learn not to repeat them? History is our teacher

The City of Tears

Minou Joubert and her family are in Paris for a Royal Wedding, an alliance between the Catholic Crown and  the Huguenot King of Navarre intended to bring peace to France after a decade of religious wars. So too is  their oldest enemy, Vidal, still in pursuit of a relic that will change the course of history. But within days of the  marriage, thousands will lie dead in the streets and Minou’s beloved family will be scattered to the four winds  and one of her beloved children will have disappeared without trace . . . 

Review

I loved this follow up to The Burning Chambers ( review here)- Kate Mosse knows how to weave a complex story with lots of historical detail and hook you into it. You don’t need to read the first book to be able to enjoy this book as the author skilfully recaps the important events.

The book is set ten years after the events of The Burning Chamber in 1572. Minou and her family have settled into life in Puivert where Protestants and Catholics live in apparent harmony. Minou, Piet, and their two children head to Paris despite a sudden and tragic loss for what is perhaps the wedding of the century. But the wedding between Marguerite of Valois and the King of Navarre that should have united France leads to widespread riots and destruction and as a result unfortunately Minou’s family has torn apart.

Minou and Piet are no longer a youthful couple in the first book but their marriage and the love between them is realistically portrayed particularly the impact a missing child can have on parents dealing with the pain differently. I loved reading Minou and Piet continuing passion for each as a middle aged couple.

In this book there are several plots, the underlying mystery deals with Piet’s heritage and the danger this puts him in, Marta disappearance, Vidal’s ongoing obsession with collecting relics on the background religious and political turmoil. I have to admit when reading this book, the scenes of intolerance and the violence shown to people who are different and seeking refuge could have been taken from social media today.

There are some new characters but Cornelia, the Dutch woman who helps Minou is a great addition and my favourite.

The action spans the Netherlands and France and I found the differences between the two countries and how they dealt with religious difficulties fascinating.

Content warning

Violence, the disappearance of a child, attempted sexual assault, description of intolerance and prejudice and child abuse (off-page).

Perfect for fans

Historical fiction on an epic scale like the Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett.

Summary

Five stars- I loved this book and I can’t wait to follow Minou’s and Marta’s story.