Book Review

This week I finished reading a book called Sepulchre by Kate Mosse (not the model) and I have previously read her first book Labyrinth. I read that she is going to release a third, and final, book in this series called Citadel in September. Yes they are a trilogy, but apart from the location of events and one of the characters - more important in the first book - the two do not seem to follow on from one another, which means you can read either one first.

For those who haven't heard of these books before, here is the briefest of overviews - I don't want to give the plot away; set in the south of France across different time periods, they are stories of mystery, investigation, love and most of all, magic. Not wand waving magic, but ancient magic that comes from the earth and elements. This is only half the story, the counterpart is of a modern day woman - different women in each book - who is on an investigation and is drawn to the series of past events in Carcassone, France.
At first glance the books are about 500 pages long each which takes time to read, but it is definitely worth the time.
The detailed descriptions that fill the pages to bring the places and events of the past to life are beyond fantastic; you can literally see the characters of Leonie, Anatole and Isolde (Sepulchre) sitting and playing cards or Audric Baillard (Labyrinth) spending the centuries waiting for Alais (Labyrinth) to turn up. Everything from the nineteenth century dresses to modern day hotels is portrayed in a way that you can believe the events really did happen.
A huge amount of research on each individual aspect of these novels has been undertaken, which is evident in the thorough knowledge and descriptions given. What I particularly love about the books is not just the combination of historical investigation (history nerd here), France and magic, is that the central underlying theme is love; whether it's between family, friends or a couple. Okay end of gushing. Basically, it is a great series of books, anyone who loves history or even just likes tales of mystery and adventure will also love them.
Happy reading!