Combining the rugged action of Labyrinth with the haunting mystery of Sepulchre, #1 bestselling author Kate Mosse’s eagerly awaited Citadel is a mesmerizing World War II story of daring and courage, in which a group of determined women fighting for the French Resistance risk their lives to save their homeland . . . and protect astonishing secrets buried in time.
France, 1942. In Carcassonne, a … Carcassonne, a colorful historic village nestled deep in the Pyrenees, a group of courageous women are engaged in a lethal battle. Like their ancestors who fought to protect their land from Northern invaders seven hundred years before, these members of the resistance—codenamed Citadel—fight to liberate their home from the Nazis.
But smuggling refugees over the mountains into neutral territory and sabotaging their German occupiers at every opportunity is only part of their mission. These women must also protect an ancient secret that, if discovered by their ruthless enemies, could change the course of history.
A superb blend of rugged action and haunting mystery, Citadel is a vivid and richly atmospheric story of love, faith, heroism, and danger—and a group of extraordinary women who dare the impossible to survive.
more
3.5 stars to [book:Citadel|6952554], the third book in the Languedoc trilogy, written by [author:Kate Mosse|9343] in 2011. I read the first two books in the series many years ago and loved them both. I hadn’t been aware of this one until three years ago when I found a copy at a discount sale. I quickly bought it but it sat on my shelf for over a year until I finally read it this month. I struggled at first to get into the story, but the intrigue got better as the book progressed. Unfortunately, it was probably 200 pages too long and had a couple of side-stories that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. For those reasons, I’d rate this as my least favorite in the series and given it had only a very small connection to the previous two, it isn’t a must-read.
At times, the language and imagery was quite beautiful. At times, it was repetitive and confusing. There were too many characters without fully fleshed out personalities or descriptions, so it seemed a bit tedious. That said, the battle scenes and the dialog were strong. I often found myself skimming a few too many times within the same hour-long reading period and not feeling the urgent need to pick up the book each night when bedtime arrived. I was glad I’d finished it, but I also felt it started to get much stronger around the 7o-80 percent mark and wished some of that beauty was present earlier on. Ultimately, I was puzzled over the entire point of the story as the ending felt very much ‘let’s just wrap this up’ which is sad.
While I seem to be focusing on the negative aspects of the book, there were many positive ones. Sandrine is a fantastically drawn beacon of strength in a time that was quite horrific for many people. What she suffered through and how she supported others was a tribute to the many women who led the pack to protect their families, friends, and even strangers in their towns during the Nazi invasion of France in the 1930s and 1940s. The book wisely left out the details of what happened in the Jewish camps (for the most part) and astutely focused on the impact on the families left behind when someone was taken from them. The worry. The questions. The unknown. So much to understand about this period in history.
Now that I’m done with this series, I’ll give some thought about what else of Mosse’s books I want to read.
I loved Labyrinthe and Sepulcre, but not so much this one. It felt long winded and tedious in places. I really struggled to get into it. But I will revisit this again one day.
Still reading this book but it is an exceptional, unforgettable read. The characters have become family, I really care for them. The Nazi story set in France is convincing and mesmerising.
Because it is part of a series in a supernatural, semi-historical novel, there were a number of segments that didn’t connect. But as I didn’t consider it a serious read, it was okay.
Beautifully written story of 2 sisters in the French Resistance during WWII. Wonderfully woven tale…you’ll get goose bumps when you read of what they went through.
Gripping story.
What a read! I recommend it to anyone interested in World War 2 and the resistance movement.
great
This is a book that was hard for me to put down. I really wanted to know what happened, and how it ended.