BOOK REVIEW TIME
"CITADEL" by Kate Mosse
June 29, 2016
1942.
Nazi-occupied France.
A group of women Resistance fighters are trying to help people escape the Nazis in France's Languedoc region. This story is interwoven with a tale of a monk during the Dark Ages (342AD,) seeking to protect and hide a mysterious, sacred scroll (called the Codex,) so it can be rediscovered in a time that would be more receptive to its message.
It takes about 700 pages for CITADEL's author, Kate Mosse, to tell us both stories and relate them to one another. Bringing together elements of history, ancient secrets, suspense, romance, death and a twist of the supernatural...a trademark of Mosse's in the previous two books of this trilogy... LABYRINTH and SEPULCHRE... I thoroughly enjoyed it all. Her use of parallel narratives set in two different time periods helped keep the action going.
We meet Sandrine, code name "Sophie" and her Resistance network, known by its code name "Citadel." Led by 18 year old Sandrine Vidal, her sister and their friends, this powerful band of women show courage and daring, never knowing who's watching them or who may betray them to the authorities. They're determined to outwit both the Germans and their evil French collaborators. As a reader, I could imagine what the ordinary citizens of these villages and towns must have felt as the Nazi occupation deepened. Packed with some terrifying action scenes as well as some gentle moments and day to day struggles, Kate Mosse captured a wide array of feelings making CITADEL an emotionally satisfying book to read. I highly recommend it, but be prepared for the 700 page undertaking!!!
Thanks for stopping by.
Big Hugs and Happy 4th of July to all my American readers...
abbyj
