4 stars
Citadel by Kate Moss is a mainly a World War Two story about the French Resistance, but it also has a paranormal sub theme. Set in the south of France, the war story begins in 1942 and focuses on a resistance group led strongly by a group of women; they call themselves Citadel.
The second theme is about a lost Codex, which was believed to be buried in the foothills of the Pyrenees several hundred years ago. If found it may be a useful tool in the war as it is said to unleash a powerful army.
The story goes back and forth between the war years and the year 342 when a young Monk travels through France with the precious Codex. Before I read this book I was aware that the Languedoc region of France had strong connections with early Christianity and the Knights Templar, so when a friend gave me this book saying it was about the World War Two Resistance and set in the south of France, this ticked two boxes of interest for me. I had not previously read the first two books in the series and it didn’t seem necessary to have done so before starting this story. My favourite parts always involved the thrilling resistance episodes; the fear, tension and lengths that people went to, while fighting for what they believed in.
There were a lot of characters, but then there is also a lot of book! My copy had approximately 900 pages. I liked the war theme of this book, but I don’t think I would read the others in the series as the paranormal element of the Codex was less interesting.
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1942, Nazi-occupied France. Sandrine, a spirited and courageous nineteen-year-old, finds herself drawn into a Resistance group in Carcassonne – codenamed ‘Citadel’ – made up of ordinary women who are prepared to risk everything for what is right. And when she meets Raoul, they discover a shared passion for the cause, for their homeland, and for each other. But in a world where the enemy now lies in every shadow – where neighbour informs on neighbour; where friends disappear without warning and often without trace – love can demand the highest price of all.
Rosie Amber 
I do like the sound of this, Rosie. I read a book about the Knights Templar recently. It is an interesting history. 900 pages is very long though. I can’t manage that length during work busy periods.
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It is Robbie, and one that I enjoy returning to in my reading. But yes 900 pages, I can’t read too many of those at a time!
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This ticks a lot of boxes for me, Rosie, but 900 pages when my TBR pile is tottering is probably too much! I assume it was indie-published because most publishers would quail at the book that length.
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Noelle, Kate is a well known best selling international author, she’s a writer that a publisher would probably encourage to write long books.
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