Map of Bones, Kate Mosse (Review by Stacie Kitchen)
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
What a great historical read that was well-researched! Set in Cape of Good Hope, Suzanne Joubert and her fellow Huguenots are escaping religious persecution by traveling from the middle of war in France. Traveling with her grandmother, Suzanna is not only on a mission to leave the violence in her home country, but she is also searching for clues from her own family’s history. Sixty years prior, her cousin, Louise Reydon-Joubert, a female pirate and ship owner, landed in the Cape of Good Hope and then disappeared from all public records. With the help of Louise’s diaries that had been returned to France, Suzanne is following the path laid out by Louise.
I did not know going into this book that it was the fourth in the series. While I think that reading the other 3 book on the women in the Joubert family would add some background to the story, this book still reads as a great stand-alone novel. There was a good amount of suspense and historical details that really made this a well-rounded book. I have not read a novel set-in late 17th century Cape of Good Hope, so I found it fascinating to read about the lifestyle of the refugees and how their town was set up. This book also provided background on some of the native cultures in the Cape which was thrilling to read.
About ¾ of the way through the book, Suzanne’s story ends, and we are transported a little over 150 years later to Suzanne’s relative, Isabelle. While it was interesting to see the changes that had occurred in the Cape of Good Hope from Suzanne’s time, Isabelle’s journey felt unnecessary. I’ll be curious to see if Isabelle becomes the next lead in the 5th book of the series. I felt very connected to Suzanne and her search for Louise, so I am planning on going back to read Louise’s story in this series! Great unique historical fiction read for those that want to step into a less written about time/place in history!
