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    The Lost Sisterhood
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    The Lost Sisterhood
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    The Lost Sisterhood
    Ebook732 pages11 hours

    The Lost Sisterhood

    By Anne Fortier

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this ebook

    The eagerly awaited new book from the internationally bestselling author of JULIET.
    Young Oxford scholar Diana Morgan is obsessed with tales of ancient Amazonian warrior women. When a well-financed foundation makes an offer to fund a research expedition, she sees an opportunity to solve the mysteries that have haunted her for years. Along with her enigmatic guide, Nick Barran, she embarks on a thrilling quest to discover the truth behind the myths. But when Diana and Nick decipher an unusual inscription about Myrina, the first Amazon Queen, on the wall of a recently unearthed temple, their journey takes a daring and dangerous turn. Someone or something is shadowing their movements, and Nick may have a sinister agenda of his own. Sweeping from England to North Africa to Greece and the ruins of ancient troy, and navigating between present and past, the Lost Sisterhood is a breathtaking, passionate and grand adventure of two women on parallel journeys, separated by time, who must fight to keep the lives and legacy of the Amazons from being lost forever. Praise for the Lost Sisterhood: 'Compulsively readable, mystical and heroic, this is a novel that will capture your interest, your imagination, and your heart.' M. J. Rose, author of the Book of Lost Fragrances 'A spellbinding adventure, a tale of two courageous women separated by millennia but pursuing interwoven quests: one to protect and lead her sisters through a dangerous ancient world, the other to prove that the legendary tribe of women truly existed, and that their legacy endures.' Jennifer Chiaverini, author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and the Spymistress 'Grounded in a thorough knowledge of classical literature, this skillful interweaving of plausible archaeological speculation, ancient mythology, and exciting modern adventure will delight fans of such authors as Kate Mosse and Katherine Neville.' LIBRARY JOURNAL
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers Australia
    Release dateMar 1, 2014
    ISBN9781743096451
    Unavailable
    The Lost Sisterhood
    Author

    Anne Fortier

    Anne Fortier grew up in Europe, in Denmark mainly, and studied for her PhD there, including spending a year at Oxford, where she met her husband. After university she moved to the US, where she worked in film and television before writing Juliet, inspired by the very first Romeo and Juliet story, which was set in Siena.

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    Reviews for The Lost Sisterhood

    3.5/5

    108 ratings38 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I loved Anne Fortier's "Juliet" so was excited to find her latest offering. Personally, I don't think this was as good as her previous book, but it was still an exciting escapade across a number of countries including Algeria, Turkey, Tunisa, Greece, Finland and Germany. I really enjoyed the two parallel stories of modern day Diana and Myrina, queen of the ancient Amazons. Diana's narrative was fun and exciting. She reminded me of my eldest son, academically brilliant, but totally lacking common sense and so she often found herself in one sort of predicament or another. Myrina's story, on the other hand, was totally intriguing and I loved the links to Greek and Amazon mythology. At times the book became a bit bogged down with detail, but overall a fun, entertaining, romantic adventure.
    • 5/5
      Honestly, I originally was not interested in this book. I saw the word Amazons in the publishing reviews and descriptions and figured that it was either boring or hokey. I kept seeing it advertised, and as often is the case, the cover kept catching my eye. I finally decided to give it a try when I had the chance to get it through NetGalley. I am so glad that I did! My original thought was that it would be a dry trip through ancient history and the myth of the Amazons, but it is far from that. It is actually a very well thought out story that ties the past to the present in a very cool way. It is filled with all the elements of a good read ( i.e. mystery, romance, war, and a touch of fantasy). It is a long book and there are so many places where the author could have gone off track and lost me, but instead she kept drawing my in. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the story connects and flows. It is neither predictable nor outrageous. The author seems as well to have done her homework on the historic aspects of the story. What she ends up with is a real power house of a book that will have wide appeal to many readers. This is an ideal book to pick up and be able to lose yourself in. It will be one of my new favorite titles to pass along to my reading friends.I am thankful to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
    • 5/5
      "The Lost Sisterhood" entwines parallel stories, the first is of a young woman, Diana, eager to learn more about both the Amazons, and about the grandmother she loved who disappeared, and the second is the story of a young woman, Myrina, who was an Amazon in the time of the fall of Troy. These are the stories of the dangers, and discoveries they both encounter along the way."Although it was already summer, Earth was in no hurry to unveil her splendors before the approach of the Sun; not until he reached out with golden fingers, reminding her of the heat of his touch, did she shed the final layer and welcome him back with a burst of birdsong."This book was marvelous and magical, just dripping with mythology! The parallels are supremely executed separately and finely woven together, it is a beautifully crafted, captivating and alluring tale I couldn't put down! I am in love! It's sexy, suspenseful, romantic, adventurous and liberating! I found myself holding my breath, laughing aloud and squealing so many times throughout my reading of it! I could not believe just how full it is-it is all I could think and talk about the last 2 days, and I know it will linger long after I've set it down, because it leaves intoxicating air in its wake. This is a new favorite, and I look forward to reading more of her books. Anne Fortier is an incredible storyteller!
    • 4/5
      I received this book as an Early Reviewer. This is the story of Dr. Diana Morgan, an Oxford philologist who some would call obsessed with Amazons. Her grandmother claimed to be one, but her grandmother was crazy... right? She is approached by a man who wants to enlist her services in languages to translate some newly discovered writing that may have an Amazonian connection. And the adventure begins. Parallel to this story line, Myrina and her sister Lilli begin their own adventure in the late Brozne Age in Africa. This story is a whirlwind of adventure and a fun, exciting ride. There are a few twists and turns that aren't predictable, though it's not hard to see the end coming. It's worth immersing in the story, however, to get to know these strong, courageous, well-written characters.
    • 3/5
      This was a fun , but long story . The alternating storylines of modern and ancient characters was intriguing enough to get through the almost 600 pages . Enjoyed the twist in the last third of the modern storyline . Looking forward to more from this author .
    • 5/5
      Title - The Lost SisterhoodAuthor - Anne FortierSummary - (SPOILERS)"..Thank you, Dr. Morgan. I am gratified to discover that I am no longer the most antiquated scholar at Oxford. For your sake I hope the academy will one day come to need feminism again; the rest of us, I am relieved to say, have long since moved along and buried the old battle-ax..." Diana Morgan has an obsession. A belief ingrained in her by countless tales told to her by her grandmother. A faith that the Amazons of legend did exist and not only did they exist, but that she will find archaeological proof of such an existence. Unfortunately she is also very alone among her colleagues in such a belief and finds her career stalled often for it. Until one afternoon after a lecture she has given, she is propositioned by a strange man. Propositioned to fly across the world to decipher a text; in a language she has seen only once before. In a tattered old notebook written in by her grandmother. The very grandmother who has disappeared but left in Diana, the tales of the Amazons. Parallel to the tale of Diana is the tale of Myrina. A young girl who along with her younger sister finds herself outcast from her village. A disease has attacked the village and Myrina's mother, whose faith in herbs and potions finds herself the scapegoat in the villagers fears. Myrina takes her sister to the city of the Goddess to seek refuge and there joins with the Sisterhood of the Goddess. But such safety does not last as the Temple is sacked and the Sisterhood is taken into slavery or killed. The attackers, Greek pirates led by the son of King Agamemnon have taken Myrina's sister captive."..If there exists a land without men," replied Myrina, glancing at her sisters, "we above all should like to know where it is. As you can surely see, we have suffered much, and expect to suffer more, for this world of ships and journeys has not been kind to us." She bent her head as images of the temple raiders passed before her eyes. "Happiness has long since run its course in us. We are now to choose between danger and regret, neither of which can ever restore the lives we have lost...""..To the Greeks," Paris went on. "women are little more than livestock, and foreigners are considered more brutish still. This is why Agamemnon's pirates think nothing of attacking a foreign temple and laying hands on a priestess, and why I urge you to forget this quest of yours. If your friends are not already dead, they will be soon. Why add more bodies to the pyre?" Myrina was shocked by his words that her growing respect for Prince Paris almost lost its footing. "If I were a man," she said, straightening, "you would not have spoken to me thus. Because I am a woman, you assume my aim in life is comfort, and that my honor lies in my chastity alone. I can't blame you, for you are merely saying what you think I am hoping to hear. But you are wrong..." Myrina finds an ally in the young Prince of Troy, Paris, and together they set forth to free the captive Sisterhood. Thus setting the stage for the great War of Troy. Diana finds clues to the existence of Myrina, the last known queen of the Amazons and of the battle of Troy. But in doing so she finds something else. Did the Sisterhood truly die defending the city of Troy against the Greeks, or do they still live today?Review - Anne Fortier has done it again. Her first English novel, Juliet, told the story of Shakespeare's Juliet in historical terms and how it relates to a modern day Juliet. In The Lost Sisterhood, she brings the strength of and power of the legend of the Amazons to life but in terms that are realistic and true to their time. Myrina and her Sisterhood find themselves becoming warriors not by choice but by necessity. And it is their great loss that leads them to seek a sanctuary without men. Where they can provide for themselves and build a life without the limitations pressed upon them by the cultural expectations of their time. In telling Diana's story, Fortier shows with deftness and grace, that little has changed as Diana fights for the respect and equality that her male counterparts receive in the academic world. Do not get me wrong. This novel is not a flag waving, bra burning condemnation of the male species. Perhaps this is what Fortier has done so very well in this tale. She makes her point without alienating the male reader. More than that alone, it is a suspenseful and wonderfully researched novel of the fall of Troy and the legends of the Amazons that defended it. She does not mimic the story we have heard before but writes one of her own. There is little mention of Achilles and none of Paris' older brother Hector. Helen is here of course but not quite in the fashion we are use to. The Lost Sisterhood is an ode to strong independent women and insightful to the sacrifice and gain that comes with such independence. But best of all, it is a really good story.
    • 3/5
      The Lost Sisterhood is a novel with two parallel stories. The first is about Diana, a scholar who specializes in ancient languages and has had a lifelong obsession with The Amazons. Since early childhood Diana's mentally-ill Granny had immersed her in Amazon tales, and as an adult, the Amazons became the focus of Diana's studies. The chapters that run parallel to Diana's story take place thousands of years earlier, and follow the adventures of the Amazon women themselves.The main plot of the novel revolves around Diana's mysterious invitation to explore ancient artifacts, and takes the reader around Europe and North Africa at breakneck speed. The book is full of action, romance, and mythology. The writing in this book is nothing special, and the romantic scenes are often awkward and unnatural. The characters themselves are not particularly interesting, either. What does stand out in this book is the entertaining action. It kept me engaged, just like an action film in which many of the connections are not especially clear, but is entertaining for two hours nonetheless. The Lost Sisterhood is fun to read, but like an action movie, will be easily forgotten.
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful premise for a book, I loved the writing and the fun flights of fancy, I never knew the "real" story behind Achilles Heel!This book was a delightful page turner for me, I love the idea of the strong Amazon woman and the fact that maybe, just maybe they/we are all still out there empowering woman everywhere.The mythology, The Iliad, hunting treasure, the Amazons, the Trojan war, the fast pace, The wonderful storyline and the hint of a romance without to much sex was perfect, not to mention the gorgeous cover art all make for a most excellent 5 star read for me.Anne did a wonderful job with the characters who I cared about, were real but flawed with really interesting jobs that I believed in and that I actually learned from as I read the story. I 'm not usually thrilled with two separate stories in time however, this one was done well moving back and forth with the two main characters Diana in present day and Myrina in the past. The story starts out in present day Oxford, England with Dr. Diana Morgan, a philologist, giving a lecture desperately trying to make her claim for the existence of Amazons. She is warned to let the subject go unless she wants to see her academic career in ruins but, for Diana this subject has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember and a huge part of the relationship she had with her beloved grandma who mysteriously disappeared when Diana was young and claimed that she was an Amazon. Soon after giving her ill received lecture Diana meets a stranger who tells her of a fabulous Archaeological discovery that is proof of the existence of Amazons. The foundation he works for has made a wonderful discovery and she is needed right away in Amsterdam to help with the authentication process. Diana explains she is not an archaeologist, but a philologist who studies deciphering, reading and the study of language and then he shows her a picture of an inscription on what looks to be an ancient plaster wall and that she is needed to try and decipher it. We then are taken to North Africa, Late Bronze Age where we meet Myrina and her younger sister Lilli who were out hunting for food and upon arriving home to their village find everything too quiet, no dogs come to greet them, the houses are silent until an old crone comes at then screaming obscenities about the girls mother, long thought a witch. She tells the girls their mother has cursed and burned the village and they must go away forever! The girls wander until they at last find the harrowing and exciting future they were destined for.This is just the beginning of this wonderfully thrilling, mysterious and inventive story. The dictionary describes the Amazons as a mythical race of female warriors. After reading this book it does make one wonder. This was a most excellent 5 star read for me, I highly recommend it. After writing this review I decided to share it with my grandmother who has always had a vivid imagination and had told me many thrilling and unbelievable stories when I was a young girl. When she was done reading she became very quiet. She then told me she was very glad I had come across this book as it was about time I learned the truth of my ancestry and the legacy I was about to inherit because I, like my grandmother before me was also a descendant of the Amazon ....Gotcha! Well, one never does know, does one?
    • 4/5
      [The Lost Sisterhood] is an adventure story alternating between the present day and the late Bronze age. Fortier takes the [Iliad] and the brief mentions of women warriors in Homer and imagines the Amazons. She alternates the Amazons' story with the modern day story of Diana Morgan, a scholar with an interest in Amazon stories. When Diana is asked to go to an archeological dig that supposedly reveals that Amazons were real, she can't resist. And the adventure begins.Enjoyable, fast paced thriller with a twist; the women are the ones kicking butt and taking names.
    • 4/5
      I really liked the stories, though I do love archaeology and ancient civilizations, which are what it is based on. I was always curious about what would be turning up next and where in the world the action would be continuing to. There were a lot of flashback/memories that helped to solidify where the main character was basing some thoughts and actions and which helped to round out the story.I must say that I liked the main story main character, Diana, less than the minor story main character, Myrina. And I felt that the romantic feelings and scenes were distracting and unnecessary. I think I would have liked it more without that aspect.Regardless, I truly did enjoy this book and read it much more quickly than I expected for the almost-600 pages.
    • 4/5
      Mythological fiction that will bring to mind books of M.J. Rose and Kate Mosse. Diana is an Oxford scholar in search of her missing Grandmother and the firm belief that Amazon women did exist and not just in Wonder Woman comics. She is chased across continents, shot at, stole from and kidnapped just for those beliefs and the secret she is carrying around with her - her grandmother's diary and code. There are multiple good guys and bad guys and in the end she falls in love. This part of the story I felt I had read many times but the historical side, parallel story of the original Amazon women and their place in Greek history was fascinating. I can't believe that I am the only person out there who did not know their beginnings in Africa. I always associated them with South America and was engrossed in this part of the book. My only wish was that this part of the story had been longer and the modern day cloak and dagger stuff more of a minor part. Fans of the above authors in addition to Dan Brown and Steve Berry will enjoy the world wide chase. My thanks to Random House for giving me a copy through LibraryThing First Reviewers.
    • 3/5
      It was a fun story. Not one I'd say stays with you, but I enjoyed it. It was a bit long.
    • 4/5
      I have a soft spot for time slip novels and stories set in ancient Mediterranean societies during the Bronze age. Obviously, this novel fulfilled both of these preferences. As is usually the case with time slip novels, the story set in the past was more interesting than the story in the present time. I couldn't wait to go back to Myrina's story, which was nicely woven with the Trojan war. I kept reading to see how the author aligned the Trojan war with the Amazon story. Myrina's character was courageous and complex. However, the present-day Diana Morgan's story kept my interest because of her eccentric grandmother's mysterious past and her search for present day Amazons. The Lost Sisterhood was an enjoyable read and a treat for lovers of ancient history and archaeology. I loved the archaeological settings: the Knossos palace complex in Crete, ancient temples buried under sand in North Africa, and of course, nerdy conversations about ancient languages.
    • 5/5
      "We are the killers of beasts and men. Wild ourselves, we inhabit the wild places. Freedom courses in our blood, and death whispers at the tip of our arrows. We fear nothing; fear runs from us. Try to stop us, and you will feel our rage."This was an absolutely magical book that manages to transport readers to the Mediterranean region during the late Bronze Age. This book alternates between the past and the present and between two main characters, Diana Morgan and Myrina. Diana is a lecturer at Oxford who has somewhat become obsessed with Amazons ever since she was young when her grandmother came to live with her family and she claimed that she was an Amazon. Her grandmother eventually disappeared and ever since then Diana had wanted to learn as much as she could about the mysterious women warriors.I don't want to really go into that much about Myrina because I don't want to really spoil much of the book. Myrina is a girl from Northern Africa and she and her sister Lilli find themselves struggling to survive after their mother's death. Myrina and Lilli experience a lot of hardships but they still manage to stay strong with the help of some other women. A lot of Myrina's parts touch on some events in Troy that happened in Homer's Iliad. It is quite a bit different than the Iliad though. I loved reading Myrina's story and felt as though I was transported back to Troy.I love how dedicated Diana became in her search during this book for proof that the Amazons existed. You could tell that her passion really came from her memories of her childhood with her grandmother. During her search Diana finds it hard to know who she can trust. Not everyone is really who they seem they are. I fell in love with James right away and hated Nick when he was first introduced into the story. I don't want to give anything away but I was really happy with what happened in regards to their relationships with Diana.I really liked the action in this book, both in the present day and the past, but I do have to say that the events in Finland just seemed a bit awkward to me. The book up until then was amazing and then this final confrontation comes around and I just wasn't 100% satisfied with it. I did really enjoy what happened after Finland though.I would definitely recommend this book to someone who enjoys historical fiction and who is looking for a fresh take on not only Amazons but also on events in Troy during the late Bronze Age.(I received this book from a Librarything Early Reviewer's giveaway. The content of my review is not affected by that in any way.)
    • 5/5
      This book alternates between Diana Morgan and Myrina. Diana Morgan's story takes place in modern times. An Amazon scholar, she is recruited by an unknown agency to decipher a language found in an ancient temple. Myrina's story takes place in the past. Myrina and her sister travel from Africa to the Mediterranean to Greece. I absolutely loved this book. Both stories were fascinating and the author connected them superbly. The characters were realistic and dynamic. I will definitely pick up the author's other book and hope that she writes more. Overall, highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      It seems like I've been waiting a long time for another novel by Anne Fortier and she didn't disappoint me in The Lost Sisterhood. Oxford professor Diana Morgan seems scholarly enough, even with a possible career bump with her emphasis in the Amazons. An out of the blue visit from a mysterious man and the promise of something new for her to discover in the world of philology takes Diana to Algeria and a place that may have been the roots of the Amazons detailed in Greek mythology. Using a similar plot tool as in Juliet, Fortier also tells us the story of Myrina and her sisters as they make their way through the Greek world in a time when myths began.
    • 3/5
      Fortier, Anne. The Lost Sisterhood. 19 CDs. unabridged. 25 hrs. Books on Tape. 2014. ISBN 97800385359955.Following on the heels of her first novel, Juliet, Anne Fortier once again proves that she is the new Dan Brown for women. Her smart, educated fearless female leads prove that adventures and historical intrigue aren't just for men. In The Lost Sisterhood, Oxford lecturer and Amazon scholar, Diana Morgan, receives an offer she can't refuse. A mysterious "foundation" requests her services as a philologist to try and decipher a new language found on a recently unearthed temple's walls, a language believed to be of Amazonian origin. Desperate to prove to her colleagues that Amazons are more than mere legend, Diana travels halfway around the world only to find herself caught in the cross hairs of people that will do anything to stop her from picking up the Amazon trail and finding the fabled Amazon treasure. The fast paced story also alternates from Diana to Myrina, first Queen of the Amazons. While separated by thousands of years their stories are shockingly similar as they fight to secure the legacy of the Amazons and stay alive. Narrated beautifully by the talented voice actress, Cassandra Campbell, who breathes life into each of the characters by creating unique voices and patterns. Listeners will have a heard time turning the audio off. For fans of historical mysteries, thrillers, and Dan Brown novels. - Erin Cataldi, Johnson County Public Library, Franklin, IN
    • 4/5
      This book is over 500 pages but due to its great plot keeps you turning pages throughout. A present day academic at Oxford goes in search of the ancient Amazon women warrier culture. She has a personal interest believing her own grandmother was an Amazon. The other side of the story is the story of Myrena and her sister-Amazons who lived in the time of the Greeks and Trojans. The two story plots are weaved well together.
    • 5/5
      4.75 StarsA truly beautiful story full of adventure, history, mystery, and romance. The book includes two alternating storylines, one set in ancient times and the other during present day, that are linked in many ways. Good characters and enticing subplots. If you liked Juliet, then you will love this novel as well. The fall of Troy, Amazons, and treasure hunters incorporated throughout. Recommended for adventure seekers, history lovers, and romance fans alike.This story would be a make a terrific movie!Net Galley Feedback
    • 2/5
      **Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

      I was extremely disappointed by this book.
      The female protagonist is supposed to be highly educated yet she falls in love with a verbally abusive man who treats her with contempt.
      There are so many studies showing that highly educated females have extremely high self esteem & therefore typically don't end up falling in love with abusive men.

      This book should be filed under: books written by female authors who betray their female characters' independence & strength every time some studly guy shows up.
    • 4/5
      This was quite an adventurous tale of an Oxford scholar named Diana who is convinced that Amazons really did exist. Her colleagues give her little credibility over her beliefs.One day, she receives a visit from a strange man who tells her he has proof of an Amazon society. Risking her reputation, Diana travels halfway around the world.The other part of the story focuses on Myrina, an Amazon princess who is also on a quest to save her sisters and find a place to finally call home.The book is especially interesting because it goes back and forth between these two women.Lots of adventure, travel, suspense, chases, and dodging a group of people who want nothing more than to capture you.Wished there were more descriptions of the locations that Diana traveled to, but overall a very good read!
    • 2/5
      Well, it is a bit of a saga. Personally I found the Mediterranean history and ties to mythology interesting. Every once in a while I had flashes back to when I enjoyed "Mists of Avalon" or "Clan of the Cave Bear." Later in the novel it occasionally invoked shades of "The DaVinci Code." However, all three of those books were much better. The writing in this book was "schmaltzy" and the character development shallow. I don't read romance fiction and I guess I was surprised when that is what this book unfortunately submerged into.
    • 4/5
      Diana Morgan is a professor at Oxford, and she is obsessed with the Amazons. Her grandmother claimed to be one, and she told Diana magical stories about them. When a mysterious man approaches her for her help translating writings on a wall of a recently unearthed ancient temple, she can't resist and travels to North Africa. There the adventure begins. Along with Diana's story, there is also the story of Myrina and her sister, Lilli, who lived during the late Bronze Age. A fun, magical, fast paced novel that I enjoyed!
    • 4/5
      Diana is a professor at Oxford, and she has a very personal (and well known) passion for the legend of the Amazons. She is hired to fly out to an excavation of a purported ancient Amazon site, to try and translate an ancient language that was unearthed. She winds up being teamed up with Nick, and adventure ensues!This story really reminded me a little of a YA or romance novel. It could be a little silly and ridiculous at times, and it read like a romance novel much of the time. And sometimes it was just plain fun.At times some scenes had an overly-dramatic feel, and occasionally the writing could get a little hokey, but most of it was engaging and pulled me along with the story.My final word: Overall this was a pretty fun story, full of adventure, if a little ridiculous at times. It was unusual and original, and well worth my time. And I absolutely love that cover!
    • 4/5
      I'm pretty sure that, prior to reading this book, I'd never really read anything concerning the Amazons. And honestly, I'm not sure that I gave much thought to them, as to whether they were really real or just figures of Greek mythology. However, having spent the last few weeks with this novel, I'm pretty sure I at least have a better understanding of what an Amazon really is (or was), and I may think twice before dismissing the term.As is not necessarily uncommon with novels these days, this one has two somewhat parallel storylines: one of present-day Diana Morgan, who is a philologist at Oxford College and somewhat obsessed with the study of Amazons, and that of a young woman named Myrina, an actual Amazon leader who lived in the Bronze Age several thousands of years ago. The chapters mostly alternate between the two, paralleling nicely and creating an enjoyable story. Additionally, the reader gets a few not-so-distant flashbacks of Diana's grandmother, who seems to bridge a somewhat unclear Amazon connection herself. The story continues with Diana traveling and searching for additional clues, lost treasures, etc., while simultaneously developing a love/hate relationship with a gentleman named Nick, who is also searching for similar treasures, but whose true motives are unclear. This was an enjoyable novel of historic fiction, and the interwoven bits of Greek mythology piqued my interest as well. At times the plotline was a bit farfetched and perhaps a little over the top. And honestly, it took me quite a long time to finish this book. It's long -- I think maybe longer than it needed to be. It was beginning to drag a little bit around the mid-point, but shortly after that it picked up and I found myself picking up my reading pace as I became more engrossed in the storyline. I've not yet read Fortier's "Juliet", although I do have it waiting in my TBR stack, and I may have to bump it up a little higher after finishing this one.
    • 5/5
      Diana Morgan, lower-rung Oxford lecturer, has a not-so-secret passion: the legendary Amazons of ancient times, a tribe that some scholars doubt even existed. When an opportunity arises to go on the trail of the REAL Amazons, she can't resist, and as a philologist (someone who studies the language of written historical sources), she's got an advantage; an "Amazon dictionary" with translations of the Amazon language composed by her grandmother. Who may or may not have been schizophrenic and delusional.

      I received an advanced reading copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

      Told in parallel, the story follows Diana and her journey through Algeria, Crete, Mycenae, Troy, Germany, and Finland, and also follows Myrina, founder of the Amazons, through HER journeys. Despite being semi-familial with many of the legends, this novel takes unexpected but logical twists on many of them, the battle of and fall of Troy being particularly intriguing. All throughout, there is also the issue of who ancient artifacts should/do belong to, from private collectors to respected museums, to their lands of origin.

      While I've noted that there are non-white lead characters; Myrina and her original group of Moon Goddess priestesses in North Africa having a deadly encounter with "pale-skinned" barbarians who attack from black-hulled ships, this novel is really not about skin color or ethnicity. It's more about how in the ancient AND modern world these things can be incidental when there is a greater purpose. We never know what skin color Diana has, and the man she's attracted to, Nick, has an Arab father and Brazilian mother - or does he? Nothing and nobody are entirely what you expect, and I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole time.

      It did have a somewhat slow start, but once it got moving, it MOVED. Despite being a long book (600 pages), the tension and pacing stayed the same, until the last climactic scenes. Which tied up all the loose ends AND both storylines in a very satisfying way.
    • 5/5
      Since her grandmother's stories about Amazon women and her final disappearance, Diana Morgan has been fascinated with this mythology. When she is called away from her Oxford lectureship to translate a recently uncovered archaeological inscription, she finds herself in grave danger as she pursues both the ancient story of the Amazons, the Trojan War, and modern day amazonian women. While this was a lengthy tome, I loved the blending of both time frames with plenty of action in both to carry the story forward.
    • 5/5
      An indepth lesson in Greek Mythology mixed with a thriller, murder, mystery, ancient history, adventure and a love story... what more could you ask for!
    • 4/5
      A delightful and engaging read about the historical Amazons and a present day researcher, with relatable and appealing characters. Diana is a young Oxford academic who, due to an odd grandmother, is rather obsessed with the Amazons - overly so, her colleagues tell her. After giving a somewhat disastrously received special lecture, she's rethinking her research focus. But when a secretive man from a mysterious foundation approaches her and offers a lot of money for her to travel to a historic site to examine a discovery, she can't resist. Soon she's traveling to North Africa and Greece with the rather appealingly handsome man, in pursuit of historical and modern day mysteries and skulduggery. The main character viewpoints alternate in time between Diana and Myrina, a young woman in ancient North Africa who is trying to rescue her kidnapped Amazon sisters and ends up embroiled in the Trojan War.
    • 4/5
      The Lost Sister is a story that recounts a hunt for the lost Amazon tribe that we learned about from mythology. I really didn’t think I would enjoy this book, but I found it very entertaining. The characters were well developed and the relationships that are created draw the reader in. I found that I constantly wanted to keep reading until I finished the book. There is suspense, adventure, history and just enough romance to appeal to a diverse audience.