Carole's Monday: The woman of the wall

Author: Robin Rivers

Title: Woman On The Wall

Series: The Sibylline Chronicles #1

Genre: Historical Fiction & Mystery

Format: paperbook

Pages: 392

Published: September 6, 2022

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Summary: 

For 500 years, the once powerful Order of the Sibylline has kept the identity of its future prophetess hidden in the most famous painting in the world. Amid the chaos of post-World War II France, one woman discovers their ancient secret and its ability to transform a fragmented world.

PARIS 1945

A BRILLIANT, DEVOTED, AND DRIVEN PALEOGRAPHER …

After 480 days as a Nazi political prisoner, Dr. Marie Guerrant returns to Paris to repatriate the Mona Lisa and find her daughter. When a British Colonel arrives claiming he needs her French Resistance connections to find the lost painting, which she helped hide seven years earlier, distrust is high. Tipped off about her daughter's involvement and the Colonel's obsessive belief that the Mona Lisa contains the identity of a modern-day Sibyl prophetess, Marie must risk her life to save her daughter and the masterpiece from men consumed by controlling destiny.

AMBOISE, FRANCE 1519

A BRAVE, BOLD, AND POTENT PROPHETESS …

On the eve of rising as the Sibyl of Amboise, Aesmeh de la Rose must rely on her visions to find Leonardo da Vinci after he and the Mona Lisa disappear from his workshop at Clos Lucé. The precious painting and its creator cannot be lost or the ancient Sibylline Order faces extermination after more than 1000 years of rebuilding their powerful matriarchy. Torn between duty and love, Aesmeh must tap into an ancient alchemy in a race to keep the Order safe. But, an unspeakable betrayal forces her to make an unfathomable choice to secure the future of the Sibylline.

This rich alternate history binds two women beyond time, each fighting to restore sight to a world blinded by the power and control of men. The fate of the world rests on their courage to reclaim the ancient feminine powers of the Sibylline. Woman on the Wall is a sweeping fantastical tale of intrigue and hope for humanity that fuels imagination and curiosity.

Review:

Couldn't resist this one! What a cool concept and I adore the cover. 

For 500 years, the once powerful Order of the Sibylline has kept the identity of its future prophetess hidden in the most famous painting in the world. One woman will discover their ancient secret. This woman is named Marie Guerrant. It is 1945 and she has survived being a prisoner by the Nazis. She returns to Paris and will risk her life to save her daughter and the masterpiece from men consumed by controlling destiny. In 1519, another woman will be putting her life on the line. Aesmeh de la Rose must rely on her visions to find Leonardo da Vinci and the Mona Lisa after they disappear from his workshop. The fate of the world rests on them.  

Immediately hooked! I literally didn't want to put this down. Grrrrr dumb work and dumb sleep time. 

We have two timelines being told at the same time. One is Aesmeh in 1519 and the other is Marie in 1945. It was so refreshing! Normally authors go the route of modern (21st century) and some other time in the past. It was interesting seeing two completely different time periods here and how they are tied together. 

I felt so bad for Marie. She gets out of one hell and is tossed into a mystery larger than herself. All she wants to do is have a normal life and find her daughter. Poor thing has gone through so much. And then there is Aesmeh. Felt bad for her too. She is on the eve of rising as the Sibyl of Amboise. She finds herself torn in two. But I applaud them and want to be them when I grow up! So brave and smart. I don't think I would want visions like Aesmeh....that seems like too much.

I honestly had no idea what was going to happen and how everything was going to be resolved. 

The ending was good. There was a tiny bit of a cliffhanger though. You can tell there will be more and I am excited about another one. There is for sure more story to tell. The author has left me wanting more!

In the end, I was hooked from page 1! This was certainly an adventure and I hope there will be a book 2 soon. There is more story to tell! Art, mystery, action, and magic. This was a lot of fun and I can see this being a good book club book. 5 stars from me.