The Shadow Sister (The Seven Sisters, 3)

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I will always remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard that my father had died . . .”

It was only later, when I’d learned the real history of the Russian royal family, that I understood what had happened to Anastasia Romanova and her siblings. It hadn’t been a fairy tale at all. When the reader first meets Mouse, he comes across as arrogant and detached. Were you completely sympathetic to him once you learnt of the reasons behind his behaviour? And then there is Pa Salt, the sisters’ enigmatic father, his character only seen through the eyes of his grieving daughters after he dies. Who was he? And why did he adopt his girls from all four corners of the earth..? Perhaps I’d ask Ma if she knew anything more, but I was aware that discretion was her middle name when it came to spreading gossip among us sisters.The Shadow Sister is the third book in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters novels, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed, and this didn’t disappoint. Star, is the quietest of the sisters, she has a very close relationship with her sister CeCe, and in this book we see her come into her own. I always love a book with a dual plot line of past and present, I find it keeps my interest, and make me read faster as I want to find out what happens next on each story line. In the past we are privy to the contrasting life of Flora, from the sublime nature of the Lake District, to the elegant drawing rooms and society of London, and in particular to the salon of Alice Keppel, mistress of King Edward VII. Lucinda Riley is brilliant in her writing and bringing both contrasting parts of England to life. In the present the story follows Star in her search for her heritage and how that I turn makes her blossom as an individual and begin to see her potential and live her own life. Star D'Aplièse is at a crossroads in her life after the sudden death of her beloved father - the elusive billionaire, named Pa Salt by his six daughters, all adopted by him from the four corners of the world. He has left each of them a clue to their true heritage, but Star - the most enigmatic of the sisters - is hesitant to step out of the safety of the close relationship she shares with her sister CeCe. In desperation, she decides to follow the first clue she has been left, which leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and the start of a whole new world . . . Absolutely impossible to put down! The Seven Sisters books just keep getting better and better' - Tracy Rees, author of Amy Snow I lay in the water and lowered my head so that my ears and hair were submerged. I listened to the gloopy sounds—Womb sounds, I thought—and decided that I had to get away before I went completely mad. None of this was CeCe’s fault and I certainly didn’t want to take it out on her. I loved her. She had been there for me every day of my life, but . . . Just because . . . I . . . would. That is, I want to sit in the garden I helped Pa Salt make and open my letter.”

Star D’Aplièse is at a crossroads in her life after the sudden death of her beloved father—the elusive billionaire, affectionately called Pa Salt by his six daughters, all adopted from across the four corners of the world. He has left each of them a clue to her true heritage, and Star nervously decides to follow hers, which leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and the start of a whole new world. Three stars, and all of them for Flora. Seriously, for Flora's part, it's so worth it. She's easily the most fleshed out character from all the three books so far, and I enjoyed her chapters immensely. If this was just Flora's story, the book would get a five star rating. The historical circumstances were interesting, I actually liked the character development even in her darker moments, and I loved her spirit, independence, loyalty and zest for life. She's a tomboyish character not too fond of all things traditionally feminine, nevertheless she is caring, good-hearted and selfless. Too many books think those two things are mutually exclusive. Ten out of ten. CeCe opened her arms wide to embrace the cavernous space, her voice echoing off the walls as she walked to the expanse of glass frontage and slid open one of the panels.I sensed a layer of frost descending, but I would not give in to her this time. “I’m going to bed. I have a really bad headache,” I said. To say I was in my element was an understatement. Every scene – for the book reads like the film it deserves to be – is just full of detail and evocative writing. It always adds to the story though and never feels like padding, despite the book’s length there is not a single word wasted, each builds the intrigue and the story piece by painstakingly fascinating piece. The fact that this story starts in an old bookstore and leads to the home of Beatrix Potter will delight literary fans everywhere. Very cleverly done. Magical in fact.

The kitchen is still to be fitted, but as soon as I’ve signed, you can have free rein to choose which cooker you’d like, which fridge, and so on. Now that you’re going to be a professional,” she said with a wink. She’d been on me ever since we’d been given the envelopes. She had torn hers open almost immediately afterward, expecting me to do the same. Though she brought up her four children mostly in Norfolk in England, in 2015 she fulfilled her dream of buying a remote farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, which she always felt was her spiritual home, and indeed this was where her last five books were written. It goes without saying that I loved everything about this novel: the characters--ALL of them!!, the setting, the story, the feeling it gave me--happiness doesn't even cut it. I can honestly say that this is my favorite novel I've read, so far, this year. Great Britain has such a rich history, and has one of the longest reigning monarchies in modern history. In the 1900s, the Empire shaped the world, and the royal family still defines the country for many.

This is a series well worth your time and attention if you are looking for something totally different from the norm, with a wealth of characters to get to know, and a plethora of places to discover as their stories are told, I cannot recommend it highly enough. In Greek mythology, Asterope is the sister we know the least about. She is outshone by the other stars in the Pleiades cluster, and, as Star discovers when she looks through Pa Salt’s telescope, Asterope is in fact made up of two weakly shining stars that sit closely together. This forms the basis of her character: a young woman always in the shadows, closed off from others, but with another side to her that is yet to be discovered. I love how the author skips between modern day and the past. It really feels like a journey through time, with such amazing descriptions that you can't help but feel that you are there. It's great how the origin of the sisters is never quite expected, and I always end up surprised. I literally got lost in this book, it took my imagination away to London through the ages, to the farm and fields of Beatrix Potters domain, and an old but loved house in the countryside of the now as well as the secrets from the past that it is keeping. The characters were endearing and unique, as was the story told around them. The author has such skill to be able to weave everything together so seamlessly that you almost feel that everything you have been witness to be the truth. I loved seeing Star gain some confidence and step away from the loving but ultimately stifling relationship that she and CeCe had fallen into. Guess what? I’ve found it!” CeCe burst into the sitting room. “And in a few weeks’ time we can move in. The developer’s still got some finishing off to do, but it’ll be incredible when it’s done. God, it’s hot in here. I can’t wait to leave this place.”

Fortunately we are given a little taste of CeCe’s state of mind and where her travels may take her (and the reader) in the next book The Pearl Sister, (due for release November 2017) at the end of Star’s story. I cannot wait to visit Thailand and Australia with her in the now, and then Australia of a hundred years ago to see where her origins derive and who the author manages to pull into the story from the history-books to keep things interesting. Star is one of many characters who was adopted as a child. What kind of complex emotions does she feel when she finally meets her mother? What are the underlying messages that Lucinda conveys regarding adoption – from the points of view of the adopted children, and the parents who adopt them? I could see how excited she was about her find, and admittedly, the apartment was impressive. I didn’t want to burst her bubble by telling her the truth: that living in what amounted to a vast, characterless glass box overlooking a murky river could not have been farther from Atlantis if it tried.If it was found out that one of two children in a family had a different father, one being the lover of the mother before marriage, how do you think this would affect the relationships throughout the family? Deaf characters, and mentions of sign language as a skill and valid communication form within a family. This book takes the reader to the Lake District in England during the early twentieth century, and introduces us to Beatrix Potter and Alice Keppel, one of the King's mistresses. Star reads the journals of Flora, a young woman from that time period, as she herself figures out where she fits in society and love. In collaboration with her son Harry Whittaker, she also devised and wrote a series of books for children called The Guardian Angels.