The Shadow Sister: Star's Story (The Seven Sisters, 3)

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. Lucinda Riley introduces us to a wonderful cast of characters, both factual and fictional, and all well developed. There are no surplus characters, all contribute to the plot and the life of both Star and Flora McNichol, and help to show their character and its development. Star and her sisters are like fairytale characters being brought up on the Island they refer to as Atlantis, and they have lived a life of privilege, but Lucinda Riley is clever in her writing by making the sisters all seem real and very likeable; they endear themselves to the reader. I also found Flora an interesting character; intelligent, strong, and ahead of her time. I admired that she had principles and stuck to them, even if that meant she had to make sacrifices to her own happiness. The wider cast of characters, bring a variety of emotions to the fore and really enhance the book; the eccentric bookshop owner Orlando, his troubled brother Mouse, the delightful Rory, as well as the factual characters of Alice Keppel, Edward VII and Beatrix Potter. A common theme in all these books is the importance of family, whether that be your biological family or the one your were brought up in, like the sisters who were brought up by their adopted father Pa Salt. I have to say I admire how Lucinda Riley keeps track of all the different story lines that crossover in these books, it really is a testament to her writing skills, as is her ability to grab your attention and keep it. I should warn you that this is a very immersive book, it literary makes time fly and is very hard to put down. There are plenty of twists and turns in both Star and Flora's story as the mystery of their connection comes to its conclusion to keep you guessing. The Shadow Sister is a captivating read, full of emotion and detail that will take your breath away. I really can't praise this, and the others in the series, they truly are my favourite series at the moment, a superb read. I have previously reviewed The Seven Sisters and The Storm Sister so please take a look in my archives, you can search on my blog. In October I am privileged to be reviewing The Pearl Sister the fourth in the series and I have an exclusive interview with Lucinda Riley so keep your eyes on my blog.

The third in the Seven Sisters series, The Shadow Sister follows the story of Star, the quietest of the D’Apielese family, as she tries to piece together the clues left to her by Pa Salt as to her true heritage. For Star this also sets her on a journey of personal discovery as she slowly begins to find her own voice and place in the world, stepping out of the shadow of her sister Ce Ce. Her journey starts in an antiquarian bookshop in London, owed by the wonderfully eccentric Orlando Forbes. It is not long before Star is introduced to the rest of Orlando’s family in Kent at their glorious family home of High Wield, a place which has connections to Star’s own past; and in particular she becomes intrigued by the story of Flora MacNichol. Flora’s own story takes us from the charming surroundings of the Lake District to high Edwardian society in London, with an array of colourful characters, some of whom are drawn from real life such as Alice Keppel and Beatrix Potter, amongst others. Flora herself is an intelligent and independent young woman, who finds herself torn between her love for her family and for the man she loves; leading to an intricate tangle of affairs and secrets that have far reaching consequences. This is a fantastic addition to the Seven Sisters series, and I think perhaps my favourite yet. Certainly Star is my favourite of the sisters so far, she is shy and unsure of herself, always under-estimating her own attributes; and it was lovely to watch her slowly flourish. I also really liked the slow-burning romance between Star and Mouse, who was another great character, damaged and tortured, but with a great capacity for love. I loved the setting of High Wield, and also Orlando’s bookshop, which is precisely the sort of place I could easily lose myself in. And being very familiar with the Lake District and the home of Beatrix Potter, the parts of the story that were set here came instantly to life for me. As always the ongoing mystery of Pa Salt continues to intrigue; though I did not pick up as many clues as to his own story in this book. Indeed I am most interested to know how Pa Salt ended up with the Panther figurine and how he could have known what he did of Flora’s story. Suffice to say that I cannot wait for the next installment in the saga.

Initially, after reading the first two books in this entrancing saga I found it a little slow going , but once the story of Star (Asterope) got into its stride and she began to explore her history and disentangle herself from her sister who spoke for her, it was utterly captivating. As captivating as the previous two books. Star - "she has words there, she just prefers not to use them ...... She will when she is ready..." Is a character who desperately needs to find out the person she is. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip back in time in British history and all the clues and red herrings and gentle surprises as the mystery of her parentage and how it is tied up with an eccentric British family slowly unfold. Really , what is not to enjoy. I am hooked and will read on until the series concludes. Well researched, wonderfully evocative of time and place. In the first two books I think I preferred the back story to the modern day stories inextricably linked, but here, it was the present day story that sparkled more as I liked the characters better. Either way, a lovely book.

The Shadow Sister: The Seven Sisters Book 3 is by Lucinda Riley. Riley continues her compelling story of six adopted sisters with the story of Star, the quiet sister. Her unique way of telling her stories keeps the reader interested in the stories. There are two stories told at the same time- Star’s present life and the past life of her ancestor. The path to finding out who her biological parents are involves a search of the past and the very interesting story of a past ancestor who flaunts tradition even then. What is different about this story is Star herself. She is always quiet and rarely speaks. To find herself in the middle of a boisterous group of people by herself, is something no one would expect from Star, even herself. Where will her quest lead her? Star had always lived in the shadow of her sister CeCe. CeCe would do the talking for both of them. She did her utmost to protect Star from everyone, even her own family. They were always together and even had their own sign language when they were little. When they grew up, they traveled together all over the world. Upon the death of their Father, CeCe decided to buy a condo in London and attend art school. She knew Star was tired of traveling and wanted to settle down, so she made it easy for her. What she didn’t take into consideration was what kind of home Star wanted and where. The condo fit CeCe’s style; but except for the kitchen, didn’t meet Star’s needs. The fact that CeCe had planned on them sleeping in the same bedroom still was a telling factor. Star needed her own space while CeCe still had nightmares and needed the assurance of Star’s presence. However, Star kept her own opinions and feelings to herself. Star had a clue to her own past that led her to Arthur Morston Books where she was to ask about Flora MacNichol. Finding the bookstore wasn’t a problem; but getting up the nerve to go in was a different story. When she finally did go in, the bookstore felt like home. It was packed with old and new books and smelled musty and bookish. It was dusty and no one was there, although there was a fire going. Finally, a man came down and just as she was getting ready to ask questions, her mobile rang. He apologized but no cell phones were allowed inside the store. Hurriedly, she left and went home. When she got home, she realized she had left her letter from her Father there and called back but there was no answer. The next day, she went back and found her papers. She managed to tell Orlando what she was looking for but when he heard the name Flora MacNichol, he became very evasive and went back upstairs but not before telling her of the connection between Flora and Beatrix Potter. She began looking at one of Potter’s books and he finally came back down. Finally, she was able to get his name and she ended up getting a job at the bookstore as well. She may not find any more about Flora; but at least she finally had a job. As she worked for Orlando, she began pulling away more and more from CeCe. When she went away for a weekend to visit Orlando’s sister and nephew, CeCe felt the distance becoming even farther apart and didn’t know what to do about it. Meanwhile, Star has a lovely visit at Orlando’s sister’s home and agrees to stay and help take care of Rory while Marguerite went on a business trip. She meets Orlando’s brother, Mouse, and begins to learn a little more about Flora. What is the connection between this family and Flora and Star? Riley keeps the reader glued to the book as she unravels the story of Flora MacNichol. She goes from the Lakes area of England to London to Biarritz with Royalty and back. Can Star unravel the story as the reader does?

Excellent. Very happy with this book. Love Lucinda Riley, especially the Seven Sisters.

I think this third one is my fav for now. I couldn't really explain why though. Maybe because litterature, books and even old and precious books, and also old bookshops, are in the middle of the story. Well, ready for the fourth one !!!

Extremely happy with the book...in very good condition and grt packing...

He leído varios de los libros de la saga de las 7 hermanas, y éste ha sido uno de los más apasionantes. Me encanta la narración de Riley, ese arte para mezclar historia y ficción y llevar al lector a sumergirse en la historia con pasión. El hecho de estar ambientado en Inglaterra y su conocimiento profundo de la zona hace de "The Shadow sister" un disfrute para los sentidos, un viaje en toda regla.