The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1)
Author: Lucinda Riley
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Atria
Release Date: 2015
Pages: 463
Source: My State Public Library
Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings.

Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to complete his vision. Izabela—passionate and longing to see the world—convinces her father to allow her to accompany him and his family to Europe before she is married. There, at Paul Landowski’s studio and in the heady, vibrant cafes of Montparnasse, she meets ambitious young sculptor Laurent Brouilly, and knows at once that her life will never be the same again.

In this sweeping, epic tale of love and loss—the first in a unique, spellbinding series of seven novels—Lucinda Riley showcases her storytelling talent like never before. 

     My Review: After the death of her adoptive father, Maia decides to move to Brazil to discover her origins. When she arrives in Brazil, she learns the story of her ancestor, Izabela Bonifacio. Before Izabela marries a Rio aristocrat, she decides to go to Europe with her friend. In France, Izabela forms a romantic relationship with the sculptor, Laurent Brouilly. Eventually, she must choose between her love or her family. As Maia learns about the star-crossed romance between Izabela and Laurent, she learns more about herself. She realizes that she must let the past that haunts her go and open herself up to a new love.

   The Seven Sisters was a very engrossing read, and it was hard to put down! I wanted to know the stories of both Maia and Izabela. Each of these women were very strong, and I loved their tales equally. Even though they are from two different eras, they are very similar. Both Izabela and Maia have loved and lost. They both made hard sacrifices that they believe were for the best. They both tried to live with the hard decisions they made and tried to come to terms with it. Thus, the stories of these two women will leave you utterly breathless, and you can’t help but hope that they will find their happiness.

   Overall, this book is about love, loss, family, sacrifices, and choices. The message of this book is to forgive and love yourself. I thought the setting was very unique because this is the only historical fiction book I have read that takes place in Brazil. I also liked the historical details of the making of Christ the Redeemer statue. The characters are very likeable, realistic, and complex. I empathized with each character and understood the actions that they have made. The Seven Sisters is a magical novel that will linger with you long after you have read the last page! For fans of historical fiction and romance lovers who are looking for a star-crossed romance in a unique setting, I urge you to not hesitate picking up a copy of this book! You will definitely fall in love with it! After reading this, I can’t wait to read the sequel, The Storm Sisters, which focuses on Ally. The Seven Sisters series may my new favorite series. I learned that it has been optioned for a tv series! If so, it definitely has the potential to be a hit for it has such great potential! Thus, I highly recommend this novel, and if the sequels hold the same level of excellence, this series could be an instant classic!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is the official book trailer for The Seven Sisters: 


 
Here is Lucinda Riley talking about her novel, The Seven Sisters: