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The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2)
Author: Lucinda Riley
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: 2016
Pages: 512
Source: My State Public Library
Synopsis: A sweeping and spellbinding love story spanning the warm waters of the Mediterranean to the cold, clear skies of Norway—the second in an epic new series of novels by #1 internationally bestselling author Lucinda Riley.

      Ally D’Aplièse is about to compete in one of the world’s most perilous yacht races when she hears the news of her adoptive father’s sudden, mysterious death. Rushing back to meet her five sisters at their family home, she discovers that her father—an elusive billionaire affectionately known to his daughters as Pa Salt—has left each of them a tantalizing clue to their true heritage.

      But the timing couldn’t be worse: Ally had only recently fallen into a new and deeply passionate love affair, but with her life now turned upside down, she decides to leave the open seas and follow the trail that her father left her, which leads her to the icy beauty of Norway…

      There, Ally begins to discover her roots and how her story is inextricably bound to that of a young unknown singer, Anna Landvik, who lived over a century before and sang in the first performance of Grieg’s iconic music set to Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt. As Ally learns more about Anna, she also begins to question who her father, Pa Salt, really was—and why is the seventh sister missing?

      Following the internationally bestselling novel The Seven Sisters, this novel, “full of drama and romance” (Daily Mail), continues Lucinda Riley’s spellbinding series inspired by the mythology surrounding the famous star constellation.

      My Review: Ally wants nothing more than to be a sailor and sail in the Olympics. When a tragedy strikes, she turns her back on the sea for good. At a loss of what to do with her future, Ally decides to go to Norway to learn about her family's heritage. When she is in Norway, she learns about her ancestor, Anna Landvik who dreams of becoming a singer. As she discovers her Anna’s story, Ally realizes that the past is also the key to her future.

      I found Anna to be a very lovable character, and I was enthralled with her tale. Anna must choose between her career and love. Anna is a very tough character, and I admired how she went through her tribulations. Anna’s story is very emotional and heart-wrenching. I couldn’t wait to get to her chapters because I wanted to know about what happens to Anna. I soared through the pages anticipating Anna’s ending.

      While I found Anna’s story more intriguing, I also love Ally’s story. Ally was a very relatable character. I went through her journey of finding love and losing it. Her journey, while sad, transformed her character. She became more mature and made hard decisions. She also learned how to recover from her tragedy and focused on rebuilding her life. Thus, Ally’s story was darker, but she learned to find her talents and strengths. I believe we could all learn from Ally’s story.

      Overall, this book is about love, loss, recovery, and self-discovery. The message of the book is that while there may be darkness in your life, there is also goodness. The Storm Sister also tells that sometimes our darkest moments may be our greatest strength. Therefore, this book gives us food for thought. While The Storm Sister is darker than The Seven Sisters, it leaves on a more heartening note. I love the message that it contains. I also love the setting of historical and present day Norway, and it gave me some insight into the making of the Peer Gynt opera. I not only recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, but also to music lovers and fans of The Queen of the Night, Emilie’s Voice, and The Musician’s Daughter. 

      So far, I love The Seven Sisters series. I can’t wait to to re-read The Shadow Sister, and I greatly anticipate the release of The Pearl Sister. The Seven Sisters series is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. I encourage everyone to read this series. While each novel can be read as a standalone, it is best to read them in order. The big picture of the series starts in the first book. The Seven Sisters series has been a very rewarding experience for me.

 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 Here is Lucinda Riley talking about The Storm Sister:

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