Title:The Storm Sister
Author:Lucinda Riley
Series:The Seven Sisters, #2
Narrator:Noreen Leighton, Rachel Lincoln
Published:November 2015, Whole Story Audiobooks / March 2016, Atria Books
Length:21 hours 28 minutes/ARC e-copy 512 pages
Source:Personal copy via Audible / Netgalley via HFVBT
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.Ally has also recently embarked on a
deeply passionate love affair that will change her destiny forever. But
with her life now turned upside down, Ally 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 there over 100 years 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?
My thoughts:Lucinda Riley is one of my favorite authors and I am absolutely loving this new series of hers. I have to say that this second installment of The Seven Sisters might go down as my favorite because of the personal connections but overall, this series is definitely going to be an all-time favorite of mine.
Very cleverly, this book starts just like the first book, with the death of Pa Salt. But this time, we are getting Ally’s reaction and Ally’s story. I love this and can see how these books are almost written in a parallel time-frame to a certain extent.
I felt very drawn to Ally’s story. While I am not a sailor myself, my husband is and his family is from Norway, Bergen to be exact. I haven’t been to Norway yet, but I felt transported there with Lucinda’s magical storytelling. She has such a way with words and I loved the flashbacks that we get as we learn about Anna’s story. While I wanted more of Ally’s story, I also wanted more of Anna’s story – both were so good. Both Ally and Anna are incredibly strong and resilient women and I loved reading both their stories. I love seeing characters find out who they are, and learn and grow from it…this happens for Ally as she finds out about her heritage.
As was the case with the first book, the other sisters do make appearances in this book, and the next book is set up quite nicely…we will be getting Star’s story! But along the way, there are some questions that are raised that I have a feeling might not get answered until the very end of the series…plus we are left with a little bit of a cliffhanger…oh, I cannot wait until the next book comes out!!!
Audio thoughts:I’ve decided to listen to this series and what a great decision it’s been so far! The narration of this book was excellent. Both Noreen Leighton and Rachel Lincoln did great jobs with the voices and pacing of this book. Both are new narrators to me and I will definitely be checking out what else they have narrated.
Books in this series:
- The Seven Sisters
- The Storm Sister
- The Shadow Sister – due out 11/16 (in the UK, not sure when in US)
About the Author: Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and wrote her first book aged 24.
Her novel Hothouse Flower (also called The Orchid House) was
selected for the UK’s Richard and Judy Bookclub in 2011 and went on to
sell 2 million copies worldwide. She is a multiple New York Times
bestselling author and has topped the bestseller charts in four European
countries.
In response to demand from her readers, she has recently re-written
two books from her early writing career when published under her maiden
name Lucinda Edmonds – the books are now being published as The Italian
Girl and The Angel Tree.
The Seven Sisters is the first of a unique seven book series based
allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation.
Lucinda’s books are translated into 28 languages and published in 38
countries. She lives with her husband and four children on the North
Norfolk coast in England and in the South of France.
Authors Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | YouTube
I loved this one although I read it not listened. However in the future I can reread by going back and listening. In about four years it will all be new to me!!
Great review! I've been thinking of going the Audible route myself.
I have this series on my TBR. I read The Orchid House in 2014 and what a tale that was.