The Shadow Sister repeated a lot of this, so was slow to get going, whereas this one condenses the backstory to avoid further repetition. Following on from the bestselling The Seven Sisters and The Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister is the third book in Lucinda Riley's spellbinding series, loosely based on the mythology of the Seven Sisters star cluster. 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. She is happy and secure in her home in the Lake District, living close to her idol, Beatrix Potter, when machinations outside of her control lead her to London, and the home of one of Edwardian society’s most notorious players, Alice Keppel. The first book, The Seven Sisters, set up the rather implausible premise of a billionaire who has raised six girls from infancy in his mansion on Lake Geneva without them learning anything about his origins or work, only to die suddenly while they’re all away and arrange an elaborate puzzle for each of them to solve if they want to know about their biological heritage.

The first two books do hint at the older sisters being worried about Star and it seems that she may be struggling with playing second fiddle to CeCe. Which I’m totally fine with – it’s all part of that “you have to accept the fantastical backdrop of the series” thing. I liked that while certain elements have been the same in each book, they are not too formulaic: the sister’s story is told in first person person while the (presumed) ancestor’s story is third person past. As The Shadow Sister explores different aspects of English culture and heritage, I of course had to include our world-famous English country gardens.From here she learns about Flora MacNichol, a feisty young aristocrat from the Lake District who was obsessed with animals and plants - but what is Star’s connection to Flora? They were bohemian, creative, and – yes, also privileged: born into wealthy families and with the freedom to break societal norms. Lucinda’s The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is inspired by the mythology of the famous star cluster, has become a global phenomenon. Given everything I have read about Alice’s life and motivations, I am sure she would have been thrilled that her direct descendant is now married to the Prince of Wales. Their close relationship really fascinated me as, squashed into the middle of their six-sister family, Star and CeCe are forced into co-dependency and develop their own special relationship.

Why do you think her work’s popularity has been so enduring – and did you read the tales to your children? She was a woman of her time, who used her talents and charisma to further her own and her family’s standing. I found Star's relationship with her sister CeCe understandable but also slightly infuriating -- they are extremely codependent, and I felt so relieved throughout the book as Star started to break away from CeCe and live her own life.

Because I dictate the first draft of each novel, dialogue is usually something that flows very easily. For someone so close to her sister and allegedly so good with words, it's astonishing that she couldn't be bothered to sit down and have one conversation with CeCe. Aurelia still had plenty of time to find an appropriate suitor in London and would have been none the wiser. CeCe’s story, The Pearl Sister, will take us into the turbulent history of Australia, as well as to South East Asia. I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!