The Storm Sister .. By Lucinda Riley

My first ever blog post was on the first installment of this series, "The Seven Sisters" and ever since I have been dying to get my hands on the hard copy of the second book from various libraries, but was finding it almost impossible.

Finally, I caved in and purchased a copy of it in Kindle and I am so glad I did, as it turned out to be as good as the first one, might even be better since I am into the story full on now and trust me when I say that this journey is unbelievably fascinating.

Without further ado, let me review this beautiful story.

And before I get into the second book, let me give you a quick replay on the first one. The story is of six different girls from six different origins, adopted and raised by an aged and wealthy man called Pa Salt, as his own daughters at his home, Atlantis, a fabulous secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva. He didn't get a chance to bring the seventh sister as per the story, but I am sure there will be some mystery around her as well, which will be revealed in the other books. He named each of the girls in the name of the seven stars of Pleiades. One day when they are all grown-up and are leading their own lives in different cities, they suddenly receive the news of their father passing away and each of them gathers at Atlantis, where they are told that he has left them each a letter with a tantalizing clue to their true heritage. 

The first story was of Maia, the eldest of the sisters, who goes on a hunt to find out about her birth parents and how she came about to live with Pa Salt in the first place. This tale of hers took me on a whirlwind journey of colors from the past and aesthetically touched my heart. To find out more about the story, please check out my review of The Seven Sisters.

The Storm Sister is the story of the second sister, Ally, who, after receiving the news of her father's death, rushes back to Atlantis to find her letter and clue to her past. Although devasted by the news, she finds herself quite content at present with her newfound love and her passion for sailing, that she decides not to pursue the past for now. However, her life is altered completely when she loses another loved one and when destiny throws her face to face with reality, that she has no choice but to embark on a journey in search of her original roots.

The clues lead her to the icy beauty of Norway, where the story again takes us a hundred years back in time highlighting the story of a young Norwegian woman and singer Anna Landvik, who happens to be part of the original five-act play, Peer Gynt, composed by Edward Grieg. Her journey from the countryside to the city of Christiania, to become a popular singer was remarkable and tragic, filled with love, loss, grief, introspection, and new beginnings. 

There is so much love in this book - the quest for Ally to find her roots, her beautiful relationship with Theo and his parents. The sadness and drama of losing loved ones. The joys of finding new hopes and things to live for was worth reading.

Lucinda is such a talented writer and her attempt to paint and write music with her words is commendable. The story itself was a stunner, so eloquently mixed in the present day is the tale of life across Europe in the early 1900s up through World War II. 

The Storm Sister was a marvelous epic read and one that consumed me. This is definitely going into my favorites collection.

Happy Reading!!!

The Zoya Factor .. By Anuja Chauhan

Let's get a taste of this new buzz going on in the showbiz starring Sonam Kapoor. The Zoya Factor is a quirky little love story of a girl who was born at the moment India won the cricket world cup of 1983. She grows to become the soul-spirit to the Indian Cricket team when they go about winning each of the matches where Zoya have breakfast with the team. Amazed by the ragtag team's sudden spurt to victories, the nation declares her a Goddess, which gets so ridiculous to the point of irritation to the Indian skipper, Nikhil Khoda, with whom she develops a romantic relationship later.

Would she still be her sensible self and not go crazy deep into this "Goddess" mode or will she start believing that she is the reason for the team to play well and lose her chance at love? 

For many, this novel might seem like a chick-lit. I too agree. Yet still, it doesn't feel like your usual breezy romance. The story has great potential to keep you glued till the end. What really blew my mind was the "Hinglish" part, which was hilarious. Especially the satire on Indian cricket management and the team itself were honest. It also gave a slight peek to the workings of the great Indian advertising industry as well.

Overall the book runs on an ordinary plot with predictable twists and turns with a much-deserved happy ending that was surely written to please the Indian masses. The metaphors used in the book have an evocative quality that makes the story feel real and that's where you find the book so much more readable.

I think Salman Dulquer was a good choice as Nikhil Khoda and I wish they had chosen Parineeti Chopra in place of Sonam. At least her chubby cheeks would've done justice to Zoya's facial description, which was highlighted so often in the novel.

I strongly recommend this book to those who prefer some fun rom-com reading. Or would you rather watch the upcoming movie? Do let me know!

Happy Reading!!!