Book Review: The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke

Katie and Mia couldn't be more different. They might share the fullness of their lips, and the arch of an eyebrow but that's about where the similarities end. Katie, the eldest, is the sensible one, with  flourishing career and a stable, smart and loving fiance. Mia on the other hand is flyaway, with no ties and no responsibilities, no one to think about except herself.Katie had hoped the death of their mother would bring the two of them closer together and bridge the differences that had become more apparent as they got older. Persuading Mia to move to London with her, Katie tries to shoehorn Mia into her life, find her a job she can hold for more than two weeks and maybe even someone to settle down with.
Mia hates London. She misses the freedom of their home in Cornwall, the endless blue sea meeting somewhere in the middle. As their relationship looks set to reach breaking point Mia decides to go travelling. Katie mainly feels relief.
Then, one devastating night, Katie's told the news that Mia is dead- and it was suicide. When Mia's things arrive back from the other side of the world, Katie clings to the travel journal she finds in Mia's backpack. Although they've barely spoken since Mia left, Katie refuses to believe that she would take her own life. Heartbroken that they never made their peace, Katie decides to leave London, and using the journal as a guide, follows in Mia's footsteps to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding her sister's death.

Wow, The Sea Sisters is a stunning debut by Lucy Clarke. I was completely absorbed by the story and I felt as though I knew the characters so well by the end of the book.
The Sea Sisters is told in alternating narratives by Katie and Mia so we often get both sisters views on the same situations which is a fantastic way of exploring their complex relationship.
Lucy Clarke examines the bond and relationship between sisters. I have an older sister myself so I very much identified with the feelings of Mia and Katie. Underlying everything is their love for each other but there are so many other emotions involved, some that they aren't even aware of themselves.
Lucy Clarke creates great suspense in this book, the reader is left wondering right until the very end as to whether Mia took her own life. We find out about events at the same time as Katie, just as Katie can't stop reading Mia's journal; we can't stop reading this book.
The Sea Sisters is an excellent debut. Lucy Clarke's writing is deep, thoughtful and moving; I highly recommend this book.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Pages: 388

Publisher: Harper  Collins

Many thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is out now.

Book Review: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long-lost letter arrives one Sunday afternoon with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on it's envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother's emotional distance masks an old secret.
Evacuated from London as a thirteen-year-old girl , Edie's mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family: Juniper, her twin sisters and their father, Raymond, author of a 1918 children's classic, The True History of the Mud Man. In the grand and glorious Milderhurst Castle, a new world opens up for Edie's mother. She discovers the joy of books and fantasy and writing, but also the dangers.
Fifty years later, as Edie chases the answers to her mother's riddle, she, too, is drawn to Milderhurst Castle and the eccentric Sisters Blythe. Old ladies now, the three still live together, the twins nursing Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiance in 1941 plunged her into madness.
Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins  to unravel her mother's past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

Dr S bought me this book two Christmases ago, it has been languishing in my TBR pile but it has certainly been worth the wait.
At 670 pages, it is pretty lengthy but I believe it to be Kate Morton's best yet, I finished it over three days ago and can't stop thinking about it. I'm not going to give you any more information on the plot as I think everything you need is in the above synopsis. Mysteries and Secrets are the key to this book, Morton jumps back and forth in time tying the present and past neatly together. Milderhurst Castle is as much of a character as any of the human ones, with it's tower, secret passages and hidden doors, it is the perfect place for keeping secrets, now and then.
Edie is the character who ties everyone together, she is the one in search of answers. The Blythe Sisters are a fantastic creation, they almost seem fairytale like, three princesses locked away in a crumbling castle with no chance of rescue. I loved how Kate Morton builds up a picture of each sister as an individual whilst also exploring and exposing the bond they share as a formidable threesome.
The Distant Hours draws you in and then holds on very tightly. I think that Kate Morton has a brilliant ability of creating stories and characters that you entirely believe in and want more and more of. As I said, this book is quite long but at no point did I find myself feeling bored. Kate Morton makes every description and encounter between characters count and I think that is what makes her such a fantastic writer.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Book Review: Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Nothing can break the bond between sisters...

When Beatrice gets a frantic call in the middle of Sunday lunch to say that her younger sister Tess is missing, she boards the first flight home to London. But as she learns about the circumstances surrounding Tess's disappearance, she is stunned to discover how little she actually knows of her sister's life- and unprepared for the terrifying truths she must now face. 

The police, Beatrice's fiance and even their mother accept they have lost Tess, but Beatrice refuses to give up on her. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost. 

I bought this book last year but I have only just got round to reading it. I really wish I hadn't waited so long as it was brilliant. Rosamund Lupton has written a very clever mystery but I felt that it was much more than that as she explores the special bond between sisters, in this case Beatrice and Tess.
Beatrice received a call from her mother saying that Tess is missing. Although there are five years between them plus the Atlantic ocean, they are incredibly close and Beatrice gets on the plane home. As the search begins for the truth behind Tess's disappearance, Beatrice feels as though those around her are giving up on her sister and making her out to be a completely different person. Beatrice does learn some shocking truths about her sister but she still believes that there is something more sinister to her disappearance. Beatrice feels that she owes it to her sister to reveal the truth even if it means putting herself in danger. What if someone thinks Beatrice  is asking too many questions and wants her to disappear just like Tess?
Rosamund Lupton  has an excellent writing style. she maintains tension throughout the book and I loved the many twists that the plot took towards the end. This book reminded me a little of After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell in the way in which it explored human relationships. I have an older sister and I found Beatrice and Tess's relationship entirely believable. I empathised with Beatrice's desperation, although she initially has no evidence she does not give up on Tess as she had complete faith in how well she knew her sister.
This book did not take me long to read at all, Lupton constantly leaves you wanting more and I couldn't help but start a new chapter again and again. If you are looking for a tense thriller with a little more depth then look no further, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Dot Scribbles rating 5/5