Th eight and final book in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series. With the final sister found and new details about Pa Salt coming to light, it’s finally time to look into the elusive late head of the D’Aplièse family. Pa Salt’s story has been long overdue.
As the final book in the series, I think it did a lot of things right. I honestly don’t think the series could have ended on a better note. Though I wouldn’t say it was flawless, I would certainly say it was a good book. Worth a read, for sure.
Positives
As always, I am starting with the positives. Things that I thought this book did well. It tied up loose ends from the series well, finally answered questions about Pa Salt that were left unanswered and unaccounted for, brought the sisters closer together, Pa Salt’s story, and it was nice to see how Pa Salt (aka Atlas) tied to the seven sisters.
It bringing the sisters even closer together was nice. With The Missing Sister concluding with the six main sisters finally finding and connecting with Merry, there wasn’t much time to build a relationship between the now seven sisters. And this book explored that as they also try to understand and learn about their late father.
One thing that I think readers wanted was answers about Pa Salt. With how much of an impact he had on the sisters lives, it was only a matter of time that his past got explored. There’s also the fact that there were unanswered questions. Namely in regards to his past, the circumstances of his death, why he adopted the six sisters to begin with, and why he never sought out/found Merry.
If I am being honest, I think that looking into Pa Salt was the best way for the series to end. Because while I could see it ending with the sisters finding the “Missing Sister” Merope, aka Merry, as a reasonable conclusion, I think the previously stated questions needed to be addressed. Because, while I don’t think every story starting off with a deceased parent needs to explore said deceased parent, I think that the Seven Sisters as a series needed it. So having Atlas: Th Story of Pa Salt finally address these questions and looking into his past was the perfect way to conclude the series. It provides closure for the characters and the readers.
Pa Salt’s story was also a really interesting one. It’s a story of love, heartbreak, loss, misunderstandings, and tragedy. Pa Salt spent a lot of time on the run, trying to escape a man who thinks he did something terrible when he didn’t. Along the way, Pa Salt finds love in a woman named Elle and the tragedy that ensues when he has to get on a boat heading out of the country.
Over the years, he meets people who he would later reconnect with through the daughters he adopts. So, despite his fear of getting caught and the loss of someone dear, he was still able to find love in a family he formed over time. And that’s something that I found neat. After all, one of the main questions throughout the series was why Pa Salt chose Maia, Ally, Star, CeCe, Tiggy, and Electra (as well as trying to find Merry). So seeing how that actually ties into his past was a neat touch.
All of these made Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt a good book in my opinion. Providing long awaited answers was a must and seeing the now seven sisters connect over their father’s past was great. Having the series conclude with closure, I feel worked in this books favor.
Negatives
As for the negatives, I really only have one at this time and that’s Georg Hoffman, Pa Salt’s lawyer. It might sound a bit nitpicky, but I personally felt that how Georg was being so secretive in some instances to be a bit irritating.
While I do understand why he had to be so secretive from a story perspective, it did get a little annoying at times with how secretive he was. It just felt a bit annoying in a stubborn kind of way. All of the sisters were there wanting answers. And while it is understandable why certain revelations had to wait, other times it just came of as needless. The sisters, especially the six raised by Pa Salt, wanted and deserved answers. Yet, Georg continued to be secretive several times through out the story.
While that is my biggest complaint, I will also briefly mention a particular term used in the story. If you’ve read my review on Moon Sister, or have read it yourself, you’ll know that one of the sisters is Romani. Without spoiling too much, Pa Salt does come across some Romani individuals. They are referred to by a particular term that has since been deemed as rather controversial/offensive. As I’ve said in previous reviews, while I do not condone it, I do not believe she was meaning to be malicious at this time.
In context of the story, it is used during a time when using the term might have been more prevalent and again during the climax. That isn’t me trying to justify it, so much as contextualize how/when it was used. I just want to mention it since I know the term has connotations today that wouldn’t be taken as lightly today.
The Passing of Lucinda Riley
While I do plan to do a general overview of the series, now feels like a good time to briefly mention Lucinda Riley’s passing. She passed away June 11th, 2021 after four years battling with cancer. Her passing would be roughly three weeks after the release of The Missing Sister, which according to her website, was the first hardback since she started writing to make it to No. 1 in the UK and Ireland Sunday Times.
I can only hope that she felt like she had a full life. As a writer and as a person. Her work might not have been for everyone, but I think she had some good stories to tell. I do think she put a lot of heart into what she wrote, even if it wasn’t always implemented correctly.
Conclusion
Overall, I would rate Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt a four out of five stars. as the final book in the series, I thought it wrapped it up quite nicely. It was great to see Pa Salt finally explored after all this time as well as closing the book on the sisters stories.
This was a fun series. One that I had not expected to enjoy as much as I did when I started reading it back in 2019. I’m glad I read this series and would recommend it for anyone looking for a historical fiction series about love, family, and the connections.
The Little Library 