Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt: A Review

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.

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail: A Review

I recently just finished the second book of Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail. This series, along with the the Witches of Thistle Grove series were series I picked up around the same time. I wanted to read some more romances and with me finding them in June, I ended up working it into a LGBTQ+ focused reading month (note that this wasn’t the only time I’ve read LGBTQ+ book, I just ended up deciding that I would try to focus on LGBTQ+ centered books since it was Pride Month).

I was initially hesitant if I wanted to continue on with this series, because after finishing Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and reflecting on issues I had with that book after, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to continue the series. However, I ended up decided that I would read Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail to give the series a chance outside of the first book. The reason for giving it a chance was because I didn’t want to decide if I wanted to drop it solely on the first book. I wanted to give it a chance in the event the second book ended up being better than the first. And I ended up enjoying Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail.

Though not perfect, I do think Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail was a better book when compared to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.

Positives

I can narrow it down to characters, how they developed, and the story. This story does see the return of characters from the previous book, like Delilah, Claire, and Iris. And Astrid, who Delilah and the gang plan to end her engagement to her fiancé, is one of the main characters alongside Jordan and part of the eventual main romance. That said, the secondary returning characters were solid enough for what they were needed for and the new characters for the most part worked.

Off the characters, I feel like Astrid and Jordan, mostly the former, had some of the best development in the story. Granted, that’s to be expected with them being the leading ladies, but their progression was done well and felt natural. They didn’t rush into a relationship and both tried to figure out what they wanted in the relationship and for the other person. I enjoyed how Astrid was able to become her own person and not what her mother wants, while also making mistakes along the way. As for Jordan, I’m glad she was finally able to find happiness after how things ended with her ex wife Meredith.

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail also had a pretty solid storyline. While mostly from the perspectives of Astrid and Jordan, there was enough time to give the secondary characters time to shine. Astrid’s mother, Delilah, Claire, and Iris had good moments and helped Astrid when needed, with her mother being a source of conflict that she needed for personal growth. Then there’s Meredith and Jordan’s brother. Jordan’s brother brought a nice sibling dynamic between the two with her brother looking out for Jordan, while Meredith is a character that Jordan had her own personal conflicts over as Jordan started to realize that she deserved happiness and love too.

And while I may have felt like the plot was relatively simple, I thought it did a good job with the story it wanted to tell. I also feel like it did a better job with it compared to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.

Critiques

As far as criticisms, I only really have two. This critique isn’t super serious, but it’s fine that I feel like addressing. That being some tropes that this book falls into,

Now, tropes aren’t inherently a bad thing. They are just elements that aren’t uncommon. When done well, they can be good. When not done as well, it’s noticeable. It really just depends on the book.

The tropes used here aren’t bad by any means.

Those include:

• Opposites Attract: Both have different visions for the project they’re working on, one’s vision is more modern while the other is traditional, Astrid aesthetic is bright and girly while Jordan’s ids rugged and kind of tomboyish.
• Second Chances: Both Astrid and Jordan find second chances at love with each other. Astrid finds love after calling things off with her ex fiancé and Jordan finds love again after the rough divorce between her and Meredith.
• Work Partners: They start off as work partners on renovating a house for a show. From there, they end up falling in love.

Again, I am not saying that tropes are bad. However, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail does utilize a few romance tropes. And while I might not mind them, for the sake of critique I will say that is the one criticism I have. They don’t diminish the story enough for me to say I dislike the book. If these are tropes that you don’t particularly like, than this is your forewarning.

What I Feel it Did Better Than Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

As I mentioned at the beginning of this, I was debating if I wanted to continue on with the series. While I had initially enjoyed Delilah Green Doesn’t Care after some time had passed, I did feel like it could have been better. I was going to do a review on it, but ended up not getting it up due to motivation and my thoughts not being as concise as I would have liked when I was working on it.

Initially, my main issue with Delilah Green Doesn’t Care was that, similar to Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, it did feel like it hit some common tropes (ex. the bet, Claire being the best friend to Astrid, Delilah’s stepsister, and happy ending). However, unlike Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, the plot for Delilah Green Doesn’t Care to me felt like it fell to something you’d find in a Hallmark movie. Namely how it’s about Delilah coming back to her hometown, a past that had Delilah and Astrid become estranged into adulthood, making a bet with her sister to get Claire to like her, how and when it was revealed, and how it seemed to clear up almost instantly in the last chapter or two.

This isn’t necessarily a jab at Hallmark movies, but based on the ones I have seen, they do tend to share a lot of similar stories and/or tropes. And while I can say that both could possible fall into that umbrella, something about Delilah Green Doesn’t Care felt more blatant with it to me.

Since then, I have come to agree with a particular critique with Delilah Green Doesn’t Care. That being how the whole plan to break Astrid and her fiancé up feels unnecessarily over the top, where a simple conversation might have been better.

Initially, I didn’t think about that. It was just kind of there. But after reading over the criticisms of this, and actually thinking about it, I agree. I do think the story could still work for the most part with a tweaked version of Delilah and the group breaking Astrid and her fiancé up without going to the lengths they did. Maybe collect evidence as to why they feel that way, but actually sitting down with Astrid about instead of going to the lengths they did.

Conclusion

I would give Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail a four out of five stars. I thought it was a nice little romance with a natural progression and character growth that didn’t feel rushed. My only real critique would be that it utilizes a few common romance tropes. Though they aren’t done poorly, so it doesn’t really hinder the book.

Since I ended up enjoying this book, I will be continuing with this series. Which as of right now, appears to be a third and potentially final book in the form of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. Said third book is set to be released on November 7th 2023.