The sister who trusts her instincts, follows her heart and takes us somewhere completely different.

By the time I reached The Moon Sister, I was officially past the point of simply “reading a series.”

I was invested.

Five books in, I already knew the D’Aplièse sisters. I knew about Pa Salt, his mysterious past and the clues he had left behind. I had travelled from one sister’s story to another, from one part of the world to the next, and every book had given me another little piece of the much bigger puzzle.

And now it was Tiggy’s turn.

Tiggy has always been one of the quieter sisters. She’s gentle, deeply connected to nature and animals, and has a very strong intuitive side. In fact, her sisters affectionately tease her for being the spiritual one of the family.

So I was really interested to see what would happen when she finally got her own story.

And, as it turns out, Tiggy’s story takes us somewhere rather special.

Meet Tiggy D’Aplièse

Tiggy is probably one of the most different of the sisters.

While some of the other books have given us sisters with very clear ambitions, strong personalities or complicated relationships, Tiggy feels much more connected to the natural world around her.

At the beginning of the book, she’s working with animals in the Scottish Highlands, doing something she genuinely loves.

And honestly, that feels so perfectly Tiggy.

She isn’t chasing glamour or fame.

She isn’t trying to prove herself to anybody.

She simply wants to care for animals and be somewhere that feels right to her.

But, as we’ve learned by now, nothing in the world of The Seven Sisters stays quite that simple.

When circumstances force Tiggy to make a change, she finds herself working on the remote Kinnaird estate, where she meets the mysterious and troubled Charlie Kinnaird.

And that’s where things really begin to change.

A Different Kind of Journey

One of the things I particularly like about these books is that every sister’s journey feels different.

The Moon Sister certainly has its own personality.

There is something almost mystical about Tiggy’s story. Her intuition and connection with the natural world are much more prominent here, and the story explores the idea that sometimes there are things we know or feel without necessarily being able to explain them.

And I actually think that works beautifully with the title.

The moon has always had that slightly mysterious quality to it — something that’s there even when we can’t quite see the whole picture.

And Tiggy is a little bit like that herself.

There is much more to her than we initially see.

Life in the Scottish Highlands

The Scottish Highlands provide a wonderful setting for the beginning of Tiggy’s story.

There is something incredibly atmospheric about the remote estate, the wildlife, the mountains and the sense of being surrounded by nature.

It feels very different from some of the locations we’ve visited in the earlier books, and I loved that.

The settings in The Seven Sisters aren’t just there to give the characters somewhere to go.

They become part of the story.

And the Highlands feel particularly appropriate for Tiggy because she is someone who seems happiest when she’s surrounded by nature and animals.

You can almost picture her there.

Although I suspect I’d last about five minutes in the Scottish weather before asking where the nearest coffee shop was. 😂

Following the Clues

As with every book in the series, Pa Salt has left Tiggy clues about her origins.

And this is where that familiar Seven Sisters feeling returns.

You know you’re going to have questions.

You know there are going to be secrets.

And you know that somewhere along the way, you’re going to discover something that changes the way you look at the story.

But The Moon Sister doesn’t simply feel like a repeat of the previous books.

Tiggy’s journey has its own rhythm, and her connection to her past feels particularly tied to identity, intuition and family heritage.

There is also a fascinating character called Chilly, an elderly Romani man who has links to Spain and becomes an important part of Tiggy’s journey. 

And yes, I’m going to say absolutely no more about that because I want you to discover his story for yourself.

From Scotland to Spain

Eventually, Tiggy’s journey takes us from the Scottish Highlands towards Granada in Spain.

And what a change of atmosphere that is.

We’re suddenly moving from the wild, remote landscapes of Scotland into a very different world, with Spanish history, music, dance and culture becoming increasingly important to the story.

This contrast worked really well for me because it makes the journey feel enormous.

Tiggy isn’t simply travelling from one place to another.

She’s travelling backwards through her own history.

And that’s one of the things I find so fascinating about this series.

The sisters aren’t just discovering where they came from.

They’re discovering how that history has shaped who they are.

Meet Lucía

Alongside Tiggy’s modern-day story, we travel back to 1912 to meet Lucía Amaya-Albaycin, a young girl born into a Romani community near Granada.

Lucía’s story is very different from Tiggy’s.

She grows up with a passion for dance, particularly flamenco, and her talent takes her on a very different path through Spain and beyond.

Her story also brings us into a much more turbulent period of Spanish history, including the Spanish Civil War. 

And this is where the historical side of the book really comes into its own.

The Magic of Flamenco

I loved the way flamenco is woven through the historical storyline.

You can almost hear the music while you’re reading.

There is something incredibly passionate about the idea of dance being not just entertainment, but a form of expression and identity.

Lucía’s relationship with flamenco becomes such an important part of who she is, and it gives the historical storyline a real sense of energy.

It’s also a lovely contrast to Tiggy.

Tiggy expresses herself through her connection with nature and animals.

Lucía expresses herself through dance.

Two very different women, living in two very different periods, connected by something neither of them fully understands at first.

A Story About Finding Where You Belong

If there is one theme that runs through The Moon Sister, it’s belonging.

Tiggy has always been different from her sisters.

She’s always had her own way of seeing the world, and that difference has sometimes made her feel slightly apart from the others.

Her journey gives her the opportunity to understand that being different isn’t necessarily something you need to change.

Sometimes it’s the thing that makes you who you are.

And I think that’s a really lovely message.

We’re often encouraged to fit ourselves into neat little boxes.

Tiggy’s story reminds us that sometimes the things that make us unusual are actually the things we should be embracing.

Trusting Your Instincts

This is probably one of the most important ideas in Tiggy’s story.

She has always been incredibly intuitive, and Pa Salt encouraged her to trust those instincts.

But trusting yourself isn’t always easy.

Especially when other people don’t see what you see.

Or understand what you feel.

Or think you’re being a little bit…

Well…

Tiggy. 😂

But as the story develops, her intuition becomes much more important, and the question becomes whether she will trust herself enough to follow where it leads.

And I really enjoyed that part of her character development.

When the Past Meets the Present

By now, I know what to expect from a Lucinda Riley book with two timelines.

I’m going to become attached to both stories.

I’m going to start trying to work out how they connect.

I’m going to think I’ve figured something out.

And then I’m probably going to be wrong. 😂

The Moon Sister follows that same wonderful pattern.

The modern-day story and historical story gradually begin to reveal their connections, and there is a real sense of watching pieces of a puzzle slowly come together.

I won’t tell you what those connections are.

That’s the fun bit.

The Emotional Side of The Moon Sister

Underneath all the travel, history, mystery and romance, this is a very emotional story.

It’s about family.

It’s about identity.

It’s about feeling different.

It’s about discovering where you came from and deciding what that means for where you’re going.

And I think Tiggy’s story is particularly touching because she isn’t looking for fame or fortune.

She’s looking for understanding.

She wants to understand herself.

She wants to understand her family.

And ultimately, she wants to understand where she belongs.

The Seven Sisters Mystery

And then, of course, there’s Pa Salt.

Because apparently we are never allowed to forget that there is a much bigger mystery hiding underneath all of this. 😂

By book five, I was definitely becoming increasingly curious about him.

Every sister discovers another piece of the puzzle, but somehow there are always more questions waiting behind the answers.

That’s one of the things that keeps me coming back to this series.

You finish one book thinking you’ve got a better understanding of everything.

Then you start the next one…

And suddenly you have even more questions.

It’s quite clever, really.

And slightly infuriating.

But mostly clever. 😂

The Audiobook

I listened to The Moon Sister as an audiobook, and it really suits this kind of story.

There is something about having a story like this unfolding through your headphones that makes the journeys feel even more immersive.

You’re moving between Scotland and Spain, between the present and the past, and between two women’s stories.

The audiobook edition is narrated by Anna Madeley. 

And I think this is exactly the sort of story where an audiobook can work particularly well because you can settle in and let yourself be carried along with it.

Sometimes you don’t need to be sitting with a physical book in your hands.

Sometimes you just need a story to take you somewhere else.

A Story Full of History, Culture and Family Secrets

What I particularly like about The Seven Sisters series is that every book teaches you something without ever feeling like you’re reading a history textbook.

With The Moon Sister, we’re introduced to aspects of Spanish history and culture, the Romani community, flamenco and the turbulent period surrounding the Spanish Civil War.

But all of that is woven into the characters’ lives.

It isn’t just background information.

It matters to the people we’re following.

And that’s what makes the historical sections feel so much more alive.

Who Would Enjoy The Moon Sister?

If you’ve already read the first four books in The Seven Sisters, then I’m fairly sure you’re already going to want to continue.

We’re five books in now.

We’re committed. 😂

But if you’re new to Lucinda Riley, The Moon Sister is likely to appeal if you enjoy historical fiction, family sagas, dual timelines, romance, mystery, travel and stories about discovering your roots.

It’s also a great choice if you enjoy books with strong female characters and stories that explore identity and belonging.

And if you like being transported somewhere completely different while you’re reading, this series really does deliver that.

A Completely Spoiler-Free Warning

As always, I am keeping this review completely spoiler-free.

There are things that happen in The Moon Sister that you really don’t want me telling you about.

You want to discover them yourself.

So don’t Google the characters.

Don’t search for the family tree.

Don’t look up what happens at the end.

And definitely don’t go searching for answers because you think you’ve spotted something suspicious.

Just keep reading.

Let Tiggy take you where she needs to go.

My Final Thoughts

The Moon Sister feels like a really important point in The Seven Sisters journey.

We’re now five books in, and the series is becoming much bigger than simply following individual sisters as they discover their pasts.

Each story is adding another layer to the bigger mystery.

And Tiggy’s story brings something completely different to the series.

I loved the combination of the Scottish Highlands and Spain, the connection with animals and nature, the historical story surrounding Lucía, the flamenco culture and, of course, the continuing mystery surrounding Pa Salt.

But perhaps what stayed with me most is the idea of trusting yourself.

Tiggy has always been the sister who sees things differently.

And sometimes being different can make you feel as though you’re the odd one out.

But perhaps the thing that makes you different is also the thing that makes you special.

I think that’s a lovely message to take away from a book.

And now…

We’re five sisters down.

Which means we’re getting dangerously close to the end of the series.

Although, obviously, I still have The Sun Sister, The Missing Sister and Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt waiting for me.

So I’m not emotionally prepared for this to end yet.

Not even slightly. 😂📚💜

⭐ My Rating: 5/5

📚 Book Details

Title: The Moon Sister
Author: Lucinda Riley
Series: The Seven Sisters — Book 5
Main character: Tiggy D’Aplièse
Historical character: Lucía Amaya-Albaycin
Genre: Historical fiction, contemporary fiction, romance, family saga
Setting: Scotland and Spain
Audiobook narrator: Anna Madeley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐