Bigger than Harry Potter, The Missing Sister hit Central Otago book shops today.

Forgot to pre-order? Read on for details of how to win a copy of the book.

Today is the day. Finally, Central Otago fans can collect their much anticipated copies of The Missing Sister, and solve the mystery of Merope.

The Missing Sister is the seventh instalment in author Lucinda Riley’s multi-million copy epic series ‘The Seven Sisters’.

Paper Plus Alexandra manager Sam Robinson says pre-orders have exceeded even those for Harry Potter.

“Central Otago pre-orders have also exceeded every other region in New Zealand.

“The series has a really strong following here – we really love it.

Sam says it is very exciting to have something this big at the beginning of winter – many publishers aim for a pre-Christmas release, so the book launch is very welcome as the weather gets colder.

“I can tell you this book is a door-stop of a read.”

Through the six stories so far, six sisters have each been on their own incredible journeys to discover where they came from.

They still have one question left unanswered: who and where is their seventh sister?

They have only one clue – an image of a star-shaped emerald ring. The search to find their missing sister takes them across the globe – from here in New Zealand to Canada, England, France and Ireland – uniting them all in their mission to complete their family.

At the same time, a parallel story of love, strength and sacrifice that began almost one hundred years ago will be revealed, as other brave young women risked everything to change the world around them.

For those who are wondering what everyone else is talking about, the series has followed the story of the D’Aplièse sisters and their adoptive father Pa Salt. From the confident and headstrong Ally in the Storm Sister, to gentle Tiggy, the Moon Sister, the six unique and compelling sisters have captivated readers around the world.

The Pleiades star cluster was the inspiration for the characters in the series.

Their characters were inspired by the Pleiades cluster of hot blue stars, around 440 light years from our solar system. The two bright stars, one above the other on the left hand side are Atlas and Pleione. In Greek mythology, Atlas and Pleione were the parents of seven sisters – the other seven bright stars in this cluster.

“The whole series is not just amazing escapism; I’ve also learned a lot about other parts of the world and the histories there.

“Lucinda Riley’s research is pretty phenomenal.”

Details of this seventh book have been kept a closely guarded secret – until now. However, if you are an avid fan and have read all six thus far, you may have picked up on some of the clues Riley has strewn through the previous books in the series.

Lucinda Riley says of the Seven Sisters series: “I was very attracted to the fact that each one of the mythological sisters was, according to their legends, a unique and strong female.

“The Seven Sisters series unashamedly celebrates the endless search for love, and explores the devastating consequences when it is lost to us.

“As I travel round the world, following in the footsteps of my factual and fictional female characters to research their stories, I am constantly humbled and awed by the tenacity and courage of the generations of women who came before me.

“Whether fighting the sexual and racial prejudices of times gone by, losing their loved ones to the devastation of war or disease, or making a new life on the other side of the world, these women paved the way for us to have the freedom of thought and deed that we enjoy today.

“The world is sadly still not a perfect place, and I doubt it ever will be, because there will always be a new challenge ahead.

“Yet I truly believe that humans – especially women – thrive on this.

“The Seven Sisters is a story about humanity: love, family, joy, loss, fear and pain.

“And above all, the one gift that is more important than any other, that has kept us humans alive throughout unbearable suffering: hope.”

Win a copy of The Missing Sister.

Thanks to the kind teams at Paper Plus Alexandra and Cromwell, one lucky reader will win a copy of The Missing Sister.

Tell us who your favourite D’Aplièse sister is and why. Go to The Central App Facebook page and comment to give us your answer and be in to win!

The lucky winner will be announced on Sunday, so be quick.

Images Pixabay