Where The Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez (book review)

GENRE: YA Historical Fantasy

LENGTH: 371 pages

 

PLOT

In the sequel to What The River Knows, Inez is determined to track down her criminal mother and get revenge. If she wants to stay in Egypt, however, she’ll have to marry Whit.

 

CHARACTERS

Inez frustrated me throughout this novel. After everything she experienced in What The River Knows, one would think she’d learn to be more guarded and careful about who she lets into her inner circle. She remains, however, extremely naïve. Even so, I was still rooting for her to succeed. There is a quote from the novel that explains why Inez is still too trusting - “I craved a family, a sense of belonging” (page 161). This is what made me soften towards her, because at the end of the day she just wants what real life people also do. I suppose, in a way, it is somewhat beautiful – that someone who has lost so much can still open their heart again. It’s just in Inez’s case, it’s also dangerous.  

Whit was always a sort of morally dubious character. His actions in this novel were ones that I believe many readers will feel torn on. I didn’t agree with some of his decisions, but I understood them. This led to me having confusing feelings on where I stood regarding both him as his own character as well as a love interest for Inez. In spite of everything, though, their chemistry is impossible to deny.

There are huge twists regarding two characters late into this novel. One of them was pretty obvious from the beginning. The other one, however, shocked me. I wasn’t a big fan of this big reveal because it didn’t necessarily feel needed. There would have already been plenty of drama and danger without its addition. At some point, I will have to go back and reread the series to see if there was foreshadowing I missed in the first book.

 

WRITING

Ibañez, as I’ve always maintained, is very talented at her craft. Just like with the first book in this duology, her love for the subject matter shows. I liked how, in this book, we got to explore parts of Egypt we didn’t get to visit in the first book. I recommend reading the author’s notes at the end after you’ve read the book. It explains Ibañez’s inspirations for the novel as well as offers some real historical facts.

This is a genre bending novel. Compared to the first book, this one reads a lot more like a thriller than just a historical adventure novel. The magic in the series comes from everyday items have that magical properties from spells which were cast on them. There was more emphasis on the magical items in this book, but it’s still something I would only loosely consider a fantasy.

I am reluctant to make this comparison, because it has been six years since I read this series, but I feel like if you enjoyed this series you would also like The Conspiracy of Us trilogy by Maggie Hall.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

As a fantasy lover, I wished this series was infused with more magic. On the flip side, as someone who loves adventure stories and morally grey characters, I most definitely got my fill with these books. If the plot of this duology intrigues you, then I recommend picking up What The River Knows and giving it a read. You will feel like you’ve been transported back to late 1800s Egypt, making discoveries and dodging danger alongside Inez and Whit.

 

FINAL RATING: 4⭐️