Review: Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

This review was written for YA Books Central and is being published here with permission.

I received this book via the publisher . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez
Series: Secrets of the Nile #2
on 2024-11-05
Length: 380 pages
Reviewing ARC from the publisher
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2024 COYER Unwind, 2024 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

Where the Library Hides is Isabel Ibañez's stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

Inez Olivera traveled across the world to Egypt, seeking answers into her parents' recent and mysterious deaths. But all her searching led her down a perilous road, filled with heartache, betrayal, and a dangerous magic that pulled her deep into the past.

When Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

Please note that if you haven’t read What the River Knows, there are spoilers to it in this review. Read at your own risk.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and let me just say it lived up to the hype! Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez is the conclusion to Inez’s adventure she started in What the River Knows. Inez’s world has been flipped upside down. Her mother is alive and a criminal, her father is missing and presumed dead, her cousin is dead because of her mother, and her uncle has given her an ultimatum: marry or return to Argentina. Determined to find her mother and make her answer for her actions, Inez refuses to leave Egypt which leaves her no alternative but to accept Whit’s hasty proposal. Newly married with a fugitive to hunt, Inez is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, but she may not like the cost.

Inez has grown quite a lot since we first met her at the beginning of her story. She’s no longer the naive heiress who just lost her parents and yearns for adventure. She’s had her fill of adventure by this point. Now she wants justice. She wants to take down her mother and the illegal auction ring that sells priceless artifacts to the highest bidder. However, everything she thought she knew is now in question. Inez feels lost, unsure of who she can trust and who is playing her.

Whit plays a bigger role in this book than last. Well, maybe not a bigger role, just has more pages from his perspective, which I’m personally not complaining about. Whit has been established as a loyal, rogue of a character, yet he’s been playing a long con. He needs money to save his family, specifically his baby sister, from destitution. To do that, he needs to come into some money and do so quickly. His best option is to marry Inez, however how he goes about it all is heartbreaking to all involved. If not for his perspective chapters, I’m not sure I would’ve empathized with him at all.

The plot of this one, at least in my opinion, moves at a much faster pace than the first book. With the world already set up and the key characters already in play, we jump into the story right away, picking up exactly where book one left off with Whit’s proposal. Between a hasty marriage, hunting down her mother, and a robbery at the tomb of Cleopatra, Inez has her hands full. Again, I love how Ibañez weaves history into this story creating her own world with its own rules seamlessly. The magical artifacts add a new layer of surprise in an already tense story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Where the Library Hides. The story is full of adventure with twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end. Inez and Whit’s banter is perfection. I seriously could not ask for better. If you enjoy historical fantasies or you are looking for a fun adventure through the ruins of Ancient Egypt, I highly recommend you check this one out.

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