Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

SYNOPSIS

Inez Olivera traveled across the world to Egypt, seeking answers about 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 Tio 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 onetime 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.

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Where the Library Hides is one of my most anticipated book releases for the past couple of years. When the first book in a duology ends in a massive cliffhanger, you have no choice but to wait on pins and needles and then get right back into it as soon as possible, devouring the continuation of the story day and night. We fell in love with Inez and Whit in the first book along with their chaotic and dangerous Egyptian adventure but this book really cemented that feeling. Seeing your favourite characters grow and change is one of the best parts of a continuing series. I loved the story and had a lot of fun. Seeing the fiery and quick witted dynamic between our two leads was satisfying and diving into the mythology and history of Egypt made me feel like I was there. And the fight scenes? Ibañez needs to write fantasy battles or something because she excels at action writing. However, this book didn’t have as much of the shock value as the first one. The twists weren’t very surprising, and some of the villainous elements were a bit cartoonish. All that aside, I absolutely loved being back in Inez’s world, adventuring through Egypt.

We start off immediately from where we left off (thank god).

— If you haven’t read the first book, now’s your chance to turn away —

As we start off with Whit’s proposal and Inez’s tentative acceptance of it, we also have the nagging worry of that mysterious note Whit sent discussing Inez’s gullibility. To my utter surprise, instead of having that hanging over us for a good portion of the book, they… actually get married! And, miracle of miracles, real feelings are shared. Having a marriage of convenience based on deception instead of miscommunication made it so much more interesting to me. Inez’s world begins to collapse after her marriage, family members jailed, artifacts stolen, and distant aunts chasing you across the world when you’re the reason her daughter is dead. The growth that Inez goes through from hitting rock bottom was the best which made all the angst in this book absolutely worth it. And believe me, there was angst.

Starting off with characterization which is my kryptonite when done well, Inez and Whit stayed pretty true to the characterization we built in the first book which was both satisfying and slightly disappointing. I loved that they didn’t change too much, but I also wish there was some dynamic shift considering the angst involved. The pain and the banter and the lovers-to-enemies thing was great, but I also wish it was a little more intense than the first book. It felt like they reverted to their pre-marriage selves which is hard to do once you’ve known someone so well. I did, however, love the dynamic. Whit’s overprotectiveness but knowing when to concede to Inez’s will. Inez’s stubborn streak and refusal to ever listen to reason. This dynamic is what made me fall in love with the story in the first place.

The adventure elements of this story were fantastic. I felt like I was in a 90s adventure movie with the quick pace and innumerable obstacles that end up standing in the way of the end goal. Inez and Whit come up against barrier after barrier and have to find new and interesting ways to overcome each one. My favourite unexpected nugget to come from this novel was the acknowledgement of Inez’s abandonment issues. They were largely brushed over or slightly hinted at in the first book but in this one, Inez herself is forced to confront the fact that because of her parents’ absence in her upbringing, she latches onto people who are relative strangers, expecting to find deep connection in anyone who she can slightly relate to. I know there are some people who don’t love how easily Inez trusts, but I find it kind of beautiful that she’s still open to making deep connections give how much her loved ones have disappointed her in life.

The one caveat of this book that stopped it from being a five star read for me was the predictability. Nothing really shocked me which is a large part of the experience of the first novel in this duology so it felt like something was missing throughout the read. I also felt the villains were a little more cartoonish than what would feel realistic, even for an adventure/fantasy finale.

I did really love this book and it has cemented that Ibañez is an author I can trust with my favourite characters. I look forward to cherishing this duology and rereading it for years to come. It’s kind of become a Christmas/December read staple for me at this point. If you love adventure films and stories, you’ll absolutely love Inez’s adventure in this duology. 4 stars.