Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: The Hidden Library (The Collectors’ Society #2) by Heather Lyons

Bookcrushin is excited to be on the blog tour for Heather Lyons much talked about sequel to her wildly popular book The Collectors’ Society. Read on for all of the book details, our spoiler free review, and links to the fun giveaway!

The Hidden Library (The Collectors’ Society #2) by Heather Lyons

Category: Romance, Fantasy
Publication: February 26th, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .

Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.

On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.

Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.

Review

The Hidden Library picks up exactly where the adventures in The Collector’s Society ended. With Alice, Finn, Victor, Mary and the rest of the Society fully ensconced in trying to unravel the mystery of who is stealing catalysts and deleting timelines. While I had issues with the pacing of The Collectors’ Society, The Hidden Library, wastes no time and really ramps up the action. What makes this series so unique, and unlike anything I’ve come across in recent memory, is the plot. I mean how many books have you come across that feature some of history’s favorite literary characters all in one place? Alice in Wonderland, Huckleberry Finn, Sweeney Todd and various characters from the Jane Austen catalogue are all here. While the idea behind the existence of timelines, and the characters therein, still has me scratching my head, I cannot deny how engaging it is to be immersed in this unique world that Heather Lyons has built.

With The Hidden Library we finally get some much needed answers on the back story of Finn and also on Victor. Finn never much read to me as “Huckleberry Finn” as he lacked the sort of rough and tumble quality I had envisioned of this legendary character. However, as his back story unfolded you truly got to glimpse his evolution from uneducated backwater youth, to a sophisticated and educated urbanite. In addition, while we didn’t get as much backstory on Victor, I was glad that we got a bit more information on his medical issues.  On the flip side, with the Finn backstory (courtesy of a trip to Tom Sawyer’s timeline), I got to see a side of Alice I just didn’t like. One of my main issues with these books is that I am just not a fan of her character. I know jabberwocky. I find that at times she comes off a bit pompous and more than a  little sanctimonious. This was more than evident in the Tom Sawyer timeline. However, it is when Alice interacts with her Wonderlandian comrades that I truly take a shine to her. In fact, (SPOILER) I am pretty much Team Jace at this point. I’ve never been a fan of insta love so I’ve found it a bit hard to buy into the love story of Finn and Alice (although after the SEXY ballroom scene, trust me I’m getting there). But, it is when we get seeds of information about Alice and Jace’s love story that I am foaming at the mouth for more. I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, because Finn is sexy as hell, (can I get an amen, regarding his lumbersexual outfits) but there is something about the Alice/Jace love story that speaks to me. If nothing else, I hope the intriguing White King is featured more prominently in the next book (perhaps a pairing with Marianne…hint hint) and finds his north star the way Alice has.

The twists and turns in this book were plentiful. Just when I thought I had something figured out, the book would make like an M.C. Escher painting and go in an entirely different direction. By the end of this book I felt that the series had finally found its footing. There are so many exciting places that this series can go and with that insane cliffhanger, I am left like a person lost in Wonderland without a drop to drink.

If you like time travel, romance, fantasy, history, and literature, then get lost in The Hidden Library.

[book rating=4/5]

The Collectors’ Society by Heather Lyons

Category: Romance, Fantasy
Publication: October 23, 2014
Purchase: Amazon

From the author of the Fate series and The Deep End of the Sea comes a fantastical romantic adventure that has Alice tumbling down the strangest rabbit hole yet.

After years in Wonderland, Alice has returned to England as an adult, desperate to reclaim sanity and control over her life. An enigmatic gentleman with an intriguing job offer too tempting to resist changes her plans for a calm existence, though. Soon, she’s whisked to New York and initiated into the Collectors’ Society, a secret organization whose members confirm that famous stories are anything but straightforward and that what she knows about the world is only a fraction of the truth.

It’s there she discovers villains are afoot—ones who want to shelve the lives of countless beings. Assigned to work with the mysterious and alluring Finn, Alice and the rest of the Collectors’ Society race against a doomsday clock in order to prevent further destruction . . . but will they make it before all their endings are erased?

*This is the first book in the Collectors’ Society series.

Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Heather Lyons

Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.

Links:

Website//Author Goodreads//Twitter//Facebook//