Review by yvo_about_books - Where the Library Hides

yvo_about_books 's review for:

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

2.25

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Finished reading: February 26th 2025

"If I'd learned anything from my time in Egypt, it was that I couldn't trust my own judgment."

WARNING: it's another unexpected unpopular opinion review!!

Words cannot describe how disappointed I feel right now... I'm a fan of Isabel Ibañez's writing, and I really enjoyed the first book of this duology despite some minor issues. And after that cliffhanger ending, I've been waiting impatiently for the second book to be published, fully expecting to enjoy it as well. Imagine my surprise when the complete opposite happened! Oh yes, Where The Library Hides and me most definitely didn't get along, and it mainly made me want to throw my kindle against the wall in frustration. This had nothing of the magic of the first book for me; that Indiana Jones adventure feel with the hunt for Cleopatra's grave and everything. Instead, we get page after page of focus on the most cringeworthy character interactions and not a lot of action at all. I mean, the library the title hinted at isn't even mentioned until about 70% into the book?! And the plot until then is mainly Inez making one stupid judgment and decision after the other without anything truly exciting happening?! I liked Inez in the first half of the first book, but the fact that she never learns from her mistakes and literally misjudges just about every single character along the way made me lose all respect for her. Especially with how easy she seems to forgive Whit after what he did... And Whit himself: don't even get me to start talking about him. I never liked him in the first book, and this sure didn't improve in the sequel. Especially after what he did; his behavior wasn't consistent either and the way he suddenly talked to Inez in the end just wasn't credible for his character. The romance itself was lackluster and I just never felt any chemistry between Inez and Whit. The plot twists themselves were actually quite predictable (with one or two exceptions), and the lack of focus on the magic and the Egyptian setting in general was quite disappointing as well. Add a slow pace, and it's a miracle I even made it to the end to be honest. I think this story would have worked so much better as a slightly longer stand-alone instead of a duology, and especially with cutting out some of the way too many betrayal elements and character conflicts. As you might have guessed already, Where The Library Hides ended up being a very unexpected miss for me.

Content Warnings