Book 2 in the Secrets of the Nile duology had me on the edge of my seat! I was shocked frequently, and found myself desperately trying to unravel this mystery, searching for clues just like the heroine.

✅ immersive YA historical fantasy set in Egypt
✅ Marriage of Convenience
✅ Rivals to Lovers/Forbidden Romance
✅ Dual POV with a brave and clever FMC and cunning MMC
✅ beautiful drawings within the pages
✅ so many, “WAIT, WHAT?!” moments
✅ Cleopatra, magic touched artifacts, and so many historical references

I read this in 24 hours, but tried to take in every detail slowly, soaking everything in. I love it when an author has this power over me! I highlighted so many passages and made notes throughout, fully committed to annotating the story.

I felt like I was in Egypt and was swept away on an adventure full of mystery, secrets, intrigue, and so much layered deception. I absolutely spiraled, trying to figure out motives of each character, and who was trustworthy/was not.

Do I wish that there was a little more substance or feeling from the MMC in his POVs? Yes, but I do think that the author didn’t give us his every thought intentionally…

Overall, I went from smiling so much that my face hurt to throwing my Kindle across the room, which is my own indicator of a 5 star read! ⭐️🤣

Fun fact: Isabel Ibañez posted Fortnight lyrics on one of her Instagram posts, and I can confirm with 100% certainty that the song is Inez/Whit coded.

Review date: 9/2/24
Publication date: 11/8/24

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This was a gift!

PERFECT! This book was just so good. I love following Inez and Whit on their adventures. Full of mystery about Inez’s mom and suspense with Whit and his wish washy behavior! It is a perfect ending to this duology.

This is a wonderfully written book with a great premise and well-developed characters. The pacing and twists keep the reader engaged in finding what happens next. Ibanez is a thoughtful writer who blends both English and Spanish together masterfully.

Where the Library Hides delivers a thrilling and satisfying conclusion to Isabel Ibañez's captivating series. This immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt continues to captivate readers with its rich world-building, intriguing characters, and a compelling rivals-to-lovers romance.

Inez Olivera's quest for answers leads her on a dangerous journey fraught with betrayal and mysterious magic. The introduction of Whitford Hayes, a former British soldier and her uncle's aide de camp, adds a layer of complexity and tension to the story.

The author masterfully explores themes of love, loss, and the power of family, creating a deeply emotional narrative. With its lush descriptions, well-developed characters, and a satisfying ending, Where the Library Hides is a must-read for fans of historical fantasy and romance.

Thankfully we find out what the cliffhanger from What the River Knows meant really quickly! I absolutely loved all the secrets and mysteries that we learn about Cleopatra. The magic element was once again very cool and we get to know some fun new characters.

There were once again lots of twists and double crossings. Some I felt were obvious and others took me completely by surprise, however I found myself getting annoyed with Inez for being so trusting again. I also found myself annoyed with Inez and Whit’s communication and conflict resolution skills.

This book definitely had more of an adventure heist / thriller vibe and the plot was super action packed. The plot was somewhat different from the first book, which was nice for variety’s sake, but I did wish for more archeological aspects to be brought in this time around. I felt the ending wrapped everything up really nicely and while I enjoyed the first book more, this is definitely a fun, action-packed duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fantastic follow up to What the River Knows with the same suspense and archeological intrigue. I really liked the development of the relationship between Inez and Whit. There’s also a shocking twist at the end that I honestly didn’t see coming and was a huge payoff for a mystery that began in the first book. If I had any criticism, I would have loved more of it to take place in Alexandria because the historical/archeological aspect was so interesting to me. I highly recommend this book!

This is the highly anticipated sequel and it does not disappoint! Expect some twists and a nice wrap up to the first book. Excellent!!

amazing!! Honestly I think I liked it better than the first one! I love the adventure and romance and it’s just so good! 😊

What the River Knows was one of my favourite books of last year, so I was very eager to read the second in the duology, Where the Library Hides. This was a very enjoyable read, picking up from the cliffhanger of the first book. I did like this book, and I was satisfied with the conclusion of the duology, but this second book lacked the same sense of adventure that the first one had. The spirit of the book was different, Where the Library Hides did not make me feel excited in the same way that the first book did. This book focused more on miscommunication and read almost like a mystery, instead of the adventure epic focused on magic and archaeology that we originally experienced. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Picking up where What The River Knows ends, the sequel takes you on a wild ride! Inez learns hard truths about her family, her new husband and her friends. Nothing will ever be the same for her. An excellent read, sure to earn Ibanez new fans!

This was a sequel that more than lived up to the promise of the first book. The plot, characters, and pacing were great. The only complaint would be that sometimes it felt like the main character, Inez, was someone static. She stayed in character but didn't always seemed to be touched by the events she lived through. It would have been more satisfying to see her react, mourn, and grow from everything that happened. Otherwise, though, the book was great! Though Will was jerk, but he did manage to redeem himself. Thin ice.

(3.25/5 stars)

While I loved the world established in the first book in this duology, I felt a let down by this one in some significant ways. Still a fun read but for me, it just didn’t live up to my hopes for it.

First, the good. I loved that we got to add Whit’s POV to the narrative. It helped keep the pacing strong and gave us even more depth into the beautiful world Ibañez created in What the River Knows. We got more of the relationship between Inez and Ricardo, and we see the tenderness there under Ricardo’s gruff exterior. We explore a new family relationship for Inez that she throws herself head first into during her grief over her cousin’s death, and that feels consistent with her character, if perhaps frustrating at times to the other characters and reader. I also always appreciate the context that Ibañez adds to the beginning of the book to help place these events in history — it makes it much easier to follow along! And the continued theme of colonial powers stealing another culture’s heritage and profiting off of it continues to be topical and important (looking at you, British museum and the Greek caryatid).

However, both major reveals felt like an episode of Scooby Doo. The first, everyone but Inez saw coming from the introduction of the character, the second, which didn’t seem like Ibañez had plotted it out in advance at all, and required the suspension of disbelief beyond what I think is reasonable to ask of a reader. The relationship tension between Whit and Inez also felt deeply dependent on zero communication, not even miscommunication after the initial splinter, and it had me shaking my e-reader and begging them to use their words. And lastly, the ending felt a little too tidy for stakes and danger as high as was written.

In all, it was a quick and entertaining read, so if you loved the first book, I think you’d enjoy this too. However if the non communication and the “twists” feeling both obvious and under-plotted will bother you, I’d suggest passing. I think you just have to be in the right mood for a little silliness, and then it’s a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book

A fantastic sequel to Isabel Ibañez's What the River Knows! This duology is great for fans of Divine Rivals (and the authors are besties, which is adorable), and I anticipate this one making a big splash at our store as well! The writing is great, the characters and romance so much fun, and the attention to historical detail really well done.

While I enjoyed this book and its prequel (adventure! romance! magic! Egypt!), the duology ultimately left me disappointed. The plot felt rushed at the end and I couldn’t get on board with (SPOILER AHEAD) both of Inez’s parents being villains. It was too forced and Inez’s perceptions of them were so drastically different (no clues at all in her childhood really) so it annoyed me. Cayo’s reveal in particular made me roll my eyes. It was so out of the blue and bizarre. I was hoping for more of a redemption arc for her mother, but we at least see now the morally grayness of her character. I wanted to love Whit as the romantic interest, but I don’t know, he lacked something I can’t quite put my finger on. I think his betrayal is what really put me off about his character, regardless of his motives for it. The romance felt superficial and I don’t think Inez could or would have forgiven him for such a major betrayal of trust so quickly (if at all). All in all, I whipped through this story and will be purchasing it for our high school library as I can imagine students enjoying it, but I think it needed some work.

3.5/5

I actually enjoyed this sequel and felt it was a good way to end this duology!

The pros:
- That darned cliff hanger from the last book was actually handled quite nicely and far quicker than I anticipated! I loved Whit in this book and he was just as charming and quick footed as ever. I loved the dynamic between Whit and Inez this book and it’s really the biggest strength of this series.
- Some of my issues with Inez last book was her impulsiveness and how naive she is. Maybe I’m getting used to her or her trauma has wizened her up but I felt that her impulsiveness (while still present) was also accompanied by a strong sense of self-awareness that made it easier to swallow. She’s still the intelligent, strong, and vibrant person she was in WTRK but she’s been exposed to a harsher reality that has shaped her (not all positively) but it certainly changes her perspectives.
- I thought the magic system was actually far more present this book and I really enjoyed diving more into the mythical elements of Ancient Egypt.


The cons:
- There was a lot (and I mean a lot) of reiteration of what happened last book and the trauma Inez is facing. But we as readers were really repeatedly “told” Inez was traumatized rather than “shown” and it got old really fast. I really should have counted cause I’m sure the same scene was reiterated at least 5-6 times throughout the book and it really didn’t feel necessary to the plot at that point.
- In that same regard, there was a lot of recapping stuff that happened just a few chapters before. Characters repeating the same information to new characters or reviewing information presented just earlier in the book in far too much detail. It felt unnecessary and I found myself skipping scenes to avoid it.
- Some of the “answers” we got to the questions presented in WTRK were really far fetched. And I love a good twist but this wasn’t it. It felt like a let down and wasn’t foreshadowed enough for me to feel like this was the plan from the start.
-Without giving anything away there were also some characters involved that were interesting enough for me to like or even dislike so they’re plot points felt like misses to me.

Im happy enough to have read this sequel but I don’t see myself re-reading it for pleasure any time soon. The art as always is an awesome piece of this book and I highly recommend finishing this series because despite my concerns with it, it was still super enjoyable!

At this point I’m pretty sure Isabel Ibañez invented the plot twist, because wow, there was one at every turn. I was utterly enthralled by this book. Inez’s determination is aspiring and Whit’s cunning (and swoony) personality are the stuff that romantasy dreams are made of. The perfect conclusion for a duology that felt just as magical as the artifacts uncovered on this grand Egyptian adventure.

Thank you Net Galley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!

Isabel Ibañez has this beautiful quality to her writing where her stories stick with you long after reading. The words almost jump right off the page and pull you into the book with them allowing you to visualize every scene and feel the emotion along with the characters.

All of this remains true for ‘Where the Library Hides’. You are thrust back into this heart pounding angsty adventure alongside Inez and Whit as the story converges with some of the most jaw dropping twists that you won’t see coming. Ibañez wraps up this ‘Secrets of the Nile’ story in a beautifully satisfying way, but it still leaves you desperate for more Whit and Inez.

If you’re looking for an adventure akin to ‘The Mummy’, then you will be swept away by this fantastic duet of stories in ‘What the River Knows’ and ‘Where the Library Hides’.

I liked the first one more, but I still really enjoyed this one. Lots of twists and turns and you don't know where you're going to end up. This sequel did not dissapoint!

This book was an incredible sequel to What the River Knows. The mystery was captivating and I definitely did not expect the twist at the end. Isabel Ibanez's writing is captivating and her love for the story she is writing and the history she's capturing is palpable in every page. I loved seeing the way Inez and Whit's relationship unfolded. The depth of the characters and the plot shone through and made this such a fun read. An incredible ending to the duology, I'll miss these characters and the world so much.

3.5ish rounded up to 4 stars.

I did enjoy this title, though not quite as much as the first one.
I still enjoyed the characters, but the plot for me wasn't quite as strong as the first one, and the reveals at the end felt a bit too similar to the first book for me. Plus, with Inez making a very similar mistakes in book two as in book one, it did make me wish that we had seen some growth or hesitation from her experiences in the first book.

Inez and Whit were still such fun to read about, I did love reading about their relationship, although the tension was not quite the same as it was in book one, which made that extra little bit better.

Overall, a solid sequal that I found enjoyable to read, and I will be picking up more of Ibanez's books in the future!

Thanks for the eARC.