Review: Where The Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile #2)

Where The Library Hides, Book 2 in the Secrets of the Nile Duology by Isabel Ibanez

Published By: Hodderscape
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Date Read: March 10, 2026
Genre: YA – Historical Fantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Hardback
Pages: 395

Add to Goodreads | Add to Storygraph

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.

Where the Library Hides has been sat on my TBR since it first released a few years ago. I read and loved the first book in this series, What The River Knows when it first released, and I’m so excited to finally see how this series ends. The first book left us on a bit of a cliffhanger, but as I’m not someone who is ever bothered by them, it didn’t really make me ‘need’ to read the sequel straight away. However, one of my 2026 challenges is to finish some series that I’ve started and not finished, so this was one of the first ones I thought of for that challenge.

I really enjoyed Where the Library Hides. It’s not quite as gripping as the first instalment of the series, but I was still really invested in this story and it’s characters. I’ve found, I just adore books that are set in the middle east, particularly around Egypt and places like that. It’s clearly my childhood love of the movie The Mummy, and it’s seeping into my choice of books. I love the setting of this series, and all the interest in the excavation sites, and finding magical relics… it’s just everything I love in a ‘light’ fantasy book.

My one little gripe with this one was the characters. I love Inez and Whit… I really do. But my goodness, do they make a lot of mistakes. There were times when I was shaking my head, shouting at the book ‘what are you doing?’. I appreciate that it is a YA book and the characters are young, but still… at time they really were stupid!

Where the Library Hides was a satisfying ending to this duology. There were times when I was gasping at the twists and turns that were happening. It’s just a really fun series, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. I am definitely a fan of Isabel’s writing, and I can’t wait to try some of her other books in the future. If you’re a fan of storylines like Indiana Jones and The Mummy, this is definitely a series that you should give a go. It truly was a fun ride.