I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

After years spent in Wonderland, Alice Reeve learned the impossible was quite possible after all. She thought she left such fantastical realities behind when she finally returned to England.

Now Alice has become a member of the clandestine Collectors’ Society, and the impossible has found her again in the form of an elusive villain set on erasing entire worlds. As she and the rest of the Society race to bring this mysterious murderer to justice, the fight becomes painfully personal.

Lives are being lost. Loved ones are shattered or irrevocably altered. Each step closer Alice gets to the shadowy man she hunts, the more secrets she unravels, only to reveal chilling truths. If she wants to win this war and save millions of lives, Alice must once more embrace the impossible and make the unimaginable, imaginable.

Sometimes, the rabbit hole leads to terrifying places.

The Forgotten Mountain is Heather Lyons’ ninth published book – and I’ve read all nine of her books and each and every one is an epic win. I’m actually getting to a point where I can’t formulate words to describe how amazing Heather and her books are – or I repeat the same things I’ve said in every single review of her books, but they’re all still 100% true – Heather is an amazing writer and storyteller. She creates amazing worlds that feel real and multi-dimensional characters that feel like real people. I’m always anxious for her to publish a new book and when I do find out she has a new one coming out, I’m like

The second I picked up The Forgotten Mountain, I fell right back into this amazing world. It was like no time had passed since I finished The Hidden Library (which I read in February). I know it’s probably cheesy, but it felt like coming home after a long vacation.

Alice has always been a fierce, epic character – and one of my all-time favorite MC’s. But in The Forgotten Mountain, she was especially so – and sometimes a bit scary, too! So you have an idea what I mean, here are some epic/scary quotes from Alice:

“Madness – that old, dear friend of mine – has come home for a visit. And I welcome its return with open arms.”

“I do not play by his rules. I play by mine and mine alone.”

But she was scary because she was determined and loyal – to Finn, to the other members of the Collectors’ Society, to Wonderland and, most importantly, to herself. With every book, she keeps growing, maturing and coming into herself. And I love that about her.

As always, I adored Finn! His… predicament in this book… Was terrifying and upsetting and heartbreaking. The cliffhanger from the last book was RIDICULOUS and I’m still upset we had to wait so long to learn his fate! But I loved where his character went in this book. Alice and Finn are one of my top favorite ships and I absolutely adore them together! They make each other stronger and bring out the best in each other! And then the way the book ended…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I’ll get more into that in a bit.

I still love Mary and still want more of her story. I’d love a novella from her POV or a spin-off with her. I’d love to see her back in her world, especially. I think that would be epic and hilarious! *Stares at Heather… Makes puppy eyes…* She’s just an amazing character – smart, determined, loyal. She’s not the best fighter, but she holds her own in a fight and pulls her weight in other ways. I adore her and Victor and the way their relationship always thrives, despite the things they’ve been through. Although that ending…!!!!!!!!!!!

Of all the characters, the Artful Dodger (A.D.) had the most character growth in The Forgotten Mountain. His character always felt a bit one-sided in the previous books, but we saw a LOT of different sides to him and learned a lot more about him this time. He’s a fierce fighter, smart, sly and a ladies man – or so he thinks! I’m definitely excited to see more of him in the next book!

I really like Wendy and Sarah and I’m hoping they get happy endings. Marianne is still a great character, as well. I like the way she fits in with the group, despite their uncertainty about her in The Hidden Library. I still like the Librarian, but I don’t really trust her anymore.. And I’m DYING to know her real identity! And Brom, as usual, was a great character.

The pacing in this book was excellent. There was always enough action to keep the plot moving forward, but not so much that it felt exhausting. Heather’s writing gets better with every book she does – and that’s saying a lot because her writing has always been exceptional! Her writing – coupled with the plot and where the characters all were in their journey(s) – made this book the best one in the series (so far) – and again, that’s saying a lot because I’ve loved every book in this series! All the characters are at the height of their character development; they’re all fierce and strong and loyal. The plot is intriguing and the story really hit a major turning point. No one is holding back now! It was epic and amazing!

And then that ending!!!!!!!!!

I thought the cliffhanger at the end of The Hidden Library was evil but this… this.. this… GAH!!!! HEATHER, WHY?!?!?!?!?!?! These status updates from Goodreads basically sum up my feelings at the end of the book:

87.0% “Ooohhhh…… *Gulps*”
88.0% “Oh crap!!”
88.0% “OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!”
91.0% “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????!!!!!!!!!!!?????”
97.0% “Omfg!!!!!!!!!!!! No no no no!!!!!!!!!”
97.0% “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Seriously, I have no idea how I’m going to survive the next few months, waiting for book four to come out!

So, obviously, I adored this book! I adore all of Heather’s book! And – as usual – I HIGHLY recommend this book (plus the first two, if you haven’t read them). Plus all her other books. All of them. Like.. Go read them all right now. I’ll wait… *Sits, stares creepily at you…*

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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.

Heather Lyons has done it again! And no, I’ll never get tired of reminding you guys what an epic, amazing, wonderful author and person Heather is! I’ve loved all her books and I think you should go read them all right now. Like, if you asked me to pick a favorite, I think I’d break down in tears because HOW CAN I PICK A FAVORITE?!? *Clears throat* Anyway… As with The Collectors’ Society, The Hidden Library spoke to my book nerdy soul. I loved being back in this world with these characters. It felt like no time had passed between reading The Collectors’ Society and picking up The Hidden Library; I fell right back into the story, no problem.

Alice is one of my all-time favorite characters. First of all, I’m obsessed with Alice in Wonderland and Wonderland retellings. So it should come as no surprise that I love this Alice. I said it in my review of The Collectors’ Society and I’ll say it again: Alice is a kick-butt, take charge character. She’s no damsel in distress and can stand on her own and fight her way through any problem. I still got a kick out of her fumbling through modern technology and couldn’t help but speak in a British accent for all her parts. Alice can also be scary at times.. *Gulps.. sneaks away*

Finn!!! My poor, poor Finn went through hell in this book! I absolutely loved learning about Finn’s past finally, but I felt so bad for him and everything he’s had to deal with in his life. He’s also super hilarious and sarcastic and I found myself snickering during a lot of his parts. Of course I shipped him and Alice beyond any doubt. They’re perfect together, they understand each other and they work so well together. They’re one of my Top 5 Favorite Ships of all time. And then that ending… !!!!!! I nearly had a heart attack – twice!!!! I kept trying to flip pages to read more because I couldn’t believe that was it! MY POOR FINN!!!

Now let’s talk about Jace… I didn’t talk much about him in my review of The Collectors’ Society because it was too much of a spoiler. But I think it’s impossible to review this book without talking about him. So… Jace (AKA The White King). I don’t even know where to begin. He’s epic and amazing and swoony and I know this technically isn’t a love triangle and I truly do ship Alice and Finn but… When Alice and Jace get together, I feel all the feels! Like, ALL THE FEELS!!! I just adore Jace so much, even if he and Alice can’t be together, I still want him to get his happily ever after. With everything he’s done and all that he’s sacrificed, he deserves it… *Glares at Heather* Hear that?!?! HAPPY ENDING FOR JACE!

I still love Mary. She’s like my third favorite character (After Alice and Finn). I love her character in general, but I also love the classic she’s from, so that fuels my desire to read about her and learn more about her. I also ship her and Victor like crazy!!! Victor was also awesome and hilarious in this. I worried for him, though. I’d love to see him back in his original timeline. I have a feeling it would be just as.. explosive.. As Finn in his timeline!

Other notable characters are Brom, Wendy, The Librarian and Marianne. I love them all, I want to get to know them all more and I can’t wait to see where their stories are taken in book three!!

As I mentioned in my review of The Collectors’ Society, the villains in this book are epic. They’re insane and show no remorse for their actions and I hate them for that, but they’re also so.. Brilliant. And twisted. Especially the one villain.. In this classic character’s story, this person is beloved. So to see this person as evil.. It was kind of awesome yet insane at the same time. I can’t wait to see where things go in the third book with this particular villain!

And Gabe… Oh, Gabe… I didn’t trust him from the very beginning. Not for a second. Weirdly enough, I pictured him as Simon Baker in his The Devil Wears Prada role, being a total stuck-up, self-absorbed jerk… I really can’t stand Simon Baker, by the way. So that tells you how I felt about Gabe.. Grrrr. But still, as much as I didn’t trust him, that ending was still mind blowing and I can’t wait to see what devious plots he throws at our beloved characters in book three!

And then that ending!!!!!!! That crazy, insane, MEAN, cliffhanger of an ending!!!! I was reading the eBook of this and I kept swiping my iPad, trying to read more, praying there was more!! And then… There wasn’t… And I was sad.. And gasping.. And BOOK THREE NOW PLEASE!!! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!

So… *Clears throat* I’m pretty sure that was my least professional review ever. But I can’t help it when it comes to Heather’s books. There’s so much epic and swoony and crazy, it’s hard to form coherent thoughts to write a review. But anyway… I HIGHLY recommend this book (plus the first one, if you haven’t read it). Plus all her other books. All of them. Like.. Go read them all right now. I’ll wait… *Sits, stares creepily at you…*

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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.

Every book Heather Lyons has written is amazing. And if you asked me to recommend only one of her books, I wouldn’t be able to pick just one. They’re all amazing for one reason or another. They all hold a special place in my heart for one reason or another. But The Collectors’ Society is different. It’s more than just a story. It’s several stories told within a larger story. It has so many beloved characters and unforgettable worlds and it pulls you into each and every one of those characters’ stories. Most importantly, it breathes new life into old classics, making you want to read them for the first time (if you haven’t already) or re-read old favorites.

I loved Alice pretty much right from the beginning. It was entertaining, watching her adjust to the 21st Century. And it was endearing, seeing her growth from beginning to end. She showed a lot of maturity in the decisions she made. She was also a kick-butt character and I loved seeing that. Alice really shined in the second half of the book, especially. She became the ________ she was meant to be (Eep, avoiding spoilers!). She really embraced who she was and who she was fated to be. I would have loved to see more of this part of her life – and maybe we will in book two! *Stares at Heather…* I also really loved Heather’s version of Wonderland and her take on Wonderland history. I don’t want to go into too many details, but I really loved the way Heather stayed true to the original while building upon it and making it even better.

Finn!!!! I can’t express how much I loved Finn. He was epic and amazing and wonderful and perfect. Which isn’t surprising, with how well Heather writes swoony boys! I’ve never read the original classic his story is based on, but I know enough about it that I was excited when I found out who he was. He has such a haunted past; in some ways, he’s grown from it and in some ways, he’s still clinging to what was. But through it all, he was amazing and loyal and I adore him.

One of my favorite characters was Mary, mostly because I love, love, love the story she’s from. Again, I haven’t read the original classic she’s from, but I used to read the “kid” versions when I was little and I loved, loved the movie version from the 90s. I don’t even think I can put into words how perfect Heather’s depiction of Mary was. She was slightly bratty and whiny, with an adultness to her… Does that even make sense? I think this conversation with Alice best describes Mary:

“Why Mary,” [Alice] said, “Were you not a good girl in your book?”

“I was a wretched bitch when I was younger,” [Mary] says cheerfully. “And I can still be so as an adult. My filter is close to none. But, let us not be fully defined by what some people scribbled down centuries before, right? Books don’t tell every detail, nor can they fully represent us as living, breathing individuals.”

Now, I forgot to mark down where in the book that was and I might not have it 100% verbatim. But you get the idea. Mary fully accepts how awful she was as a child and concedes that she may still be just as bad now that she’s an adult. But she doesn’t care what people thought of her then (when she was a child in her book) and she still doesn’t now. It made her feel so real. I really, really, REALLY want to see more of her and her world in book two! *Stares at Heather again.*

I really want to discuss the White King with you… He was swoony, sexy, epic, wonderful, dreamy… I totally ship him and ___!!!!! But.. As you can see, just from that one little line, it’s hard to discuss this guy without spoilers. So PLEASE READ THE BOOK AND THEN WE CAN FANGIRL TOGETHER!!!! That being said, if you’ve read Heather’s Fate series, you know she writes pretty epic love triangles, ones in which you can’t help but love both guys and wish the girl could just pick both! However, I’ve been told this isn’t technically a love triangle.. A girl can hope, though, right?!!?!

Some other characters that deserve notable mentions are Wendy, Victor, Brom and Katrina – all characters from beloved classics! I could go on and on with this review, doing nothing but talking about the characters because they’re amazing! But where’s the fun in that? If you want to know more, go read the book! I promise, you won’t be disappointed! Also, I want to say that the villian picked for this book was.. Priceless! Perfect and epic and awesome. … I’m using those words a lot, aren’t I? I’m sorry, I can’t help it, THIS BOOK, YOU GUYS!!! But on a serious note, I really, really loved the villians Heather chose and I’m excited to see what happens in book two with them! I can’t name them because it would be a huge spoiler, but it was just.. perfect!

I touched on this briefly in my intro paragraph. But my favorite thing about this book was all the classic literary characters. Seeing how they’ve grown and matured (well, most of them have, anyway), was amazing. When you love a book, it’s hard not to wonder what happens to the characters AFTER their stories end. And with The Collectors’ Society, those characters don’t have an ‘end’ – they continue to live on and become even more awesome. Reading about all my favorite characters gave me this huge desire to re-read some of my favorite classics – even those NOT mentioned in The Collectors’ Society! And there are several classics I have still yet to read that I’m now dying to read twice as much as I was before. Getting to revisit those characters and those worlds made me nostalgic for their original stories.

I have so many things on my Wish List for book two. I’m hoping to see characters from Labyrinth and The Wizard of Oz, as well as several other classic favorites. I’d also love to see more of Mary’s world (as I’ve mentioned) in book two. I think this series is off to an amazing start and it can only get better! If you’re a reader, you’ll love seeing the different stories and beloved characters and how Heather ages those characters and incorporates those stories. I also think non-readers will love this – it’s a wonderful introduction to classics and may spark a love of (classic) reading in a non-(classic)-reader

The ending of this book was… Perfection. It wrapped a lot of things up nicely, so it felt like it could stand on its own. But it left just enough open that I’m excited for book two. I know you can’t tell AT ALL from my review *Stares at fangirly, gibberish review….* but I loved this book. Heather Lyons has once again written an epic story with wonderful characters and an amazing world – or worlds, I should say! Seriously, drop everything you’re doing and READ THIS BOOK!!!!