Allies, once inseparable, splinter until they break apart.
An insidiousness carves its way through Wonderland, challenging the land’s very existence.
Battle lines will be drawn as pages, long languishing in darkness, are finally illuminated.
Swords will clash, blood will be spilled, and lives will be lost.
For what is written can still be erased.Goodreads
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
I have an indescribable amount of respect for all authors – to be able to imagine such unique characters, worlds, and plot lines is an incredible talent. The ability to translate these imaginings into words that suck readers worldwide into the pages, is nothing short of remarkable in my opinion. That being said, my respect for Heather Lyons reaches a whole new level with the final installment of this series. Lyons is able to take beloved, classic characters from all different genres of literature, and weave their histories and personalities into a plot that kept me enthralled from page one.
The Lost Codex picks up right where The Forgotten Mountain left off, and the palpable suspense never seems to end. My stomach was in knots throughout the majority of this book as I worried what would happen to my favorite characters (Victor and Jack may be two of my favorite secondary characters of all time).
This book was also much darker than the previous books in the Collector’s Society series – and rightfully so. As the series progresses and the true villain is revealed, each character is put through trials that test their sanity, loyalty, and ability to persevere. I adored the way that each character’s struggle was connected in some way to their past, and timeline. The ties to literary legends were so well placed and so creatively written that I find myself wanting to go back and read some of the classics I haven’t picked up in a while.
Some of my favorite books are the ones where there seems to be no positive end in sight. You know that point, about 70% of the way through a book when you just pause, and think to yourself “How are these characters going to get out of this? How could this possibly end well?”. I definitely favor books that keep me guessing, and The Lost Codex did just that. While I am immensely sad to say goodbye to these amazing characters, I am definitely happy with the way that Lyons ended this series.
Now, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I rated this book 4.5 stars instead of 5. I promise there is good reason for it! There were times in the book, when the romance just seemed to be too much and too redundant for me. It seems as though after every hard fought battle, throughout the entire series, Alice and Finn have sex and profess their love for one another – while this was incredibly sweet, I often found myself skimming through these scenes to get back into the action. That being said, I did enjoy their love story as a whole, and was immensely happy that the White King was a part of the series without becoming part of a love triangle. I felt that his history with Alice lent more depth to the romance between Alice and Finn.
My Takeaway: This series was the absolute definition of unique. Heather Lyons seamlessly ties together fairy tales, classic books, and modern society to create a book that is impossible to put down. While I will miss these characters, I will wait with baited breath for the next series that the author writes. I won’t lie though, I would LOVE a spin-off 🙂
As The Book Ends 