Book Series Review - The Collector's Society - Heather Lyons
I've been waiting a while in order to post my review about The Collector's Society Series by Heather Lyons. Mostly because I was waiting for the series to be complete. Partly because I've been so busy with outside factors. Cleaning out my grandparent's house for example. Taking my mom to her Cardiac Rehab three days a week for another.
First: The Basics
The Collectors Society consists of 4 books - The Collector's Society, The Hidden Library, The Forgotten Mountain, and the Lost Codex (There's also a character encyclopedia.)
What happens when the stories we all know and love become actual timelines where the characters can travel between our world and various stories?
Meet The Collector's Society lead by Abraham (Brom) Van Brunt. You might recognize him as Brom Bones from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (The Headless Horseman). As the Librarian calls him - Brom is the Head of the Organization.
And meet his Sons - Victor Frankenstein Jr Van Brunt. Wait? What? Imagine that Dr. Frankenstein had a son between the pages and lines of the story. It is the Collector's Society duty to learn about the facts like this. Van Brunt and his wife, Katrina, adopted Victor when he was a child. You'll have to read the story to find out more about Victor's origins. It's worth it. Trust me.
We also have Finn Van Brunt, originally Huckleberry Finn.
When the story begins Alice Reeve is in the Pleasance Asylum trying to overcome her madness. Turns out, Alice Reeve is really Alice Liddell - AKA Alice in Wonderland.
Mr. Van Brunt comes to London to offer Alice a job.
Wait... Van Brunt is from a Washington Irving story and Alice is from a Lewis Carroll story...
Except Van Brunt has the ability to edit into other Timelines (stories).
The Collector's Society needs Alice. A rogue character has been editing into Timelines, finding their catalysts, and destroying the timelines and everybody that lived within those stories. Imagine the characters from The Secret Garden and A Little Princess no longer existing!
Some Timelines, such as Wonderland, are more difficult to access because of their multiple layers/worlds, and Alice is needed to help get into Wonderland and retrieve her story's catalyst.
The only problem is that Alice has been banished from Wonderland...
Follow Alice and Finn down the rabbit hole, through a magic library, and find the forgotten mountain. Can they find the rogue character and save the other Timelines before it's too late? Will we ever discover the original origins of The Librarian?
_____
Okay. My thoughts. Outside of a few mildly annoying and highly understandable typos (signing instead of singing)...I LOVED the series. I had to reread it before I could even start on The Lost Codex.
Yes, I over-simplied the above summary - mostly to avoid spoilers. Aren't too many spoilers just so very annoying?
Why did Alice leave Wonderland? Because of a prophecy that left the kingdoms unbalanced as long as Alice and the White King were in a relationship. Was it easy to leave? Certainly not. That's why she checked herself in an insane asylum. Time passes and she meets Finn Van Brunt and even more time passes and she grows tired of fighting her feelings for Finn.
Then we are faced with the ups and downs of their relationship, including meeting Alice's ex - Jace the White King - and several dangerous and life-threatening situations.
This is definitely a delightful re-imagining of so many timeless classics. I would advise it for upper YA readers, NA (New Adult) readers and up. There are some 'adult' situations and and most of the characters are in their twenties. Some violence - considering two of the initial villains (who we first meet) who are are going around destroying literary worlds are known as Sweeny Todd and Rosemary Lovett... Yes, from the Demon Barber of Fleet Street or The String of Pearls: A Romance (a penny dreadful).
Check it out and let me know your opinion.
Alicia
First: The Basics
The Collectors Society consists of 4 books - The Collector's Society, The Hidden Library, The Forgotten Mountain, and the Lost Codex (There's also a character encyclopedia.)
What happens when the stories we all know and love become actual timelines where the characters can travel between our world and various stories?
Meet The Collector's Society lead by Abraham (Brom) Van Brunt. You might recognize him as Brom Bones from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (The Headless Horseman). As the Librarian calls him - Brom is the Head of the Organization.
And meet his Sons - Victor Frankenstein Jr Van Brunt. Wait? What? Imagine that Dr. Frankenstein had a son between the pages and lines of the story. It is the Collector's Society duty to learn about the facts like this. Van Brunt and his wife, Katrina, adopted Victor when he was a child. You'll have to read the story to find out more about Victor's origins. It's worth it. Trust me.
We also have Finn Van Brunt, originally Huckleberry Finn.
When the story begins Alice Reeve is in the Pleasance Asylum trying to overcome her madness. Turns out, Alice Reeve is really Alice Liddell - AKA Alice in Wonderland.
Mr. Van Brunt comes to London to offer Alice a job.
Wait... Van Brunt is from a Washington Irving story and Alice is from a Lewis Carroll story...
Except Van Brunt has the ability to edit into other Timelines (stories).
The Collector's Society needs Alice. A rogue character has been editing into Timelines, finding their catalysts, and destroying the timelines and everybody that lived within those stories. Imagine the characters from The Secret Garden and A Little Princess no longer existing!
Some Timelines, such as Wonderland, are more difficult to access because of their multiple layers/worlds, and Alice is needed to help get into Wonderland and retrieve her story's catalyst.
The only problem is that Alice has been banished from Wonderland...
Follow Alice and Finn down the rabbit hole, through a magic library, and find the forgotten mountain. Can they find the rogue character and save the other Timelines before it's too late? Will we ever discover the original origins of The Librarian?
_____
Okay. My thoughts. Outside of a few mildly annoying and highly understandable typos (signing instead of singing)...I LOVED the series. I had to reread it before I could even start on The Lost Codex.
Yes, I over-simplied the above summary - mostly to avoid spoilers. Aren't too many spoilers just so very annoying?
Why did Alice leave Wonderland? Because of a prophecy that left the kingdoms unbalanced as long as Alice and the White King were in a relationship. Was it easy to leave? Certainly not. That's why she checked herself in an insane asylum. Time passes and she meets Finn Van Brunt and even more time passes and she grows tired of fighting her feelings for Finn.
Then we are faced with the ups and downs of their relationship, including meeting Alice's ex - Jace the White King - and several dangerous and life-threatening situations.
This is definitely a delightful re-imagining of so many timeless classics. I would advise it for upper YA readers, NA (New Adult) readers and up. There are some 'adult' situations and and most of the characters are in their twenties. Some violence - considering two of the initial villains (who we first meet) who are are going around destroying literary worlds are known as Sweeny Todd and Rosemary Lovett... Yes, from the Demon Barber of Fleet Street or The String of Pearls: A Romance (a penny dreadful).
Check it out and let me know your opinion.
Alicia
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| from HeatherLyons.net |
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