Review: The Collectors' Society by Heather Lyons

Title: The Collectors' Society
By: Heather Lyons
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
Book Whisperer's Rating: 

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?

I honestly do not think that I can do this book justice even if I were to write a fantastic review based on the plot, characters, action, drama, and love present in this book.  Heather Lyons deserves so much praise for concocting such a brilliant world that revolves around our childhood stories.  I have to admit that I was in awe the entire book, and I mean the entire book.  While delving into the first chapter, I had no idea what was in store.  The synopsis sounded intriguing and I really enjoyed Lyons’ “The Deep End of the Sea” so I knew that I would like this book, but I didn’t know that I would absolutely fall in love with this book.

The Collectors’ Society is one of those rare books that pick you up and drop you down into a fantasy-woven world, mixed with some reality and that you become a part of and can feel the guttural emotions written on the pages.  Lyons did an amazing job interweaving the fictional characters of popular childhood stories and turning them into factual being that I either immediately loved or tremendously hated.  She also kept the surprises ever-present and held her cards close to her heart and played them at just the right time to keep this story uniquely entertaining.

I’m not going to say a lot about the plot or characters specifically because I want you, the reader, to be able to learn and love them like I did, which was blindly.  Again, the synopsis sounded intriguing but I had no idea what a wonderful world I was about to step into.  I will say that each character is written to be extremely different and rare than what you will expect.  I found myself gravitating towards those at the Society and those in Wonderland (the White King especially) and falling in love with them.  As for the plot, it was brilliantly mapped out and written to be seamless and thrilling. 

This book doesn’t deserve just five stars – it deserves a heck of a lot more! Also, the two books that I have read from Lyons have both been rated five stars because she is a brilliant writer with an imagination that beyond compare. What does this mean?  It means read her books because you will not be disappointed!

Let me leave you with a heartfelt quote from the book that touched my heart while I was reading.

“I think you are my north star. Wonderland doesn’t have one. The stars above move on a nightly basis.  One night’s sky is always different from the next’s. It’s hard to anchor yourself when you can’t find a north star.  Sometimes, you would feel like you’re floating, lost in space.  I was lost, without purpose when I left Wonderland.  I feared I would never find my footing again.  Never find anything that would help me move past the confusion and desolation and helplessness of my past.  But then I came to the Collectors’ Society. I met you.  My feet found solid ground. A fixed star shines in my sky.”  Truly beautiful.