Hey everyone! HUGE day today! You guys have seen some great posts this week and I am so excited to keep the ball rolling! Today is the release day for one of my most anticipated (if not
the) most anticipated novel of the summer. The third installment in one of my all time favorite series. Today I am so excited to share my thoughts with you all. What are we racing about?
The Forgotten Mountain, the third novel in
The Collectors' Society series by my good friend and one of my favorite authors, Mrs. Heather Lyons! Before we get to my thoughts, here's a bit about the novel and our author:
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.
Heather Lyons
Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—she’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.
Find Heather Lyons
*****
My Thoughts
"Madness- that old, dear friend of mine- has come home for a visit. And I welcome its' return with open arms."
I'll be honest with you guys, I don't even know where to begin. This novel is all over the place (in the best way possible) so my review is probably about to make a whole lot of no sense.
If someone was to tell me a year ago that one author would completely change the face of my literary world, one author would completely change the way I look at the world of fiction, that one single author would forever alter my bookish mind, I'd tell you that you were crazy. No author and no series since I've begun my blogging has had the effect on me that Heather Lyons The Collectors' Society series has had. I don't say things like this often guys, so you best be paying attention. Heather has not only struck gold once, but she did it again in February with The Hidden Library. The third time was no exception, Heather Lyons has raised the bar yet again, proving that with each passing installment, her talent continues to grow. What a blessing she has bestowed upon we mere mortals!
The Forgotten Mountain was everything I was hoping for from Heather and so much more.
Being the third book in the series, I have to try hard to make this review as spoiler-free as possible. When it comes to the plot, Heather blew me away. Having pretty much laid out all the ground rules for the series in books one and two, I had a good idea of what could possibly happen in this world. Wrong. And then Heather threw in a wrench and blew me away. Expect the unexpected people. This installment finds out gang on yet another timeline-traveling adventure! With our villains so close, Alice and the gang must do everything they can to stop the destruction of the timelines, and the loss of millions of lives. Our last novel ended with huge uncertainty and some huge cliffhangers. I can proudly say that in book three we do get some much needed resolution, that is, until Heather throws another wrench in the plan! I won't spoil the plot, but I will say that everything you thought you knew about the TCS series? Throw it out the window. Heather Lyons is the woman in charge and she's got a goal to keep us reeling until the very last page!
So by the time we've gotten to book three in a four-part series, we've met a huge majority of the cast. That being said, Heather still managed to throw a few shockers in there and really got the literary juices flowing. A few characters did not see coming finally made their debut in this installment, including one of my all time favorites. One I had been waiting for since the beginning (and yes, he's from Wonderland). Even without a bunch of new characters, Heather does an incredible job of building on her previous development and creating even more complexities for her Collectors' Society recruits. In this novel we see some amazing character development from the A.D. that I was really excited to see. We see a whole new side of Victor, and finally learn more about Mary's life pre-society. It was a lot of fun. I would love to see Heather write spin-offs of this series one day!
When speaking of the setting, I find it hard to write without spoiling anything for new readers. Let me just say that when I found out the title for this novel was The Forgotten Mountain, I had a very specific idea in mind for where Heather was going with the story. I had gone so far as to write my thoughts down in preparation for book 3. Well, I was wrong. In fact, even with my super 'out there' thinking, I was nowhere close to figuring out Heather's plan for the remainder of the series. She got me good. The new primary timeline for this novel may possibly be my favorite one yet. It's so... perfect. Again, not spoiling anything, but Heather really did her homework for this one guys, it shows. Nobody is going to finish this read and think "I wish Heather had put more thought into this." Because geez... Even my head is hurting. This series involves taking quite the plunge, but I know that everyone will be well-impressed by the tale that Heather Lyons has weaved!
As you guys well know, this was the third novel in the series. Each novel brings a little something different into the fold: new characters, new timelines, new emotions. With each installment, the plot thickens, the character become more developed, and the emotional toll rises. This is true of any series, but this one is more than a little special. All stories strive to tell one singular story, however some series make it a point to make each individual novel a story in its' own (Harry Potter, for instance). While that style of writing may work for some, I'm a huge fan of the epic-style of writing used by authors such as Heather Lyons. One of my favorite parts about this series is that the whole thing tells one story. I can't even begin to say what happens in books one or two if you asked for specifics, because Heather has so beautifully tied these stories together. While that may not make sense to some of you, I know those that do will agree with me 110%. It only makes me even more excited for the final installment of the series. So many questions to answer, and after such a jaw dropping cliff-hanger in this novel, I'm chomping at the bit for more!
If I had to sum up The Forgotten Mountain in as few words as possible, it'd be 'simple astounding'. Whenever I think Heather Lyons has done the very best work she can, she raises the bar even farther. Heather Lyons is a national treasure, forever securing herself on my list of all-time favorites. A novel for the ages, The Forgotten Mountain is sure to make a big splash on YOUR summer reading list!
As you guys can, very clearly, see, I am absolutely in love with The Forgotten Mountain by Heather Lyons. This series has become extremely special to me, but this one may be my favorite one yet! If you guys can remember, The Collectors' Society was actually voted my favorite fantasy read of 2014, and trust me, it wasn't an easy category. For these reasons, and so many more that I may be missing, I am granting The Forgotten Mountain a near-perfect 5-star review. Folks, I'm here to tell you that if you aren't reading this series, then you are seriously missing out. Don't delay, add this to your TBR ASAP!
*****
Alright everyone, that's all I have for you on the topic of The Forgotten Mountain by Heather Lyons. Don't worry, this isn't all you'll be hearing from me about this incredible read though. Later this weekend, I'm on the recruit tour and then in a couple of weeks I'll be on the blog tour! Who is pumped!? I know I am. Serious guys, I cannot put into words how incredible this series is and what it means to me. If you haven't taken the plunge down Heather Lyon's rabbit hole, what are you waiting for?
Click on the covers below to be taken to my 5-star reviews of the first two novels in this series.
Until next time, Happy Reading!
-Ethan
