November 1, 2021
Cogman’s thrilling eighth Invisible Library fantasy (after The Dark Archive) finds librarian Irene Winters and her motley crew investigating a conspiracy rooted in the origins of the Library itself. Cogman skillfully gets new readers up to speed on the rich worldbuilding—in which an interdimensional library preserves the balance between worlds through the stories it houses—as Irene is assigned a top-secret mission to hunt down Alberich, a nefarious traitor to the library who she’s recently learned might be her father. Irene and friends—a human detective, a dragon prince, and a fae apprentice—delve into myths and folklore with scholarly diligence to fill in the gaps about Alberich’s past amid mounting rumors of worlds disappearing, and increased political unrest between dragon and fae. When Irene discovers an obscure story of the Library’s founding that hints at a secret at the heart of the Library—and may explain Alberich’s betrayal—Irene faces a terrible choice between protecting her friends and fulfilling her mission. Bibliophiles new to the series will be charmed by the premise and find this an easy starting point, while returning readers will be thrilled with the nail-biting conclusion. It’s a joy to see this series going strong. Agent: Lucienne Diver, the Knight Agency.
December 1, 2021
Cogman's latest jumps into the action after 2020's The Dark Archive. While still reeling from the revelations about her own origins, librarian, spy, reluctant diplomat, and all-too-human Irene Winters finds herself strong-armed into a secret mission to either bring down the Library's greatest enemy, figure out why entire worlds are going missing, outrun the agents who believe that she's gone rogue, save her lover Prince Kai (who's a dragon) from the machinations of his own family, and save the Library from the rot that lies at its own dark heart. Just another day saving the universe for the intrepid Librarian Irene and her friends. "Invisible Library" newbies would do well to start at the beginning, while long-term readers will be on the edge of their seats following the events in this thrilling conclusion to a fantastic series. VERDICT Irene's madcap adventures are played for the highest stakes in the epic conclusion to the long-running series plumbing myths, folklore, spies, and skullduggery.--Marlene Harris, Reading Reality, LLC, Duluth, GA
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from December 1, 2021
Irene Winters, treaty representative, thief, and loyal operative of the mysterious Library, is angry--angry enough to kill. At the climax of The Dark Archive (2020), she discovered she has been lied to her entire life. Her father--her real father--is none other than Alberich, her deadliest enemy. The Library's Elders decide to take advantage of the situation and assign Irene a covert mission to put an end to Alberich once and for all. Shortly thereafter, her friends and every librarian, Fae, and Dragon across the entirety of the multiverse believe Irene has gone rogue and is about to commit murder. But something else is going on. Worlds have begun to disappear, and a rumor is being spread that the Library is responsible, which, if true, could destroy the newly established and still-fragile peace between Dragons and Fae. Irene's mentor, the one person inside the Library she could always rely on, is dying, and if she follows through with the assignment, she could also lose her friends, her lover, and even her soul. Fantasy fans will be thrilled as book eight of the action-packed series ventures further into the depths of the Invisible Library than ever before.
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