The Burning Page

November 14, 2016
Cogman’s third Invisible Library novel (after The Masked City), which centers on the enormous interdimensional Library that connects various alternate versions of our world and the doughty Librarians who hunt down rare and magical books, opens with the series protagonists, Irene, a Librarian turned spy, and Kai, her dragon apprentice, placed on probation by the ruling forces of the Library after some unfortunate events involving the dragons and the Fae. Then Irene’s arch nemesis, rogue Librarian Alberich, returns with the intent to disrupt the many worlds he has control over, as well as the Library itself. Irene must intervene, though she fears there may be a double agent in her circle who’s conspiring against her. As in previous installments, Cogman’s writing is fresh, with a rich tonality ranging from the whimsical and witty to the suspenseful. Cogman’s alternative worlds are richly detailed, and her depiction of an alternative Russia is quite magical. The stilted “will they or won’t they” love triangle of Irene and the male leads feels clichéd and tacked on. Apart from that, the story is buoyed by the fast action scenes, and readers will be fascinated by the ever-growing complexities of Cogman’s world. Fans will enjoy immersing themselves in the latest installment of this playful, entertaining series.

December 1, 2016

Librarian Irene Winters is on probation after the events of The Masked City, but when rogue agent Alberich threatens to destroy the Invisible Library, it's all hands on deck, and that includes Irene and her dragon assistant Kai. She and Kai are sent to St. Petersburg to steal a book when they encounter Alberich, and it is up to Irene to stop this power-mad former librarian. Alberich has a personal vendetta against Irene, using people she thinks she can trust to further his plans. VERDICT This enjoyable series, of which three initial volumes came out in 2016, reliably combines adventure and fantasy. Clever dialog, time-hopping through fun locales, plenty of action, and hints of fresh plotting will have readers looking forward to further library missions.--MM

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2016
Despite having averted a war between dragons and Fae during The Masked City (2016), junior librarian Irene Winters was put on probation for abandoning her duties to go off on a dangerous rescue mission. She and the dragon prince, Kai, are serving the time fulfilling risky book retrieval assignments, and they barely avoid a fiery death when their escape route bursts into flame. While reporting the gate's destruction to her superiors, Irene learns her old foe Alberich, last seen in The Invisible Library (2016), is threatening to obliterate the library. Complicating matters even more, someoneeither one of her friends or a member of the libraryappears to have betrayed her. Her draconian apprentice has PTSD due to his recent abduction, and the great Victorian detective, Peregrine Vale, has begun resorting to morphine to stave off the effects of heavy exposure to chaos contagion. Irene is not sure whom to trust, although she is determined to stop Alberich's nefarious plans. Fans won't want to miss the third action-packed title in Cogman's engaging fantasy series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)