“A mysterious archive A powerful enemy And a cunning plan” (Cogman, Cover)
 |
| Cover of the Dark Archive |
The seventh book in Genevieve Cogman's “Invisible Library Series” detailing the exploits of a magical Librarian named Irene and her quest to save worlds from chaos and order, Fae and Dragons!
At the end of the last book we left the worlds of the Invisible Library in a delicate truce between many powerful entities. Dragons (master's of order) and Fae (lords of Chaos) had struck a tenuous truce with the Library to stop harming each other at the cost of humans (and worlds).
At the beginning of this volume the truce is new and a still questioned by unseen forces...also a new aspect has arisen, the Fae want to find a way to have one of their own join the ranks of Librarian (a never before accomplished feat). The Lord Silver (the Fae treaty representative and bane of Irene's, Librarian and main heroine) has offered his niece, Catherine, as an apprentice to Irene, for if anyone can get a Fae into the Library it would be her, the one who had a Dragon apprentice and saved the Library from their worst enemy, Alberich.
However, this treaty is not the only struggle that the team of heroes face in this new adventure. Many mysterious old enemies are reappearing seemingly out of the mists, including one who is definitely dead, Lord Guantes, killed by Irene while rescuing Kai on their last adventure. Along with old enemies there is jealousy brewing among the Dragons, particularly Kai (Irene's onetime apprentice and now lover) and his older brother Shan Yuan. This feud seems to cause problems but yet be helpful in ending the troubles they find themselves in. Shan Yuan is both the cause of their capture and a means of escape.
This is not the most shocking element of the tale nor is it the major plot. Irene must once again discover who is powerful enough to shape worlds and capture not only Dragons and Fae but Librarians, who have powerful Language magic. Irene is faced with only one seemingly logical answer, yet he too is dead, again killed by Irene. So not only is Lord Guantes seemingly alive, her arch nemesis is as well!
Will these heroes survive yet another scrape with death! Who can they trust? Will the new Fae Library Apprentice be trusted or did she betray them, after all she is a Fae subject to her archetype?!?
Reveiw
This book is an action packed edition to an already delightful world where Libarians are much more than simple guardians of books and knowledge. Cogman has created a colorful world that blends many fantasy and sci-fi elements seamlessly to form a whole new world. Irene is a great heroine and can stand alone but chooses to work with a team and knows when she needs support, though often needing reminders to not take unneeded risks by Kai. The blending of Western archetypes and Fae magic with that of the Eastern Dragons is done well and creates many new opportunities and juxtapositions. I highly recommend the entire “Invisible Library” Series to lovers of fantasy, dragons, and libraries. Cogman's storytelling has elements of fantasy, romance, and adventure which will delight many fans, including those who love high fantasy adventures tales.
For more reviews by me about the Invisible Library see (in order of books):
April Librarian: The Invisible Library [Review] (aprillibraian.blogspot.com)
April Librarian: The Masked City: A Review (aprillibraian.blogspot.com)
April Librarian: Review of The Burning Page (aprillibraian.blogspot.com)
April Librarian: The Lost Plot: Review (aprillibraian.blogspot.com)
April Librarian: Review of The Secret Chapter by Cigman (aprillibraian.blogspot.com)
Reference
Cogman, G. (2020). The dark archive. London: Pan Books.
Cover image taken by author of this post of the book noted above. All rights to the cover art belong to Pan Books.
No comments:
Post a Comment