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A review by jhbandcats
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another fast-paced entry in the Invisible Library series, The Burning Page has the Library under an existential threat. Gates are being destroyed, Librarians are being murdered, and the enemy Alberich is getting close. His plan is to completely destroy the Library, and everything
within - people, books, the entire world of the Library - and there's no good plan to stop him.
Irene Winters, intrepid Librarian; Kai Strongrock, her dragon assistant; and Peregrine Vale, London detective; jump in to do their best to defeat Alberich once and for all. Alas, like the "dead" bodies in horror films, he refuses to stay down. Perhaps this time they'll be able to subdue him, perhaps eradicate him completely. In addition to the threat from Alberich, there are werewolves, flying sleighs, exploding briefcases, and even a power shortage with a brownout.
I really like this series a lot but I felt the last part, the exciting match of wits and powers, was both odd and cliché. Does Alberich have a body or not? Can he be killed or not? Can Irene access the Library if the door is in a fake library with fake books? The big to-do wasn't equal to what came before: the clever plot devolved into banal battle.
That said, I love the characters and I'm about to read the next in the series. I love the idea of valiant Librarians defeating evil and enjoy the plots and characters.
within - people, books, the entire world of the Library - and there's no good plan to stop him.
Irene Winters, intrepid Librarian; Kai Strongrock, her dragon assistant; and Peregrine Vale, London detective; jump in to do their best to defeat Alberich once and for all. Alas, like the "dead" bodies in horror films, he refuses to stay down. Perhaps this time they'll be able to subdue him, perhaps eradicate him completely. In addition to the threat from Alberich, there are werewolves, flying sleighs, exploding briefcases, and even a power shortage with a brownout.
I really like this series a lot but I felt the last part, the exciting match of wits and powers, was both odd and cliché. Does Alberich have a body or not? Can he be killed or not? Can Irene access the Library if the door is in a fake library with fake books? The big to-do wasn't equal to what came before: the clever plot devolved into banal battle.
That said, I love the characters and I'm about to read the next in the series. I love the idea of valiant Librarians defeating evil and enjoy the plots and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail