Booklist Reviews
Following her adventures in The Invisible Library (2016), Irene was appointed Librarian in Residence to an alternate Victorian-era earth. With the help of her assistant, Kai, the youngest son of dragon royalty, and the deductive skills of the great detective Peregrine Vale, she continues to retrieve books for the mysterious, multidimensional Library. When Kai is kidnapped by a Fae Lord and whisked off to a world deep within the chaotic end of reality, Irene intends to rescue him herself. The dragons are threatening war, and to save Kai, she will have to do two things no Librarian should even consider: work with the impulsive Lord Silver (another Fae) and cross over into a magical city infested by chaos. Irene may have also lost the friendship of Vale, who is deeply offended by her determination to go alone. Series fans will be thrilled to learn more about dragon-kind and the capricious Fae, and will be eager for Cogman's third in the series. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
Librarian-in-residence Irene should be happily settling into her role in the slightly magical Victorian world to which she has been assigned, with her dragon assistant Kai. When Kai is kidnapped and taken deep into the magical realms of the fae, Irene will do anything to get him back. Her ties to the Library will protect her to some extent from the fae's powers, but their chaotic environment is poison to Kai. Getting drawn into a power play among fae nobles will require Irene to use all the talents at her disposal. From her introduction in The Invisible Library as a secret Library agent tasked with rescuing obscure novels from alternate versions of Earth, Irene has proven to be a charming, resourceful heroine. VERDICT Fans of this series and its mix of adventure and wit will be pleased that Book 3, The Burning Page, is due in January 2017, with Cogman signed to pen at least two more. [See Eric Norton's SF/Fantasy Genre Spotlight, "Imagined Multiverses," LJ 8/16.—Ed.]—MM. Copyright 2016 Library Journal.
PW Annex Reviews
The second installment of Cogman's whimsical fantasy series (after The Invisible Library) follows the career of Irene, a spy for the international organization called the Library, and her dragon protégé, Kai. Irene has grown complacent in an alternate Victorian London, but her world is disrupted when Kai is kidnapped. She must retrieve him before a war erupts between the dragons and the Fae. Irene's quest takes her to opulent Italy, rendered in rich, alluring detail. Cogman keeps up with the voice and pacing established in the first installment as she delves deeper into the nuances of Fae politics and power. The inclusion of the Student Librarian's Handbook, however, overlaps with information revealed during the course of the novel, at times feeling redundant. Irene and Kai are faced with new challenges as the plot moves forward, buoyed by Cogman's fabulous imagined Europe. This installment lacks some of the verve of the first book, but it's still intelligent, inventive fantasy that anyone familiar with or new to the genre will enjoy. (Sept.)
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