Thank You Genevieve Cogman for delivering 100% on this one! I didn't know that we needed a "heist" one in the series but I am oh so glad for it. This one brings Irene and Kai (and various other Dragons and Fae) into James Bond meets Oceans 11 territory. What's not to love? Billionaire eccentric Fae Villain with his own private island and pools of sharks? A heist/caper challenge filled with a motley team of talented specialists, almost all completely unreliable/unknowable? A painting behind the painting that may reveal the TRUE history of the Monarchs of the Dragon Courts (or it could just be a forgery, who knows?) Double, triple, quadruple crosses? And all why our beloved Irene tries to keep a level head, control the situation, dodge the creepy CENSOR (Combined European Nations Supernatural Observation and Response) organization, and get in an afternoon nap with Kai?

I needed this book in this series...the last was a little bit of a lull, and this one definitely delivered on ALL the things I was missing: more action/adventure, more emotional involvement of characters, and more secrets/revelations in the bigger story arcs (that carry throughout multiple books). The secondary characters in this one were particularly good too. Genevieve is very clever with the way she has done the Fae in her books, by having them don archetypal personas and function with in their stereotypical story lines she allows herself the freedom to have fun with those types of characters, and embrace those archetypes without the backlash of the educated reader saying "those characters are so stereotypical etc." There's a reason those archetypes exist and why they are timeless and popular across all formats and artistic mediums, and so to see an author get to so unabashedly embrace them, whether in earnest or humorously, is pure enjoyment. Probably my favorite in the series so far (besides the showdown with Alberich....he needs to come back by the way....just saying:) .
Thank you NetGalley for supplying me with an ARC of this book (in exchange for my honest review)!

The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman is the latest in her wonderful Invisible Library series. Coming after the six previous novels, Irene and Kai have become well-loved characters. In this installment, the world where Irene grew up is in dangerous of slipping into chaos. In order to retrieve the book necessary to fix that world, Irene and Kai are forced to work with others to steal a painting in exchange for the book. I know I'm in for a fun adventure whenever I start reading one of these- this series just gets better and better!

I love this series. Absolutely fun and exciting and recommend it to anyone. In that The Secret Chapter was an excellent addition to the series and will continually be recommending it.

The Secret Chapter, by author Genevieve Cogman, is the Sixth installment in the authors The Invisible Library series. Librarian Irene Winters and her assistant, Dragon Prince Kai, travel through time and dimensions, fighting supernatural creatures of chaos, to track down the most important books in all of the worlds. But, this time out, there is something different. There's a truce in place between the Fae and Dragons arbitrated by the Library. Irene is the Librarian delegate, while Kai is the Dragon delegate. The Fae still have not named their delegate but will by the time this story is finished.

While Irene may be the key Librarian delegate, she also has another job as spy and thief and Librarian-in Station to a world that resembles a steampunk 19th century London. In this story, Irene's main job is to retrieve a copy of an Egyptian Text called (The Tale of The Ship Wrecked Sailor 2000-1700 BC). There's a chapter in the book that is missing. All copies of the version have been lost. But one. Irene is only authorized by her boss Coppelia to use Quid Pro Quo negotiations in order to get the missing chapter in order to save the world that she spent her formative years at an exclusive boarding school.

The catch is that Irene is expected to negotiate with a man called Mr. Nemo for the copy. Mr. Nemo is a billionaire enigmatic collector who collects things and unaligned people. He also lives on a secretive Island in the Caribbean which is impossible to reach without help. Nemo is a stereotypical Fae villain who loves classic novels in how he operates. There's even a scene where he dunks someone into a shark tank. Yep, very James Bond like of him. Irene & Kai will have to work with a curious team that includes a dragon techie (Indigo), a Fae thief (Jerome), a gambler (Felix), a driver (Tina), and the muscle (Ernst).

Nemo has an offer for everyone: he wants the group to steal a very specific painting from a specific world. If they are successful, they can ask for anything they want. Their goal? The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, in an early twenty-first-century world, where their toughest challenge might be each other. In this world, there is a painting called The Raft of Medusa that Nemo wants badly. But how far does trust go? And will they succeed? The world has both magic and technology. There's even a group known as CENSOR which monitors everyone. There are apparently vampires and werewolves in this world, not just Fae, and Dragons. And, it seems as though Irene is clearly a target here. But, by whom?

Irene isn't someone to mess with. She's had years of training and is loyal to the library and its goals. She makes mistakes along the way, but she always tries to do the best she can. She uses a combination of sarcasm and humor in order to deal with twists and turns thrown at her. For the first time in this series, Cogman introduces you to Irene's adoptive parents Raziel and Liu Xiang who were kidnapped as bargaining chips the last time out. Neither name has anything to do with their origin or their nation of birth. Librarians tend to use extreme cultural appropriation when choosing a name.

They are a curious pair. They are excellent spies and thieves. The father is a specialist in Egyptian hieroglyphs and texts. They love Irene, I truly believe, but they just have more important things to worry about her every time she goes on a mission. One of the most curious parts of this series is that Irene and the Library is supposed to be a neutral party. They are morally grey, they steal (for the greater good but are professionals at theft) from others. They have the ability to use a power called the Language, they can change/change how you perceive reality. We also get us a bit more allusion to the dragon’s history which has been going on for the past couple of books now. I think this bombshell is going to cause all sorts of issues for Irene and especially Kai in the coming installments.

Recommendation: While this book can be read as a standalone, my recommendation is to please read the books as they are released. Irene is definitely a character that you want to read about and her relationship with Kai has come a long way since Irene first took him on as an apprentice.

4.5 'He who controls the present controls that past' Stars

You can also see a different joint review done with Anne at Books of My Heart

I’ve enjoyed the invisible library series so far. It is one of the smarter series I read and I’m always interested in what new shenanigans Irene and associates are going to get into. Irene is usually trying to steal one book or another from some world but now she needs to steal something much larger to get the book she needs and she has some new hinderances/helpers for the task.

In the last book Irene became the Library’s representative one the tentative peace treaty was signed and Kia was placed in a similar position enabling their relationship to change. I was a little worried that the romantic aspect between them would take over a little since this is the first book they are officially together. I was worried for nothing, there is the romance between them, but it is so in the background really that it is almost not there. So, the tone of the story hasn’t changed much from prior books, which means if you are reading this solely for the romance…don’t.

Irene and Kia both go to meet with Nemo, a criminal overlord type Fae who has a book Irene desperately needs. Irene and Kia both have very different reasons for going, they both have their own political agendas and those agendas don’t always line up. I respect that both Kia and Irene are still their own people with their own motivations and just because they are together that isn’t going to change. Each has secrets from the other and they respect that. While each might do whatever they can to protect the other, they aren’t blindly just letting the others agenda overshadow their own.

***”Should I worry about him?”
Does he matter to you? Besides politically, that is?”
Let’s just say, whether of not he’s in danger will affect my response to the situation.” ***

A few of the things I loved. We finally meet Irene’s parents. They are a trip and it was a pretty funny exchange.

***Was it a surprise that a daughter of spies had developed trust issues? she thought wryly. ***

While other story plot lines have really examined more of the Library and Fae this one had some bigger developments surrounding the dragons and their origin story. I enjoyed learning more about how the dragons think and their political machinations. Sadly, Vale didn’t have much to do with this story but the good news is that I was so caught up in the quirky new characters and the heist that I didn’t really miss him much.

This was another very well written story with new information that will probably build into the next books. I enjoyed all my time with Irene and co. again and can’t wait to see how the revelations about the dragons in this will play into future books.

DNF; I didn't realize that this was part of a series and I don't think it standalones well. Will read/review when I have caught up with series.

When the library calls on Irene and Kai to find a book that will help save a world they take on the adventure despite their new roles as Ambassadors. In order to obtain their book they must join a ragtag group in a museum heist. Once that heist is completed the book will be theirs. Of course, not all is as it appears!

The Secret Chapter was a rollicking good time. It had the great heist and humor of Ocean’s Eleven and the fantasy adventure a la Lord of the Rings. Although thank goodness, no Orc’s. Irene and Kai’s relationship has advanced into partner status, but Irene’s experiences bring her into the role of leader. I really enjoyed the cast of characters and how dragon culture and fae storylines are becoming even more intertwined as the series goes forward.

The wonderfully named Mr. Nemo is the ultimate bad guy. His name brought to mind two sea themed movies, Finding Nemo and Capt. Nemo of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, so not surprisingly his hideout is an island and his hitmen an ocean full of sharks.

I like Irene and Kai’s more even status as newly appointed Ambassadors, but I do still get the feeling that Irene is the brains and Kai the beauty and brawn. This is the sixth book in the series so it will be really interesting to see if and how their relationship progresses. Will future books still be about their adventures or will they start to have more relationship meat. Truthfully, I wish for both. I want them to continue their adventures but I think if their relationship doesn’t move into deeper feelings that I may start to tire of book after book of adventures. We’ll see! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest.

4.5 hearts

<em>This is a joint review between <strong>Robin</strong> and me.</em>

We both are big fans of  <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/145608-the-invisible-library" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>The Invisible Library</strong></em></a> series since the beginning.  The world-building is exceptional, with new worlds in each book since Irene travels.  Irene is an awesome character, and all the characters are very well-developed. The writing in these stories is excellent, more complex in the worlds and characters along with mysteries and thrilling action. The main thing Robin likes about the characters in this series is they are true to themselves.

It's important to read the series in order with the character development, you wouldn't get the same knowledge or connection with just one book.  <strong>Secret Chapter</strong> is a new arc to the story for many reasons, spoilery reasons.  Irene's assignment has changed since the previous book as she and Kai are part of a political team overseeing the new peace treaty, plus she and Kai are more officially a couple.

There are a few Library characters who are involved throughout the series.  But the primary contacts for Irene have been the detective, Vale and the dragon, Kai.  I thought at one point she was going to have a romance with Vale.  This time Vale was mostly absent. Robin was surprised she didn't miss him more, and we hope to see him more in the future.

Robin was slightly worried now Irene and Kai are official that romance would skew the series.  We both feel it is handled well, ie, still in the background.  Robin loved how each has their political role to play and they try not to let it interfere with the romantic aspects. I enjoyed how they were committed to each other, respecting each other's cultures and secrets, while being able to discuss things honestly.

Probably because of Kai, Irene has grown so much personally.  She really knew so little overall about the library, yet quite a bit about various worlds, the fae and the dragons.  Irene continues to learn about the cultures here.  I love this expansion of her knowledge!  Robin and I were both excited to finally meet her parents and hear about Irene's background.

Robin loved that this story is a heist. Each book has its own style and this one was different from the rest. I pointed out Irene is pretty much always stealing a book but this time it <em>is</em> different because there is a whole team.  This team is one they didn't choose, can't trust and is likely to unreliable, probably dangerous. Irene and Kai really have to work every bit of their intelligence and political skills to stay alive in this venture.

Another thing I love so much is the humor. It is based around some of the stereotypes of the cultures but it works very well.

<blockquote>We note the Library has not had fire alarm drills for the last two hundred years. This is because we found the two default responses unhelpful. These being "running away screaming" or "resigning yourself to death while clutching your favourite books." Librarians with more useful suggestions should contact Yves via email and attach a full benefit-threat analysis.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Kai was brooding over his own pot of coffee when she returned, sprawled in his favourite armchair by the fire. He greeted her with an absent nod.

She settled into the chair opposite. "Which  of our many problems are you thinking about?" she asked.</blockquote>

The political treaty team includes Irene (library), Kai (dragon) and by the end, a fae member has been chosen.  Pretty much any fae wouldn't be trustworthy so it will be fascinating to see how that goes in the next book.  We'll both be reading!

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Another solid installation in The Invisible Library series that expands the world of the dragons.

My only criticism is that the number of characters the reader is required to keep track of in this nod to great heist movies makes the plot a bit unwieldy.

Perhaps my favorite book in the Invisible Library series! Irene and Kai have become the Library and Dragon representatives to the new Council. While waiting for the Fae representative to be named, they undertake a Library mission to retrieve a book from the mysterious broker Mr. Nemo. In exchange for the book, they undertake a heist with an oddly assembled team in unclaimed World. All the cliches are represented, from Bond villain to cocky master thief. An enjoyable adventure that also highlights the growing personal relationship and partnership between Kai and Irene. Brief appearances by Silver and Vale whet the appetite for the next book,while the naming of the Fae representative at the end of the book leaves the door open for the drama to continue! A knowledge of the characters and the Worlds in the series is helpful, but the caper is pure fun on its own.

A Librarian's main job is to collect unique books from different worlds in order to stabilize those worlds between the forces of chaos and order. Irene may have accidentally found herself getting more involved with politics lately (The Mortal Word), but when she learns that the world where she went to boarding school is mysteriously tipping into chaos, she's determined to get the manuscript necessary to save it. The only problem is, the manuscript is currently in the hands of the secretive Fae Mr. Nemo, and in order to get her hands on it, Irene is going to have to do something for him: steal a specific painting from a specific world with the help of Kai, a Fae thief, a Fae gambler, a Fae driver, a Fae thug and a dragon techie. What could possibly go wrong?

Genevieve Cogman says it herself: at some point, you knew there had to be a heist. And more than the garden variety 'acquiring' of books that makes up the main work of a Librarian. Think James Bond meets The Italian Job, Ocean's Eleven, and any other heist movie you can think of, add scheming Fae and a dash of dragon politics and you have The Secret Chapter. The world in question is under heavy control of CENSOR, a police force whose cameras are everywhere and who will raid a place looking for demons, vampires, or werewolves at the drop of a hat. This, of course, is less than optimal for a group of thieves who need to steal a gigantic painting from Vienna's most famous museum.

Irene is her usual excellent self: trying to keep Kai and dragon Indigo from killing each other, trying to keep the unlikely mix of characters organized in order to steal the painting and putting their individual agendas on hold- all with the least violence necessary. She has a deadline to save a world and is determined to do it. What's interesting is that despite her doubts of her own morals or ethics, she does actually have them. Sometimes this is highly inconvenient since it makes her try to get everyone out of a situation alive instead of going for the easy way out, but I found it rather comforting. She's a more complex and relatable character because of her morals, and because she questions whether she has them.

We get to see a more of Irene's parents in Chapter than we ever have before, and it definitely shows us where Irene gets her practical attitude! Vale and Lord Silver make almost no appearance, which on the one hand is disappointing because they are always fun, but on the other hand they wouldn't have worked in this book so it was good of Cogman to try not and fit too much in one book. There is still a relationship between Irene and Kai that I'm not convinced of, but Cogman kept the romance basically 'off-stage', which was great as far as I was concerned. The new Fae characters will seem like completely familiar examples of their tropes (which is the point) but Cogman intrigues readers with a few hints about Fae nature and what exactly a Fae is that I hope she'll explore in future books. And we learn a few dragon secrets that have the potential to be highly explosive in the future.

The Secret Chapter drags a little sometimes as Cogman sets the scene, but overall this is one of her better in the series. Between intriguing secrets, expected betrayals, unexpected betrayals, dragon fights, and sharks, it has plenty to enjoy. For me, the best part of a Genevieve Cogman book is her writing style: full of dry humor, rapier sharp wit, beautiful descriptions, and delightfully detailed world(s) building. One of Cogman's greatest skills is her ability to create an image in only a few words and letting the reader'a imagination take it from there. A perfect example? Levitating corgis.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Fantastic as always! Genevieve continues to thrill and keep us on our toes for the Library, Dragons, and Fae. Can't wait for the next installment.

This series keeps getting better! One of the best parts is that Cogman gets to play in different sandboxes, so to speak. This time, she took a page from James Bond/Ocean's 11 and seeing our heroes try to fit into that kind of world is delightful! Cogman also gives us some more small pieces on the bigger picture. Definitely recommended but for the best experience, read from the beginning of the series. You won't be able to put them down.

I am going to be really honest about this one in a way that hurts my heart:

I didn't love it. I've been a die-hard fan of this series, but as it's gone on, I feel like there is something missing. Each book is starting to feel very much the same, and I'm missing an overarching plot that propels the story forward. I cared very little about the specific plot of this book and felt like I was just reading to get to the character development (of which there was fairly little in this installment) and I just ended up feeling like I wanted more.

This book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This series has been a fantastic read with every release.! It's always a blast to see where Irene' and Kai's adventures will take them next!

The heist is a nice change of pace and allows Irene and Kai to start feeling out the newly minted treaty. Setting them up to interact in a team made for some interesting conflicts. The worldbuilding in this book has me very excited to keep going with this series!

Every new book in the Invisible Library always brings me delight and it was no different since the time I got to know the series would be extended. And obviously receiving the ARC made me very happy. What a great way to have some fun on a weekend.

The one thing guaranteed in this series is that the story moves at a great pace, throwing one sticky situation after another at the characters, not giving them time to get complacent. This ensures that we as readers are always on our toes as well, worried what’s gonna happen next and never wanting to keep the book down. As always, there is another heist this time but involving a larger crew and I enjoyed seeing the typical heist tropes used so effectively. We get a 80s style Bond villain who is the mastermind, a master thief, a muscle, a hacker and the one running the show on the ground. It felt like watching a movie with lots of twists, not being able to guess initially who might betray whom, but ultimately figuring it all out and delighting in the knowledge. We also get us a bit more allusion to the dragon’s history which has been going on for the past couple of books now. And while I was enjoying an entertaining and predictable ride, the author completely blew my mind with the epilogue and I can only wonder what the long term consequences of those revelations are going to be.

Irene has always been a favorite character of mine and reading more about her only made me happy. While she is her smart, witty and resourceful self when trying to get out of tricky messes, I liked getting to know her a bit more personally this time around. Her dysfunctional relationship with her parents and being involved in a task which means something personal to her showed us a bit of introspective and vulnerable side to her, and it definitely made me appreciate her more for being the kind and loyal person she is.

We see that her relationship with Kai is going well but as we’ve come to expect, it’s the slowest burn romance ever and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. We also get quite a few Fae and Dragon cameos from the previous books, so that was fun but I missed having Vale again. The rest of the heist crew was fun to follow as well, but mostly I enjoyed watching Irene try to work with such a diverse team and figure out how to handle each of their idiosyncrasies.

Finally, this is a thoroughly entertaining and sometimes predictable heist novel with an explosive ending and I promise you’ll have fun reading it. If you’re a fan of the series, then I would obviously recommend you to continue on this journey. If you have never read the Invisible Library series, but you love novels full of adventures and heists, supernatural creatures and an extremely smart Librarian protagonist, you should totally check this out. From the way the story ended, I hope we’ll get to know a lot more about the Library’s origins in the later books and I can’t wait.

~ ARC provided by NetGalley ~

I really enjoy this series. The world building and characters are awesome. This particular one wasn't my absolute favorite, it was more or less your typical type of heist story. I enjoyed it nonetheless. ♡

An exciting entry in an already very well-received and entertaining series! Following the continuing adventures of Irene (and Kai), this book is a great take on the Oceans 11 fantasy/sff heist and it is wonderful to see characters readers have gotten to know so well take part in a twisty scenario like this one.

As an added benefit, this is a book that (like the rest of the series) has a little bit of something for everyone. Fans of the series will love it, and the series as a whole is a nice way to get patrons who are looking for something fun and different but aren't sure about hard sff or fantasy into a new genre.

Elaine and Kai have been named the Librarian and Dragon representatives retrospectively to the new Treaty formed between the Library, the Dragons and the Fae. They are awaiting the representative of the Fae to be selected. Meanwhile a situation arises in the world where Elaine went to boarding school. A specific copy of a book must be returned to this world to keep it from dissolving into chaos. A mysterious collector has the needed copy of the book and the Library sends Elaine to retrieve it.Kai comes along too. The collector requires a clandestine set of rules be followed and gathers a team to perpetrate a theft in another world with the promise Elaine will recieve the desired book upon completion of the theft. There is a fantastical series of events that follow as this odd bunch of "people" attempt to complete their assignment. Thrilling and twisty and thoroughly enjoyable to the end!!! Looking forward to the next adventures!!!!

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a huge fan of the Invisible Library series and I was thrilled to see the release of the secret chapter. I do believe that I am actually one of the few that think of Irene as a superhero. Being a librarian myself, I could appreciate the power and trust Irene had in all of her missions especially this one forming a band of misfits to collect a reward from the fae Mr. Nemo and having their biggest battle not to battle each other. This is a Fiction novel but what I love about this book the most is how realistic it is running a staff of people with multiple personalities and personas where if some or all clash, that is the biggest obstacle and that no matter what bonding together is way more powerful and successful than turning on eachother fighting for personal gain.

We will consider adding this title to our Fantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.