This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/12/29/the-dark-archive-by-genevieve-cogman/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

<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 is a favorite series with its adventures and the continuing development of some characters.   While Irene and Kai are now on the treaty council, <strong>The Dark Archive</strong> is one long escape from assassination attempts. Of course, they can't just run, they have to figure it out so they can go on with their work and so humans won't be injured. Who better to investigate and solve a mystery than Vale?  I was so happy to see him again, more active in this story.

There is also the matter of Irene's new apprentice, the Fae representative, Catherine.  Catherine is Lord Silver's niece. She is young and idealistic and very annoying.  More than once, she disobeys orders and causes trouble. No Fae has ever been able to enter the library with their chaotic natures so that is one of Irene's challenges because Catherine wants to go to the Library.  Her ideal is to read books, care for books, and recommend books to others.  She is dismissive of Irene's normal duties.

The investigation, constantly interrupted with assassination attempts, seems to point towards old enemies who are dead. But there does appear to be a revenge aspect because it is Irene and Kai as well as their friends targeted. So relatives of their former foes could be involved.  Irene does an amazing job as usual in outwitting threats and saving her life and others.  Although, things are dire more than once.

I highly recommend this smart, high-action series (read them in order).  The romance is definitely in the background and not a focus in any of the books which is just the way I like it. Both Irene and Kai learn more about their families and each other in the continued development of their characters.  I'm always fascinated to learn more about the library, the fae and the dragons who make up the primary aspects in these worlds.

Comme d'habitude, Kai and Vale and Irene are in pursuit of a Book on Vale's home, and Irene and Kai's adopted favorite base-world, B-395. New character Catherine (where's Heathcliff, Author Cogman?) is a Fae (and the niece of powerful adversary Fae Lord Silver) who is to be trained as a Librarian. Hence her presence here.

But, I hear fellow fans complain, Fae can't go into the Library! They're Chaos on legs, they would be extinguished or combust or something! And you're correct, they can't. Catherine's tried with no success and a good deal of pain. Now she's on a Librarian spycrafty expedition, nursing a distinctly adolescent sense of being Hard Done By and making poor Kai pay for her inner crappy mood. Irene and Vale? Elsewhere. Being, in fact, booby-trapped into a submarine explosion and a major, major discovery. A Certain Someone is not as dead as Irene left him, and his Lady Wife seems to be ready to take on the Library to get revenge for Irene's dastardly nerve in killing him in the first place.

These are but the opening notes of the symphony. And I can assure you that the pace doesn't slacken, the chases are truly cinematic (one B-395 London library is *begging* to be filmed with its multi-story Guggenheim-esque open atrium architecture, only 18th century and marble not 1959 concrete), the characters constantly going to extremes in service of their families, their peoples (Fae, Dragons, Librarians...the odd human tempest-tost in the deep end of a cosmic pool they never suspected existed), and the Treaty that our intrepid gang damn near died to bring into effect. After all, a multiverse of opposing sides defined by antithetical modes of being needs rules or there's going to be lots of casualties.

What I look for that Author Cogman delivers book after book is a group of people whose honor is stronger than their fear, whose shared values hold them up when they're so battered by enemies they just want to lie down and rest, and whose relationships adjust to Earth-shattering new information.

That last one? That's the Big Reveal. You'll think, "oh THIS is what he was on about!" And it will most definitely NOT be. And you won't know it until a book falls on your metaphorical head and rings your bells.

It's worth it.

This request was made before I realized how far along in the series this novel was. So this is entirely my fault and will not make this mistake again in the future, therefore I am unable to review this book properly and had to DNF it - however I did purchase the first book in the series and have started reading it! And am rating this book based on my current feelings towards the series and will come back and edit this when appropriate!

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

A welcome return to the Invisible Library series, this book continues the conflict between order and chaos, with Irene the Librarian stuck in the middle. This time she also has to deal with the extremely irritating Catherine, a young Fae Librarian-in-training. There was a nice reveal at the end of this adventure, something I'd been expecting for a while and glad to have it pulled out of the shadows. Now we just need to determine what is behind the plot behind the plot behind the plot that continues to plague Irene and her little gang. Something to look forward to!

What I Absolutely Loved:

Catherine, the fae librarian. Catherine has one of the most fun character arcs. As the niece of Lord Silver, Catherine was introduced in the end of book six as Irene’s new apprentice. Not much was know about her other than that she is fae and Lord Silver wanted her in the Library somehow (a feat never accomplished prior), so naturally, I assumed she would be as deliciously depraved as the Lordship himself. However, I was unpleasantly, then pleasantly surprised to realize Catherine is nothing like Lord Silver at all. She is young, earnest, and wants to be an archetypal librarian with a lower case “L” – not a kick ass, espionage riddled Librarian like Irene, just someone who loves and nurtures a love for books and shares knowledge. While at first, Catherine is whiny and I was unsure of her motivations, the longer I “got to know” her, the more she becomes a valuable member of Irene’s “team” and the more I grow to like her, despite being a pawn in the Dragon/Fae/Librarian treaty. I also empathize with wanting to be a quintessential “librarian’s librarian”; who among us wouldn’t?!

The Action Scenes. Say what you want about the Invisible Library series, but there is always fun and thrilling action, with Irene, Vale, and Kai getting into sticky situations and coming out guns/magic/fire/waterworks blazing. The Dark Archive was no exception – within the first 50 or so pages there is already two assassination attempts with poison, parasitic brain eaters, disappearing doors, and shoot ’em ups. There is a kidnapping, blazing buildings, tightrope walks, and magical scientific experiments. One of the best parts of this series is seeing the creative ways that the trio survive in world(s) where most people want them dead. Cogman really amped up the pressure in The Dark Archive, bringing even more thrill than normal.

The Twist. It is impossible for me to expand upon this for obvious reasons. I will just say, for fans of the series, this was a bombshell. The past couple of books have had a feeling of tension leading up to something big, and I am excited to see it come to fruition.

What Didn’t Work *as* Well:

Kai’s brother Shan Yuan. In The Dark Archive, we are introduced to another one of Kai’s siblings (as royalty of a long lived race of dragons, Kai has a lot of siblings) – Shan Yuan, a tech obsessed dragon who is somehow both incredibly jealous and weirdly protective of Kai. Yuan inserts himself into the gang’s activities when Kai needs to bring him in on a laptop project, and from there, Yuan screws up everything he touches. He is that coworker that you reluctantly bring into a project for the help 75% of the way in who then tried to change how it is run and loses you the client. In this case, Yuan almost gets one of the gang killed, and has no idea because he is an arrogant dragon princeling. Yuan is not supposed to be likable, but I felt it was a step further and he actually muddled the story up and didn’t provide value, as compared to the last appearance of Kai’s siblings in prior books, which was well executed.

The (lack of) Kai/Irene action: Make no mistake, the Invisible Library series is not a romance series. There is no steamy scenes for the most part, and Irene and Kai have a loving relationship that is not generally at the forefront. However, I love their dynamic in both the platonic and romantic sense, and he fact that Irene and Kai spent so much time apart this installation really, for lack of better term, bummed me out. They are better together. I did love that Vale was more active, though.

That is really it. While The Dark Archive wasn’t the strongest in the series, it is another great book in a long line of great books in the Invisible Library series.

Conclusion:

One caveat: This series is not the type to read as standalone (it is hard to fit that much worldbuild that would allow readers to read out of order). However, the series if five stars for me, four stars for this book.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman (agented by Lucienne Diver) and I've never said this before but the Epilogue is amazing.
The whole book is good, but the EPILOGUE!
Also, I'm huffed that I can't get a copy of the purple cover in the USA. I love the purple cover. Why is the US cover green?
Read this series people. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are missing out if you aren't.
Start at the beginning with The Invisible Library. These books do build on one another. The main character is a Librarian. She's a spy for The Library and she gets into many adventures. She's one tough cookie. She's named after the One, the one woman who went up against Sherlock Holmes and won, and there is a Sherlock Holmes like character in the books named (so good) Peregrine Vale. She even has a secret Library language.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I discovered The Invisible Library series about 3 years ago, every new installment has been an auto buy for me. I love the adventures that Irene, Kai, and Vale get up to, and The Dark Archive did not disappoint.

As this is the 7th book in a series I won’t get too into the details of what actually occurred. I don’t want to spoil anything for previous books. I like how, despite each book you know that danger will come up, it’s something different each time. We get to see the “side” characters who aren’t Irene grow more and more as we go on. We find out more about Kai‘s family, and what the dragons are up to, and we get to see Vale continue to both dig into and resist the world trying to get him to fit into an archetype. The ending has me completely hooked and wondering what the next book will bring.

The Secret Chapter took me a bit to get into when I read it earlier this year, but with The Dark Archive the writing was extremely smooth, and it opened right into the action which I always appreciate and enjoy. Genevieve Cogman is always great about not overwhelming you with info dumps in my opinion, so there’s never really a slow section to her books. I can’t wait to pick up the next book once it’s out, and add a finished copy of The Dark Archive to my collection.

Genevieve Cogman (The Secret Chapter) returns to the worlds of the Invisible Library with a bang. Irene and Kai are trying to hold together the tenuous peace treaty between the Fae and the dragons while stealing books for the Library and training a new apprentice. Catherine, Fae delegate Lord Silver's neice, is probably a lot like a very young Irene and desperately wants to be a librarian and read books all the time. The on the job training of how to avoid assassins and archvillains might not be what she'd hoped for, but at least she's learning from an expert. But is the archvillain is question London's new Napoleon of crime, or a vicious and familiar foe? And who is the person behind the Professor?

Irene remains the Librarian we all admire her for being: practical, full of snarky wit and crazy ideas, and one of the only people capable of keeping her hysteria to herself when all others are screaming theirs aloud. Practice makes perfect after all. She is who I want to be when I grow up. But even Irene found herself in situations throughout The Dark Archive that tested that talent there. From the first page on she and the others are in active danger and trying to figure out who they've most recently annoyed enough to try and kill them. Is it personal or a way to sabotage the fragile new treaty? Or are they, for once, only collateral damage as friends of detective Peregrine Vale, who is searching for clues behind a new force in London's criminal underworld? Just as readers (and Irene) got glimpses into the secrets of dragons in The Secret Chapter, we get glimpses into the Fae here. Catherine is the first Fae we've met still young enough to be actively considering what her archetype is going to be, and through Vale we get glimpses into the possibilities higher chaos worlds can have on someone with Fae blood. Without giving away spoilers (like who the villains are) I can promise danger, fire, and destroying stained glass windows along with shocking revelations and clues to even more secrets. It's a busy few days even by Irene's standards!

Cogman has some serious "wow" moments in Dark Archive and is clearly setting up her readers (and her heroes) for some massive "whoa" moments in future books. Not a cliffhanger ending (thank you Genevieve!) but one that will leave you desperate to see what happens next. While some of this book will be easier to follow for those who have already read the rest of the series, newcomers will not feel totally lost starting here. A great new chapter in the Invisible Library series!


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

3.5 ☆
I really enjoy this series it's very engaging. That being said, this being the 7th book in the series it reminded me of The Masked City (book 2). It did lag a little for me and the end is where it became really interesting. It did leave me on an ending that I look forward to the next book.

In any long series, you know each story is building upon the other to create one big overarching story, but most of the time, that buildup is subtle. However, every author of a series includes at least one or two books that do more to progress the main story than anything else. When you come across such a story, you not only fill in many of the missing puzzle pieces but you also get a sense of satisfaction for sticking with the series and anticipation for what is to come. The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman, book seven in The Invisible Library series, is one of those books where you can really start to see the big picture coming into focus for the first time.

The Dark Archive is the first book in the series that ends with not one but two surprises. To be honest, the entire story is one big reveal after another. Shocks abound in the form of Irene's new apprentice and the mastermind behind the (many) assassination attempts. Plus, Ms. Cogman really ups the ante with the return of not one but three previous nemeses, making readers understand that each individual story may not be as stand-alone as we initially thought.

In The Dark Archive, Irene learns pieces of information that really are game-changers for her and for her world. As one of the more complicated plots in the series, it causes less confusion than one would expect because it really does take the story to the next level. I am really excited to see what happens next and am thankful I don't have to wait years for the next book's release!

The Dark Archive, by author Genevieve Cogman, is the Seventh installment in the authors’ The Invisible Library series. Before I start my review, I need to issue a warning. While the author does a good job of telling you who key characters are, she doesn’t explain what those characters have been through. Second, sometimes authors choose to return previously killed off villains from previous novels going back 4-5 books. Some authors like Cogman have apparently chosen to plan things out long before we reached this installment and therefore one could call it author's prerogative in why villains don’t stay dead.

Librarian Irene Winters works for the mysterious Library, traveling through time and dimensions, fighting supernatural creatures of chaos, to track down the most important books in all of the worlds and to preserve the balance of worlds which are divided between Fae and Dragons. Irene is a Librarian-in-Resident stationed in a Victoria Era/steampunk world called B-395. There's a truce currently in place between the Fae and Dragons arbitrated by the Library. Irene is the Librarian delegate, while Kai is the Dragon delegate. Irene also has a new apprentice named Catherine, niece of Fae Lord Silver, ambassador from Liechtenstein and a spy.

Another key player is Peregrine Vale who is this world's Sherlock Homes. The book picks up with Irene and Vale facing a life-or-death situation and the unlikely return of someone that Irene previously killed. Can't go any further than that for it spoils events of another book as well as identifying certain characters who are out to destroy Irene. Irene can use Language of the Library to open or lock doors, make people do what she says, drop books down on attackers, disable bombs, etc. It’s what makes Irene one of the more dangerous Librarians around, which also ensure that she has lots of enemies.

Vale believes that a criminal mastermind, a manipulator of crime, is responsible for recent assassination attempts on Irene, Vale, and Kai as well as Sterrington who is a Fae working for the Fae Cardinal to keep the peace treaty from being destroyed by outside forces. But there is someone else readers need to be prepared for. As I said above, if you’ve read this series, you know that the Library has a traitor who has been trying hard to destroy the Library and he is obsessed with Irene. So, it’s not a shock to learn that this person has returned from the grave to make Irene’s life hard.

I was pretty stunned by the ending of this story as well as the Epilogue which reveals an even greater conspiracy. Could the series be coming to an ending? Could Irene work with said villain to uncover an even more dangerous conspiracy who wants her out of the way? Irene and Kai’s relationship has grown from him being her apprentice, to Kai being her lover. Catherine is an unknown quantity for much of this book. Readers are told that she wants to be a Librarian, but not like Irene who breaks the mold at what a Librarian is in this series.

Catherine is desperate to enter the Library for reasons that aren’t actually clear at the moment. Add in Kai’s brother Shan Yuan who doesn’t trust Kai and wants him replaced as Dragon Ambassador to the treaty. Didn’t actually care for Shan except that he is useful when it comes to technology. You’re wondering why the title is called Dark Archive. If you read the story, you’ll learn the reason towards the conclusion of the action-packed final scenes. You’ll also be shocked to learn yet another author held secret which makes me curious as to which direction the author is taking this series.

I continue to love every minute of The Invisible Library series and The Dark Archive is no exception. Layers of mystery as old foes, once thought dead, come back to haunt Irene and Kai.

This series continues to be an absolute delight to read! In this book, Cogman finally revisits some threads of previous books that I, at least, having been impatiently waiting for and the result is both engrossing and entertaining. If you haven't tried this series yet, I highly recommend you give it a try- start at the first book in the series to get the best reading experience.

Tldr: the worst thing about this book is that I'm going to have to wait a year for the next one! Highly recommend.

This was an absolute delight like always. At this point, I feel I know what to expect from this series but the author always manages to surprise me with unexpected twists and even more intriguing revelations. I love that Irene gets a new mentee and we get to see that relationship develop, because we already know the wonderful bonds that she shares with Kai and Vale. I really enjoyed this high technology world as well. It’s always nice to see some old nemesis back in action, and Irene being the fierce badass that she is.

The ending completely blew my mind because there is so much scope for the next book now, and I can’t wait for it. If you have been a fan of this series, you definitely can’t miss this one. And if you are someone who loves books, libraries, heists and non stop action in a multi world universe, then this series is perfect for you.

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman is the 7th book in her The Invisible Library series. I accidently downloaded this book, and decided to read it anyway; and I am happy to say that even though this is the 7th book, I enjoyed it very much. Cogman manages to give you information early on about Irene, our heroine, learning much more about her along the way. Now if time allows, I will need to go back and read the first book, as I found this series looks like something I should be reading.

Irene Winters, our heroine, is a Librarian and a professional spy for the mysterious Library; which collects all kinds of important works of fictions from different realities. I learned quickly that Irene is one of the best there is, having very powerful abilities as a librarian to use to protect and defend. I loved how Irene was able to use her voice to do amazing things, such as open or lock doors, make people do what she says, drop books down on attackers, disable bombs, etc. I really did get a kick out of all of that, as well as meeting the different species that are friends or enemies of Irene, such as Kai, her assistant and now lover (Dragon), Vale (best detective in world), Catherine (new and Fae) and the villians, Alberich and Lady Guantes.

The excitement begins almost immediately, when Irene and Vale fall into a trap, putting their lives in danger, which becomes a shocker when a man she killed awhile back is alive and threatening to kill her. Irene uses her skills to free them, and quickly goes to find Kai and Catherine, knowing they will be probably be attacked too. She does get there in time, to save them from being poisoned; and together with Vale, they learn that Lady Guantes is behind the attacks, and working with someone who is helping bring her dead husband back. Irene is determined to protect Catherine, who is new and in training, but Catherine wants to stay with them.

What follows is an exciting, intense, action filled adventure that pits Irene and her friends in danger quite often. She suspects that her nemesis, Alberich is behind everything, and working with Lady Guantes. The group try to find clues, but walk into a trap, as everything falls apart, and Irene is unable to break the spells, fearing her friends will all be killed. From start to finish, the action was nonstop all the way. To say too much more would be spoilers, and that would ruin it for you, especially if you are like me, starting on this book.

The Dark Archive was an amazing, fun, tense and exciting story, that was very well written by Genevieve Cogman. Irene Winters was a wonderful fantastic heroine, smart, savvy, brave, and loyal. The end was a wild climax to a great story, and the epilogue promises more exciting things to come in the next book.

I love the Invisible Library series and this book might be my favorite! It has its own mystery while moving the story of Irene, Kai, and the others forward. At the same time it answers some questions from previous titles in the series and poses more, leading to great anticipation for the next book!

Oh my goodness but I love love LOVE this series!! Genevieve Cogman has done an absolutely brilliant job writing an omage to libraries and readers and lovers of language... The characters are marvelous, the ongoing developing story is a long-range marvel of intricate back and forths that are teased out from book to book. Additionally, each book has a delightfully new angle of its own that brings together character development and backstory revelations while still providing a new and entertaining mystery to be resolved.

In this latest installment, Irene and her fearless companions are confronting enemies they thought were long gone, and their arrival on the scene is both unexpected and delightful at the same time. As always the writing is brilliant, the characterization is incredibly complex and delicately managed, and the whole thing was a delight from page one until the very end.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series! Incidentally, I also have to go back and re-read all the earlier ones - while I continue to read these books as they come out and thoroughly enjoy each one, I suspect there are small but interesting things that I am missing along the way - the storylines and character development are so involved here, that I'm very curious to see what I find when I go back and start the series again... Unfortunately time is not on my side these days, so I haven't been able to do that yet - I had hoped to do it before this book, but there was just no way it was going to get done.

Incidentally, I wouldn't recommend starting this one mid series - it's one thing to go a year or more between books, it's another entirely to jump into the middle of something this highly involved. Don't rob yourself - start with book one and savor every bit of the journey... You won't be sorry!

The Dark Archive proves that the past will never stay buried. Especially in a series full of Fae betrayals, high technology worlds, and chaos running rampant. Full of back and forth banter, The Dark Archive introduces new plots and welcomes old enemies. Well, the word welcome might be an exaggeration. The danger and intrigue continues to build, as Cogman introduces some new characters that pull at our heart strings.

Irene is forced not only to confront old mistakes, but also train her new assistant. Catherine reminds us not only of the pure love for books, but also makes Irene re-consider her current path. Why does one want to become a Librarian? And what sacrifices will be asked of us? The Dark Archive brings readers back to the world of Vale and if you've been missing the Sherlock Holme-esque feel - then prepare yourself! It's a story about betrayal and power. No one stays gone forever. And in these worlds, in these characters, we pursue our own dreams, in spite of, against, or in search of something more.

I loved this! I was so excited to have the opportunity to read an early copy of this book and I was not disappointed. I remember thinking that was going to be a fun series with limitless possibilities when I read the first book in this series and seven books in, I believe I was right. This is a series that I would recommend reading in order if at all possible since the character relationships have grown and changed and there are a few ongoing story arcs. Each book has been a lot of fun so you wouldn't want to miss one anyway!

It looks like an assassin is out to get Irene. At the start of the book, Irene and Vale are off on a quick mission together when things get messy. Irene sets through a magical door only to discover a man that she thought was dead. Meanwhile, Kai and Catherine are facing challenges of their own. Irene, Kai, Vale, and Catherine must work to find out who is behind the assassination attempts and learn exactly what is going on.

This book was exciting and the mystery kept me guessing. There were several times that I wondered if Irene would be able to find a way out of difficult situations. I had no idea who was behind everything which made the book very hard to put down. I liked what Catherine added to the story. I wasn't quite sure if she would be trusted but I thought that she grew a lot over the course of this story and eventually proved herself.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very exciting and entertaining read filled with fantastic characters that I have grown to love. There were some pretty big revelations in this book which have left me incredibly eager to get my hands on the next book in this fantastic series!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

The most obvious twist in the world has finally been revealed. Sorry but once Irene was disclosed to be adopted I was waiting for the 'Luke, I am your father' (not the real quote from the movie but the real quote doesn't work) reveal.

Curious to see how Irene will deal with the reveal in the next books.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.