A middle grade book that anyone can enjoy. While not as intense as The Dark Talent it is a strong conclusion to this series. Don't let those pesky librarians fool you out there in this mundane world, there is another world full of wonder, magic and fantastically original talents.

A fun final adventure with the Alcatraz and his amazingly powerful family as they battle the evil librarians once again.

This time the story is told through the eyes of Bastille, which I didn't like as much as Alcatraz. but when still enjoyable. I think it was a wise choice with this being a co-write to explain the differences in writing styles. I personally thought that it just wasn't as clever and didn't catch me as off guard with the humor as the previous installments did. But in the end I think that it was a solid ending and that the last bits left me more emotional than I thought I would be.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I think it was a solid addition to the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

my favorite of the Alcatraz books.
Bastille has a distinct voice and personality that shines off the page.

this series is very over the top and cooky, which I think is what Sanderson intended.
I can't wait to share it with my niblings once they learn to read.
it's sure to be a childhood favorite for them!

Thank you to Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Starscape, and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) of "Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians" (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #6) for an honest review.

I continue to madly love everything and anything Sanderson writes or has a hand-in, and the same goes for Janci Patterson, whose writing I got to know through Sanderson's spin-off Cytonic novella series writing by her a well. I love that this story changed to being from the point of Bastille. I laughed and felt sad with her and her prideful comments, especially against having "those kinds of feelings yet," and fell in love with her so much more.

This was such a satisfying conclusion, and I hope to get a copy of the full series for each of my sibling with kids. I will definitely be advising it toward our school librarian, as well.

Love to different perspective from Bastille.
The writing is wonderful. The word choice is very interesting. I do feel like I got lost in the steps of the plot a few times.

Before this book Bastille just seem to be kind of a nag, but in this book you are seeing things from her perspective and I could see how much thought she put in what she said and did. I do think that the way she talks about Alcatraz feels like she is putting him down all the time.

Absolutely loved this title! The first one was read by our kids book club and they had nothing but good things to say about it!

I so love this book! A great ending to an awesome series! Very well written with all the fun and interesting characters, makes this book very entertaining! I love everything mr. Sanderson writes! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!

Yet another fantastic addition to the Alcaraz versus the Evil Librarians series, with a refreshing twist based on the new narrator. This was a fun jaunt into the world that Sanderson has created, expanding it further and showing us more of the story than before. As these are all written as “absolutely true accounts of history” the books always allude to a future where the characters can tell the story, which adds a fun level to the story itself as there is often tongue-in-cheek observations about actions taken. We waited a long time for this, and I think the result was worth the wait.

It feels as though I have been waiting for Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians for a long time, and now that the Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians series has finally come to a close, I have lots and lots of feels! Most are positive, I’m happy to report, but there were also some disappointments. It probably comes as no surprise that there were plenty of changes with this book, from the switch to another POV character to the first time this series was co-authored. There were also some elements I loved, but other places where my feelings were more mixed.

But before I begin my review in earnest, please be aware that from here on out there may be references to the previous books in the series, so I do want to give a possible spoilers warning. The story picks up immediately after the events of The Dark Talent, following some devastating developments which include significant setbacks for our characters. Things are looking pretty grim—so terrible, in fact, that they have caused our titular protagonist to cave into his grief and give up completely.

Not to worry though, because his friend Bastille is here to save the day! A Knight of Crystallia pledged to protect the Smedry line, she’s not about to take the loss lying down, and taking over narrating duties is just the first step. Alcatraz might have lost everything including his will to fight, but Bastille is not about to fail in her task and lose him to the darkness. While the world is falling apart around them, Bastille is determined to save Alcatraz and all of the Free Kingdoms from total destruction, and she has a big sword and a literal literary license to do it (she has a card and everything)!

First, if you’ve read up to this point in the series, please do yourself a favor and pick this one up to find out how it all ends. It took six long years for this concluding volume to finally be out in the world, but trust me, it’s well worth the wait. And let’s be honest, how could anyone read the ending of the last book and not want to continue? Not going to lie, the way things turned out in The Dark Talent made me so depressed, but the only thing that gave me a glimmer of hope was the cryptic note slipped into the back of the book promising there will be more. And thank goodness for that! With Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians came the closure I was desperately seeking, along with some happy surprises made me feel a lot less salty over the ending of the last book.

If you enjoyed the style of storytelling and the unique brand of humor found in the previous books, then you’re going to enjoy this one too. Kudos also to illustrator Hayley Lazo for all the adorable and fun drawings, which really add a lot to the whole reading experience! As for the writing though, speaking as a longtime fan of Brandon Sanderson, I could tell this wasn’t mostly written by him and that the bulk it was probably Janci Patterson, but that’s okay—this series was Sanderson’s creation, and this book still had everything that made its characters and world so fun and unique. Plus, Bastille is now at the helm, and it only makes sense that she sounds different from Alcatraz.

Like I said though, the humor is still there, and Bastille is even snarkier than Alcatraz, I love it! Similar to the previous books, every chapter begins with a witty tangential throwaway segment filled with jokes and puns, so that even though we were in Bastille’s head this time, I still felt right at home. The story also moved along at a breakneck pace, guaranteed to keep even the most distracted middle grader interested with rapt attention. The plot also featured plenty of magical action and the kind of insanity I’ve come to expect from the series, and they must have pulled out all the stops for the finale because believe it or not, things got even crazier in this one (I mean, just look at the cover, which was an actual scene from the story).

But for all that I liked about this book, I felt something was missing. For a long-awaited concluding volume, it simply didn’t feel grand enough, with so much of the plot given to Bastille talking about how annoyed she was at Alcatraz, followed by a shift to them bickering a lot. So much of it was relationship drama, punctuated occasionally by some wild and wacky over-the-top action. Sure, it’s entirely possible that I might have hyped things up for myself in this case, given the long wait time between this book and the last, but compared to some of the previous volumes, I still felt that this had a lot less substance.

That being said, all the crucial elements were there, such as answers to important questions as well as a happy ending. I am such a fan of this series and the characters, that finally getting closure was a relief! I also feel that Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians would be an amazing read for kids 8-14 which is the suggested age range, but adults who are young at heart and don’t mind something a little silly and quirky once in a while would probably have a blast with it as well. This has been an incredible journey, that even with its minor flaws, I felt Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians was the conclusion the readers deserved, and I closed the cover on the final page of my favorite MG series of all time feeling content and satisfied.

Okay, it has been seven years since volume five of Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians came out! Bastille vs The Evil Librarians picks up right where The Dark Talent ends. Bastille comes out of her coma and has to lead the remaining Smedrys to safety from the collapsing Library of Congress. Then they need to make their way to the Worldspire before Biblioden arrives and vaporizes the Free Kingdoms with the Bloodforge lenses he created from Attica Smedry's heart. Will Bastille and Alcatraz succeed (no, don't skip to the end of the book to find out!)? The fun is finding out how they succeed! Read and enjoy!

Thanks Netgalley for the pleasure of reading this title!

This was a fantastic conclusion to the series! It stays true to the heart of the other books, while also feeling very fresh, since this is our first book with a new POV. I really enjoyed Bastille’s narration, and it felt like a very satisfying and thematically fulfilling way to finish the series.

In true Alcatraz fashion, I laughed out loud plenty, while also being given lots of things to think about regarding the nature of storytelling, trauma, and grief.

So glad that this long awaited ending has finally been realized!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC and the opportunity to present an honest review.

It’s been six years since The Dark Talent ended Alcatraz Smedry’s 5-volume autobiography; fortunately, Bastille Vianitelle Dartmoor the Ninth has stepped up to narrate the series’ sixth and final(?) volume. This middle-grade comedic fantasy gives existing readers a delightful conclusion, and gives new folks an excuse to start from the beginning now that the story is complete. Floating sharks, straw-phobic gaks, and the titular evil librarians

As with the previous books, Bastille‘s narrative voice is delightful. There’s a high joke density, including a good deal of meta humor (such as the narrator saying “I had no desire whatsoever to get blown up this early in a story” or taking potshots at Sanderson’s own career). There’s also plenty of straight-forward silliness, from Bastille’s slightly askew descriptions of how the world works to powerful magic powers like “the ability to break things” or “the ability to get lost.”

I’m unfortunately several decades removed from the book’s target age range, but my sense is that middle-grade readers would have a lot of fun reading it. I highly recommend the whole series to young readers, and the adults to give them books – it’s certainly gone onto my list of nibbling gift ideas.

Sanderson has such a wonderful way of writing a story. His world building is amazing which is equally matched by his ability to create characters. With Janci Patterson, the series bring in a new installment with Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians. In this book, readers find a change in narrators. I adored the change and different insights. Like others in the series, readers can expect the same irreverent and silly humor mixed with fun illustrations. The book is highly engaging and fast paced. While this is a middle grade novel, as an adult I had so much fun. There's magic, action, and plenty of laughter that pulled me through page after page. This is definitely one I will get for our library as well as my personal collection.

This was a fantastic last book in the Evil Librarians series. Bastille! Alcatraz! My faves! Sanderson and Patterson have wrapped everything up nicely with this final installment. Also, that cover... love the cover change for this series.

It's been a while since the last Alcatraz book so it took a bit for my memory to catch up with what happened but luckily Brandon Sanderson knew that and helped catch the reader up. While this is a kids book it's clever and fun enough for an adult to enjoy if you can still admit that silly stuff can be worth your time. Thanks to net galley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson. And he and Janci did a great job in Beastille vs The Evil Librarians. I am not usually fan of middle grade book, but this book somehow made me stay to read it. The funny thing is, I laugh a lot in acknowledgment part than the jokes in the story. Overall, it was fun and enjoyable.

Having already the whole series several times and enjoying it, I would honestly say I was a bit disappointed. A lot of the chapters felt like copy and paste for the first paragraphs. The action seemed to jump from place to place without the world-building and character-building we had seen before. The focus seemed to be on the relationship rather than the action [there is room for both people!]. I was really anticipating this book, and it was meh.

I would take this as a filler for the series. It took place after the events of Dark Talent but it is too fast or is it just a novella?

I expect more since I really love Dark Talents.

Nonetheless, it isna great and fun read

I read the whole Alcatraz series so that I could do this review justice. Oh, this is fantastic! Bastille is a wonderful character and this book is a great addition to the Evil Librarian world. Peppered with Sanderson's trademark sarcastic wit, this is a great series to read. Bastille adds something a little bit more polished but I always find myself laughing with the library puns and feeling like a bit of a bad ass, for sure. Everyone should read this series and this book is a great one!

I'm having a really bad reading slump, but thankfully, I can still enjoy Sanderson's books.

This was just as fun and entertaining as the other books in the series. I think the decision to narrate it from Bastille's point of view was really great. It was funny and action-packed and fast paced. Strongly recommend it especially if you fall under the age category.