The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman – a Review

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Description:
A professional spy for a mysterious Library which harvests fiction from different realities, Irene faces a series of assassination attempts that threaten to destroy her and everything she has worked for.

Irene is teaching her new assistant the fundamentals of a Librarian’s job, and finding that training a young Fae is more difficult than she expected. But when they both narrowly avoid getting killed in an assassination attempt, she decides that learning by doing is the only option they have left – especially when the assassins keep coming for them, and for Irene’s other friends as well…

In order to protect themselves, Irene and her friends must do what they do best: search for information to defeat the overwhelming threat they face and identify their unseen enemy. To do that, Irene will have to delve deeper into her own history than she ever has before, face an ancient foe, and uncover secrets that will change her life and the course of the Library forever.

Review:

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman is the 7^th book in her The Invisible Library series.  I accidentally downloaded this book, and decided to read it anyway; and I am happy to say that even though this is the 7^th 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.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher