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The Secret Chapter

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Member Reviews

The sixth book in the series, The Secret Chapter brings the same vibes as previous books, I love Irene and the library adventures but this one fell a little flat for me. I don't know how many more of the series I will read going forwards as it's a bit stretched now.

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I've been enjoying Cogman's work for many years but I feel this needs to be my last in this universe. I don't know what it is but I've just lost the affection I had for this series. The book and the story is still enjoyable and Irene is wonderful but I have lost the connection.

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Unfortunately, I am a later comer to The Invisible Library series. It was always one of those books that sounded great but kept getting pushed further down the TBR pile. However, once I started, I inhaled the entire series within a few days. It is one of those series where you finish one book and immediately find yourself purchasing the next in the series at 2am ... and start reading it straight away.

Cogman has created such lovable and wonderful characters and her world building is a Bibliphile's dream. Add in some intrigue, mysteries, book crime fighting and a whole lot of fun, and it is easy to become engrossed in Irene and Kai's misadventures.

Recommended for fans of: Dark Academia, Jodi Taylor, Jasper Fforde, The Library of the Unwritten, The Rook, Sorcery of Thorns

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the reading copy.

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I liked the book, however, I've felt that the last couple of books just hasn't been as good as the first ones. I like Irene, I find her to be a great heroine and The Library is a fabulous place. I just don't find the stories as good as the previous ones. Also, Irene and Kai together, sigh, boring. I suspect that's one of the main reasons I find the books to be less interesting now. And this book had way too little Vale in the story...

Still, the humor in the book is great and I love to learn more about Irene so I will continue reading the books...

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The Secret Chapter by Genevive Cogman (The Invisible Library 6) is about a heist!  Irene and Kai, now representatives of the truce between the fae, dragons and librarians, are being sent off to get a book to stabilise a world that Irene is fond of.

They're going to join forces for this heist, and the job is being put together by someone who wouldn't look out of place in a Bond film as a villain!

This is fast paced, with lots of surprises and secrets! And with the change of relationship between Irene and Kai, there's added challenges to any situation!

I've been really enjoying every book in this series so far, and this book did not disappoint!

 The Secret Chapter  was published 12th November 2019, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Genevieve Cogman on  Twitter ,  Facebook  and her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan.

My reviews for the other books in the series are below:

 The Invisible Library  (book 1)

 The Masked City  (book 2)

 The Burning Page  (book 3)

 The Lost Plot  (book 4)

 The Mortal World  (book 5)

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Having struggled through the previous book in the series, I was pleasantly surprised to find this one was back to the enjoyable form of the rest of the series.

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Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this book! I read Mortal Word and The Secret Chapter back to back and I am glad I did. I was completely immersed in the land of Librarians, Dragons and Fae.

I’m so pleased with the way this book played out. We were taken away from Vale and Silver and that was needed. Instead we got new Fae and another Dragon!

The plot is quick and exciting. The adventure that Irene and Kai find themselves a part of is interesting and twisty and I appreciate the work my brain had to do to keep up!

This series gets better and better and I’m eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

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Irene and Kai have to team up with an unlikely band of misfits to pull off an amazing art heist. Or they must risk the wrath of a dangerous villain, in his secret island lair. . . As Irene tries to manage a fraught Fae–dragon truce and her overbearing parents, she’s given a hot new mission. The world where she grew up is in danger and only one book can save it. This is held by Mr Nemo, secretive Fae villain and antique dealer, so Irene and Kai travel to his Caribbean retreat to strike a deal. But in return for the book, they must steal a painting from twenty-first-century Vienna. They’ll join a team of dragons, Fae gamblers and thieves, so their greatest challenge may be one another. And some will kill to protect this painting, which hides an extraordinary secret from a past age.
In this bookish adventure, a Librarian spy must fall in with a nefarious group to achieve her goals. Imagine Ocean’s Eleven meets James Bond with a pinch of magic. This is the sixth novel in Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series.

This is my favourite of all Cogman's 'Invisible Library'series. The characters just seem to come into their own and really take over the plot more strongly than they ever have before. The 'Dr No' trope works really well - you can almost see the film playing out in the descriptions of the settings and Irene and Kai just deal with events with more ease and elan.

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What’s not to like about this. We have books and dragons and the major character of this just happens to be a librarian. This is the 6th instalment of The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. Irene the librarian in question doesn’t embark on her adventures alone. Her companion is none other than a dragon named Kai usually in his human guise. Kai definitely has a protective attitude towards her to the consternation and frustration of his family.
Entry into the library provides doorways which appear within book depositories in other worlds some of which are comprised of various levels of chaos. Irene’s main task is retrieving books by whatever means necessary but basically following library guidelines. Sometimes rules are broken and she finds herself in various predicaments. Luckily for her she is a good mediator and finds allies even among her associates of dragons face and human races.
In this latest of adventures Irene is forced into a bit of larceny along with devious fae and another dragon with issues all to save a world important to her . Her task is exacerbated by having to persuade the various factions to work together to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Echoes of a magical James Bond scenario here. A fun journey through the machinations of fae deception, dragon secrets and a balancing act which has to protects the neutralty of the Library.
A blend of adventure,mystery, the magic of the word and a touch of romance. Would recommend to those who occasionally like turning to a little less darker side of fantasy .

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The Secret Chapter marks the sixth instalment in Genevieve Cogman’s wonderful Invisible Library books. I’ve been a huge fan of the series since the very first chapter of the very first book.

Short catch-up: Irene Winters is a Librarian. The Library connects worlds, and the Librarians jump between worlds to collect books. Oh, and there are dragons and Fae, and they don’t like each other much. The dragons prefer worlds which tend towards order, and the Fae towards chaos. Kai is Irene’s assistant. And a dragon.

Still with me? Excellent. Now, you’ve either read the other books, in which case you’ll need no enticement from me to read this one. Or you haven’t, in which case hie yourself off to the nearest bookshop (or library, of course) to get yourself a copy of The Invisible Library and settle down for some rollicking adventures.

In The Secret Chapter, our heroes must get their hands on a book. So far, so standard. Except the only copy of the book belongs to Mr Nemo, a delightfully Bond-esque villain (with a secret lair and a malevolent octopus, naturally). And Mr Nemo wants a very specific painting from another world in return.

Oh, and he’s assembled a motley crew (including Irene and Kai) to go and acquire it. A crew which includes a Fae thief, an ace getaway driver, a dragon computer hacker, a gambler and some muscle.

What could possibly go wrong?

Hijinks, naturally, ensue. And what hijinks they are. I love a good heist story! The action comes thick and fast. The gang fall out, get back together, fall out, and it’s all just wonderful.

I love these books so much, they’re very much a comfort read for me. Doesn’t matter where Irene and Kai end up, I know that we’re going to have a blast.

Very much recommended.

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An entertaining, action-packed read that I couldn't put down. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Another fantastic instalment of the latest adventures of Irene Winters, super-spy and ninja librarian. Ably assisted by her lethal dragon and fae allies.
I love this highly enjoyable series. It is an entertaining romp featuring vast amounts of peril all served up with a healthy dose of humour. Well worth a read, just start at book one to get the proper Library lowdown.
Ace.

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The story starts with Irene and Kai in their new roles as ambassadors for the peace treaty. Very shortly, Irene is called upon to retrieve a book necessary to prevent the world she grew up in from descending into chaos. The only copy of this book is held by Mr. Nemo, a fae. He lives underwater on an island which makes for a lot of fun scenes, Of course, Kai decides to go along for the ride. Mr. Nemo promises them the book if they band together with an eclectic group of thieves to retrieve something he wants. And so the adventures begin. Irene is as quick thinking as usual and gets them out of all sorts of trouble. The item they are trying to steal turns out to be more than it seems and this part of the story is very interesting and set up to continue in future books. Another great fun story.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review,

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It is always hard to give a spoiler review of a book within an ongoing series, but if you have been following this series you are going to love this one.

We have a proper Heist!

Irene our resident literary thief come peace envoy, finally gets to put those book stealing skills to good use in a Art heist. With Kai at her side she also has to wrangle several Fae and another dragon into line to steal a valuable painting. All this so she can exchange it for a book that will save her childhood home.

This is a return to the fun, fast paced, banter filled escapades Of Librarian Irene. We get to visit some very interesting worlds that are not too far away from our own, including one where Brexit had a very different outcome (I adored the dig Cogman had at Brexit, it had me giggling on the train). This is just packed to the Brim with all the archetypes you would expect from the shady private island of a Bond-like villain to the intrepid gambler and the super techie able to hack anything. As usual Cogman takes these and weaves them into a tale filled with sharp twists and turns that are just fun to follow on with.

I thought with the end of The Mortal Word that we were seeing a rise of a new story arc filled with political intrigue but Cogman has woven in even more, hinting at a greater involvement in Irene’s past and a new Fae to contend with! I am excited for the next int he series.

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I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really do love this series. They’re such amazing fun. And this had the delights of going back to the core of being a librarian - trading for books to stabilise worlds. In this case though, Irene has to go thieving. Eeeeeeexcellent 😍😂

I do love a good heist. This had just the right amount of complications, threats and fun to be practically perfect. I really loved the world the heist was on, and want to know more about how it’s all set up!

I always love getting to see the Fey play into the archetypes, which we get here, but we also get an alternate take on dragons which I found very intriguing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved the spying and politics, but it was nice to take a little break and sprinkle only a little of that over some good old fashioned thievery. If you’re not already reading this series, why not??

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The Secret Chapter is the 6th book in the Invisible Library series and therefore this review may contain spoilers for the previous books. They are loads of fun though, so you should check out the series if you haven't already.

The world where Irene attended boarding school is at risk of being lost to chaos...in ten days' time. Fortunately, there's a unique book that can help anchor that world to the Library. Unfortunately The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor is in the collection of a mysterious Fae who lives on a top secret island. When Irene and Kae secure an invite to Mr Nemo's island, they are to discover the payment required for the book is the theft of a painting and the Fae has assembled an unlikely team to perform the heist.

The Secret Chapter vibes are a mix of Bond villainy and heist plot, with the usual charm of this series. The theft of The Raft of Medusa takes the team to Vienna in a world apparently plagued by supernatural creatures. They need to keep out of the sights of CENSOR, the government organisation that hunts down all things that go bump in the night. Irene's not sure if that includes her but she doesn't want to risk finding out.

Also on the heist is an estranged dragon from Kai's extended family, they are not pleased to see each other, and four Fae representing the archetypes of gangster, gambler and getaway driver. This leads to plenty of opportunities for cheesy lines as they live up to their Fae narratives, but they also have they're touchingly "human" sides at times. The flung together team soon become a real team.

However all is not as it seems and this instalment is sort of a join between series arcs. It picks up a loose end from the treaty that was signed in the previous book, but also hints at what may be in store for the future. It's quite a standalone plot though, so you could probably enjoy it by itself, even though you should read all the others. Who wouldn't want to read about Librarians hopping between alternate worlds?

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If you’re a fan of The Invisible Library series, then you are going to love this!

This is quite a fast, action packed story, really enjoyed this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

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This latest slice of Irene’s adventures is essentially a heist story. Irene and Kai find themselves having to work alongside a team of rather dodgy characters – something she is far too used to doing. However, this crew are every bit as dangerous as the task they have been set by the shadowy Mr Nemo. I love the way Cogman plays with stereotypes – imagine a James Bond villain, complete with the Caribbean island setting and hungry sharks lurking in a hidden tank beneath their feet.

I am not going into any details as it would be a real shame to spoil this entertaining, twisty story packed with incidents and surprises. Corkman is very adept at creating an action-packed adventure without losing the overall impetus of the story, which is a harder trick to pull off than she makes it look. Once again, we learn more about the closed world of dragon society and just how dangerous they can be when crossed. I love the way in which Cogman reveals extra details about the world in which she has set the Invisible Library with each successive book. It isn’t a new trick, as all good series do the same thing – but she is particularly good at delivering new facts that suddenly change the reader’s perception of what is going on. I love it when that happens.

I ended up reading the last three books in this series back to back, which is something I generally don’t do. And it is a testament to Cogman’s writing skill and mastery of plot development that by the end of The Secret Chapter I was still thoroughly entertained and sorry when the book came to an end.

This classy series just goes on delivering and is highly recommended for fans of good-quality portal fantasies. The ebook arc copy of The Secret Chapter was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
9/10

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It's the first book I read in this series and I'm more than happy that it's the 6th because it means I have a lot to catch up and enjoy.
I was hooked since the first pages and the subtle humour, the amazing world building and the well thought cast of character made me turn pages as fast as I could.
It's one those book that made you fall in love with a series and add it to those you MUST read because they're excellent and a lot of fun to read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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The Secret Chapter is the sixth book in the magical, alluring Invisible Library series but each instalment can be read independently without any an issue although it is preferable to have read the previous instalments. It is the perfect time to release the book as the nights draw in and the cold returns; curling up of the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate and reading this feels very comforting. This is effectively a heist novel and Irene and Kai team up with a group of shady individuals in an attempt to steal an important item from a secure museum. The group brings together both Fae and Dragons which of course means that there are a whole host of trust issues right from the get-go. Can they all work together to nab the object or will it descend into chaos before their very eyes?

Ms Cogman has built an incredible world that is intricate and complex yet easy to understand the way it works. The story is packed to the brim with action and suspense but also explores more profound topics such as ethical and moral dilemmas which are thought-provoking to say the least. The message in this book about the quest for peace, and the treaty signed by rivals Fae and Dragons, is one we all need right now. However, how long peace will prevail is anyone's guess. Moving at a quick pace we are treated to a multi-faceted tale with multiple twists and turns and an intense and exciting plot. This is the perfect winter page-turner with wit and charm and the usual heist storyline turned on its head and woven with the supernatural. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

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