Bea Reviews The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman

Series: The Invisible Library #6
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Ace Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Release Date: January 7th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | Google | Kobo |
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Blurb from goodreads:

Time-travelling, dimension-jumping, Librarian-spy Irene and dragon-prince Kai will have to team up with an unlikely band of misfits to pull off an amazing art heist--or risk the wrath of a dangerous villain with a secret island lair.

A Librarian's work is never done, and Irene is summoned to the Library. The world where she grew up is in danger of veering deep into chaos, and she needs to obtain a particular book to stop this from happening. Her only choice is to contact a mysterious Fae information-broker and trader of rare objects: Mr. Nemo.

Irene and Kai make their way to Mr. Nemo's remote Caribbean island and are invited to dinner, which includes unlikely company. Mr. Nemo has an offer for everyone there: he wants them to steal a specific painting from a specific world. But to get their reward, they will have to form a team, including a dragon techie, a Fae thief, a gambler, a driver, and the muscle. Their goal? The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, in an early twenty-first-century world, where their toughest challenge might be each other.

My Thoughts:

"The Secret Chapter" was an exciting, twisty read, full of politics, action and adventure, some family drama, and a challenging heist.

Irene has fond memories of the world where she grew up so when it's threatened, she is determined to save it. She'll do anything, even make deals with a mastermind thief, Mr. Nemo, who reminded me strongly of a Bond villain, and work with strangers she doesn't trust. The team Nemo puts together takes time to gel, and there are some misunderstandings along the way. And of course, what's a heist story without complications, betrayals, and personal drama? Both Irene and Kai got to show off their diplomatic abilities in this story, Kai especially. Although his arrogance still trips him up occasionally. Kai has grown the most over the series and I've enjoyed seeing him come into his own. In this story, we get to know both of them a bit better and learn more about their families and familial relationships. 

Cogman’s writing immediately pulled me in and kept me engaged. As always, she balanced witty banter, sarcasm, political and philosophical observations, along with some mystery and suspense, and lots of adventure. Irene was once again our guide into the worlds of chaos, order, book preservation, and cosmic balance. We see the story through her perspective, learning info as she does. Though she was much better than I was at putting information into a cohesive whole and figuring things out. :D

Cogman's world building continues to amaze me. The politics, the magic systems, the personal relationships, are rich, complex, and multi-layered. It's both cohesive and messy, just life real life. While certain parts of the world are clearly inspired by the real world, Cogman has expanded and developed them, giving them their own life beyond their inspirations.

"The Secret Chapter" was fast paced, twisty, and full of revelations. I can't wait to see where Cogman goes next with the revelations from this book. I do hope we'll see more of Vale in the next book.