Bea Reviews The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman

Series: The Invisible Library #7
Read As A Stand Alone: Possible, but not recommended
Publisher: Ace
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 29th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
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Blurb from goodreads:

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.

My Thoughts:

In my review of the last book, The Secret Chapter, I hoped we'd see more of Vale in the next book and while Vale was in this book, I'd still like more of him. Maybe he needs his own short story. Although, he did provide a crucial revelation late in the book. It was one I'd already guessed but it was good to see it out in the open, and whoo boy, it is going to have ramifications. One thing about these stories is they are not stagnant; every book moves the overall series arc along. Developments in one book are seen and felt in the following books. Cogman is an incredible plotter; details are rarely unimportant or minor. She reminds me of Seanan McGuire in that regard. They both build complex, rich worlds where events have consequences and everything matters, nothing is unimportant.

In addition to the usual cast of Irene, Kai, and Vale, we see Inspector Singh but not Lord Silver. I actually missed him. Silver's niece Catherine, however, is Irene's new apprentice and ooo, she was annoying; so rude, and impatient, and entitled. I warmed up a bit during the story but she's not a favorite, not yet. We also have the return of several villains who kept Irene and companions busy trying to stay alive and mostly unharmed. It felt, this time around, as if Irene and gang were more reactive than proactive and when they were proactive, things did not go according to plan. Although, to be fair, they rarely do. Irene's life is spy first, then thief, then librarian, something that Catherine complains about extensively. Being a Librarian is not what she had imagined. Honestly, it's a lot more exciting that I ever expected, lol. 

The story was exciting, with lots of action, some twists, intriguing characters, and politics, though less of that than usual. The epilogue was full of twists and I am anxious for the next book to see how they play out. I expect it will play out over several books. Cogman is keeping the series fresh and interesting. I'm looking forward to more.

Reviews of earlier books in the series:

#1 The Invisible Library

#2 The Masked City

#3 The Burning Page

#4 The Lost Plot

#5 The Mortal Word

#6 The Secret Chapter