The Untold Story: Invisible Library, Book 8

In this final (for now at least) installment of the Invisible Library series, Irene and her friends delve deep into the history of the Library itself, discovering the truth behind its creation. Of course such a quest is bound to be filled with danger and excitement, the group encountering many old friends, and a few old enemies along the way.I've been a fan of the Invisible Library series since I discovered it a few years ago. It's a fun and light-hearted series with some great characters, who I have over the years become rather attached to. The books are usually quite fast-paced and action-filled, intertwining mystery, magic and adventure, and of course always at the series' heart a deep love and appreciation for books and stories in themselves.An eight book series, there has been a sense of a change in course as the books have progressed. Where they started off with Irene usually assigned a particular mission for a book retrieval, as the series has gone on, the Library has definitely assumed a more political role in the ongoing power struggle between Dragons and Fae; Irene herself being assigned the role of a peace treaty representative. In the last few books there have been hints that there may be more to the origins of the Library than its Librarians have generally been led to believe, and here at last the secrets of the Library are finally revealed. With a familiar face returning in the last book, and the revelation that went with this, there are of course other loose strands to tie up here with Alberich; with Cogman very much interconnecting Alberich's past with the discoveries about the Library itself.Having been such a fan of the series overall, and also having very much looked forward to previously teased mysteries finally being revealed, I have to say that overall I was rather disappointed with this final installment. For a start it just took so long to really get to the real story here, with a lot of procrastinating and just going round in circles. It wasn't that there wasn't action going on, but I found myself getting rather bored of people constantly showing up and threatening Irene and the gang, and interrupting the more interesting driving narrative of the story. All these threats seemed rather excessive and repetitive, and there just to stretch out the story. Then there was all Irene's internal monologue and deliberation, not to mention the amount of time the gang spent just talking and theorizing about what was going on.It seemed that the story only really got going after the half way mark, and certainly there were some interesting elements here, such as the eventual meeting with Alberich. I also liked Aunt Isra's part, and certainly the later parts of the book picked up. However it was all just a bit too late, and even then it didn't quite pack the punch I had been hoping for. I don't want to give too much away about the revelations of the origins of the Library, but overall I thought this aspect of the story was told rather dis-jointedly, and whilst not bad, didn't for me personally live up to expectations. I did appreciate the idea that the founders' intentions may have started off well, but that they had lost sight of their original motivations over time.I would have liked more interaction between Alberich and Irene, as I thought the dynamic between them was interesting and that more could have been done with it. We do see a lot of characters from the series within this book, and some certainly have some very memorable moments such as Bradamant. Lord Silver, as always is delightful, and there was an interesting reveal regarding Melusine that I hadn't seen coming.As for our main group, whilst by now I love them as characters just for the time we have spent with them overall, (Catherine less so, as she only appeared in the last book, and I still maintain can be a trifle irritating), I'm not sure that this book in itself really added much to their characters for me. There were perhaps a few moments between Irene and Kai where they do for the first time at least properly acknowledge their feelings for each other, which was nice to see. Obviously by now it is clear to see how much they all mean to each other, and the extent to which each one is willing to risk their lives for the others, the bond between them all certainly resonating.Overall, I think I would have liked this book much better had it been a bit more character-driven, and really there was no excuse for it not to be given Irene's personal relationship with Alberich, which could have been explored much better in my opinion. Also the story itself was told in too convoluted a fashion, with a lot of action just for action's sake.Given how much I have enjoyed this series overall, I found my experience of this last book a pity, but I still appreciate the series as a whole. I do think it probably a good thing that Cogman is leaving this world and these characters (for now at least), as I think the series has come to a logical conclusion, and I will certainly be checking out her next planned series that comes out later this year.

I can't believe this is the last one. I've been a follower of this series since the beginning and have looked forward to new books every year. I knew this was the last so I took my time to eventually read it and boy it was a crazy ride (like most of the Invisible Library to be honest haha)! I feel so satisfied with it all and I will definitely start collecting the books in physical form (read the series on Kindle) so I can experience it all over again! Thank you for this journey ❤️

I’ve demolished every book in this series and loved them all. Great storytelling, brilliant characters and humour throughout.I’m just sad that I’ve got to wait to see if we get to enjoy any more adventures with Irene and friends.Is an easy, fun read but you totally need to read the rest of the series first or you’ll miss out on so much.

Can't help but feel this is the last in a wonderful series, I love the development of the characters throughout. For fantasy lovers and detectives alike just lovely

Am so sad this is the last one. Please write more! What happens next to all the characters? Such an enjoyable series I ended up going back and reading them all again

The series ends as it started, with a bang, rather than a whimper ... Feisty heroine Irene is plunged for the last time into a maelstrom of adventure, and the reader can only hang on as the ride swoops along the roller-coaster. Things are revealed, things are resolved, and every page is a turner. And this time I actually caught some of the references ...

This being the final book (at least for now as Genevieve says) in the fantastic Invisible Library series I have taken forever to finish reading it, dreading the moment when I didn’t have the hope of a new tale about Irene et. al. It is a suitably dramatic and satisfying drawing together of several strands with the addition of the usual warmth and depth of characters that have kept me pre-ordering each volume through the last 7 years. Ms Cogman is not going away and I’m really looking forward to her new book due this year. Now, where’s my Library card?…..

Dragons, Librarians (with a difference), fairies and you get a nail-biting fast-paced story through myth and imagination. Good stuff.