The Burning Page is actually book 3 in Genevieve Cogman’s series: The Invisible Library.

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Title: The Burning Page (book 3)

Series: The Invisible Library

First book in the Series: The Invisible Library

Author: Genevieve Cogman

Genre: Multi-universe fantasy

Synopsis: The Burning Page continues the story of Librarian Irene and her dragon assistant Kai. It does an interesting job of discussing several repercussions from the previous story – The Masked City. Irene is still on probation for her actions – becoming involved in politics and saving Kai. What should have been another easy fetch-and-retrieve task marks the start of more problems and danger for Irene. Alberich is back and he has a plan to destroy all that Irene cares for. With the very Library at stake, Irene finds trouble drawn to her. Betrayal, danger, death, and books are all twisted together in this next installment of the Invisible Library.

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What was good: I like the way the Burning Page brings forth some of the consequences the characters face because of decisions made in the previous stories. As always I was interested to see Vale again and double intrigued by his current problem with chaos contamination. He became even more Sherlock Holmes-like, with his own drug problem and difficulty stilling his mind. That his essence and future came into question was well thought-out. I am curious to see how that will play out in the next book and if he will continue to assist Irene.

The story of Alberich was both good and potentially terrible. His discussions with Irene are great to question the purpose and ethics of the Library and its Librarians. However, if he continues to dog Irene through every novel, I will become heartily bored and frustrated with what is turning out to be an unrealistically powerful enemy. He should have been killed in this book, but only time will tell if that was the case.

What was less impressive: I think my biggest concern with this story was the conclusion. It felt both rushed and not quite conclusive. I don’t mind having some dangling threads, but the manner in which the story ends (almost abruptly) feels like the author didn’t know what she wanted to do and so left every door open. That is worrisome, because some threads need to end so we can find new plots to explore.

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How it compared to the first book: I think I liked this story more than book 2 and about as much as book 1. There were lots of elements of the plot that I really did like. There was a bit of mystery to be solved and old characters came back in a new light. It also did a good job of continuing to build the fantastical, Victorian-like setting of Irene’s current world post while also exploring a couple of other settings.

Prognosis: I like this series. It is always a good read and I will be back again for book 4: The Lost Plot.

Rank and Reason: 4 out of 5, consistently good and imaginative writing with solid characters and interesting plots.

I have been reading sequels of books recently, so while I cannot introduce new authors I can at least comment on how their series is going. That said, I don’t think I actually commented on Shanna Swendson’s first book, A Fairy Tale. Anyway, this post will focus on the direct sequel entitled: To Catch a Queen.

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Title: To Catch a Queen (book 2)

Series: Fairy Tale

First book in the Series: A Fairy Tale

Author: Shanna Swendson

Genre: Modern Fantasy with Fairies and Fairyland

Synopsis: Sophie Drake is again needed in the Realm. Someone is impersonating the Queen and banishing undesirables back into the Human world. This is causing trauma and in some cases death for those involved. But that is not the only problem Sophie has to deal with. She is still working hard at freeing Jen, worrying about her sister, and balancing royal duties with the image of a normal life. Fortunately, Sophie has friends who will come to her aid, both human and fey.

What was good: The characters really sell this book and the series in general. Sophie is a strong, go get-it-done sort of woman. In her 30s she is a little older than many of your heroines, which I certainly appreciate. I even love her one-sided romance, which is done well and believably. Emily adds the optimism and recklessness of youth even if she isn’t that many years younger than sister Sophie. Michael brings the perspective of the uninitiated. He is the stoic cop that finds himself confronting the supernatural. This again is handled well.

What was less impressive: My biggest struggle with the book is the fey. I am not a huge fan of fairies, which is amusing considering how much I enjoyed the story. Despite half (or more) of the story taking place in fairyland – aka the Realm – I mostly enjoyed how the author dealt with the land and denizens living there. It is still not my favourite set-up, but it was not the terrible mess it could have been either.

The other problem I had was the fetch quest feel of this particular story. The feeling of mystery never did develop, instead it felt like the longest and most frustrating game of go and collect … [insert next item on the list].

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How it compared to the first book: The first book, A Fairy Tale, was better. The story was stronger and more engaging. Partly because you didn’t know how things were going to end or in fact what was going on. To Catch a Queen follows book 1 closely in time. It picks up the thread of the tale, but is not nearly as strong a narrative as the first book.

Prognosis: It was an okay sequel. I appreciate the attempt to do something a little different, to watch the characters grow and change throughout the narrative. However, looking at it as a single story, it was pretty mediocre. Still, I am interested enough that I want to read the third tale in this series, to see if the author can find a new tale to tell.

Rank and Reason: 3.5 out of 5 – not nearly as strong a story as book 1 in the series, but not terrible either. I do enjoy Sophie as heroine.