Irene has taken on a monumental task in hopes of further cementing the peace treaty between the dragons and the Fae. She has agreed to have a Fae as an apprentice, a move seen as widely controversial for a whole host of reasons but mainly because there has been no prior successful attempt for a member of the Fae to enter the Library. Still, Irene has hope and a two-year grace period to gain Library access for Catherine, her new Fae apprentice. Unfortunately, Catherine is already arguing with Irene’s other apprentice, the Dragon Prince Kai, and seems solely focused on books and not the more adventuresome aspects of being a Librarian. Things take a downward turn when Kai and Catherine are the targets of an assassination plot while Irene and Vale are targeted by an old foe in another attack. Who is behind these attacks? It’s going to take every bit of ingenuity Irene, Kai, Vale, and Catherine have if they hope to survive THE DARK ARCHIVE!

THE DARK ARCHIVE is the seventh book in The Invisible Library series, a series that only gets better and better with each new installment. If you haven’t read the earlier books, stop right now and go read them. The Invisible Library is a series meant to be read in order as the world-building has been carefully crafted and developed over multiple books. In addition, there are characters from the past who reappear in THE DARK ARCHIVE that are far more horrifying if you understand just how powerful they are--and all of that has been delineated in earlier books.

I love Irene! I love her spunkiness and her willingness to stand by those she is loyal to or tasked to defend. She doesn’t give up even when the odds seem insurmountable. Genevieve Cogman digs deep into Irene’s past in THE DARK ARCHIVE as some dark mysteries are now coming to light. I look forward to seeing how Irene copes with her newfound knowledge, as well as her apprentices.

And speaking of Irene’s apprentices. . . I dearly love Kai and am so glad we are starting to see his interactions with his siblings more. I suspect the events of THE DARK ARCHIVE will greatly affect future interactions with Shan Yuan. However, it is Catherine who stands out even more so than Kai, oddly enough. At first, Catherine is just flat out annoying and it’s hard to trust her, especially considering who her uncle is. Genevieve Cogman does a marvelous job at fleshing out Catherine’s character and allowing us to see Catherine’s personal growth. No spoilers, but I’m thoroughly looking forward to the next book!

THE DARK ARCHIVE is steampunk fantasy at its finest! Genevieve Cogman does a masterful job at combining science fiction technology with fantasy elements to craft one heck of an intriguing world. In addition, The Invisible Library series has phenomenal character development and fast-paced action with a ton of political intrigue as well. And the best part of all is that it is all centered around a Library! If you love fantasy, steampunk, or just good science fiction, then The Invisible Library series and THE DARK ARCHIVE are perfect for you!