Stepping back into the world of Irene Winters in The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman is like sipping your favorite beverage at the end of a long day – relaxing and comforting. Irene is just so familiar with her love of reading and The Library, her desire to spend cozy nights with her loved ones, and her determination to do her job to the best of her ability. It is a bit like reading about yourself if you happened to live in a world where Fae and Dragons coexisted, and a magical, mystical Library kept the two from gaining too much power.
The best part about The Secret Chapter, and the entire series, is the fact that Kai’s and Irene’s adventures never become old or predictable. Each story sheds just a little more light on the big picture. This time around, we learn something rather unexpected about the origins of dragons. We also see more dragon interactions as well as Kai’s relations. Plus, we get to see Irene’s parents as she confronts them about the origins of her birth. There is no doubt all of this is going to come back to haunt Irene and Kai in future stories.
In The Secret Chapter, Irene learns some things about herself which highlight those changes, even as she recognizes that some of those changes might not be the most positive. Ms. Cogman is not afraid to put her characters through dark times, and more importantly, she is not afraid to show the negative impact such dark times can have on her characters’ personalities.
The Invisible Library series remains entertaining and creative. Each story stands on its own while also moving forward the overarching story. The characters never remain stagnant but always growing and learning from previous experiences. It remains a favorite series, especially as I never know what to expect from one book to the next other than the fact that nothing will ever go to plan, which makes up half the fun.
