Initial Thoughts: “I love Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series, but I am not quite as in love with this fifth book in the series. I got the sense the story was rushed, with the connections among Irene and her companions forced in a way that is not normal for these stories. I still enjoyed it, but I did not tear through it as much as I thought I would or as much as I have done in the past with the other books in the series.”
Now: I remain disappointed by The Mortal Word. Compared to the first four books in the series, it is mediocre and mundane. The story feels repetitive with Irene in yet another life-or-death situation involving the Fey and Dragons and in which the fate of the Library is at stake. Irene’s antics are stale, and she is missing the charm that defined her character in the first four books. At the same time, there is a significant development in Irene and Kai’s relationship, and it gets only cursory attention. Previous books had me racing through the pages, anxious to find out what happens and unable to figure out the mystery. This time, I had to force myself to read because the action and the answer to the mystery were so apparent that it took the fun out of reading. I am hoping that The Mortal Word is the exception within the series and that the remaining three books bring back the quirkiness that caused me to fall in love with the Invisible Library series. After all, Irene is so darling, and the world of the Library is creative and enticing to any bibliophile – just not in this particular book in the series.
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