Reviews

The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman

tornoutending's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

☆☆☆¾

What drew me to the book: I've been reading the series for years (and yet I've still only read the first two books) and I really wanted to get round to actually finishing it.

How long it’s been on my TBR: Since I first read the series which I don't even remember when that was.

My expectations: A good book consistent with the first two.

My thoughts whilst reading: I read this book back in February so my thoughts are a little hazy but I remember thinking that the book felt a little disconnected almost, the stuff happening felt really random and sort of drawn out and then you had the ending which didn't really feel as if it had sufficient build-up, it was as if the author had two separate plots for the book and just added them together. I also really disliked the ending on the basis that the answer to stopping the big bad thing was so obvious and yet the smart, fast-thinking main character took ages to figure it out.

Overall: I wanted to enjoy The Burning Page as much as I enjoyed the previous books in the series but unfortunately for me, it wasn't as interesting as the other two books. Where books 1 & 2 were fast-paced and adventurous 3 was just a lot of going backwards and forwards and not a lot actually happening (granted there were a few 'bigger' moments throughout the book but the lead-up tp them wasn't that intriguing or attention-grabbing and then the moments stopped being relevant not long after they happened). Moving on, I found myself shocked when Irene and Vale kissed like what? I genuinely thought that Vale was dating Singh but apparently not. The book's synopsis sort of gives away the main events of the book (which read like they're meant to be a big surprise as if the synopsis doesn't straight up spoil it and despite being described as the main event to the book) and the events in question it felt pretty lacklustre, I can't explain it exactly but it just didn't grab me. I also disliked how little presence Kai had in the book, he was missing for most of the last book so I was expecting to see more of him, maybe in the next book he'll have more page time though as it sounds like the place him and Irene travel to will be important to him. Things I did enjoy about the book were Zayanna and Lord Silver, I found both their characters grew on me and I really enjoyed seeing more of the Fae characters in the world and their penchant for drama, I can't wait to see more of Lord Silver in the rest of the series. Another thing I enjoyed (and that surprised me) was Vale being revealed as half-Fae, I really enjoyed the idea and the struggle between whether he should be left to become fully Fae or fully Human and I hope we see his Fae half / nature being explored further in the series. As for the ending I think it could've been so much better, everything is conveniently solved within 5 minutes and the big solution to the main problem (despite being ridiculously obvious) is quite literally given away by the book's title like what was the point?

Miscellaneous: I don't think I had any miscellaneous thoughts for this (and if I did I can't remember).

Did it meet my expectations: Unfortunately not, I found it to be a little lacking of what I normally enjoyed with the other books.

Favourite character: Lord Silver perhaps.

Favourite relationship: The friendship between Zayanna and Irene.

Favourite scene: The scene where Irene confronted Zayanna.

Favourite quote: I can't view my highlights for the book but I remember it vaguely being something about Irene saying how Kai and Vale were important to her when they were in her room.

Why I rounded the review down*: I just didn't think it was worthy of being rated 4 stars.

Will I be reading the sequel: Yes (which hopefully is better than The Burning Page).

Will I be investing in a physical copy: Unless I really enjoy the rest of the series no.

Do I recommend it: The series overall so far? Yes. This book specifically? No.

*(For rating systems such as Goodreads)

Book #6 from my TBR Jar.

larissabee's review against another edition

adventurous

3.0

casandral's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

hlibby96's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

hbelle01's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

teresaalice's review against another edition

4.0

Will return to write a fuller review, but this book has restored my faith in this series after being less impressed with the second instalment.

itsfreelancer's review against another edition

4.0

Haven't read anything in the last 3 weeks and finally decided to review the ones that I already finished earlier this year but was too lazy to review.

This book is one of them.

Book 3 of the Librarian something something series, this picks up right after the previous one and doles out some heavy adventure, action and fun. Don't be fooled by my apparent laziness to go back and remember the name of the series and don't take it as a sign to skip this book.

This one's brilliant. The dynamic duo Irene and Kai are off to different worlds again in search of books that maintain the balance between order and chaos. Things get dicey from the get go when the door to the library in space and time malfunctions and our intrepid heroes find themselves fighting for their lives. Once again. The big bad librarian turned rogue finally turns his designs against the library and Irene must have her wits with her to match him skill to skill.

We are left with more questions than answers but nevertheless this was as fun as I could possibly imagine. On to the next one then.

nyom7's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

3.0

danileighta's review against another edition

4.0

I plowed right through this book. The world Cogman has created is so easy to get lost in and I'm someone who doesn't mind being lost. We finally got to experience a magical world in this book, which was nice, as we have been mostly in chaos and order. It feels like a relief to understand more about Alberich's plan, as well, though I won't share it here. Vale took more of a center stage in this book and his journey was engaging and nerve-wracking. Alberich drops a bit of a bomb on Irene, though it could be a totally untruthful one. It opens up the door for really interesting possibilities in the next books.

If you're someone who gets through a couple books in a series, then moves on, I beg you: read this book first!

fcase20's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75