Reviews

Another rushed end to a long story. I honestly don’t know what keeping me hooked to these books, but here we are!

I think I’m more determined to finish the series than I am being invested in the story.

neonmuted's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

nutmeg205's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

1.75

lhirl's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

reedinthelibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

mary_soon_lee's review

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4.0

This is the fifth volume in The Invisible Library series. Repeating my comments on earlier installments: I find the series, its recurring characters, and the central conceit of the mysterious Library to be a delight. This fifth installment takes place mostly in a version of Paris, and combines high-stake peace negotations, a murder investigation, and assorted types of villainy. I enjoyed it very much, albeit not as much as the previous installment (my favorite so far). I have a few petty quibbles, but overall I highly recommend both this book and this series.

The petty quibbles -- spoilers ahead.

Spoiler

At several points Irene emphasizes the importance of truthfulness on the part of the Library, and that any cover-up or deception will threaten the treaty's future. Yet the final resolution entails a cover-up. It's quite possible this is a reader error on my part, and that I missed something important, but it seemed odd. Secondly, Irene's parents are held hostage, but I didn't notice a single moment where she has any specific thought about them beyond their being her parents and in danger -- not one memory of a past kindness or argument, not one time when she hopes she'll get to bake cakes with her father again, or to go ice skating with her mother, or.... Lastly, the books have succeeded so well in making me care about the friendship between Kai and Irene that I was disappointed not to see more moments between them in this book.

To reiterate: none of these quibbles stopped me from enjoying this very much.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

marissa_liotta's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.0

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