This is a standout instalment in The Invisible Library series, seamlessly blending political intrigue, murder mystery, and the series' unique spin on magic. This time, Irene finds herself navigating delicate negotiations between dragons and fae, with plenty of twists, danger, and surprises along the way.

The stakes are high, the pacing is perfect, and the plot keeps you guessing until the very end. The unique characters shine, with their development adding depth to the story, and the worldbuilding remains as rich and immersive as ever.

If you love smart, action-packed fantasy with a touch of mystery, The Mortal Word is an absolute must-read. It’s one of the series’ finest moments!

Amazon's software has been gently pushing the Invisible Library series at me, I should definitely pay more attention. The Mortal Word came up as a Kindle special offer at 99p and I thought 'why not' and I have been hooked.

The Mortal Word stands up well as the first book to read, considering it is the fifth in the series. I have since been back and read The Invisible Library, The Masked City, The Burning Page and The Lost Plot and am looking forward to The Secret Chapter. Sadly The Secret Chapter was published in November 2019, so it will be a while before I get the next book.

As for the stories, we have two powerful races, Dragons standing for logic and the Fae standing for stories and imagination, humanity dispersed across a myriad of realities and The Library, an ancient institution trying to bring balance to each of the realities. It gives Genevieve Cogman the opportunity to put her stories into geographical areas and bits of history that appeal to her and to give them a twist and see what it feels like. Our heroine's favourite world has the British Museum, a strong Fae influence, including werewolves and zeppelins. The adventures are rip-roaring. Altogether a great read.

There's always the fear with a series you love that the next instalment won't live up to the others. Invisible Library series fans can put that aside with this latest book, it is the best yet. The series was at a risky point after a major change to the status quo at the end of book 4, and I wasn't sure how Cogman would manage it and if it would spoil the way the books work. I should have had more faith. She has produced an excellent novel in its own right, and has manouvered her series onwards to set up more great things for the next books.

As is normal, our heroine Irene finds herself in a highly complicated and dangerous situation. She is sent to Paris to solve the murder of a negotiator in am unprecedented peace conference. If the talks go wrong, the outcome could be a war that destroys whole worlds. So no pressure. As if that wasn't bad enough, one of her fellow investigators is her old enemy Silver, she's being grudgingly assisted by her bitter rival Bradmant, and she's trying to cover up her far-from-purely-professional relationship with the nephew of the head of one of the factions.

The novel is full of the usual thrills and spills, wry humour, and genuine emotional pathos (but never descending into melodrama). We find out lots more about Irene's former assistant Kai and his family, and about the dragons and the fae. There's also lots of Vale which will please fans of the detective since he got no more than a one line cameo in book 4. There are some fantastic new characters, including lots of hilariously over-the-top fae and a very sinister villain. But there's also the return of most of the familiar faces from old novels. No one gets a huge amount of page time as a result except for Irene, Kai and Vale, but that's not an issue.

Fans looking for answers to some of the series' central mysteries may be a little disappointed, but we get lots of new information (and some new questions) and the odd line that gives rise to interesting new fan-theory options. Cogman has at least 3 books of the series planned out, so she can't give away all her secrets at one. I do have confidence though that she will eventually answer them. For example, how Kai came to be working for the Library is now much clearer.

I notice the blurb says these can be read as standalone novels - I don't agree with that as there is an overarching storyline here and the books will be much more enjoyable and make much more sense if read in order. If you've not read the others yet, start with book one and enjoy! Overall, this is the best fantasy series currently in production (now Discworld is sadly over) and I think fans will be generally very happy with the latest instalment. It even has a much more satisfying ending than some of its predecessors!

A mix of Conan Doyle and Dorothy L Sayers with a splash of James Bond but with an efficient and organised female protagonist, beautiful dragons, Chaos and libraries what is not to like? As a promoter of libraries, the books might make you feel nostalgic about your local library and hopefully inspire a trip there sooner rather than later. The latest in the series has the forces of order pitted against the forces of chaos, a treaty to rescue and frail humanity under threat with only a sensible librarian, aided by her Victorian Detective and dragon lover, attempting to save the day. It is a gloriously entertaining romp through exotic islands owned by an underworld evil genius, hoodlums and the mafia, bikinis and sharks. A recipe that sounds as though the mix of ingredients will never make it to master chef is all held together by the skill of the writing and lightness of touch with which it is executed. Reading this book is a very good way to spend a wet and dark afternoon.

This new book in the Invisible Library series is, if anything, even better than its predecessors. Genevieve has built even more into her worlds and the characters are becoming ever more sympathetic. How she manages this while still working (I think the clue to her meticulous plotting of world building and story arc in this series owes a lot to her obvious analytic skills) and following her crafty passions (I get nearly no knitting done when a new Invisible Library book comes out! Seriously, if you’ve enjoyed any of the previous adventures of “Irene”, you’re going to love this new book, Fae, Dragons, Librarians and mortals make for a great read. Thanks, Genevieve, can’t wait for the next one- no pressure! Now, must find a dragon pattern to knit...... dippydawn on Ravelry if anyone knows of a good one!

Cogman really has created an amazing way of looking at life through the lens of barely balanced opposing forces. While being extremely entertaining, it could be used as a way to describe mental health. I've given four stars simply because it took awhile to get going. Once it did, tho, I think that this is the best of the series.

I was interested in her comment on the acknowledgement that she has coworkers. If that means she has a day job on top of turning out these vivid, complex books fairly quickly, then hats of to her in spades.

Well done. Definitely buy.

I agree with the previous reviewer these are not stand alone novels, with the exception of book one of course. The books that follow-on from the first are all part of the series.

Excellent book. Librarian Irene is thrust into the middle of a potential peace convention between the Fae and Dragons, with the Librarians acting as mediators. A dragon member of the convention is murdered, so Victorian detective Vale and Irene are sent in as investigators and Irene sends Kai there as well. It appears that the evidence is pointing towards a dangerous fae known as the "Bloody Countess". But is she really to blame or is it someone else trying to stop the peace process.

We learn more of Kai's family circumstances and past characters are also reintroduced. Another excellent book in this excellent series.

I've recorded the fact before, I'm a Si-Fi fan who generally is not impressed by fantasy works. But the 'Invisible Library' series are one of a couple of exceptions. 'The Mortal Word' is basically a really good thriller where it doesn't matter much that the characters are dragons, humans and fae. It's just a good story set against a fictional Paris with sufficient plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. As ever it is Irene Winter against the universe with the help of Kai (a dragon) and Vale (a modern Sherlock Holmes without the drug and tobacco addictions). Winter is sent out to solve a murder but some how manages to end up saving a peace conference between the dragons and the fae.

'The Mortal Word' is a good read that it can be difficult to put down. It is fantasy written to a rule book that allows humour to be used to complement the plot in a manner that distracts the reader away from the riciulous fantasy elements in the story. It is all really rather clever and that is possibly why I like this series so much.

The story had good pace and you don't want to put the book down.

Cette suite de Cogman est encore passionnante.

Les personnages sont attachants et tellement bien décrits. Tout est si visuel que l'on se projette dans l'histoire et on a l'impression de participer au scènes au fur et à mesure de la lecture. Irène, le personne principal est drôle, indépendante, brillante. Ses acolytes, parfois tellement stéréotypés du fait de leur nature même, sont aussi très présents. cela donne des histoires riches et captivantes. Il n'est pas nécessaire d'être un amateur de ce genre littéraire pour se plonger avec passion et délectation dans cette lecture. C'est encore un super roman qui allie de bonnes descriptions, une histoire captivante, une enquête qui l'est tout autant, des interactions (in)humaines. Un vrai moment de plaisir où l'on est catapulté dans un autre univers.

NEVER KNOW WHATS GOOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.....GREAT SERIES

Der Frieden zwischen den Mächten der Ordnung und des Chaos scheint in greifbarer Nähe zu sein. Die Bibliothek vermittelt bei einer geheimen Konferenz zwischen den Feenwesen und den Drachen. Doch dann wird einer der Vermittler der Drachen erstochen aufgefunden. Die anwesenden Bibliothekare können verhindern, dass die beiden Parteien, die sich gleich gegenseitig die Schuld zu weisen, aufeinander losgehen und die Konferenz beenden. Stattdessen wird mit dem Detektiv Vale ein neutraler Ermittler einbestellt, der den Mord aufklären soll. Ihm zur Seite steht jeweils ein Vertreter der drei beteiligten Parteien. Für die Bibliothek wird Irene gerufen, die zwar nicht an der Konferenz teilgenommen hat, aber eine enge Freundin von Vale ist.

Die Konferenz stellt sich als ein gefährliches Pflaster für Irene und Vale heraus. Nicht nur drohen ihnen die Feen und Drachen recht offen, es kommt auch zu vermehrten Anschlägen in der Stadt, bei denen die Beiden das Ziel sind. Auch die Spurensuche erweist sich als schwierig, da sie von allen Seiten mit Lügen und Halbwahrheiten konfrontiert werden. Vielerorts ist man auch nicht daran interessiert, den wahren Schuldigen aufzuspüren, es muss nur ein passender Sündenbock sein.

The Mortal Word ist durchweg spannend geschrieben. Irene kommt keinen Moment zur Ruhe und überall warten neue Spuren auf ihre Entdeckung. Im luxuriösen Paris, in dem der Band diesmal spielt, warten viele Gefahren und direkte Konfrontationen mit mächtigen Feen und Drachen auf die Hauptcharaktere. Durch die ständig wechselnden Schauplätze bleiben die Romane abwechslungsreich. Irene und Kai haben in den Romanen eine deutliche Entwicklung durchgemacht, die hier deutlich wird. Ich bin gespannt, wie es mit den beiden in Zukunft weitergehen wird.

First let me apologize for my last recommendation. I thought Book 4 was the final in the series and I, of course, was wrong. There are a great many things I have enjoyed in the Mortal Word.The plot has been very interesting and unlike some series the author chose not to cut and paste many scenes from earlier books instead giving only the information needed if reading out of order. I have enjoyed the vocabulary. Sometimes I had to look up words and for me, that is a good thing. The story hasn’t been “dumbed” down. The characters continue to grow and relationships develop. I would suggest this for any age who may be interested in the genre.