When it comes to politics of any kind (but especially those of fae and dragon), it is essential that the Library remain neutral. When it comes to disputes, wars, etc., they are Switzerland, avoiding involvement unless the Library itself (or its reputation) is in danger. So, when Irene gets wind of a rumor that the services of a Librarian may have been bought by a dragon, for the purposes of attaining a book that will sway dragon politics, she and Kai have no choice but to intervene.
On this mission, they find themselves in an alternate New York City, similar to our NYC city of the 1920’s, wrought with gangs taking advantage of Prohibition laws. While there, they will deal with gangs, police, fae, dragons, and wolves and in the end, risk all to preserve the neutrality of the Library and protect human lives.
The Invisible Library series has become one of my favorites. Genevieve Cogman never disappoints, and I’ve been looking forward to this book since I read the last one. This fourth in series is my 2nd favorite (the 1st being the best!). The adventure was a bit more low-key, a little less immersed in fantasy, and felt much more character driven.
I love Irene. She is fiercely independent, passionate but maintains control (mostly), intelligent and focused, adaptable, empathetic and highly ethical. I love Irene and Kai as a pair, whatever that may consist of in the future. And I love the idea of the Library being this amazing, magical, powerful, neutral ground because it is a fair representation of how it has always felt to me. Library should always be capitalized. ;)
The Lost Plot was one of my top 5 most anticipated books of 2018, and it was everything I hoped it would be. Here’s hoping #5 is well on its way!

Irene and Kai are drawn into the middle of dragon politics when The Library requests that they search and find a young Librarian who may have crossed a forbidden line. The Library is a neutral entity not getting drawn into choosing sides between the dragons and Fae. This young Librarian, Evariste, seems to have been hired by a dragon to find a book for his Queen. However, when Irene and Kai reach 1920’s New York they realize that all is not as it seems and they may need to help Evariste get out of the situation he has been drawn into.

I have loved the different settings that past Invisible LIbrary books have been set, but I’ll admit, 1920’s New York created more drama, intrigue and romance than any of the other worlds. Granted, it is a world that is familiar. Prohibition,mobsters, flappers and fedoras ruled the day and watching Irene and Kai familiarize themselves with the era was fun and at times frivolous. Frivolity wouldn’t be a word I’d use to discuss any of the previous plots, so it seems the author had fun with this setting as much as I did reading about it. As soon as Kai and Irene stepped through the doors into this era the story moved at a quick clip and I was enthralled.

Irene and Kai’s relationship has slowly evolved over the four books. Yes, he is still her apprentice, but you can tell that they care for each other more than teacher and student. As this plot revolves around dragon politics, something that Kai can’t get involved in because that would shift their relationship away from the safety of teacher / student and would also endanger the neutrality of the Library, there was more of a sense of urgency to the plot. They are always facing danger and making difficult choices but the possibility of a shift to a different kind of relationship was exciting and something I had been looking forward to but thought would never happen.

The Lost Plot has been my favorite in the series so far. The 1920’s setting gave the story more humor and fun, the political nature of the story line made the drama more intense and the conclusion to the plot was very well played out and satisfying.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

It would be easy to dismiss The Lost Plot and the entire series as fluffy fantasy involving a weird Library, dragons, Fae, and dimensional time travel, and in some regards this assessment is true. It is rather fluffy in that the stories are not literary in nature but purely entertaining. You are not going to learn much about history, life, or yourself while reading them. To dismiss The Invisible Library series, however, is to ignore all that is right with storytelling for Genevieve Cogman tells one hell of a story.

Like all good series, each story builds on the other. In this fourth novel in the series, we know more than we did about the Library. We understand Fae and dragon lands. We know about dragon politics. We understand Irene's mission and her relationship with Kai. What The Lost Plot does is provide us with just a bit more knowledge about each of these areas to further solidify our understanding. Dragon politics is at the heart of this particular novel, and for the first time we see how Irene's relationship with Kai and their relationship to the Library could be in jeopardy thanks to his family. In the previous novels, this was something hinted at more than explored, but now we get to see firsthand the high-wire act Irene has been performing to keep both Kai and the Library safe. Her willingness to do so speaks volumes about her feelings for her apprentice, and we finally see some movement in that area as well. In addition, the time spent in various dragons' company affords us a greater understanding of their strict rules and hierarchy. Plus, there are mobsters, holier-than-though cops, and dragons flying around fighting each other. What more could you want?

After the heavy action in The Burning Page, The Lost Plot does feel rather slow and less informative than previous books. Yet, I suspect this was done for a purpose. There has always been more to the story than just Irene and Kai traveling to different lands to collect rare books for the Library. Book three brought us closer to understanding that overarching mystery, so book four is a time to pause and establish greater understanding of our heros and the political minefields that exist in their line of work. It is not a filler episode so much as it is a breather episode, there to remind us of simpler times when we first met Irene and Kai and to confirm all that we now know. All long-running series have such lulls in action, if you will, where the main story gets set aside for a bit while we reintroduce the characters, discover how much they have changed since we first met them, and get the chance to process everything that has previously happened. For any series to be successful, having this relative lull in the action is essential and welcome.

This is not to say that Irene becomes dull and safe in her efforts to fulfill her mission. It is rather the opposite in fact. If there is any impending danger, she will find it. If she can find a way to wreck havoc, she takes it. This is the Irene we know and love, the one who will do whatever it takes to keep her friends safe and complete her mission, the one who is afraid to jump but will do it anyway because she knows it is the only way. There is plenty of action and destruction to whet any Irene Winters fan.

After three books in the series, there is not much more to say except to remind people just how much fun it is. Irene is hilarious in her practical, no-nonsense way with her affinity for a warm fire, a snifter of brandy, and a pile of books at war with her propensity for danger and mayhem. Kai has a chance to shine on his own this time too, as we see him forced to make decisions without Irene's guidance and apply his understanding of the politics at play to his decision-making. The Prohibition-era like version of New York City is amusing and adds an extra layer of intrigue to the whole story. The Lost Plot is immensely satisfying and thoroughly entertaining, as is the whole series. The only bad part is now having to wait yet again for the next book.

After the excitement and near-death experiences involved in taking out rogue Librarian Alberich in The Burning Page, Librarian Irene is hoping for a few quiet days reading a good book. Unfortunately, Irene has a talent for innocently involving herself in major plots- and this time dragons are involved. The Library's neutrality is being threatened in a power contest between two dragons and Irene and Kai need to contain the damage before the Library, other Librarians, and an entire world are destroyed.

In an interesting change of pace, in Lost Plot Genevieve Cogman leaves her traditional steampunk Victorian-era London for a 1920s New York. With mobsters, Prohibition, guns and fedoras, it's a world we'd call pretty 'normal'. Cogman doesn't give us overly detailed descriptions of this world, which works well for maintaining the fast pace of the book but is a shame since it means her fantastic world-building skills aren't particularly used here. Maybe Irene can go back in a later book so we can enjoy more detailed descriptions of the time period. Although by the end of Lost Plot, that New York was a little shaken up and might not welcome Irene back.

I enjoyed watching Irene work through this new set of problems and seeing her character grow even more. She's gaining a Harry Dresden-like talent for balancing between the rules of different magic users while still getting to what she wants in the end. And I like seeing her continue to grow from a "books only" focus- by the end of Plot she can put into words what she's felt instinctively for awhile: if you're willing to risk everything for a book, shouldn't you be willing to do the same for a person?

While Cogman will probably never be able to top her alligators in The Invisible Library, dragon trained dire wolves get a role here and a nice scene towards the climactic battle at the end. Plot delves into the world of dragons and dragon politics the way Masked City did for the Fae. While we are probably never meant to know too much as mere humans, Irene is becoming an expert among Librarians- something that I can readily see getting her further into politics than she'd like in future books.

The necessity to keep the Library and dragons separate naturally means Irene worries about her relationship with Kai. Are they just as compromised in their neutrality as the Librarian Evariste is accused of being? Irene doesn't have much time to worry about this until the very end of the book, but it looks like something that will get much more attention in future books. Kai doesn't get too much 'page time' in Plot (and the scenes he gets solo drag down the overall pace a bit), but you see the relationship between the two changing from student-teacher to something more like equals as Kai grows into his place among dragons. I do hope that future books won't try to create a romantic relationship between the two because I haven't felt a single spark of convincing chemistry between Irene and Kai in the whole series. Trying it now would feel very contrived to me and I think having them as only friends/colleagues would make them both stronger.

While each book in the series is pretty stand alone and new readers don't need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy Lost Plot, they will get more out of some of the background, characters, and conflicts if they do. The Lost Plot lives up to the high standards Genevieve Cogman set for herself in The Invisible Library. Fast-paced and full of twists and turns, it is a fun continuation of the adventures of Irene and the Library.

I have really enjoyed reading this series and was quite pleased with this 4th installment. The book had plenty of action, almost too much. There was an overwhelming amount of characters to keep up with, but Kai and Irene still had plenty of development. I missed seeing some of the familiar characters, like Vale. The biggest problem I had with the book was how so much happened in just a short space of time. All those different characters, running into each other that many times in the span of two days was just a little too much. But overall, I did enjoy it.

I had such a good time reading this book! This is the fourth book in The Invisible Library series and while it tells its own story, I do think that this series is best if read in order. One thing that I love about this series is that each installment can be completely unique and the types of worlds that they visit really has no limits. This was a very strong story that was incredibly entertaining from beginning to end.

Irene finds herself in a difficult situation once again. She is approached by a dragon regarding a very important contest for a rare book. The Library does not get involved in dragon politics and must maintain their neutrality so Irene reports the incident to her superiors. Irene is given the assignment of investigating the actions of another Librarian and to find out what is going on with this situation.

Irene and Kai find themselves in a New York reminiscent of the 1920s complete with gangsters and other colorful individuals. Irene is in trouble right away once she enters the city and soon finds herself at odds with the local police. She must deal with them along with the local gangsters in addition to figuring out what is going on with the dragons and the other Librarian.

This was my favorite book in the series thus far. I was completely charmed by the whole story. I like how Irene is able to think quickly and can seem to get herself out of almost any situation. Kai spent a lot of time away from Irene in this book but we get to see that he is equally capable. I really like both of these characters a lot. They are both willing to make sacrifices if necessary in order to make sure that the right thing is done. Not to mention that dragons play a dominant role in this story which I found really interesting.

I would recommend this series to others. I found myself swept away in a wonderfully crafted world filled with a variety of interesting characters. I can't wait to read more of this delightful series!

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

This book was not as thought catching as the others in the series.

I am not normally a reader of fantasy novels, but the "Invisible Library" series caught my because, well, libraries. So, I delved into the first two novels of the series before reading the Advanced Readers Copy of the upcoming fourth book in the series. All are enjoyable, with well developed characters and well thought out plot lines. They aren't "hard core" sci fi/fantasy. Reading three within a month was a bit much for me, but I will continue to look for the series as more titles come out.

Recommended for fans of the "All Souls" series by Deborah Harkness and readers of light fantasy with a touch of rommance (much less than All Souls, though).

With thanks to the author, Genevieve Cogman, and the publisher, Pan Macmillian, for the advanced reader copy through netgalley.com

I just love this series so much. The Lost Plot built on previous books in a satisfying way, and left me wanting more by the end. And FINALLY <spoiler> the romantic tension boils over </spoiler>. I was less interested in the "bad guys" of this installment in the story, but the stakes still felt high as far as how Irene and Kai might be affected - not to mention The Library itself. I missed Vale's presence but I understood it needed to go in a different direction. Overall, just a really witty, well-written adventure that I would recommend to anyone.

The Lost Plot, by author Genevieve Cogman, is the fourth installment in The Invisible Library series. Protagonist Irene Winters is a Librarian-in-Residence who works for the secretive Invisible Library. Her "home" world is that of an alternative London which is features a Detective known as Peregrine Vale. The Invisible Library's most important job is to maintain the balance between order and chaos. Between Dragons who are order and reality, and Fae who are chaos, fiction, and heroes in their own plays. Sometimes even between Dragons and Dragons, Fae and Fae.

As a Librarian, Irene has visited multiple alternative worlds in order to obtain books. She herself is a bibliophile who loves to read along with a good cup of coffee. She has an apprentice in Kai, who is a dragon, and the son of the King of the Eastern Ocean. The story starts out with Irene attending a vampire soiree trying something different for a change. Instead of just stealing a book that has been requested by the Library, she attempts to make a trade. Irene is a master at escaping precarious situations and moving to the next one.

Shortly her escape, Irene is approached by a female dragon named Jin Zhi. Zhi serves the Queen of the Southern Lands. Zhi is interested in finding one of four classic novels in Chinese literature. Zhi claims that a Librarian is involved in helping her rival and she wants Irene's help. She claims that there is a contest between two powerful dragons, herself and male dragon name Qing Song to fill a position that opened up with the death of one of the Queen's ministers. The winner fills the position, the loser pays the price.

Irene's career as a Librarian is at stake. Irene and Kai travel to a world based on the 1920's Prohibition Era New York City and attempt to uncover whether a Librarian is involved in the chase for the missing book or not. Is the Librarian actually violating the neutrality clause that the Library tries hard to maintain? Or, is something else happening here? Irene must find the missing Librarian, find the missing book, and keep herself and Kai from being drawn into Dragon politics.

They will face off against Dragons, a curious Fae who plays the part of an assassin, human police who are outgunned, gangs who run liquor against the Volstead Act, and dire wolves who are loyal to their dragon master. I adore Irene, I really do. I found it fascinating that she gets to meet with the Library Security this time out. We've met the person in charge before, but this storyline really focuses on Irene's background and who she is.

Irene is a character who has had an interesting time as a Librarian. So far, she's visited alternative England, Venice, and St. Petersburg. She's the child of two Librarians which is unheard of and not normal. Her recent probation, after she saved Kai and Vale in Venice, was purely for political reasons, and not because she necessarily did anything wrong. She has faced off against a major villain twice and lived to tell the tale and may have saved the Library itself.

Irene has a reputation as a rogue agent which makes her perfect for the assignment at hand. Succeed and life goes on; fail, and she will be disavowed and cast aside. Irene's relationship with Kai is put to the test time and time again but it almost always comes out on top. These two haven't had any romance between them yet, but the tension and the desire is definitely something you can feel.

*Apparently, there are two different settings for this story. One is based on Chicago, & one based on New York City. I received the one based on NYC and loved it. I have more historical knowledge of the setting at hand and can really get more of a feeling of being there with Irene. I loved the speakeasy, the fashions, and the curious mob bosses who basically run the city. I loved following Irene as she races to keep herself Kai, and the Librarian known as Evariste Jones out of harms way. I can only presume that the one released in the UK has Chicago as its setting. Perhaps one day I will find a copy of said book.

Part of a series involving agents for a library who try to obtain books from various worlds. Irene and her assistant Kai find themselves in the middle of a dragon contest in which two dragons are vying for a political appointment. To win, one of them must bring back a certain book that is located on a world much like Prohibition New York, Irene and Kai are trying to stop that, as well as rescue another librarian who is being threatened by one of the dragons. Entertaining, enjoyable, and of course I'm buying for the library!

There aren't many books about books that I enjoy. Most stories that include libraries or librarians are mostly redundant to me, and I find them lacking any kind of originality. Its been done before, many times, but not with this book. In fact, I wouldn't have even picked it up if it wasn't for the email I received from the publisher asking me to review.

This story blew my socks off! I was deeply involved with the story and the characters. Every little detail was so exciting and wonderful. There were Dragons and Fae. Multiple worlds where librarians could jump through doors to get to another place.

The Fae and Dragon politics were so in depth that at times I wasn't even able to comprehend. I don't know if that's a good thing, but its impressive.

This books story was exciting and I'm glad I took the time to read it. I know you will love it too!

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Irene and Kai are swept into a situation that could be very dangerous to themselves and the Library. Irene is approached by a lady(dragon) asking for her help in locating a specific copy of a rare book. The lady explains that securing the book will win her a position in her clans court. She insinuates that her rival has already acquired a Librarian to help him. Irene knows that this would be strictly against the rules of the Library so she stalls the conversation and reports in to the Library. Appalled the Library security office sends Irene and Kai to investigate this other Librarian who is on a world that resembles 1920's America. They run into all kinds of problems with mobsters,dragons, the fae and even the police in an effort to get to the bottom of the dilemma..
Once again the author has presented a grand adventure . Her attention to time periods and the details make the story flow at a pace you won't want to put down. I look forward to more adventures with these characters.

A covert mission
A royal demand
And a race against time

The fourth title in Genevieve Cogman's witty and wonderful The Invisible Library series, The Lost Plot is an action-packed literary adventure.

In a 1930s-esque Chicago, Prohibition is in force, fedoras, flapper dresses and tommy guns are in fashion, and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon vs dragon contest. It seems a young librarian has become tangled in this conflict, and if they can't extricate him there could be serious political repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war.

Irene and Kai find themselves trapped in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They'll face gangsters, blackmail and fiendish security systems. And if this doesn't end well, it could have dire consequences for Irene's job. And, incidentally, for her life . . .  (Via Goodreads)

I received an eARC from Netgalley, courtesy of Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

One of the things I love about Cogman's work is that I honestly don't know what to expect from each book. I have read and reviewed every book in this series so far, and I've loved every one of them.

Reviews: The Invisible Library | The Masked City | The Burning Page

This book requires trigger warnings for multiple mentions of honorable suicide as well as an antagonist committing suicide on the page. Please be careful with your mental health, y'all.

Each book in this series has revealed a little bit more about the constants in every world.

In The Lost Plot, we got to see more of how the Library functions as a society, as well as the truth of how the Dragons run the worlds under their control.

Without giving anything away, I'm very intrigued to see what comes next for Irene and Kai, for the Library, and for the three powerful groups in this series.

You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound! I highly recommend it if you've read the rest of the series



All links to Amazon, Indiebound and Book Outlet are affiliate links and will make me a few cents with each purchase. Help support your friendly neighborhood blogger!

DNF so will not be rating or reviewing. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.

This is a rare situation where each book in the series is better than the last.

What begins as a straightforward action adventure story becomes more of a mystery that is not easily solved. Dragon politics has taken a nasty turn, and evidence points to the involvement of a librarian, violating their neutrality pledge. Irene and Kai must find this rogue librarian and try to restore balance, but must do so without the institutional cover of the library; if they are discovered, they're on their own.

The setting is a slightly more dramatized version of prohibition-era America, with powerful mob bosses, weakened police departments, and entirely too many guns everywhere.

Once again, even though Irene and Kai have some level of what could be considered magical abilities, their main asset is their cleverness and bravery.

My only complaint is that there is not nearly enough Inspector Vale in this book. He is delightful.

A quick paced, enjoyable read. A strong follow up novel in an engaging series.

I love both Irene's comments about needed reading materials for the journey, as well as her political maneuvering tactics. She is a glorious engima of both strength and versatility. But what I adored about The Lost Plot was the way that various threads of the stories come together. Irene and Kai's relationship comes to a head, as it has been mounting the last few books. This book answers a lot of questions we have, as well as posing many new ones, but it also feels right. It feels like this book landed at the right moment.

Overall, I am so excited to see how the next book goes based on the characters and plot evolved in this one. I am a lifelong Library fan. Irene is the lady who stole my heart. Kai is a precious four leaf clover. And Vale is my brooding gentleman in the shadows.

This is not a standalone and would be confusing to those who aren't already acquainted with the series. While not as strong as the first three books, it is still a very good story and of interest to fans. However, should the quality dip further or not improve slightly it may not remain among my recommended ones any longer as it is the second in later books (4 & 5 respectively) where the quality has fallen off. While there was definite change in circumstances and movement in the "love interest" part of the storyline, I felt that many side characters were neglected and that there showed very little story development. In other words, the story line lost at least one of its stars for me. Should there be a sixth book and if it again doesn't improve upwards again I think I may not want to continue reading any more in the series or recommending it to others, except perhaps the first 3 books. Perhaps this was better suited to a trilogy.

Best Book YET!

A few months ago, I finished what I had assumed to be the last book in the Invisible Library... Until they announced not one, but two new books to follow! Naturally, I was over the moon. I could not wait for The Lost Plot to be released, and let me tell you, it did not let me down!

Right off the bat, Irene is thrust once again into a no-win situation. Forced to play sides between two competing dragons, she needs to find a compromised Librarian before it's too late. And that means searching the entirety of a world that seems a lot like the 1920s here on earth: prohibition, gangsters, and flappers... oh, and not to mention dragons!

Unlike the first three books, here the entire focus is on a draconic feud, in an ordered world. That means less fae, more dragons, and of course, all that drama that they bring along! For a race that believes themselves to be so morally superior, they're such drama queens. We have a pack of wolves and the guns for hire, and Irene caught in the middle. I quite liked this change, as we got to learn a lot more about Kai and his people.

The series improves with every new book, each one better than the last. The Lost Plot has to be my favorite so far of the series! Returning to the world and to Irene was like coming home after a long day: I'm hooked, and I love it. Not to mention I'm getting a bit of a crush on Irene - I mean, what's not to love about a badass librarian spy who loves books and kicks ass?

If you like the series so far, then, of course, The Lost Plot is a must read. Only this time, it has more action, faster pace, more dragons, and even more librarians! Not to mention the ending will give you all the feels. This is not one to miss!