Excellent! Irene returns to prominence within the Library, forced away from her diplomatic mission by mysterious rumblings within her home institution. Armed with knowledge of her true parentage, the Language, and a secret assignment from the elder Librarians, Irene sets out with Kai and Vale to deal with Alberich, enemy of the Library and Irene's natural father.
Some familiar stumbling blocks exist—Librarian Bradamant, Irene's nemesis, is determined to put an end to Irene's flight out of the library, considering her arrogant and acting on impulse. Apprentice Catharine wants conflicting things, both to spend time in the Library and to be included in Irene's mission. Alberich seems to want some kind of relationship with his daughter. Kai's older brother seems to be determined to have Kai's diplomatic position by hook or by crook.
As per usual, Irene must wiggle her way out of several tight places and think on her feet, desperately putting facts and hints together to come to the correct conclusion. The tension is good and Irene, Kai, and Vale feel more like a real team than they did in the previous book. Irene has learned to lean on other people, an extremely important skill for all of us.
This particular plotline gets more or less resolved, but from the afterword I gather that there will be new adventures for Irene and company. I hope this is the case, as I am still enamoured by Irene and Kai, not to mention the Invisible Library.
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