The Forbidden Library #3: The Palace of Glass by Django Wexler

My name is Alice, and I must get revenge against Geryon for killing my father. I don't have the power to stop him, but Ending says I can trap my mentor by using a book called The Infinite Prison. An opportunity to travel to the land of fire-sprites arose when Geryon announced he was going to be gone for seven days. Ending says the fire-sprites  may help me locate the Palace of Glass where I'll find the book I need. However, she says I'll face the most dangerous perils in existence, and I might not be able to escape. I'm learning how much other people detest Readers, but I'm not like them. It's hard to convince these people that I'm not violent and deceitful like Geryon. Ak fire-sprite named Flicker is now my guide, but I can tell he doesn't like me. It won't really matter if I don't survive my quest. 

You need to read the previous books in the series first. This one was different from the others, since Alice ventured out on her own. In previous books, she needed to coordinate her efforts with other apprentices. Alice’s mission to defeat her powerful mentor created a tremendous amount of danger and suspense. This was the man who trained her and was the most feared Reader in the world. The author amped up the tension even more by imposing a time limit on Alice’s quest and having her carry a watch to insert reminders. In addition, it seemed like the climax would be facing Geryon, but the author managed to add an unexpected twist to it. Alice was an admirable character, as she tried to maintain her positive qualities. Every new character despised Readers, and Alice displayed an unusual empathy for them. Eventually, many of these characters changed their views, although it didn’t carry over to the older Readers. The plot brought up a huge issue about how Alice’s quest might affect others, and I’m sure it will continue in the sequel.