Review: The Dark Archive

 

The Dark Archive

Rating: 5/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy! 

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Danger is part of the day job for a Librarian spy. So Irene's hoping for a relaxing weekend at last. However, her jaunt to Guernsey proves no such thing. Instead of retrieving a rare book, she's almost assassinated, Kai's poisoned and Vale barely escapes with his life. Then the attacks continue in London - targeting those connected with the Fae-dragon peace treaty. 

Irene knows she must stop the plot before the treaty fails...or someone dies. But when Irene and friends are trapped underground, in a secret archive, things don't look so good. Then an old enemy demands vengeance, and a shocking secret is revealed. Can Irene really seize victory from chaos?

I say this every single time I review this series, but it genuinely is one of my absolute favourite series and I always look forward to each new book in the series! They've never let me down yet and The Dark Archive is another brilliant trip into the world of The Library. 

The prologue certainly sets us up for a wild ride, reminding us of Irene's new Fae apprentice and informing us that there's been several kidnap attempts already so already we're feeling the intrigue! Then it's straight in with the action and the introduction of a criminal mastermind for Vale to contend with. That's the thing about Cogman's books, we dive straight in and there's plenty to hook you and keep your attention and you know it's going to be good. I really do love how quick they are to pull me into the world and the plot, and this one has a particularly nice balance of action and sleuthing. 

Irene continues to be one of my ultimate favourite characters, and Kai...well, I'd love to be as unbothered as Kai about being poisoned. It was almost hilarious how chilled he was about the whole thing! I love that even though he's been with us for the entire series, there's still more to learn about he and his family and this book delivers with that. We briefly meet Kai's cousin, and then his older brother Shan Yuan who quite frankly, I really wanted to smack more than once. I find Kai's family so interesting and I spent the whole book side-eyeing Shan Yuan because I couldn't figure out if he's really that bad or if there's some room for redemption for him. I still haven't quite decided even after finishing the book! Of course, while meeting more of Kai's family we get to delve a bit deeper into the dragon world again and meet the technological side of it with a tech whiz elder dragon! 

I can't speak about Kai without speaking about he and Irene's relationship, which I continue to love with every fibre of my being! They work so well together and they're strong for each other and ugh...I love them. 

I'm going to be honest, when it comes to Irene's new apprentice Catherine...I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about her at first. She bugged me a bit in the beginning because she didn't listen but at the same time, perhaps I just settled into a groove with Kai and Irene and her changing things up irritated me as a result! I did come to understand Catherine more as the book went on and she definitely proved herself capable of being Irene's apprentice despite some minor hiccups as we went along. I will say that I'm looking forward to seeing more of her and see what happens after the events of the end of the book! 

There's lots of tension as Irene and co are all targets of a mysterious figure called The Professor, and an old face comes back to wreak havoc. The screeches I let out at some of the reveals in this book! While there's plenty of tension, there's also a good amount of action to go along with it, which makes it quite a hard book to put down! 

I love the multi POV's, the switches are always nicely timed and each POV brings us something different. We don't rehash the same scene over and over from a different perspective instead they're used to push the story forward and add to it. We've got Irene following one path, Kai going down another route with the dragons and then Vale doing some good old traditional detective work/Sherlocking. I'm also always here for getting a look into the minds of other characters, particularly one's like Vale that we don't always see a lot of! 

Essentially, everyone's stuck in London while an evil genius tries to kill them in many different ways, and they try to figure out who it is with a building sense of foreboding towards the end. I did get a chuckle out of how blasé they were about the attempts on their life at this point! I feel like the storyline for this book helps to keep the series fresh, it's less about retrieving a book and returning it to the Library and it's a change of pace so the series doesn't get repetitive. Not that I don't love the book hunting and all the different worlds, but I loved exploring more of the world that Irene has chosen as her home and we even get to visit an invention exhibition where things get a little...wild. 

The plot builds up wonderfully and the pieces click together one by one. I really love that old villain's aren't just brought back for the sake of it, or the shock factor, there's a very good reason for it and it usually indicates that something bigger is going on. I have to say, the last few chapters were nail biting for me and for a minute there I truly thought that we'd lost Irene. I was sitting there, staring at the page trying to figure out what was going on, what was going to happen and how the series could continue without her! Then there's the reveals...like I said, there was a lot of screeching. Particularly over one, and lets just say I've had my suspicions about Irene and her background! I'm still curious about it, the mystery isn't entirely solved but we're given a tidbit of it to tide us over! 

But as if that all wasn't enough...there's the epilogue. As if the wait for the next book isn't going to be hard enough as it is! I was reading it trying to figure out who was who and what exactly's going on at this point!  It's ramped up my anticipation for the next book to a ridiculous degree, I'm already impatient for it! 

Honestly, these books are one of the highlight's of my year ever since I read an advanced copy of the very first book! I wait with baited breath for the new one, plan specifically when to read it because I know I'm going to procrastinate a little from reading it because even though I've had an entire year to prepare myself...I'm still not quite ready, and then I binge read the whole thing in a couple of days and don't know what to do with myself after! I'm being genuine when I say these books never let me down, ever. 

The Dark Archive is another strong instalment in the series, I whizzed my way through it and found it impossible to put it down as I enjoyed every single page! There's action, tension, intrigue and more depth continuously being added to the characters and their backgrounds with more new tidbits and reveals to ramp up the intrigue for the next book! 

Review: The Secret Chapter

The Secret Chapter 
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

A Librarian’s work is never done, and once Irene has a quick rest after their latest adventure, she is summoned to the Library. The world where she grew up is in danger of veering deep into chaos, and she needs to obtain a particular book to stop this from happening. No copies of the book are available in the Library, so her only choice is to contact a mysterious Fae information broker and trader of rare objects: Mr. Nemo.

Irene and Kai make their way to Mr. Nemo’s remote Caribbean island and are invited to dinner, which includes unlikely company. Mr. Nemo has an offer for everyone there: he wants them to steal a specific painting from a specific world. He swears that he will give each of them an item from his collection if they bring him the painting within the week.

Everyone takes the deal. But to get their reward, they will have to form a team, including a dragon techie, a Fae thief, a gambler, a driver, and the muscle. Their goal? The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, in a early twenty-first century world, where their toughest challenge might be each other. 

I. Love. This. Series. I say this every single time I review a book from this series, but there's never a bad book. Each book brings something new to the series, has a different vibe to it, and is a strong addition to the series, and The Secret Chapter is no exception. 

The attention grabbing first line had me happily sinking back in to the world of the Invisible Library and this time our adventure had some James Bond vibes to it, along with an Ocean's Eleven kind of vibe and I was living for it. 

The world that we visit in this  one is an interesting one, we've got a law enforcement branch called CENSOR that's in charge of dealing with supernaturals to contend with. Plus we have an interesting bunch of new characters and I found myself quite liking a few of them. We've got the fae, Ernst, Felix, Jerome and Tina, then we have a new dragon with ties to Kai in the form of Indigo who has a very interesting backstory. 

I actually ended up really liking all of the new fae and I became quite attached to them so I was sad to see one of them go, and sad that we might not get to see anymore of the others. I'm quite hoping they'll pop up and we'll get to see them again in future books! They were all a lot of fun, and had very different personalities to them dependent on their fae arch-type so they made for a great bunch of characters to assist in this heist! 

There's plenty of action, plenty of plotting and intrigue as we get to grips with the new world...and the shadiness of the mission. The romance between Irene and Kai never once overshadows the story. It's there, but it's in the background and subtle. I appreciate the fact that just because they're involved with each other, they don't merge in to one unit and go along with whatever the other wants. They both get involved in this mission for different reasons, and they stick to their own agendas even if that means keeping secrets. 

Obviously we have a lot of information on the library and how it works and so on, as well as a fair bit on the fae, this book takes us in the direction of the dragons which I was incredibly excited to discover. We get a lot of interesting information about the dragons, how they think and operate and a little about their history too. There's even some questions raised about them and their politics, and as I said...I was interested to meet Indigo! 

The ending leaves us with a couple of revelations that are going to be exciting and possibly dangerous to see play out in upcoming books, and I can't wait to see how they play out. My mind was completely blown and now I have even more questions than I did before, but I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm also intrigued to meet Silver's niece in the next book and see what she adds to our little group. The Secret Chapter is another exciting and rich instalment in the series, and each book builds brilliantly upon the others and brings more to the table. 

Review: The Mortal Word

The Mortal Word 
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

A corrupt countess
A spy in danger
And an assassin at large

The fifth title in Genevieve Cogman's witty and wonderful Invisible Library series, The Mortal Word is a rollicking literary adventure.

Peace talks are always tricky, especially when a key diplomat gets stabbed. This rudely interrupts a top-secret summit between the warring dragons and Fae. As a neutral party, Librarian-spy Irene is summoned to investigate. She must head to a version of 1890s Paris, with her assistant Kai and her detective friend Vale, where these talks are fracturing. Here, she must get to the bottom of the attack – before either the peace negotiations or the city go up in flames.

Suspicions fly thick and fast and Irene soon finds herself in the seedy depths of the Parisian underworld. She’s on the trail of a notoriously warlike Fae, the Blood Countess. However, the evidence against the Countess is circumstantial. Could the killer be a member of the Library itself?

My favourite series is baaaacccck with a new book! I LOVE this series, and I say it every time but it's true. I anticipate each book, and get super excited for them and then sit and binge read the new one when it comes out. It never disappoints me, it's a series that is consistently strong in everything, and gets better and better. You have no idea how stoked I was that I got to read this when I got back from Paris! 

The opening? Well in this episode of "worlds in this series I'd like to spend more time in" we find ourselves in the dark and dim Germanic world going after witches. I'm sure you can guess what happened to Irene. I have to say I could picture the entire scene so clearly and I was chuckling away...but also signing in contentment to be back in this series and thoroughly pulled back in to the world. 

I love how Cogman creates such intriguing and fun openings that pull you in...then dives straight in tot he plot of the story. This time round we've got a good old murder mystery set against the backdrop of a Paris that's dealing with a huge anarchist threat and both the Fae and the Dragons are involved. 

I loved how Cogman built up this Paris around you, setting an atmospheric scene that enveloped you and took you away from the real world. I loved the Countess and the mythology behind her, I was kicking myself for not figuring out who she was sooner. I also enjoyed getting to see equal amounts of Fae and dragons, and the Fae had interesting archetypes to follow too! 

We meet Mu Dan in this book, she's the dragon investigator and I loved her even though I was lowkey suspicious of her at one point! I was so here for the team up between her and Irene, and I'm really hoping we get to see them working together again! We also get to see a tonne more of Vale this book, and he has a mini team up with Kai. I was actually a bit sad we didn't get more of the two of them working together, but Vale is definitely at his best! 

Of course, we also have Silver too. Before he was revealed I was sitting there like "don't say it, don't say it...damn". My issue with his character is that I so badly want to hate him, but I oddly kind of love his character and I really loved getting to see him and spend more time with him in this book, and see him interact some more with Irene, Vale and Kai. 

Cogman delivers another excellent instalment in this series, with a steady pace that brilliantly builds up the plot and brings more and more elements and clues and red herrings in to it, and keeps you guessing as the pace builds up to the final few chapters. I loved the murder mystery, Poirot kind of feel to this one, and all the suspects and clues thrown at us, and I was coming up with some crazy theories....and of course I was wrong. But this book also switches things up a bit with the series, as we have the creation of the Embassy that Irene is going to be working at. I am so intrigued to see how things are going to change, and what kind of challenges Irene is going to face through this new development! 

Review: The Lost Plot

The Lost Plot
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

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 . . . 

I've been anticipating this book so badly, this is one of my ultimate favourite series because of the excellent writing and the imaginative world...not to mention how original and fun it is! I pretty much read each new book and then wait restlessly for the next one before diving right in! I got to read all of this in one go thanks to my holiday and I have no regrets! 

The opening is ominous with a sprinkle of humour and effortlessly sets out the current situation and sets us up for the book. The Lost Plot is fast paced and richly written as usual. We get to explore another imaginative and fun world that's vividly brought to life and we get to meet a load of new characters in Evariste, Lily, George, Hu and the other dragons. 

It's certainly a wild ride and my brain enjoyed trying to work out all of the plot threads and who was up to what and what the bigger picture or rather scheme was. There where daring feats, and we get to see a lot more of the dragons and how they work and operate which is something I'd been hoping for I'm not going to lie! 

I have to level with you, the ending had my heart in my mouth and while things ended on a happy note and you know...yaaaay my ship is sailing! I'm kind of worried about what's going to happen next and how much of a bearing on things this will have. Will we have less Kai? I'm going to be sad if he's not with Irene on her adventures anymore but I'm interested to see how it'll play out! 

The Lost Plot is another fantastic instalment that had me glued to the pages with the characters, writing and action not to mention all the fun, interesting worlds to be explored. The stakes where perhaps the highest they've been yet and there was a lot of political manoeuvring to be done, but things have certainly changed by the end of the book that could have quite an interesting bearing on the next one!

Review: The Burning Page

The Burning Page
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Librarian spy Irene has professional standards to maintain. Standards that absolutely do not include making hasty, unplanned escapes through a burning besieged building. But when the gateway back to your headquarters dramatically malfunctions, one must improvise. And after fleeing a version of Revolutionary France astride a dragon (also known as her assistant, Kai), Irene soon discovers she's not the only one affected. Gates back to the Library are malfunctioning across a multitude of worlds, creating general havoc. She and Kai are tasked with a mission to St Petersburg's Winter Palace, to retrieve a book which will help restore order.

However, such plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy - particularly when the enemy is the traitor Alberich. A nightmare figure bent on the Library's destruction, Alberich gives Irene a tainted 'join me or die' job offer. Meanwhile, Irene's old friend Vale has been damaged by exposure to Chaotic forces and she has no idea how to save him. When another figure from her past appears, begging for help, Irene has to take a good hard look at her priorities. And of course try to save the Library from absolute annihilation. Saving herself would be a bonus.

I love this series. I love it so much. It's one of my complete and utter favourites and whenever a new book in the series is out, I like to take my time reading and savour each page, even though my first instinct is to read it all in one go! It's an easy book to savour, and it leaves you wanting more. The Burning Page has plenty of action, plenty of new worlds, and plenty of plot twists that set up some interesting potential....occurrences in the next book. Which I need like..now by the way! 

First things first, as I say every single time, I love the extracts from the Library's handbook and I wish there where more throughout the book! Or you know...an actual published edition of the Library Handbook....please PanMac? Pleaaaaasssseeee! The extract we get this book is all about the Library's travel advice, and so fits with what's going on in the book and immediately piques your interest. 

As soon as I started to read, I was easily transported back to the world of the book and the characters. We get an interesting letter from Vale that gets you back up to speed and brings everything flooding back and gets you on the same page as the characters. After his little trip last book, Vale isn't doing so well and we learn a little bit about the fae in to the bargain. We're thrown immediately in to an interesting and new world with Irene and Kai and I was loving it. I was back with the characters, exploring new worlds and chuckling at the humour. But then you know...it all went wrong and thus began the plot for this book. 

I love the writing, it's always so vivid and pulls you in and creates an atmosphere as well as a setting. You can easily picture each of the worlds and settings, and we get a few new worlds to explore in this book. Each as fascinating as all the others! Plus we get to experience the Belgravia Underground Market! The pace was fantastic, and as usual, the book is very imaginative. The plot is complex with lots of little plot threads, so you're kept guessing throughout and there are plenty of plot twists to surprise you. 

Zayanna is back and I loved her in the first book and I thought she and Irene would make a great team but with everything going on, I really wanted to like her, but much like Kai I'm quite suspicious of the fae, and so I was quite suspicious of her! Bradamant is also back and with her comes a couple of new characters that may or may not be an internal problem for the Library once everything in this book is all over. I was so intrigued to see the politics of the Library! We get to meet some more werewolves, including their leader, we see Silver again, because how could we not? And of course, Alberich is back, in all his evil and slightly crazy glory. 

There came a point in this book that I had to ask myself a question. A question I didn't want to have to ask. Do I ship Irene with Kai...or with Vale? I'm just not sure. I'm really not. I mean...I love Kai because hello, he's not only awesome as he is...but he's also a dragon! Which reminds me, the descriptions of his dragon form are fantastic! Anyway, yes, Kai. I kinda started to ship her and Kai quite a bit throughout the first book, and then the second book I still shipped her and Kai because the second book kind of fuelled it more for me, but then this book happened and a thing with Vale happened and Vale wasn't really himself, I hope, and like I said, things happened...and now I can't decide. I think I'm still leaning more towards Kai and Irene, but we'll see! By all means is romance not the main point of this book, but like...there's a little smattering of it and I do love some romance! 

Irene continues to be one of my favourite characters ever. I'm not going to lie. I love her. She's smart and witty, she can take care of herself, and the author deepens Irene's character more and more with each book. I always sympathise with her, she's trying to do her best and in this book she's on probation and so she has to tread carefully with what she does. We see more of the dynamic between her and Kai who understandably is still suffering from what happened in the second book, and he's very protective of Irene. But Irene is still his superior and there's a bit of a struggle between the two more than once in the book. Especially with Li Ming also trying to keep Irene safe. We also get to learn something about Irene and her parents that's going to be interesting and I can't wait to find out the truth behind it all! 

The Burning Page, and in fact the entire Invisible Library series, is rich, evocative, imaginative and incredibly original. The writing and imagery is beautifully decadent and pulls you in to the story and the worlds, it's completely engrossing. The worlds themselves are many, and each is different to the last and every single one is fascinating, although Irene's base world is still my favourite! You can picture each one clearly without pages and pages of description, seriously, I'm so waiting for this series to be a TV show! In The Burning Page we get to see more worlds, more of the characters, more of the history to the Library and the worlds, and more of the science behind the Library and how it works. We get another complex plot that we can really sink our teeth in to, with plenty of threads woven together, and you're kept guessing until the end. There are also some hints at bigger/more things to come in the next book and I'm incredibly excited to see what happens next, and to learn the answers to some questions I have from this book! This series just gets better and better, and I never want it to end. 

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The Masked City

The Masked City
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Tor! 
Check out my review of The Invisible Library, the first book in the series! 

Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.

Kai's dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people - and the forces of order and chaos themselves.

Irene's mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it's always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death. 

"This is a place built to store books, by people who wanted to preserve books, and used by people who want to read those books. I am not alone."

Well guys, I'm just going to put it straight out there...once again Cogman has written a book that immediately hits my "Favourite Books of the Year" list. Seriously. This has been one of my most anticipated books since I read The Invisible Library in December last year. I've been waiting and waiting and getting more and more excited and then there was a cover, and then the book was finally in my hands because Lauren over at Tor is freaking awesome!

Straight up, there is no second book syndrome here guys, don't worry. In fact this book is kinda tied with the first book, I can't quite decide if it's better or not, so I'll settle for both being freaking AMAZING! I dived back in to this world head first and you know, it's the world and it's the bookishness, but it made me feel like coming home. I love the world, it feels homey to me, I get it. I get Irene and I get her job.

You open up the book, and the first thing you see is an extract from the Student Librarians Handbook and I was just like "yaaaaaass! I'm back!", it prodded my memory, and gave me some in depth knowledge of the Fae and Dragons before we got stuck in with the book. I knew it was all going to kick off with that lot from the blurb but reading  the extract I was like.....something's going to go down and it won't be good! It was such a good way to bring you back to the world of the book, and show you the way Librarians are taught to think and gives you more information about the species of the world before you get started. Or ya know...refreshes your memory about them! 

Right from the start you're pulled back in to the book, yes by the characters and the world and everything but the atmosphere really grabbed and next thing I know...I'm back in Irene's world. I loved how atmospheric Invisible Library was and I was so pleased this book continued it on. Genuine chills down the spine, excited shivers kind of atmosphere. The atmosphere in this book is something you can practically feel and it helps set the scene and helps you get a feel for whichever setting it is you're in as you're reading. It helps to bring the world alive and brings you in to the story as you feel what the characters are feeling, the tension, the suspense the danger and so on. 

We're already familiar with the world, and the atmosphere, like I said, brings you straight back in and it all comes flooding back from the first book so it's like you never left. The alternate Irene is residing in is an alternate London, kind of Victorian era with steampunk and so on, and it all formed in your mind as you were reading. The buildings shot up out of the fog, as the characters materialised. 

The world building in the first book blew my mind, and in this book...I can't even. We don't stay in Irene's alternate, oh no, we see the Library again. I've got to say I love the visuals for the library! But more than that, we travel to another alternate. It's an alternate Venice and it's just so damn decadent and colourful and mysterious and kind of creepy with the fog and the secret police just appearing out of nowhere! Venice is one of the places I most want to visit, and Cogman really brought it to life for me, I got a feel for the place itself as well as the one created in the book for the Fae to reside in, and it was so vivid. So so vivid. I felt like I was there and I was loving all the visuals being thrown out not to mention the unique twists like a Fae prison in a....unique location! 

There's immediate action in the book, the plot is moving in to motion and the intrigue is starting right from page one. There is no faffing about, straight in there! The thing about these books, is that there are so many little threads that all come in to play at the beginning and weave together to start the plot, and then more and more threads are added, and you end up with this delightfully complex plot to sink your teeth in to and you end up being constantly surprised by the twists and turns to it. You had to work out who'd taken Kai, why, to what end, what their motivation was, what the bigger picture was and so on. There's still Alberich hanging over things and I was just waiting for him to pop up and now next book I'll be waiting for him and a character from this one to be all "surprise...I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me!". 

There was always something going on, you've got some political power struggle with the Fae, the whole thing with the Dragons and the Fae and you're glued to the book and finding it impossible to find a place to put it down. I genuinely went to a gig last night and I was stood there like...."I wonder how Irene's going to rescue Kai, and THEN try and escape, because this is going on..." and so on and so on. You're constantly intrigued, and the next book has been subtly set up, so subtly that you don't even realize it until the end! The thing is, while the plot is complex, the book is easy to read. There's no drawn out descriptions and explanations. Any mention of events from the previous book are concise. The pace of the book has you rocketing through it, and the flow is so perfect. 

The narrative is so fluid, you go from the prologue, back in time to before the events of the prologue happened, then from there it smoothly takes us through the events leading up to the prologue event, and then past it. Not to mention how the little interludes are slotted in without seeming jarring or out of place. You smoothly go from Irene and what's going on with her, to a little interlude to give a nice little break and Kai's point of view. Not to mention more intrigue and pieces of the puzzle. 

The thing I loved most, or well...one of the things, in the previous book was the originality. There's a tonne more of it here. The premise itself is original, and everything I loved from the first book was back. The Fae and their lore, the Dragons and theirs. The Library and how it works. The alternates. The things in the alternates. We also see the alternate Kai resided in and it's such a brilliant contrast to the one they reside in. There's so many unique things about the settings, the alternate Venice for example! I don't want to spoil by being specific! I just love how original the book is and how it's kept up with all these little things here and there. 

Irene continues to be one of my favourite characters ever. In the first book I found her so easy to connect with and in this book it was like reuniting with an old friend. She's reintroduced with her entertaining and witty narrative and you kind of just sigh as you read, and think "it's good to be back" especially as she's in such a situation that only she would be in! She's Librarian in Residence now, and there's all this new responsibility and a new weight to her actions throughout the book, because it will impact that. There's no hunt for a book this time, well there is a bit, but not so much as the first book! Irene continues to make me laugh, to be badass in her own unique way, she's intelligent and she's just awesome. I love her, I really do! I loved that she's willing to ignore Library rules to go after Kai and save him, no matter how much trouble she would get in. 

There was a lot less Kai in this book, he was still here, we got some Kai time...but obviously not as much and I was kind of okay with that because while I'm looking forward to Kai and his nature, and the problems it may cause, I enjoyed seeing more of Vale. As well as, dare I say it, Silver. Not to mention the new characters! Vale in this book really struck me as a Sherlock Holmes kind of detective, and I knew he was going to do something, but I was still surprised when he popped up! Silver and his actions also surprised me, even though he was really trying to help himself, it was kind of cool to learn more about him and his past considering how big a presence he is in the alternate they all live in. 

What's doing brilliantly in this book, much like the first book, is the characters. They're all created so fantastically and with detail and depth. As you read about them you have an image of them forming in your mind and it's not just main characters. The secondary characters all get the same treatment. I kind of think Zayanna and Irene would make a good team so I'm slightly hoping to see her again! Not so much a certain Lady. The villain of the book was delightfully awful, and I really wanted to smack him one, I didn't much care for his power either! He was so well created that you could feel Irene's urgency to get away from him and the sense of danger when he was in a scene. 

What was super exciting, was meeting Kai's Uncle and seeing more dragons and learning more about them, but I'm completely  greedy and want more! I love dragons, I'm not going to lie and the way they've been done in this book just makes me excited to see more of them! We also learn a fair bit about the Fae, their legends, their history, how they tick. I'm intrigued by them even more so after quasi meeting The Ten. I just love the whole thing with the Fae and how they work and so on, it fascinates me and kind of just resonates with me, in a way. I feel like it's such a true thing in real life, everyone has their own story and they paint themselves a hero or a villain and so on and everyone they encounter is a character in the story of their life, so yeah! 

I must mention, right now, that I'm just waiting for Kai and Irene to be a thing. I sort of really, kinda ship them and this book just fuelled it really! There's no outright romance, but there are feelings, they don't take over the whole book and plot...but they are there and I'm waiting to see what will happen next with them. Mostly I just want more time in the world of the books! The ending of this book really didn't help...cliffhanger much!? It's a bearable one...just. But still. Cogman knows how to leave you wanting more and excitedly anticipating the next book without over doing it! I can't wait to see where we go next, I'm so up for exploring more alternates and I can't wait to see what happens to Irene next. After the first book I had some suspicions about her parentage and I'm waiting to see if I'm right! 

The Masked City is the second decadent and moreish instalment in a completely engrossing series that lets you get completely lost in the pages as you're sucked in to the world. There's plenty of action and a load of humour that has you chuckling as you read. The Masked City is one of those books that's so colourful and vivid, you can picture it like a little movie in your head and it begs to be adapted to the big screen. There's an atmosphere so real that you find yourself on the edge of your seat, biting your nails as you read scenes full of danger and suspense. The characters come alive, and it's one of those books you want to crawl inside and live in the world of so, so badly. There's a love of books to this series, and you can feel it in every page and connect to the world and characters through it. The originality is still there, saturating everything and making a story unlike any you've read before. This is one of those series I want to go on and on forever because the world being created is so extensive and the possibilities for this series are endless! 

The Masked City is kind of the perfect sequel and I am gutted it's over and kind of wishing I read slower! Having said that, there where some little bonuses that helped make the separation easier! Irene's favourite heists and Legends of the Library....definitely a nice addition to the book! 

Wishing For Wednesday #66

This Wednesday the reads I have for you....I can't even! 
These are the two books I've been anticipating for AGES, and I've been anticipating them insane amounts. Seriously, I'm impatient but these have been driving me mad waiting for them! I'm gonna end up reading them over Christmas I think, because I like a holiday TBR and yeah. 
The sequel to The Invisible Library....I freaking LOVED The Invisible Library, and I've been so freaking excited for the sequel and it's finally here.......soon it will be real and I can read it and just....oh my god I can't wait! Also....THAT COVER! 
Then there's Oblivion. The first freaking Lux book from Daemon's point of view...I don't even have words for the excitement I feel for this book. I'm totally gonna end up buying it twice as well because like...physical copy to go with the other Lux books and then eBook for the extras....because why not?! 

The Masked City

Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.

Kai's dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people - and the forces of order and chaos themselves.

Irene's mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it's always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death. 

The Masked City is out December 3rd, pre-order your copy...here! 
Add it to your TBR...here! 

Oblivion

Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. 

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

Oblivion is out December 3rd, pre-order your copy....here!

Add it to your TBR....here!

The Invisible Library

The Invisible Library
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

Irene is a Librarian. But not just any Librarian, she's a spy or secret agent of sorts for the mysterious Library, she retrieves certain books, books that are unique to that particular reality and thus need to be preserved, then takes them back to the Library to keep them safe and gathers knowledge. You see, there are many different realities, all varying in whether they're magic dominant, or have no magic and so on, the Library itself is out of time and reality, and each reality is vastly different from the others, and each has vastly different literature, or books that are the same as other realities but slightly different.

After returning from a mission to retrieve a book about necromancy from an all boys boarding school, Irene is looking forward to having some spare time to do her own research, but as soon as she returns her superior sends her an assistant, and packs her off on a mission that's highly secret, and is in one of the most dangerous realities.....a chaos infected reality, meaning that the laws of nature are bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to roam free. Irene and Kai have been sent to retrieve a very different copy of Grimm's Tales, one that has a rather....Library specific extra story. Except....they're not the only ones after this book.

It's already been stolen by an infamous cat burglar, then there's the Fae who's after the book for unknown reasons, a secret society who send their mechanical creatures after them, and then there's the one Librarian who turned traitor to the Library....often thought of as a legend in the library, he's very real and very dangerous and he cannot, under any circumstances get the book. Soon she's up to her eyebrows in danger, clues and secrets. One secret is being hidden from her by her own assistant. He is not what he seems, but she has far bigger things to worry about. The supernatural are everywhere, people aren't who they seem, another agent of the Library is trying to steal her mission, can Irene and Kai, with the help of a Great Detective, complete their mission?

Holy WOW, this is quite possibly my favourite new book of the year! Seriously, it's kicking off an an amazingly unique series, and I just well and truly loved it! So you'd better buckle up, because this is going to be rambling and gushing and hopefully as spoiler free as possible!

So being the lover of books I am, there was no way I wasn't going to read The Invisible Library, and I was  lucky enough to be sent a proof copy of the book to read, and I got stuck in as fast as possible, I bumped it up my TBR pile and now my life is bereft because I was so sad and reluctant to leave the world, and I just really want to be a Librarian of the Library because it's so awesome!

"You can expect to find vampires. Werewolves. Fictional creations that go bump in the night. You might also find their technology working in unexpected ways."

That's the book. That.Is.The.Book. In the book. That's a legit quote from the book, that describes the book pretty accurately, just without the Zeppelins, Fae, mechanical creatures, and various other incredibly cool tidbits. I'm loathe to describe this as steampunk, I mean there where the mechanical creatures, but they had the regular kind of carriages, so I'm not sure if it can be classed as steampunk or not?

This book was simply fantastic, it's so incredibly unique and the world building was amazing. You can picture the Library so vividly as well as the alternate the book is set in, there was the right amount of detail to create the atmosphere to both places, as well as transporting you straight to the world, and as I said, I was loathe to leave it, it was such a fantastically created and written world, and so unlike anything I have read before, I enjoyed being totally immersed in the world.

The characters are well written with lots of depth and dimensions, I couldn't guess who Kai really was, but I knew there was more to him than met the eye, and I strongly suspect there is more to her as well, particularly her mother shall we say? I also have a strong suspicion of who her mother really is and yeah. I have a huge theory thanks to the reveal at the end and I'm probably wrong but still! But yes, all of the characters jump off the page and come to life, each is full of depth, each is colourful and different to the others, from Bradamant, to Vale to Silver, both villains and the good guys.

I loved Irene, she was easy to connect with and had an amusing and engaging narrative, she was easy to feel for, especially when there's obvious bits where it's a possibility that there is more to the Library than she has been told or lead to believe, something perhaps sinister, and she just doesn't want to believe it. I loved the little bit about how she loves great literary detectives like Sherlock Holmes, and her reaction to getting to work with one! It was a nice little touch because I'm sure most readers have something similar, like they'd love to meet a certain character or a person similar to the character, you know? She was fantastic. She was badass, but not the fighting/kicking ass kind the kind that's intelligent and comes up with these plans to save everyone. I'm excited to see more of her, and more of the world of the alternate and see what happens with her and Kai, not to mention seeing what trouble she can get in to with Vale because I'm sure Silver will cause problems.

The entire premise of the book is unique, the Library being out of space and time, the alternates, the chaos contaminated business, not to mention the Language that the Librarians use, that works a kind of magic, shall we say. This book is full of all things unique and is unlike anything you will ever read. It kind of reminds me of that episode of Doctor Who with the Library in space, or of a Doctor Who episode in general! I'm not even sure what genre to put this in!? Sci-Fi? Fantasy? Steampunk (sort of)? Everyone knows I love unique books and I seriously can't get over this one, I loved every minute of it, I was enchanted the whole way through, and had this feeling that's kind of hard to describe, I mean, every time there was something utterly fantastical and unique I had a huge idiotic grin on my face, and was all "oh my god COOOOLL!"

The plot was complex, there where multiple factions after the book, so you where trying to work out what was so special about it, as well as working out why the other factions wanted it, there where threads woven in from everywhere, there's clearly some sort of political thing going on with the elder Librarians, maybe some of them are dodgy, then there's the whole thing with the traitor Librarian and what he is and what was revealed about him and my theory for it and there was soooo much going on, and so much crammed in to the book that there was seriously never nothing going on, and it was all written in with the right threads to intrigue you, but set up the next book, and leave with you questions that you're eager to have answered. It was also very easy to read, the pace and flow had you rocketing through it, and the language was easy to understand and like I said, there was no excess of information bogging down the narrative.

The Invisible Library is literally all go from the beginning when she's on a mission, you learn about the Library as we go through it and she returns, and from then on the book is packed with action and mayhem. There's never a dull moment and there's plenty of humour in the book that'll have you snorting if not outright laughing, the book has humour, action, adventure, supernatural creatures, machine creatures, a kind of quest like vibe, at least in my opinion, and a luscious backdrop with the alternate, I mean there's a nice little romp through the museum! It's impossible to put down, and you'll be sad to leave the world and characters behind, while burning with theories and the need to know what's going to happen next! It's certainly going to be interesting to find out and see where this goes next, and I'm fairly certain this will be going on my Favourite Series list!

Utterly fantastic, I honestly can't find words to gush about this book enough, seriously, just read it. It's brilliantly done and unlike anything you have ever read before!