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lizzylakes's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Physical abuse, Torture, and War
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I like the premise of the world and the plot is generally entertaining but the writing is pretty ordinary and the pacing is a bit off.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, kidnapping, guns
The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman is book two in the Invisible Library series. This book was just as fun as the first book! This series is just fun in general. It's a great quick read that doesn't take itself too seriously.
We pick up with Irene and Kai in Vale's alternate London. Kai is kidnapped by Fae, which could cause a war between Dragons and Fae, since Kai is a Royal dragon. Irene's mission is to infiltrate a high chaos world crawling with Fae, save Kai, and stop a war that would inevitably destroy Vale's world. Irene continues to be a badass Librarian that thinks fast on her feet, (almost) unflappable, and extremely capable in any situation.
We focus a lot more on the Fae this book, so we learn that Fae are inclined to act out their lives as stories starring them as the lead. This means they choose an archetype for themselves and dramatically stick to it, making them predictable and over the top. The world building in this series is top notch, if a bit ridiculous. We also see more of the Dragons this book. I just love the magic of language in this book and the way knowledge is used. I love how Irene's mastery of language (and The Language) helps her get out of tough situations and she used it to manipulate the story to her own benefit.
I loved how fast paced and action packed this story was along with a touch of ridiculousness and humor. I will say, this book doesn't have a ton of diverse representation, but it does feature Asian characters, as the Dragons we meet (including Kai) are Chinese. This is just a fun series, and I can't wait to read all eight(!) Of them!
The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman is book two in the Invisible Library series. This book was just as fun as the first book! This series is just fun in general. It's a great quick read that doesn't take itself too seriously.
We pick up with Irene and Kai in Vale's alternate London. Kai is kidnapped by Fae, which could cause a war between Dragons and Fae, since Kai is a Royal dragon. Irene's mission is to infiltrate a high chaos world crawling with Fae, save Kai, and stop a war that would inevitably destroy Vale's world. Irene continues to be a badass Librarian that thinks fast on her feet, (almost) unflappable, and extremely capable in any situation.
We focus a lot more on the Fae this book, so we learn that Fae are inclined to act out their lives as stories starring them as the lead. This means they choose an archetype for themselves and dramatically stick to it, making them predictable and over the top. The world building in this series is top notch, if a bit ridiculous. We also see more of the Dragons this book. I just love the magic of language in this book and the way knowledge is used. I love how Irene's mastery of language (and The Language) helps her get out of tough situations and she used it to manipulate the story to her own benefit.
I loved how fast paced and action packed this story was along with a touch of ridiculousness and humor. I will say, this book doesn't have a ton of diverse representation, but it does feature Asian characters, as the Dragons we meet (including Kai) are Chinese. This is just a fun series, and I can't wait to read all eight(!) Of them!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Kidnapping
brittanyboston18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
stwriter92's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
So, I ended up going straight to my local bookstore to purchase the second book in the Invisible Library series and it did not disappoint at all. And this time, it didn't take me 3 years to get around to reading it, so obviously that's progress! I will never tire of reading about badass librarian spies working in alternate universes. This installment of the series centered on a rescue plot: Kai, Irene's draconic student, has been kidnapped by a pair of Fae folk and has been whisked away to another world, one steeped in chaos, to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Once Kai's uncle gets wind of this plot, he tasks Irene with Kai's rescue, threatening the destruction of Vale's London should she fail.
I really enjoyed seeing the structure of a completely Fae controlled world as well as the limitations it placed on both Irene and Kai. Because Kai is a dragon and, therefore, is a creature driven by science and reason, the levels of chaos are nearly toxic to him. Irene must race against the clock to save her student. The masquerade and fairy tale atmosphere of the book was fantastic. It lent an air of intrigue, which was delightful.
While I enjoyed the heist-like setup of the book, it did feel like it didn't live up to the excitement present in the first book. I know that this is something that usually happens in series: the second installment often leaves something wanting. I think I was mostly disappointed at the lack of Alberich. He had been introduced as such an important, formidable, and central character that the lack of his presence in the second book was a little jarring. He was only mentioned a few times towards the very end of the book. I'm sure (hoping, really) that he'll play a larger role as I go through the series, but I was hoping to see more of him in this book.
I've placed an order for the third book at my local bookstore and picked up the fourth for good measure. I'm determined to own and read the entire series. Then, I'll think about transferring it to my classroom for my students to read. Until the third comes in, I've picked up Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches, which I'll be reading in the meantime.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
amy_sutt's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In this second book in the series, Irene and Vale must help when Kai is kidnapped and taken to a world where his dragon relatives cannot reach him. Irene risks much to outsmart the villain fae who have taken him while averting a war between fae and dragons which could harm humans and worlds in multiple realities.
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture and Kidnapping
curious_axolotl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and I was excited to discover this next one.
Irene is as great as she was in the first volume, smart but not too much to become unrealistic. I wish we'd seen more of Kai - mostly because he's my favourite, but also because his relationship with Irene makes the book that much more interesting. While Vale brings another dimension in the interactions and Silver is a cool antagonist, it just wasn't the same without Kai for most of the book. I also wish we'd seen more of what happened to him after he was kidnapped. He was basically left out of the book for 3/4 of it. And even when he came back, he was passed out or too beaten up to act much.
I'm looking forward to the next instalment, although I'll probably keep reading them once in a while instead of going quickly through the whole series.
Irene is as great as she was in the first volume, smart but not too much to become unrealistic. I wish we'd seen more of Kai - mostly because he's my favourite, but also because his relationship with Irene makes the book that much more interesting. While Vale brings another dimension in the interactions and Silver is a cool antagonist, it just wasn't the same without Kai for most of the book. I also wish we'd seen more of what happened to him after he was kidnapped. He was basically left out of the book for 3/4 of it. And even when he came back, he was passed out or too beaten up to act much.
I'm looking forward to the next instalment, although I'll probably keep reading them once in a while instead of going quickly through the whole series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Sexism
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Masked City picks up almost immediately where The Invisible Library ends. It's not a standalone sequel, rather a continuation of the previous book. It opens with Kai being kidnapped by persons unknown, and continues from there.
Featuring a Train ride, a Venice that is not our Venice, Fae, and Dragons, this sequel is not to be missed.
Featuring a Train ride, a Venice that is not our Venice, Fae, and Dragons, this sequel is not to be missed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol