The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1)

by Genevieve Cogman

One spy. One dangerous book. One deadly mission. The first in a delightful fantasy mystery series, The Invisible Library is the astounding debut from Genevieve Cogman.

Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case – permanently . . .

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. Along with her new assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But lo and behold, when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

In this world teeming with supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic, Irene soon finds herself up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. And Kai is also hiding secrets of his own. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake.

'It's a breath of fresh air' – Guardian

Continue the journey with the second adventurous title in the The Invisible Library series, The Masked City. Genevieve is also the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Scarlet - which reimagines the tale of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but with vampires, mages and magic . . .

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

5 of 5 stars

Share
From now on, let it be known, that I am no longer searching for Narnia when I open doors. I am searching for the Library as invented by Genevieve Cogman in The Invisible Library series. This magic library exists between worlds and between times and contains more books than the most accomplished bookworm or book dragon could hope to acquire.

The Invisible Library, book one in this debut series by Genevieve Cogman, is a setup book. The narrative is a bit heavy and there were points where I felt the action was dragging and other points I was a bit overwhelmed. But this is the first novel in a series and the world is complicated. It takes a bit to get settled in and get used to the rules. Cogman reveals many details about the universe, inside and outside of the Library including the Library’s own special magic that requires mastery of The Language. I was fascinated by the secrets of the library (apparently you don’t age when you are in the Library), however, there are hints throughout the novel that perhaps the Library isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

There’s a little bit of everything in The Invisible Library—mystery, magic, fae, vampires, werewolves, books and of course, DRAGONS. I am intrigued enough with the world of The Invisible Library to give book two, The Masked City, which releases soon a chance. I can’t seem to resist decent books about libraries, fellow bookworms and dragons.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 July, 2016: Finished reading
  • 25 July, 2016: Reviewed