The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

The Masked City (The Invisible Library, #2)

by Genevieve Cogman

The second title in Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library series, The Masked City is a wonderful read for all those who enjoyed Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair or Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London.

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 contains bonus extra content – secrets from the Library!

Continue the bookish magic with The Burning Page. 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 kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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Five Caffeinated reasons to read Masked City today:

  • Irene and Kai are warned by Silver that danger is afoot. While returning her latest retrieved book to the Library, Kai goes missing and Irene must begin her most dangerous assignment ever. Save Kai, save whole worlds and avoid war. She must do this all while obeying the rules of the Library. Easy peasy right?

  • Before traveling to an alternate Venice where every day is Carnival Irene visits the world Kai is from. Her she meets his Dragon Uncle. Or is it his Aunt?  Much of the book is spent with Irene as she tries to navigate a chaos-filled world. I welcomed time spent with Irene as Cogman shared the inner workings of her mind. We witnessed her invoke the language of the library and saw for ourselves its power.

  • Cogman writes vividly descriptive worlds and alternate Venice was AMAZING. From the opera house to the unique prison and waterways, it was both eerie and enchanting. She also gave us a solid understanding of the FAE and their chaos-filled worlds. It was interesting to see the political maneuvering, hierarchy, and interactions of the FAE and humans in this Venice. Wait until you see the train…and learn its story. (Squee)

  • While some complained about the pacing of the Invisible Library, such is not the case with the Masked City. The tale is action packed from the first page and at times, I was so caught up in the conflict I forgot to breath. Irene’s mission is completed so we are rewarded with a solid ending, but are left to wonder Irene and Kai’s fate.

  • The Masked City surpassed the Invisible Library from the world building to the non-stop adventure. Fans of Harry Potter will love Cogman’s imagination as we solve cases, and visit new worlds. For those who love to feed their inner geek, but are not interested in learning quantum physics, you will love the gadgets, rules, and discoveries this world has to offer.


Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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  • 8 September, 2016: Reviewed
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