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. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.

The Invisible Library

Ana Belén

She had been afraid. She had been so very afraid that she'd been cringing in the corner, unwilling to speak, let alone act. But now something else woke in her. nam H It certa Iwill not tolerate this.

 „The powers of my kind shall scourge these creatures back to the slime from which they crawled“

 Amazing grammar in a crisis, Irene couldn't help noticing.

“Involvements with glamorous female cat burglars never end up well.”

“One.” Irene said, and hoped that she wasn't blushing too badly.

The room had the indefinable air of all museum collections, somehow simultaneously fascinating yet forlorn. 

Christine

First book of the year — and in a long time — and I must say it was a great book to start off with. I got into it relatively quickly and the pages flew by! If you are looking for a fantasy detective book with nicely balanced magic, then this book is for you. 

The characters bounced nicely off each other and I enjoyed the tension between them.

Moa Mattbäck

First book of the year — and in a long time — and I must say it was a great book to start off with. I got into it relatively quickly and the pages flew by! If you are looking for a fantasy detective book with nicely balanced magic, then this book is for you. 

The characters bounced nicely off each other and I enjoyed the tension between them.

Good pacing. Great story building. Iffy on the ending

Chase Leitner

Loved! What an immersive world - the characters and story have left me undone! I can’t wait to read the next book!! 

Samantha Cummings

Really good premise and very engaging! Was a quick read and looking forward to the rest of the series. Has the feel of a good detective story with lots of magic thrown in

Sian Hutchinson 

Series information from author's website.

Jeff James

I started reading this at the beginning of October, but kept getting distracted by other books. I finally made some headway on it during my week in Hawaii, and I ended up loving it. It’s funny and much weirder than the unassuming cover implies.

The main character is capable, no-nonsense and charming when she tries to hide her insecurities and seem more put-together than she truly is.

She works in a secret library that exists between worlds, and goes out on acquisition missions to save important books. In this case, that means running into elves, vampires and werewolves, while teaming up with an analog of Sherlock Holmes and fighting the occasional steampunk mecha.

This is the first of six books in the series (so far), and I’m definitely going to pick up the rest.

Nicole Dykeman

It’s a fun story, but the writing really isn’t that great. This is a prime example of a book that tells you everything instead of just showing it to you.

The first in a gripping, adventurous 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. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book. Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested – the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own. Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option –the nature of reality itself is at stake. The Invisible Library is followed by the second title in The Invisible Library series, The Masked City.

Vilde

I have according to Goodreads read this title back in 2015 and gave it a 3/5 rating. I am wondering what the hell was the 2015-me thinking, since the 2021-me gave it a 4/5 as I really enjoyed The Invisible Library: the worldbuilding and the characters with Irene in particular. The only pitch I needed for this title is one word: Library. You can call it a occupational injury.

Neele Knolle

As any fantasy and book lover I enjoy the concept of the library very much! The charakters are as flashed out as bookcharakters can be, with their own little nicks and flaws. While I eagerly followed the charakters relationships to each other and past connections, I must say I was tacking a back by Kays behaviour towards Irene when it comes to rejection. And even though I want to see Irene as a strong independent woman, who deserves to be in a loving relationship if she pleases, it was rather hard seeing her like this everytime the topic sex came up in the slightest. It felt silly reading about her I those scene's. 

The bad guy was horrorfingly great, brutal and shamless. And if he were a woman I can't say I wouldn't have joined him on his mission. 

Elizabeth Neill

Kelsi Proulx

What a fun adventure! I loved the idea of a library in the middle of multiple dimensions. It would be so cool to see the collection of books in all languages, filled with tales from all the different worlds surrounding the library. This was filled with adventure, magic, and magical creatures. The Language used by the Librarians was really cool too. I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Camila 

It's a solid read, but it took me a looooooooong time because there are really great moments when you get to see how interesting the world can be, and some other moments are just really dull and it's hard to get invested in them. 
I wanna read the following books, but it's not on my priority list.

Maria

Посреди мультивселенной стоит Библиотека – время в ней не движется, двери из неё ведут в сотни разных миров, а сотрудники её заняты тем, что достают из сотен миров редкие, уникальные или важные экземпляры книг. Одна из библиотекарей – наша героиня Ирен, которую в сопровождении стажера отправляют на задание в кишащий волшебными существами стимпанковский викторианский Лондон за сказками Братьев Гримм. 

Идея Великой Библиотеки, собирающей ценные истории из разных миров, по-моему, чрезвычайно греет душу. В книге есть момент, где житель стимпанковского Лондона спрашивает Ирен – а зачем вам сказки, почему вы не собираете книги о научных открытиях из разных миров? А она ему отвечает – физические законы бытия во всех мирах одинаковы, железо повсюду железо, сила тяготения везде сила тяготения, так что научные открытия повторяют друг друга. Но при этом в сотне разных миров может жить сотня Братьев Гримм, и везде они соберут разный комплект сказок.

Ну хорошо же, не? Бесконечная вселенная историй против гравитации! Мне это ещё напомнило концепцию Бога-читателя, про которую я как-то слышала в лекции Быкова – о том, что, мол, Бог создал человечество, чтобы ему всегда было что почитать (Oh God, I get it, I get it so hard). 

И всё бы было хорошо, если б в середине Женевьева Когман не забуксовала в рассуждениях героев «где же может быть эта чертова книга», и я из истории выпала. К концу, правда, включилась обратно, но общее впечатление уже было на троечку. Я вообще как-то очень стремительно начала читать «Невидимую библиотеку», и только на трети обнаружила, что за ней следуют еще аж четыре продолжения, то есть идти к счастливому финалу придется долго – я из тех, кто читает запойно, если серия нравится. Но отключка в середине всё решила за меня: возможно, вернусь еще ко второй части (там обещают Альтернативную Венецию, а в третьей – Альтернативный Петербург!), но сейчас, пожалуй, переключусь на что-нибудь другое.

Sahi K

As an avid reader, what can be more fun than reading about books and bookworms like me. That’s what made me interested in taking up this book. The central character of this book is the titular one – The Invisible Library – which is tethered to all the worlds that exist and contains books from all the alternates. Irene is a librarian who gets assigned tasks like finding a book from an alternate and bringing it back to the library. This book is about one such mission and all the hurdles that Irene and her assistant Kai face in a chaos infested alternate London. It’s a simple story with not very well developed characters except Irene. She is smart, intelligent and witty. She is great at thinking on her feet to get out of unforeseen situations like getting attacked by alligators or drowning in the river. But her most endearing quality is her loyalty to the library – her mission always comes first even if she will end up not getting the credit for it. Her thoughts are always concentrated on the safety of the books, the secrets of the Library and the well being of her friends. I liked the book for its fun elements, the adventure and action sequences and the hope for an interesting sequel. However, the thing I connected to most is Irene’s love for books. The feelings she describes when talking about books or the Library are so similar to how I feel when I am in a place surrounded by books. So, there is no way that I don’t love her. All I can do now is wait to read the next book and hope that I will be taken on more bookish adventures.

Aleena Korell

It takes a certain kind of book to make me choose to set it down and go to sleep instead of finishing the last few chapters. And, unfortunately, no-- this time around it was not because I just didn't want it to end.

The Invisible Library has such a brilliant premise, but unfortunately a premise does not a good story make. It even has a fantastic, stubborn, strong female protagonist. Cogman really came up with a clever idea and, for the most part, executed worldbuilding (especially in the Library) rather well. But that is where my list of positives end. 

This book is STUFFED full of awkward and extensive exposition. Expository dialogue, expository thought-monologues, expository reading... expository out the wazoo. There's so much to slog through and remember here. And honestly, I suspect that, underneath all the fluff, there's a somewhat understandable and straightforward plot/world/magic system... but I can't be sure because it was hiding under layers of circular and repetitive conversation and lists of rules. I got the feeling it was supposed to read like a detective novel/mystery, but any "mysteries" the author wanted us to wonder about, she either made glaringly obvious or blatantly confirmed halfway through the story. I didn't feel like there was a clear, compelling story arc-- just random sequential events. It just didn't seem like the author had a clear plan of where she was going. 

But I would have (partly) been able to overlook that except for what bothered me the most: the lack of attention the author paid to any of the characters. No one had any personality except Irene. Therefore, there was no chemistry between any of the characters. This, I think, is why I lost interest. I just didn't care what happened in the end, because even though the world and the premise of a secret Library that connects alternate worlds is THRILLING, I need more than just a thrilling plot idea. I need compelling relationships. There is next to no body language here and minimal inflection of voice/tone, and if so, it's attached to an emotional word to tell us exactly what the body language/tone means. This, I think, really stunts our connection with any of the secondary characters, and sometimes even with Irene herself.

Contrary to what it may seem, I didn't hate this story. It was okay. I may even give the second book, The Masked City, a shot-- because I REALLY want this series to work, and I hope Cogman got it right the second time around. Also, Venice and carnival and masks are three words that I cannot resist. So, here's hoping :)

Jennifer

A pretty fast-paced and easy read which takes me to an alternate historical London. The main characters and the supernatural elements were interesting, however I felt that the worldbuilding is a bit patchy and not completely fleshed out. Hopefully this issue will be rectified in the upcoming books because I quite enjoyed plot & the concept.

Juliette Raven 

3# Make your MythTaker Readathon: Jester/Oracle Path - A book about books

The concept seemed interesting but it was a bit slow-paced for me it's almost as if the author wanted to write a murder mystery rather than a fantasy steampunk with bookish magic. I was quite lost. The only character that intrigues me was Kai but they sold his true identity too soon in the story I think...

Despite everything I really liked the end of the book, I like the way the author suggests the sequel I might not give up this series, after all, we'll see.

laura

This was a unique read and one that I wanted to love. I really loved the world building and the characters alot. I also really liked the element of libaray assisans. I also liked the focus on reading and the importance of loving books. I also like how this world was filled of so many different types of creatures. The part of this book, i struggling with the pace and plot and both did not capture my attention. I might still check out book 2, in the future.

Nickie Mohler

Irene grew up knowing training to be a Librarian. Not just any librarian, but one for the mysterious Library. The Library sends their operatives out on missions to alternate worlds to retrieve books they deem to need protected. Normally, Irene's missions are pretty boring. Get in, retrieve the book, get out. Her latest mission is far from easy, and may be her last. This is a very unique book. I I like the idea of book lovers working for The Library and protecting all the wonderful books. I also enjoyed the characters. I look forward to the next book. I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss.

Amanda J 

4.5. Really enjoyed this book. Good pacing and characters. It had some great one liners "And then the alligators attacked."-I laughed out loud in the middle of the airport with that one. It had good world-building. However, at times the tone seemed too immature; I'm not quite sure how to describe it. But it seemed very simplistic writing with little depth. This did not take away from the enjoyment of the book. If you're looking for fun action and not in-depth fantasy building ie Sanderson-this is a perfect book. I'm not sure if the twists (view spoiler)[Kai is a dragon; Alberich taking on the librarian's "body" (hide spoiler)] were actual twists since they were easily noticeable. Nonetheless they were enjoyable. I also enjoyed the fact that it was a complete narrative. There was no horrible cliff hanger, but the book is clearly part of a series. I love when authors manage to give a complete story and easily entwine it into a series. I highly recommend this book to book lovers and those that like a little whimsy in their stories.

Pam Sartain

I'm a bit behind on reading for the Sword and Laser book group (this was April's pick!), but I really enjoyed this book! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Anastaciya

[Apr.9, 2018] the concept of the book is great. I enjoyed it and will definitely continue with the series, but I have to say that at some point I found it hard to concentrate and follow the story (might be my wandering thoughts and not the plot).

Ella Tabbi Coleman

I love this book, it excited me and I fell in love with Irene, this book is the reason why I have read almost all of the series( the last one isn’t one audible yet 😂😭) twice! Kai and Irene’s working relationship is wonderfully written and the little bits info you get thought this book that builds up the world and the characters is artful and clever. Definitely worth getting lost in the alternate worlds of the invisible library!

Nona G

This book (and I guess the entire series) is weirdly placed between being a young adult novel and a fully grown up read. I think both age groups can find it enjoyable, because, while the characters are adults, the language used and the flow of the action can easily be understood and enjoyed by younger audiences.

The first thing that appealed to me was the cover. It's a very artistic reminder of Victorian novels. Next, the plot - a female lead character, a librarian turned spy. For a book lover like myself, who read everything that Agatha Christie has written and thoroughly enjoyed detective novels as a young girl, this book screamed my name. I mean, how many female-led, action-packed novels are there out there?

The book was quite entertaining and I found it difficult to put it down. What I mostly liked abut it is the idea of a library of libraries, one that resides outside of space and time and does nothing but collect and research books from all alternate universes, with the sole purpose of preserving them. (Or is it? I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out if there is another purpose of the Library.) I would love such a job, I think.

I also like the idea of alternate worlds existing, all sort of similar but not quite. Though the subject is not new, it's always interesting to see how different writers tackle it.

Some of the things I didn't particularly like: the mix of technology and magic makes this book part fantasy, part sci-fi. While I love both genres by themselves, the combination seems weird and forced. I cannot place this novel in either universe and that makes me enjoy it a little bit less than I would if only one of the two were present. I would have also liked a bit more development in terms of the backstory - why does the Library exist? How was it created? Maybe something more about Irene and Kai.. I don't know, it just feels rushed and too much is left for the rest of the series. I now feel force to read the rest of the series to find out, and I really hope it's not going to be dragged along the other 4 novels.

I think the premise is great, and any book lover will pick it up just for the fact that it's an ode to books (sort of). But the construction could have been better and not as chaotic. Still, I'm reading the rest of the series, because I hate leaving this in the middle.

The Invisible Library

Reviews

Highlights