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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
While I'm not ready to declare abandonment of this series, I am going to have to break-up with it for a while. It's not you, it's me. I need to spend some time with other books.
The main issue I have with this book has leaked into a problem I have with the entire series, up to this point: I really want to like it, but between roughly 25-85%, I find the book to be fairly boring and disappointingly predictable.
The premise of the series, the overlay of the project, is—at a distance—so intriguing and brimming with possibilities. The spheres/alternate worlds seem to have such potential, and a seemingly innocuous career choice as a librarian becomes a book thief and spy and transforms that title with a capital L to Librarian. Then add into that both Fae and Dragons, and you've either got a recipe for fantastic adventures or ingredients you don't intend to use properly. Every character, with the possible exception of Irene, seems to have fallen into a slump and become cardboard, one-dimensional and irritatingly predictable. Irene, while not truly one-dimensional and flat, is also predictable and lacking.
Another thing I want to address is this categorization as steampunk. This is my first foray into this genre, but I don't think it exemplifies what defines the genre itself. I'll have to try others. Other than brief mentions of long skirts, fog, zeppelins, and such, I don't get much of a steampunk feel at all. The use of magic and Language seems to push aside any actual need for gadgetry or industrial.
All-in-all, for a book whose action seems to go on and on without pause, this is a startlingly boring and monotonous story.
The main issue I have with this book has leaked into a problem I have with the entire series, up to this point: I really want to like it, but between roughly 25-85%, I find the book to be fairly boring and disappointingly predictable.
The premise of the series, the overlay of the project, is—at a distance—so intriguing and brimming with possibilities. The spheres/alternate worlds seem to have such potential, and a seemingly innocuous career choice as a librarian becomes a book thief and spy and transforms that title with a capital L to Librarian. Then add into that both Fae and Dragons, and you've either got a recipe for fantastic adventures or ingredients you don't intend to use properly. Every character, with the possible exception of Irene, seems to have fallen into a slump and become cardboard, one-dimensional and irritatingly predictable. Irene, while not truly one-dimensional and flat, is also predictable and lacking.
Another thing I want to address is this categorization as steampunk. This is my first foray into this genre, but I don't think it exemplifies what defines the genre itself. I'll have to try others. Other than brief mentions of long skirts, fog, zeppelins, and such, I don't get much of a steampunk feel at all. The use of magic and Language seems to push aside any actual need for gadgetry or industrial.
All-in-all, for a book whose action seems to go on and on without pause, this is a startlingly boring and monotonous story.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Every book in the series raises the stakes more than I thought was possible! So far, every book has exceeded my expectations.
I first started reading this series as a teenager, waiting for each book to come out. I feel out of reading before I got the chance to finish it all, so I decided to go back to this one as an adult to remind myself of the joy of books.
The world Cogman builds is increasingly more and more fascinating, and the characters within it all feel so thoroughly thought out. The weaving of magic, the language and the general weirdness of each world really keep you immersed and wanting to know more and the imagery is so fun to imagine that I found myself wanting to know more at every turn.
Compared to the previous two, I do think this one got a little slow in the middle, however this is massively made up by the fast paced action around this.
The world Cogman builds is increasingly more and more fascinating, and the characters within it all feel so thoroughly thought out. The weaving of magic, the language and the general weirdness of each world really keep you immersed and wanting to know more and the imagery is so fun to imagine that I found myself wanting to know more at every turn.
Compared to the previous two, I do think this one got a little slow in the middle, however this is massively made up by the fast paced action around this.
This book was significantly stronger, for me at least, than the one just before it.
I still had some problems with it, but they were things that I, personally, don't care for, and can't fault the book for having things that I don't enjoy.
Irene, while dealing with her punishment that is the aftermath of the events of The Masked City discovers something that shakes her to her core: Library gates are being destroyed. The Library itself has come under threat.
And to top off her worry for the place that has been her home, she has her own personal concerns. Primarily for her friend Peregrine Vale, who has found himself to be... less than himself, to avoid spoilers.
And... that's really it. Not much happens in this book, and I found that it wasn't hard to put it down, and very easy to go for days at a time not touching it in the slightest. The entirety of the book is spent discovering the threat to the Library, and worrying for Vale.
And despite that, despite how absolutely annoyed some parts of this book made me, not least of all Irene's constant need to point out, every time she and Kai have to don a disguise, how incredible Kai looks and now not incredible she looks in comparison (perhaps my largest pet peeve with this series as a whole; I get it, Kai is hot and looks good in everything, all humans pale in comparison; we can move on, now), I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting, and while Irene aggravated me at many points, the fact that there are only two real plots happening in this book lent itself to a narrative that flowed fairly well.
While so far, neither the second nor third books can compare to the first in this series, while the glowing praise I gave it at the end of book one hasn't been lived up to, this is still a series I highly enjoy, and would recommend.
I still had some problems with it, but they were things that I, personally, don't care for, and can't fault the book for having things that I don't enjoy.
Spoiler
And I'm not talking about the giant arachnids.Irene, while dealing with her punishment that is the aftermath of the events of The Masked City discovers something that shakes her to her core: Library gates are being destroyed. The Library itself has come under threat.
And to top off her worry for the place that has been her home, she has her own personal concerns. Primarily for her friend Peregrine Vale, who has found himself to be... less than himself, to avoid spoilers.
And... that's really it. Not much happens in this book, and I found that it wasn't hard to put it down, and very easy to go for days at a time not touching it in the slightest. The entirety of the book is spent discovering the threat to the Library, and worrying for Vale.
And despite that, despite how absolutely annoyed some parts of this book made me, not least of all Irene's constant need to point out, every time she and Kai have to don a disguise, how incredible Kai looks and now not incredible she looks in comparison (perhaps my largest pet peeve with this series as a whole; I get it, Kai is hot and looks good in everything, all humans pale in comparison; we can move on, now), I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting, and while Irene aggravated me at many points, the fact that there are only two real plots happening in this book lent itself to a narrative that flowed fairly well.
While so far, neither the second nor third books can compare to the first in this series, while the glowing praise I gave it at the end of book one hasn't been lived up to, this is still a series I highly enjoy, and would recommend.
Spoiler
I am, however, tempted to take off a star simply on principle because of the tragedy of the ending... A Librarian burning books... That just hurts
I love going on adventures with Irene and Kai, and Cogman's imagination is so fun to get wrapped up in.
Check out my full review on Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review on Forever Young Adult.
My Recommendation: Worth reading if you're going to commit to the entire series. I wasn't disappointed in this book, but I wasn't as enamored as I was with the first book of the series. I'm not sure where the rest of the series will go, but as the glamour wears off I probably won't read seek them out as quickly and use the more as filler.
My Response: This is my final book of 2019, it took me a month to read (I got distracted with travelling and knitting) and two weeks to post about it—oh well.
Similar to The Masked City, this book starts off with a kidnapping, this time it's Irene. Well it doesn't start off with one, it actually starts off with a trip to another highly ordered world (think Nazi's) and then when Irene has to take a quick solo trip to the Library she gets kidnapped.
This also wasn't the Dragon companion book I was hoping we'd get after the last books deep foray into the Fae's political underworld. Instead we were back to the big-bad Alberich for this story. That being said, it does sound like the Dragon's are still coming with a side comment from one of Kai's relatives (attendees?), but I won't hold my breath.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
My Response: This is my final book of 2019, it took me a month to read (I got distracted with travelling and knitting) and two weeks to post about it—oh well.
Similar to The Masked City, this book starts off with a kidnapping, this time it's Irene. Well it doesn't start off with one, it actually starts off with a trip to another highly ordered world (think Nazi's) and then when Irene has to take a quick solo trip to the Library she gets kidnapped.
This also wasn't the Dragon companion book I was hoping we'd get after the last books deep foray into the Fae's political underworld. Instead we were back to the big-bad Alberich for this story. That being said, it does sound like the Dragon's are still coming with a side comment from one of Kai's relatives (attendees?), but I won't hold my breath.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
A solid third installement of the Invisible Library series - which seems to improve as the series goes on. The characters are getting better and more interesting, and as usual, the plot is action oriented and shoots forward at breakneck speed. Adventures throughout the Library, imperial Russia, and underground black market and a mysterious secret library abound. There was one scene at the start involving spiders that nearly made me vomit (I really hate spiders...) whilst listening to it out cycling. Like, I had to stop cycling and get off the bike and stare at pretty landscapes because I was really grossed out. (And the spiders come back later in the book, by the way. You're not done with them after that first bit, but that's the worst bit).
As is usually the case with series like this one, the plot kind of becomes forgettable after awhile. But that's okay because I know I enjoyed the ride, and I know it was a fun adventure. I enjoyed the foray through portals towards the end, and thought overall that the settings were great fun and well-built. So yes, I still recommend this series.
As is usually the case with series like this one, the plot kind of becomes forgettable after awhile. But that's okay because I know I enjoyed the ride, and I know it was a fun adventure. I enjoyed the foray through portals towards the end, and thought overall that the settings were great fun and well-built. So yes, I still recommend this series.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely the strongest of the series. Quite enjoyable.