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katievallin's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Gun violence, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Racism, Violence, Car accident, Death, and Gore
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, and Stalking
dcheers's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
An enjoyable enough read, I liked the premise, the world building, and the characters to an extent, however I found some of the character dialogue, decision making, and descriptions a bit jarring and overly romantisized and out of place.
Though it wasn't a complete page turner, I am still looking forward to seeing what is next for the characters and continuing on in the series!
Though it wasn't a complete page turner, I am still looking forward to seeing what is next for the characters and continuing on in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Sexism, Stalking, and Violence
Minor: Abortion
meganpbennett's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fast-paced adventure featuring a semi-mythical Library and its Librarians, who use Language to help them navigate alternate realities. It's part steam-punk adventure, part detective story, part urban fantasy and it works in a way that it really shouldn't.
Irene works for the Library, and after just barely surviving collecting a rare book from one reality, she's sent off on her next mission, with a mentee named Kai. This alternate reality is contaminated with Chaos and has all the usual urban fantasy creatures - vampires, werewolves, the Fae - to make life interesting. Irene and Kai are after a rare and specific copy of Grimm's tales from that alternate reality.
But when the urban legend from the Library shows up and turns out to be both very real and very dangerous, things have a way of getting even more complicated than they appear from the outside.
Edit: August 10, 2021 : A reread of The Invisible Library was very interesting, and the clues left about several things are very, very well done.
Irene works for the Library, and after just barely surviving collecting a rare book from one reality, she's sent off on her next mission, with a mentee named Kai. This alternate reality is contaminated with Chaos and has all the usual urban fantasy creatures - vampires, werewolves, the Fae - to make life interesting. Irene and Kai are after a rare and specific copy of Grimm's tales from that alternate reality.
But when the urban legend from the Library shows up and turns out to be both very real and very dangerous, things have a way of getting even more complicated than they appear from the outside.
Edit: August 10, 2021 : A reread of The Invisible Library was very interesting, and the clues left about several things are very, very well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Death, Murder, and Violence
ghosthermione's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Woah, that was something, wasn't it?
I usually write reviews right after I close the book but I felt like I needed a bit more time to digest this one.
It had me from the first page (well, it had me from the blurb) and it did not disappoint. This is the story I've always wanted to be told, even as a kid, and I don't think 5/5 even covers it. I always wanted there to be a Library, and to be a Librarian like Irene. I've dreamt of writing this book. Except this book is even better than what I coulda done.
It took a while for it to arrive to my local library (COVID and all) and that built up a lot of anticipation... then I didn't really dare open it in fear of disappointment, but disappointment was not what I got!
It starts fast-paced, and you learn more and more as the story goes but it never slows down. There's enough worldbuilding in this first book to fill quite a few novels, and yet it's only hints at a much larger universe, really. The main character, Irene, is really likeable, and so are her two sidekicks. I loved to hate Bradamant and I'm really hoping we see more of her. But what really got me was the worldbuilding. It's complex and layered and you can feel there's so much more the author's not telling us. It can feel a bit too much at times, but after all the centre of this novel is a chaos infestation, so it wouldn't be that good without a bit of overwhelm and, well, chaos.
Now, if you don't like weird crawly insects, or spoilers, don't read behind the cut but I really, REALLY hate silverfish. I know they're harmless, but I've never lived in a place without the occasional silverfish in the bathroom at 4am and they disgust me. make my skin crawl. And you know what, whenever I read a book, there's mice and cockroaches and stuff, but I've never read a book that even acknowledges the existence of silverfish. Before this one. And let me tell you, it worked VERY WELL at giving me that horrific shudder. I was right there with the characters and would've very much jumped on the table. 10/10 horror mastery.
Now I gotta get my hands on the next volume. And the next...
I usually write reviews right after I close the book but I felt like I needed a bit more time to digest this one.
It had me from the first page (well, it had me from the blurb) and it did not disappoint. This is the story I've always wanted to be told, even as a kid, and I don't think 5/5 even covers it. I always wanted there to be a Library, and to be a Librarian like Irene. I've dreamt of writing this book. Except this book is even better than what I coulda done.
It took a while for it to arrive to my local library (COVID and all) and that built up a lot of anticipation... then I didn't really dare open it in fear of disappointment, but disappointment was not what I got!
It starts fast-paced, and you learn more and more as the story goes but it never slows down. There's enough worldbuilding in this first book to fill quite a few novels, and yet it's only hints at a much larger universe, really. The main character, Irene, is really likeable, and so are her two sidekicks. I loved to hate Bradamant and I'm really hoping we see more of her. But what really got me was the worldbuilding. It's complex and layered and you can feel there's so much more the author's not telling us. It can feel a bit too much at times, but after all the centre of this novel is a chaos infestation, so it wouldn't be that good without a bit of overwhelm and, well, chaos.
Now, if you don't like weird crawly insects, or spoilers, don't read behind the cut but
Now I gotta get my hands on the next volume. And the next...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, and Bullying
Minor: Animal death
crocodiles
More...