Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

6 reviews

sassmistress's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful tense

4.25

Very fresh, exciting fantasy novel in a Victorian England (think Sherlock Holmes and old-school British gentlemen) alternate dimension, with lots of magic and magical creatures, occasional non-graphic sexual content, and some gore. 

I really enjoyed this read for myself, except for the occasional annoying content concern. It was unique and exciting, with some funny turns. The (adult, female, competent professional) MC loves her books and tea, but bravely faces adventure for her beloved Library, the collector of important works of literature from countless alternate dimensions. This does sometimes involve burgling the book in question. 

This book draws inspiration from detective fiction, steampunk (/magic punk?), Fae lore, and a little of that Douglas Adams wit. We've got airships and stagecoaches juxtaposed with werewolves and glamour and eldritch horror. And also cybernetic alligators 😂 Such things are the result of a world falling prey to the forces of chaos. 

Nonstop action, fantastic magic system, terrifying bad guys. To avoid spoilers, I'll be really vague here, but the book climaxes with some spot on, breathtaking imagery of the ultimate fate of evil. 

Lots of magic,and I'm a sucker for a good magic system. The Librarians use The Language to make things happen (with limitations, if you can tell the object to do something in the Language, it'll happen. They have to study vocab regularly). Fae are universally bad and use chaos magic. The two are incompatible. Tech imbued with magic in this world, that part's pretty vague.

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Writing: 4.5⭐️/5 
On the cover of this book, it claims to be a book “in which to wallow.” I would say the writing is a decadence in which to wallow. Genevieve Cogman nails the voice of Irene, a woman dedicated to the study and preservation of language and books. Several moments of the novel were truly stunning in the prose. A few mistakes and awkward moments close to the end of the novel are the only reason this writing is not a five. Well, that and the fact that the plot required more exposition than I might have loved.

Characters: 5⭐️/5
I actually loved nearly every character in this story. I felt the history, the motivations, the development, and deep thought behind each character. Irene was a fascinating character through and through. Kai was interesting as well and I can’t wait to learn more about him. Even **Spoilers** Bradamant was fascinating to learn about and, even as she was betraying our crew, I couldn’t help but like her in an offhanded way.

Plot: 4.75⭐️/5 
The world (see below) is nearly as complex as the plot. I was fairly hooked from the moment Cogman had her character’s main mission be all about attaining and retaining one-of-a-kind literature. Where I felt slightly confused, I feel Cogman did a decent job of explaining, even when she had to sacrifice a bit of fluidity in the prose to do so. Thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable.

World 4.75⭐️/5 
The world is as fascinating as it is large, complex, and completely weird. I loved the alternate dimensions, loved the state of the library being at the crux of it all, and I loved the fact that the book had everything from fae, vampires, and werewolves to zeppelins, alligators with laser beams, and computers. The breadth of the world was remarkable and always interesting – however, it definitely could feel overwhelming and a bit confusing, which is my only small, wee, teeny-tiny complaint.

Who Should Read This Book? 
  • Fans of fantasy mixed with sci-fi
  • Fans of complex fantasy worlds
  • Fans of characters who love (or live in) academia
  • Lovers of books and fantasy novels
  • Someone looking for a new, unique read and isn’t afraid of a complex world state. 

Content Warnings? 
Body horror, blood, death, injury, injury detail, toxic relationship, murder, animal cruelty (minor), animal death (minor), violence, gore, sexual content (minor)

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5
Pretty much immediately knew I was ordering the whole series. And I’m excited to return to this world.

Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5

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karanextweek's review against another edition

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adventurous
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Absolutely delightful. A true book lovers’ book. 
There were a couple points in the book where I guessed what was going to happen (and wanted to strangle Irene for taking so long to see it!) and a few times I was genuinely surprised.
My only complaint is the teacher/student sexual tension trope. It’s weird and icky and I don’t like it.

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katievallin's review

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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


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dcheers's review

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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! 

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columnclub's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

3.5 stars, or maybe a little above. I reread it since I have the next one in the series, and it was as intriguing but messy as I remembered -- there's always so much going on, and there are so many wider groups/forces at play that it wouldn't be possible to develop them all sufficiently. That being said, it's a lot of fun! The characters are likeable (though I kind of wish Irene hadn't programmed herself to be so allergic to feeling or reacting to anything; I actually found Bradamant more entertaining). I'm curious to see if the later series adds depth and clarity to what's already there, or if it's zany fast-paced antics all the way down.

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