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melissa_bookworm's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Interesting concept of alternate worlds and the use of magic/fae/chaos. It was a little slower paced than I would have liked, but I'm intrigued to see where they go next.
Interesting concept of alternate worlds and the use of magic/fae/chaos. It was a little slower paced than I would have liked, but I'm intrigued to see where they go next.
neens_m's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.75
noemi1010's review against another edition
4.0
I don't read much sci-fi, but this book has been catching my eye in a few bookstore, so I decided to give it a try... and it did not disappoint!
Irene is a spy. She works for a library beyond time and space and her job consists of saving books from a world before that world enters into a status of chaos. Her latest mission sees her finding a Grimm's book from a parallel world similar to Earth, but things are not as simply as they should be. Someone killed the original owner of the book, and the book is not missing. Trying to find the book, catching the murdered, stopping a deranged librarian and figuring out the secret of her new assistant make Irene's mission quite a busy one.
Irene is a spy. She works for a library beyond time and space and her job consists of saving books from a world before that world enters into a status of chaos. Her latest mission sees her finding a Grimm's book from a parallel world similar to Earth, but things are not as simply as they should be. Someone killed the original owner of the book, and the book is not missing. Trying to find the book, catching the murdered, stopping a deranged librarian and figuring out the secret of her new assistant make Irene's mission quite a busy one.
ryanonthestorm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
This is hard. I just finished Guy Gavriel Kay's "Children of Earth and Sky", and it's this author's misfortune to be next.
This is a lightweight book, and I don't mean that as a criticism.
I guess a lot of commenters here haven't seen the not-very-successful TV series "The Librarians," because no one has mentioned the similarities.
Kai is hunky, Irene is weak and naive for someone with her experience, and the villains are from Central Casting. The writing is uneven, but that will probably improve as the series goes on. I'm not sure Cogman has entirely found her authorial voice, or at least the one she'll use for this series.
+1 for not having the Holmesian character be over-Holmesian. That's so overdone.
There's a framework here that can produce some good books. We'll see.
This is a lightweight book, and I don't mean that as a criticism.
I guess a lot of commenters here haven't seen the not-very-successful TV series "The Librarians," because no one has mentioned the similarities.
Kai is hunky, Irene is weak and naive for someone with her experience, and the villains are from Central Casting. The writing is uneven, but that will probably improve as the series goes on. I'm not sure Cogman has entirely found her authorial voice, or at least the one she'll use for this series.
+1 for not having the Holmesian character be over-Holmesian. That's so overdone.
There's a framework here that can produce some good books. We'll see.
frances_the_red's review against another edition
2.0
ENDLICH DURCH! Manchmal kann man einfach zu viele Worte für ein Thema verlieren. Die Ansätze im Buch waren spannend, die Charaktere teilweise jedoch inkonsistent geschrieben. Ich schiebe den Hauptgrund, warum ich mich trotz guter Story so durchgequält habe auf die schlechte Übersetzung.
simtasia's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Overall I really enjoyed The Invisible Library. This book brought with it unique world building and magic systems that were fun, well used, and interesting to watch unfold. With set rules that made sense it was an entertaining and believable book.
However, it does not seem like the author trusts the reader to understand these rules as they are repeated constantly. In addition, several chapters are spent with characters explaining things to other characters that the readers already know which really slowed down the pacing of the book, which is a shame because it has some really entertaining action sequences, but I had no desire to read chapter after chapter of things I was already told just so a character could be brought up to speed.
TLDR: 3.5 stars for fun world building, magic system, and overall story. -1.5 stars for numerous instances of telling not showing and then telling again... And again... And again...
Overall I really enjoyed The Invisible Library. This book brought with it unique world building and magic systems that were fun, well used, and interesting to watch unfold. With set rules that made sense it was an entertaining and believable book.
However, it does not seem like the author trusts the reader to understand these rules as they are repeated constantly. In addition, several chapters are spent with characters explaining things to other characters that the readers already know which really slowed down the pacing of the book, which is a shame because it has some really entertaining action sequences, but I had no desire to read chapter after chapter of things I was already told just so a character could be brought up to speed.
TLDR: 3.5 stars for fun world building, magic system, and overall story. -1.5 stars for numerous instances of telling not showing and then telling again... And again... And again...
marikombaba's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0