A review by leahlovesloslibros
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

As a Librarian, your main duty is to collect and preserve various books from different realities. Irene and her new assistant, Kai, are assigned to bring back a mysterious book back from a dangerous alternative London, only to arrive and find that the book that seems to already have been taken. Along with Irene and Kai, there are several other secret societies and individuals who are also interested in obtaining this book, and they are willing to fight to the death for it. Can Irene and Kai find the book and bring it back to the safety of the Library, before this chaos-infested alternative London kills them both?

It's hard to put my review of this book into words. I didn't dislike it, but it isn't a book that really grabbed my attention, either. The story was good, I enjoyed the character interactions, and I totally loved the idea of a secret Library where individuals are literally lifelong Librarians solely dedicated to retrieving books and bringing them to the Library for safekeeping and preservation. 

The progression of the storyline was written at a good pace, and I appreciated that the interactions between the characters seemed realistic.
I especially liked that Irene didn't give in to Kai's attempts at advances, even if she did feel a physical attraction to him.
I liked the magic system combined with some science fiction/technology; it was a nice twist on a normal fantasy story.

Overall, I did enjoy this story, but it didn't constantly keep me coming back for more. I can't pinpoint any particular issues that I had with the book; it just wasn't anything "special," in my opinion. I wouldn't read it again, and I likely won't read the several other books in the series. 
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