Irene is a Librarian. And if that sounds dull, you don't know the first thing about librarians, and certainly nothing about the Librarians who work for The Library. The Library procures and houses literature from different realities. Normal librarians are pretty cool, if I do say so myself, but these Librarians are downright bad-ass.
Here's a general job description:
- Highly trained in espionage
- Master of thievery
- Literary aficionado
Which basically makes Irene: Catwoman with a deep & abiding love of literature.
Along with her smoldering new assistant Kai, Irene's been sent on a mission to retrieve a book from an alternative London. The problem? The Library isn't the only one who wants to get their hands on this tome. Which wouldn't be a huge problem for a veteran Librarian like Irene except that the world where she's been sent is chaos-infested. Meaning, supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, and faeries! Oh my!), a secret society wielding a steam-powered centipede, and a murderous ex-Librarian, all stand between Irene and mission completion.
Magical library? Steampunk London? Eye candy assistant who has the hots for you?
Check, check, and check.
Irene's got it made and I am not jealous at all. Not. At. All.
As the first book in Cogman’s same-named, ongoing “The Invisible Library” series—there’s plenty more madcap adventures with Irene and Kai in store (Book #7 releases in late December).
So why the B- rating?
While I really enjoyed The Invisible Library and immediately picked up The Masked City (Book #2)—I kind of lost that spark that keeps me coming back for more. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed both books. They were light, easy fantasy reads and I adore the world that Cogman has created. There just wasn’t that obsessive compulsion to keep reading that I get with my favorite series—like Parasol Protectorate. So for now, I’ve relegated the series to my TBR pile with plans to revisit it soon.