Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure—the first in the Invisible Library series! One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction… Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she … different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it’s already been stolen.
London’s underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested—the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something—secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself.
Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option—because it isn’t just Irene’s reputation at stake, it’s the nature of reality itself…
FEATURING BONUS MATERIAL: including an interview with the author, a legend from the Library, and more!
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This book is a great fantasy read. The world building is terrific. I have enjoyed this series.
I absolutely loved the world building on this book. The idea is original – Dragons and Fae share human worlds with varying degrees of control. The mediators of the Dragons and Fae is a mysterious group called the Library. The Library steals books from different worlds to maintain the balance between the Dragons and Fae. I love stories of witches, magical creatures, magicians, etc. – so this was love at first read. There is also a budding romance in the series.
I absolutely love this series, and the first book is excellent. The characters are engaging and the adventure takes you all over, from the halls of an ancient, yet modern, library to a firefight in a museum with a giant mechanical centipede. Each book is a complete story, with further adventures in the next, so you aren’t left hanging. These are truly a delight. I cannot recommend them enough.
A great start to the series, and I’ve read them all. A librarian super spy, a dragon in human form, and the incarnation of Sherlock Holmes. Who could ask for more?
I’ve lately finished book four of this series, and cannot wait for the next… it’s got several components I love, and sometimes write about myself: mysterious off-world libraries, a mystery-style plot, dragon shape-shifters and a tough and lively female protagonist. Plus alternate worlds and a pretty good Sherlock Holmes substitute… highly recommended!
This book, and its entire series, is amazing. I devour them so fast, and it’s one of the few series I always make sure to preorder.
I love this whole series! As a librarian myself, I’ve already got a soft spot for books with protagonists of the same profession. But a librarian AND spy? Whose professional (and possibly romantic) partner is a dragon in human form? Who works for the Library as more of a faceless, shady group? Yes please! It’s a good, fast-paced read that kept me entertained through all the books so far!
This book was an absolutely brilliant read! I hated having to put it down!
The characters are so well thought out that the reader just falls into place alongside them and lives the story as it unfurls. Places are immediately recognisable as we rush headlong into every minor infraction, interaction or all out hell raising.
This is definitely one of those books that is a must read for any fantasy fan and I heartily recommend it to anyone of all ages
The Invisible Library tells the tale of Irene, a spy who works for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that steals books from alternate realities. Witty dialogue, superb worldbuilding, and fast-paced action made this an instant classic for me. The entire series is simply splendid!
It’s not often where a library plays a central part in a book, unless it’s the scene of a murder. Not so here, and the Librarians (yes, with a capital ‘L’) are more like super secret agents, visiting multiple alternate realities to ‘collect’ rare books. But wait, there’s more! Intrigue, dragons, fae, and in the particular alternate reality in this book, some steampunk thrown in for good measure. All this fuss over a book; what more could you want?
Dipping into this genre is new to me. I found The Invisible Library to be a wild ride in a new world full of ideas I’d not previously considered. Wonderful read
I’m currently re-reading The Invisible Library for my sanity during quarantine! It’s a wild and whimsical mixture of historical and futuristic fantasy, sprinkled with a liberal dose of bibliophilia and a dash of remote-controlled alligators. If you have an imagination and love books, this one will entertain you.
I wanted to like this book so badly, I’ve started to read it multiple times. Unfortunately, it’s just not that well written. The Magic isn’t well developed, it’s derivative of many other books (which is sort of the point) I think that being such a fan of Jasper Fforde and the Thursday next novels, I expected something a bit more polished
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but “The Invisible Library” was a refreshing change from my recent reads. I didn’t realize it was a YA book until I was 20% into it. After I knew that, it was interesting how much more I enjoyed it. I think the characters are compelling and I would read the next one if it crossed my path. Overall, the world-building for me was a bit much; with alternate worlds, fey, steam punk, magic, the Language, technology, and dragons…whew. It all got in the way of the story. Basically, a nice change, like trying a new restaurant and liking it, but not enough to go out of your way to try it again.
I enjoyed the book but it was a bit slow in places.
Librarians, Dragons, and Fae! Oh my!
If you love books and reading, then you will love this books! Books have so much power and influence, and this series takes them to another level. Irene (the librarian) rocks!
I’m on the fence on this book. An original idea but for me, not that well executed. The beginning just drops you into the action…kind of like the opening action scene in an Indiana Jones movie. I also found the main characters to be somewhat flat I may give the second book a chance to see if the author does a better job of pulling me into her world. There is potential here.
Fun. Different. Worth reading. I was told there was a TV series called the “Librarian” and that it awful. Don’t let that distract you. Give this series a chance. You won’t regret it.