The Masked City (The Invisible Library #2) by Genevieve Cogman

The Masked City (Invisible Library #2)

 

Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.

Kai's dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people - and the forces of order and chaos themselves.

Irene's mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it's always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death.

 

 

 

My Review:

 

The Masked City is the second book in the Invisible Library series by author Genevieve Cogman.

If readers have not yet read The Invisible Library, I would highly recommend starting with the first book in the series, as it lays the foundation for this book. The Masked City works as a standalone, but the first book lays out a new world with new rules, a completely new and unique magical system, and very intriguing and three-dimensional characters. The mechanics of this book do not differ very much from the first book. As the first book was highly acclaimed and a pleasure to read, it would only make sense that the author not stray too much in her writing style.

The Masked City does follows on the heels of the events in ‘The Invisible Library’. As the book description tells us, Kai is kidnapped by the forces of Chaos, and as a good supervisor (and friend), Irene must devise a plan to rescue Kai from certain destruction. Irene’s plans leads her to a chaos-infested Venice where it is Carnival every single day, every day of the year. Here she meets, uses, manipulates and coerces others to try to rescue Kai. Similar to the first book, The Masked City does not disappoint when it comes to intrigue, suspense and action. The plot develops well and reaches a climax that holds steady for quite some time.

The characters from the first book are fleshed out more with personal details, and we get an even better idea of what drives these individuals. We are also introduced to many more characters on both sides of the Chaos/Order struggle. Fairy tale elements are intertwined with this book when the author introduces us to a new character duo known as the Horse and Rider. There is very little dialogue that does not add to the enjoyment or story in this book. Ms. Cogman’s use of dry humor in the first and second book bring out a smile and chuckle while reading, and has become indicative of her story-telling style.

Similar to her first book, Ms. Cogman weaves a tale of suspense, magic and wonder in this fast-paced genre-busting book. As mentioned in my review of her debut book, The Invisible Library, Cogman invents a unique magical system and continues to build on it in this book. Fairy tale elements combined with Sherlock Holmes and a sprinkling of Tolkien’s influence are readily observable in her writing style and plot elements. With good action, suspense and humor throughout, The Masked City is sure to please a variety of readers. Luckily for us, the third book in this series, The Burning Page, is already available in Paperback from Tor. Happy reading!

Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers by Annette Goliti Gutierrez, Mary Gray

Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers

Outdoor style often comes at a high price, but it doesn’t have to. This lushly designed guide empowers you to create your own show-stopping containers made from everyday materials such as concrete, plastic, metal, terracotta, rope, driftwood, and fabric. The 23 step-by-step projects are affordable, made from accessible materials, and most importantly, gorgeous. They include new spins on old favorites, like the cinderblock garden made popular by design blogs or hanging planters made from enamelware bowls, along with never-before-seen ideas like a chimney flue planter and wall planters made from paint cans. Packed with color photographs and simple instruction, Potted is for anyone who wants to turn an outdoor space into a stylish oasis. 

My Review: 

The book ‘Potted’ is in my eyes a very big success. The authors have set out to write a book of do-it-yourself (DIY) potting projects, varying in degrees of difficulty, but with each project having a very energizing and stylish result. They certainly achieved their goal in this interesting and inspirational DIY book.

The authors, Annette Goliti Gutierrez and Mary Gray, own a Los Angeles based, outdoor lifestyle brand called ‘Potted’ for over a decade already. The authors’ love of design led to the creation of this book, and it contains many examples of inspirational DIY projects (23 projects to be exact). Filled with numerous plant arrangement ideas for your garden – whether your garden is the size of a park or you just wish to customize your patio, balcony, or the entranceway to your home with style. Important tenets of gardening such as drainage have also not been forgotten.

Potted, is a book containing various types of affordable DIY projects, ranging from the simple to the more advanced. The authors do state, that if a project is out of one’s comfort zone and skill, to seek an expert for assistance before injuries happen. Safety is actually stressed throughout the book with tips to keep one’s digits safe.

There are five categories of material used to create or customize planters in this book. These categories include, concrete, plastics, metals, terra cotta, and organic materials such as rope. Each category has an average of five projects and each project starts with a list (and photo) of the tools and materials needed to complete the project. After a short paragraph on preparation, the projects are listed in single steps. Each step has one or more very useful color photographs that do not leave much guesswork remaining. The completed planter or project is then also shown in use with good decorational ideas on where and how to use them.

This book uses imperial units only. An imperial to metric conversion table has been included towards the back of the book. The table does not really fulfill its purpose if a reader wishes to further customize the projects in this book, by making planters with different measurements.

Potted, is a very well thought out book, with plenty of DIY projects varying in skill and difficulty. Most importantly, the projects are energizing, affordable and fun. The planters in this book are unique, and the designing skills and authors’ imagination are to be praised. I recommend this book to anyone who loves DIY projects or for people who wish to brighten up their living or garden spaces.

The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1) by Genevieve Cogman

The Invisible Library (Invisible Library #1)

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.

My Review:

 

The Invisible Library

By Genevieve Cogman

The Invisible Library is the debut Novel by roleplaying game writer turned book author, Genevieve Cogman. The author claims to have started out on works by Tolkien and Arthur Conan Doyle, and this style is very evident in her writing. The Invisible Library is hailed by critics, as a mixture of Harry Potter and Doctor Who and is in many ways a refreshing take on magic and interdimensional travel.

Many authors have written books in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and over time, it has become increasingly challenging to create a world or magic system that is unique. The author was very successful in creating something very original here. Very interesting are the Librarians of an invisible Library, located out of time (and in a unique location) that travel though gates to alternate worlds and collect books that are unique to that alternate world. An example would be, additional plays from Shakespeare that were never written on our world. Naturally, such things would be highly coveted and the Librarians of this invisible Library are sent out on missions (many of which are highly dangerous) to retrieve and collect these books.

The author achieves very good character delineation in her book, causing the characters to act in a very natural, multifaceted and three-dimensional way. The antagonists do not seem stereotypical, but are well thought out and engaging.

The author wanted to create a new magical system, and tensions between order-loving Dragons and chaos-infested Fae, and succeeded very well in her world building. The plot moved at a steady pace and it wasn’t slowed down by wordiness or the overuse of description or superfluous dialogue. The book had plenty of action and a good amount of mystery and suspense. These elements show that the author was indeed influenced by Tolkien and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock.  

The Invisible Library is an extremely well written and enjoyable book. It is not fraught with the usual errors that many debut novels suffer from. I attribute this to the author’s extensive writing history in roleplaying games. Ms. Cogman was further able to create a unique world consisting of many new types of characters and a very intriguing magical system. The book flows naturally from the first page to the last and leaves the reader with a sense of wonder. It also made me want to devour the second book in the series as quick as possible. Genevieve Cogman’s second book, The Masked City, is already available in paperback by Tor. Happy reading!

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later, the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable ev 1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later, the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something. When Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist, unwittingly interferes, Thaniel is torn between opposing loyalties.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the reader on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles long-standing traditions, and beyond. Blending historical events with dazzling flights of fancy, it opens doors to a strange and magical past.

 

My Review:
 

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is the debut, international bestselling book by Natasha Pulley.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street places us in an alternate London at the turn of the nineteenth century. But it certainly isn’t the London that we know, or the London that ‘we’ had in 1883 when this story begins. This London, is filled with a certain type of magic that pulses strongly at its core. It is a London that is in a love/hate relationship with the Japanese culture and deals with the fear of foreigners; something that is still valid and current in our time (especially with the refugee crisis in Europe). This book deals with shadow and light in this alternate London, but the book itself also has its own shadows and problems it tries to deal with.

The author not only studied English literature at Oxford, but also studied in Japan for 19 months on a scholarship. The Japanese culture has certainly left its mark on the author, as much of the book deals with the Japanese and their struggles to fit in, while trying to retain their cultural identity in a world which is quickly modernizing. It is a struggle that still happens today for refugees streaming into Europe. A struggle for those who are dealing with wanting to fit in while integrating into a society foreign to them, yet also wanting to hold on to their own values and beliefs, which often are not valued by the country receiving them.

The book has three main characters (four if you count an adorable clockwork Octopus named Katsu), and of the strange path that leads and intertwines their fates. At times, the supporting characters were a bit confusing, and I found myself back-paging quite a lot to remind myself of who a particular character was. The character building was a bit weak for the supporting cast, and at times, I questioned the motives and actions of the main characters also. The author was successful in character delineation, however, some of the characters felt very simple and two-dimensional.

The author dealt well with romantic/sexual situations including some homosexual situations. At times, it was so subtle, that it took me a moment to realize that something might have happened. In that regard, it’s definitely not a problem for our younger readers (although the story and plot might not be to their liking).

The plot at times was very heavy and slow moving. This should have given time for the characters to fully develop and for us to get a good look ‘behind the scenes’ and how and what makes the players tick. As mentioned before, the characters ended up being a bit flat and their actions were quite foreign to what I could relate to.

While reading this book, I tried numerous times to fit this book into a certain genre and failed. I believe this work of fiction is just one of those books that defies classification. It could lean towards alternate history and steampunk (without the steam). The clockwork that plays a major role in this book, is naturally an amazing sight to behold, but many of the characters who come close to the clockwork wonders, don’t respond with awe and wonder, which either means they’ve seen it all before, or most likely, that the author left out these reactions by mistake.

The debut book from Natasha Pulley is definitely something unique and hard to classify. Interesting elements of alternate history, the tensions of foreign cultures, and clockwork wonder make for an interesting nineteenth century London. Certain elements in character and dialogue development felt flat and rushed and the plot left me wishing for things to get moving faster for a large section of the book. I recommend this read for those who like the above-mentioned ideas and genres, as this book might be a good fit for those who appreciate alternate histories and clockwork. Unfortunately, the cover was much more intriguing to me than the actual story. Many debut books I have come across in the past have elements that need to be ironed out.

I certainly look forward to reading the author’s upcoming book, ‘The Bedlam Stacks’ due out in August 2017 from Bloomsbury Publishing.