Cyborg Alligators! (The Invisible Library Review)

TITLE: The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1)
AUTHOR: Genevieve Cogman
PUBLISHER: Roc
PUBLISHING DATE: June 14, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure from a spectacular debut author.
 
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 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...

MY THOUGHTS: I have seen a few mixed reviews about "The Invisible Library" and for a while, I was seriously questioning what I had signed up for when I requested it for review. However, all I can say is to each his own and I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I loved it! The people, the setting, the action, the mystery. I seriously found that it was one of those books where I knew 6 pages in that I was going to enjoy it tremendously.

Irene works for the mysterious "Invisible Library" and has committed her whole life to time jumping and traveling to various worlds to collect certain manuscripts, novels, etc. which can then be housed and kept safely in the main library. These books are important to literature, history and various other aspects, and should not fall into the wrong hands. Toward the beginning of the book, Irene is assigned a new mission and learns she now must train a new librarian, Kai. The mission they are sent off on is set in alternate London and they are basically looking for a book of Grimm fairy tales. Kai has been working inside the library for 5 years and is anxious to get out into the field. Also, not only is he described basically as very easy on the eyes, Kai has some secrets of his own. Needless to say, there are some others seeking this book as well which makes for a crazy, dangerous, action-packed excursion.

There are so many interesting aspects to this book that honestly, it could have been easily to have become overwhelmed. Except it was so interesting and engaging, that didn't happen. There are spies, detectives, and thieves as well as vampires, werewolves, fae, dragons, zeppelins, and even cyborg alligators....yes I said cyborg alligators. I really don't know how Cogman came up with it all. I was never once bored while reading "The Invisible Library" and now I can't wait until the next book in the series is released.

This book did remind me of some others I have read in the past year, but not in a redundant or bad way. I was sort of reminded of Rachel Caine's "Ink and Bone" and Brenda Drake's "Thief of Lies." Also, probably because of its historical setting, the book was also reminiscent of Deanna Raybourne's "A Curious Beginning" which I loved as well. If you enjoyed any of those books, "The Invisible Library" is a must-read for you.

I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 5 PAWS