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

Quotable: "Heroic fiction had plenty of manly handclasps in it...but it had never gone into how you retrieved your hand afterwards, and whether there were any relevant squeezes or other manoeuvres."

Characters: The usual suspects in a fantasy series, with a hint at future romance between the main characters. The main villain is the most interesting personality, although they only appear towards the end of this first book. The others fell a bit flat for me.

World Building: The first half of the book primarily deals with creating The Library and alternate worlds. Some of these are magical and technological in varying balanced degrees, others have only one. Chaos and order ebb and flow in a never-ending battle, while creatures of lore carry the balance.

Writing Style: Young Adult level that picks up the pace in the last ten chapters or so. It seemed like Cogman wanted to share a wealth of information, then saved the intrigue for a grand finish.

What I Enjoyed: The final scenes, as I mentioned previously, redeemed this book for me. I hope to see more of this style in upcoming installments.

Deal Benders: Unfortunately, much of the first in this series felt like an info dump instead of slowly crafting the scene. This is a pit many authors fall into, and stories can be lost on the spikes. I am willing to give the next book a chance to see if these issues are resolved.

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars for an enjoyable adventure. The ending redeems wading through the slow starting tide.

For Fans of: Books about books, Sherlock Holmes mysteries