The masked city (2015 original; edició 2015)

Um prazer enorme voltar a ler as aventuras da bibliotecária Irene Winters, Vale e Kai.
Este é o segundo livro da série A Biblioteca Invisível. Uma mistura de Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Sherlock Homes, entre outros.. ( ´ ▽ ` )b
Talvez eu seja influenciado por ela ser uma Bibliotecária - talvez não - ou as aventuras sejam mesmo ótimas e o universo ficcional criado pela Cogman (que é uma bibliotecária) seja a coisa mais legal da fantasia dos últimos anos. Tomara que a editora Morro Branco não enrole para publicar as sequencias (se bem que estou pensando em ler em inglês antes). Meu agradecimento ao Victor por ter me emprestado, já que a pobreza me assombra mais do que um mundo contaminado pelo Caos. ( )

This story disappointed me. I couldn't find a "why" behind its existence. Very few of the characters from the previous book featured prominently and there seemed to be a lot of false leads in the writing which makes it seem like it doesn't have an overall series plot (compared to, say, Harry Potter). Which is really sad. Because I think this story has potential. The grammar and sentence structure improved, but the rules of the universe seemed nonexistent and this was made even more apparent during the travel to Venice and when Vale showed up in Venice. Irene, instead of asking herself "what on earth is he doing here?" blinks and asks how he got there. I feel like Vale could be a more interesting character if this were plotted a little more carefully. Also, the cliff-hanger chapter endings were missing. And, again, the relationships seem to be moving wayyyyy too fast. Irene is supposed to be a world-weary, experienced Librarian. This whole "want to touch his cheekbones" thing is ridiculous. ( )

The exciting new sequel to The Invisible Library starts off with Irene’s usual task of acquiring a book – this time in a not so legal auction. Irene and Kai intend to find the persons who are trying to steal the book from them but before they do, Kai is kidnapped by the Fae. The remainder of the book deals with how Irene navigates the extreme chaos infested city of Venice where the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred and eventually rescues Kai, preventing a war between the dragons and the Fae in the process.

Irene was delightful in the first book but we get to know her more in this adventure. She is so brave, responsible and thinks quickly on her feet to get out of tricky situations. Her thoughtful words when dealing with Kai’s royal uncle or the Fae kidnappers Lord and Lady Guantes are a treat to read. The innovative ways in which she uses the Language to help Kai and escape Venice is also very interesting. Irene is turning into a great literary heroine and hopefully, we will see her in more adventures in the series. There is not much to any of the other characters except some interesting conversations which are few and far between.

Overall, the book is an enjoyable adventure with a female protagonist we can root for and the multiple worlds in the series are quite fascinating. The only disappointment with the book is that we get to know hardly anything more about the Library and there is not much plot revolving around books (which is what I was really hoping for). ( )

When Kai is kidnapped, Irene must leave the London in which she is stationed and journey deep into chaos to save him. An unlikely allie, surprise assistance and multiple characters abound.

This required a little more concentration than I was prepared to give it—this week has been exhausting—but it was still pretty fun. Bring on the next book. ( )