Steampunk Fantasy Audiobook Review: The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

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

audiocopy thanks to Audible Studios

Synopsis from Goodreads
 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.

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8.5/10

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It's possible that The Masked City was even better, that The Invisible Library. I'm positive about it. Again the narrator has done a stellar job with the character voices. Irene, Vere and Kai are fabulous, but there is just so much yumminess in this book, the whole experience is like one very decadent cake.



Irene and Kai work as stationary librarians in the dimension they helped protecting in the previous book, when a new fae player sweeps in and kidnaps Kai. Irene is frantic as Kai is dragon royalty and if something happens to him not only The Library is up sh*t creek big time, even the world they are in is in danger from dragons' wrath. You don't mess with them, full stop. Never mind her own worry and desire to bring her friend back.

An unexpected ally helps her track Kai down, but he is in an impossible dimension at the deep end of chaos, and no one really can help her there, so her infiltration of the enemy camp is a solo mission. Enter Venice full of magic, an enchanted train and making a new legend as you go along.

The writing is lush, the action is non-stop, and the plot is devilishly clever. Irene is an awesome, resourceful but not all-powerful protagonist, and her friends are just as good in their own unique way..

I enjoyed The Masked City immensely. It wasn't afraid to go big and open our minds to many possibilities. Highly recommended to fans of Ilona Andrews duo. Something about the writing reminds me of them.

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Вполне возможно, что Город в Масках оказался лучше Призрачной Библиотеки. Я почти что в этом уверена. Рассказчица опять шикарно показала голоса Ирин, Вера и Кая, однако эта книга во всём напоминает мне какой-то роскошный трёхъярусный торт. Он жутко красив и сплошное объедение.

Ирин и Кай работают стационарными библиотекарями в измерении, которое они спасли в предыдущей книге, когда в Лондоне появляется новый игрок фэйри, кровный враг Силвер, и похищает Кая. Ирин в ужасе, так как Кай - королевская кровь драконов, и те в гневе не только могут основательно потрепать Библиотеку, нр и разрушить само измерение, в котором она находится.

Спасти Кая она сможет только в одиночку. Мир, в котором его запрятали находится в глубоком хаосе и ни драконам, ни самой Библиотеке туду не добраться. Здравствуй, восхитительная Венеция, Совет Десятерых, магические тюрьмы, опера, зачарованный поезд и построение новой легенды, героиней которой становится сама Ирин.

Яркий слог, непрекращающийся экшн и дьявольски умный сюжет. Очень советую, особенно фанатам дуэта Илона Эндрюс. Чем-то мне этот писатель их напоминает.