The Masked City

Genevieve Cogman
The Masked City Cover

The Masked City

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1/23/2017
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A journey into a Venice which is far deeper, darker, and more dangerous than the one we know

In this new adventure, Irene must risk herself against powerful Fae, in a world deep in chaos, to rescue her apprentice, who has been kidnapped and will soon be killed -- with only her wits and her quick-thinking to help herself and her assistant get back out alive.

While not magical, Librarians do have a "special power": use of The Language, with which they can command objects to behave in a certain way, or people to believe a certain thing. The more closely the command aligns with the natural nature of the object or person, the longer the power of words spoken in The Language will persist; in the meantime, the Librarian needs to get their goal achieved and get the hell out of there, before the alteration wears off.

One of the biggest delights of this series for me has been anticipating what novel usage of The Language will be concocted by Irene to get her out of each new dangerous circumstance she encounters. Her strength--and her wonderful pragmatism--make her a character with which I can identify, and one whose triumphs I can cheer. The inventive worldbuilding, backed by a solid understanding of myths and legends, makes these books a pure pleasure to read.