The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman
Book 2 of The Invisible Library series
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Invisible Library. And so my hopes were high (perhaps too high) for Genevieve Cogman to deliver on her second book starring Librarian Irene. Unfortunately I was ultimately let down and disappointed in many aspects of the story.
Abrupt
On page 2 we find out that Kai has been kidnapped. If like me you tend to read a couple books (or more) in-between books in a series to keep things fresh then you might also feel like page 2 is a bit abrupt and sudden for a major plot point. I had barely remembered who Kai was before he was the pivotal point in the story. I prefer a book in a series to ease me in for a couple pages and allow me to reorient myself. The Masked City did anything but give me space to remember the world. Perhaps reading this immediately after book 1 would mitigate the issue; but for me it felt far too rushed.
Cast of Characters
Irene remains our leading gal through book 2; just as in book 1. However in The Masked City we lose Irene's comrades in arms. Without Kai and Vale directly involved in the activities and missing for the majority of the entire book I was not as taken in. Irene is fairly witty and clever on her own; but let's face it, we all love a good witty banter between friends. I really missed this aspect here. It may also have something to do with my unabashed love for Vale. I will confess I have a crush on a yummy Victorian-esque detective. Irregardless of Vale being more present I think having Silver or Kai at least present with Irene would have helped. And while each of them does have a presence of sorts in the novel; overall we are stuck with lonely ol' Irene.
Chaos Realm
The best part of Cogman's second book is the chaos world and how she has set it up inside her multi-dimensional world. Chaos worlds are well chaotic. Subject to fewer laws of physics, gravity, etc. and worlds that are easily manipulated by the Fae. The way your own 'story' leads your destiny in the chaos realms is very interesting and it actually worked for me. There was some order to the chaos but it was subtle and hard to manipulate. I liked the way Irene navigates this world and how Cogman has given the reader a way to connect with a world unlike our own.
Overall
Yes there are Dragons, Fae and magic galore in The Masked City. And normally that might be enough for me; but after the smashing success of Invisible Library I felt ultimately let down by Cogman. I'm not so turned off that I won't keep reading the series. I'm hoping this is a one-off issue and that Cogman is able to revive her style and tone from the first book. This is the kind of book that I'd say everyone needs to read if reading the whole series; but that on a re-read I might skip over (depending on relevance to next books in series). Fingers crossed that book three and I get along much better!
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King Mouse by Cary Fagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This story has the illustrations and feel of an old children's book. From the pencil drawings with no bright colours to the use of animals as the characters to the simplicity of the moral. It reminded me of stories that starred Peter Rabbit, Mr Toad, and others. So many of those stories were found by me in the 1980's in my Grandmother's farm house. They were on faded pages and had more complex phrases than I might have been used to at age 5; but I loved them all the same. In some ways I think I loved them because they were old and felt special. As much as I love the rainbow, bright, colourful stories of today; there is something about that old school look and feel that I will always be in love with.
The question becomes whether or not children today (in 2019) will find this vintage style story engaging enough. It seems to me that those children that love reading, old things and asking continuous questions are likely to enjoy this one. In fact you might find out if your child is an old soul just by reading them this book. And if they don't like it; then it's perfect for your own bookshelf to be read on those sleepless nights.
I am definitely going to try and find a copy of King Mouse to add it to my visiting children's library/toy box as I would look forward to this simple story (that has a snake in it!! awesome!) and it's gorgeous illustrations every time a child picks it up.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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Elevation by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
First, this is not horror. Let me say that again, this is NOT horror.
Now that we've got that out of the way let's talk about Stephen King's latest short story. King has done some really great things with Elevation. We get a lovely older lesbian couple, an average middle aged man and an elderly doctor all set against the backdrop of a small town in Maine (what a shocking location for King to take us to, lol). And throughout this story we follow our fairly average man who just so happens to be losing weight, without actually losing weight. Now obviously one cannot, in reality, loose weight without it being obvious and noticeable that said weight has been coming off. And yet that is exactly our scenario is Elevation.
For me it was clear from the get-go that this was a story about aging and death. Would you change how you live your life is you were 90% sure you were going to die (or cease to exist in some unknown way) within a certain time period? Many of us think we would say yes. But like King's character I actually think (with the exception of maybe not working) that I might try to keep things somewhat normal. After all if we truly love our lives as they are today then spending the last of our days as we are should be satisfying. King does an excellent job of highlighting this and making the reader think about their mortality as our characters come to terms with their own.
The side story in Elevation is also wonderful. We have a lesbian couple running a restaurant in small town Maine. I'm guessing I don't need to tell you that not everyone in town is happy about their presence. We feel their highs and lows, and experience the mental anguish that some town members pile onto them. All I can say is that I felt very, very protective of these two women and was (many times) more concerned about their welfare than that of our leading man. Call me bias but I wanted the ladies to kick-butt and tell the town folks off. Thankfully not all of the town is ridiculous and I'm happy that in the end I didn't have to write hate letters to King.
I think the older you are the more likely you are to really 'get' something from Elevation. Or if you're like myself and my husband (who also read this one) with a morbid fascination with death. We had a great conversation at my home about this short story. At 108 pages this is an easy afternoon of reading to help bolster your reading challenge if nothing else.
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