A book very much in the humorous and satirical tradition of Discworld The Masked City is a joy to read and Cogman makes it look effortless. She knows her characters, understands how to pace the action and the world she has built is intricate and compelling. Lovers of literature will adore this universe . . . You simply can't get more fun than this The second instalment of an adventure featuring stolen books, secret agents and forbidden societies - think Doctor Who but with librarian spies! The second title in Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library series, The Masked City is a wonderful read for all those who enjoyed Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair or Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London. 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. The Masked City contains bonus extra content - secrets from the Library! Continue the bookish magic with The Burning Page. Genevieve is also the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Scarlet - which reimagines the tale of the Scarlet Pimpernel, but with vampires, mages and magic . . . Genevieve Cogman started on Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes at an early age, and has never looked back. But on a perhaps more prosaic note, she has an MSC in Statistics with Medical Applications and has wielded this in an assortment of jobs: clinical coder, data analyst and classifications specialist. Although The Invisible Library was her debut novel, she has also previously worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer. She is also the author of The Masked City and The Burning Page, both in The Invisible Library series. Genevieve Cogman's hobbies include patchwork, beading, knitting and gaming, and she lives in the north of England. The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman is the perfect read for book-lovers everywhere. It's a fast-paced adventure - think Doctor Who, but with Librarian spies. Reviewers have also found a dash of Discworld and Jasper Fforde, a hint of Sherlock Holmes and a great deal of humour. The first novel in the series, The Invisible Library, introduces Irene and her assistant Kai: a pair of librarian spies on a mission to retrieve a dangerous book from a parallel world. In an alternative version of Victorian London - where magic runs rife - they soon find that the book they seek has already been stolen. Cue a whirlwind quest down a rabbit hole of forbidden societies, twisted plans, new friends, old enemies and the occasional dragon. What could possibly go wrong? Irene and Kai's (mis)adventures continue in The Masked City, which takes them to a sinister version of Venice, and then in The Burning Page and beyond things really start to heat up . . . 'Brilliant and so much fun. Skulduggery, Librarians, and Dragons - Cogman keeps upping the ante on this delightful series!' - Charles Stross 'A breath of fresh air' - Guardian