Secret agents, forbidden societies, stolen books . . . and mechanized alligators! Okay, the alligators aren't integral to the story, but they do show up. Irene is a professional spy for the Library, which has their members go and retrieve (well, steal) books from different realities. Irene is sent with a new assistant, Kai, to fetch a dangerous book from an alternative London. However, they soon discover the book has already been stolen and there are factions who are prepared to fight to the death to get the book.
In addition to these elements of the story, there are also supernatural elements, Because this alternate version of London is chaos-infested, it makes it possible for there to be vampires, and fae, etc. One of the more interesting things in the story for me was the Language that the Library's agents can use. The Language has elements of power to it, so Irene is able to open locks, etc. by speaking very specifically.
As a librarian and a devoted reader, I found a lot to enjoy in this book. It's a great mix of the magical and the mundane, with an interesting main character, and an imaginative world. The book has a steady pace, and the author's descriptive writing style really brings the whole story to life. Admittedly, I felt like I wanted something a bit more from the book. It was good, to be sure, but it's like having a premium ice cream sundae and then leaving off the sprinkles and whipped cream.
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