What do you think?
Rate this book
The Invisible College #1
The Invisible College
A mortal sorcerer sets out to defy the dark magic of an ancient race awakening to wage war on mortals in an epic fantasy of adventure and love by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler.
Millennia ago, a magical race called the Aesir found a new home on a distant world. Attracted to the cold during an ice age, they hibernated for hundreds of years at a time. With each awakening, however, they saw their world changed by ever-evolving mortals, encroaching on their territory and way of life. Two civilizations with opposing magic poised to clash, over and over. Now, the Aesir are awakening to wage a new war—this time to exterminate their enemy once and for all.
Robinson Hawksley is an elocutionist at the Invisible College who has perfected a way of teaching speech that relies on harnessing the intelligences that create magic to train the sorcerers. The world needs more sorcerers to protect against the looming Aesir threat, and Robinson’s newest charge is McKenna Foster, a barrister’s daughter rendered deaf after a bout with a plague unleashed by the Aesir. As progress develops between them and they grow ever closer, there also comes a strange connection to the Aesir—one that crosses the boundaries of time itself and the unfathomable mysteries of the Unseen Powers.
Emerging from their icy fortresses, the Aesir begin their bombardment. Can Robinson and McKenna, brought together by magic, stop an endless war with powers even they have yet to fully understand?
Millennia ago, a magical race called the Aesir found a new home on a distant world. Attracted to the cold during an ice age, they hibernated for hundreds of years at a time. With each awakening, however, they saw their world changed by ever-evolving mortals, encroaching on their territory and way of life. Two civilizations with opposing magic poised to clash, over and over. Now, the Aesir are awakening to wage a new war—this time to exterminate their enemy once and for all.
Robinson Hawksley is an elocutionist at the Invisible College who has perfected a way of teaching speech that relies on harnessing the intelligences that create magic to train the sorcerers. The world needs more sorcerers to protect against the looming Aesir threat, and Robinson’s newest charge is McKenna Foster, a barrister’s daughter rendered deaf after a bout with a plague unleashed by the Aesir. As progress develops between them and they grow ever closer, there also comes a strange connection to the Aesir—one that crosses the boundaries of time itself and the unfathomable mysteries of the Unseen Powers.
Emerging from their icy fortresses, the Aesir begin their bombardment. Can Robinson and McKenna, brought together by magic, stop an endless war with powers even they have yet to fully understand?
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2024
2756 people are currently reading
9474 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Wheeler
127 books5,235 followersWall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains.
Learn about Jeff’s many worlds at www.jeff-wheeler.com, or participate in one of his online writing classes through Writer’s Block (www.writersblock.biz).
Learn about Jeff’s many worlds at www.jeff-wheeler.com, or participate in one of his online writing classes through Writer’s Block (www.writersblock.biz).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
July 13, 2025
Reviewed in my April wrap up: https://youtu.be/aTHsIUjMaOQ
Written review of both book one and two here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Written review of both book one and two here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 23, 2024
I admit I didn’t like it because of the characters, but I think overall it's a good book, quite well-rounded, that wasted the tremendous world-building it had. By the way, I only discovered at the end that it would be more than one book, as this one was left open-ended.
Robinson Hawksley is a professor at The Invisible College who moved with his parents to Auvinen after his siblings died from a disease he barely survived. In a world where humans possess magic learned from the Aesir and mix it with technology based on sounds, Robinson is a professor who teaches a pronunciation system designed by his father. This is how he meets McKenna Aurora Foster, the daughter of an important man who became deaf as a child due to an illness.
I’ll start by saying that I didn’t expect the romance to be so important in the story, and that worked against it for me. In my defense, the synopsis didn’t imply it. However, the book was 50% or more focused on the “romance between Robinson and McKenna,” and that was the only aspect I truly didn’t like about the book.
It was clear they would fall in love, but there was a leap from when they met to two weeks later when Robinson fell hopelessly in love with McKenna. I would have liked to read about that process. I understand why they would be attracted to each other and that it could lead to love, I really do; their personalities make sense to me. Unfortunately, I felt the romance was poorly handled; it was rushed and too intense, and my biggest issue was Robinson.
I couldn’t stand Robinson; he was this super talented and intelligent character, so intelligent that he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings, his clothes, or his food. Yet, he fell in love with McKenna and jumped into that romance headfirst; he was so desperate that it felt dishonest not to express his feelings. As a character, I understand why he was like that. Characters don’t have to please me, and not all should be designed to please, but my problem was that everything Robinson did was romanticized.
Do they really want to romanticize a character who, literally, starves because he spends his money on other things? Yes, he used it for his experiments, but he was a 26-year-old adult—sorry, that seems irresponsibly absurd to me. He couldn’t even feed himself, and he wanted to marry McKenna? How was he going to provide for her? Especially since McKenna couldn’t earn her own living due to being deaf, and her dream of entering The Invisible College was impossible.
Robinson seemed to me an extremely immature and selfish character; I didn’t find his self-neglect or his refusal to ask for or accept help romantic. And when he decided to confess his feelings against his father’s advice and McKenna’s parents' wishes? Simply selfish. Robinson only thought about his need to express his feelings and his love, but he never stopped to think about the burden he would place on an 18-year-old girl or the pressure he would, unwillingly, put on her shoulders. He didn’t give her time, he didn’t give her space, he didn’t try to do the logical thing of improving his own conditions and courting her gradually to win her heart. No, he rushed like a madman to confess his feelings, thinking only of himself. And all of this was romanticized in the book!
I liked McKenna; she was a girl who worked hard for what she wanted and put all her effort into her dreams. She was deaf, which in this world, due to its magic system, was so serious that many people ended up in asylums. However, thanks to her father’s money, she could be trained in lip reading, and they paid for lessons to improve her diction and pronunciation. So, in many ways, she lived a privileged life. I think I would have liked to learn more about this discrimination from the perspective of someone who truly experienced it. I don’t want to diminish the suffering this caused McKenna, but maybe having another deaf character to give more context and exemplify how those less fortunate lived would have been useful.
I have to say I loved the beginning, I loved the world and the style. I really liked the theme of intelligences, the mix between technology and magic, all the descriptions, the functioning of society, The Invisible College—all of that was very interesting to me. The Aesir theme, this stronger and older race with which they were at war every few years, always in winter, also seemed like a fascinating story. I wanted to know more, I wanted more of the legends and all that. Unfortunately, once Robinson fell in love, much of the book focused on the romance, and this was put on hold for many pages.
Besides Robinson and McKenna, there was another narrator, Joseph, and I admit his chapters were the least entertaining for me, but overall, I found his storyline very good. I think it wasn’t as well developed as it should have been, although in general, I found it quite interesting and an entertaining twist. Maybe by that point, I was so bored with Robinson-McKenna that I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I should have.
Another point I didn’t like was that I was told Robinson spent all his time in his lab, that he had no breakthroughs, though he had good ideas. But when he made the biggest breakthrough at the end, it wasn’t necessarily because he was intelligent, it was almost luck. I would have liked his experiments to lead somewhere, for it to be something progressive that culminated in success at the end. (Maybe I didn’t fully understand the details, partly because it was in English and partly because I wanted to finish since I wasn’t enjoying it, so maybe it was well developed.) Along the same lines, the money issue was also solved suddenly—I mean, it made narrative sense, but it felt like all the obstacles between McKenna and Robinson were resolved not because they worked on their relationship, but because they just got lucky. Robinson didn’t go through any process of learning to take care of himself if he wanted to marry and take responsibility for his wife. He made no commitment to earning more money to support his new family, nothing—he just got lucky.
I have to admit that the theme of the Aesir, the world, and the ending (the last page) made me question whether I would read the next installment, because I think the ending might change my perspective on the characters. I don’t know; also, I really liked the world, and I would like to finish understanding it and learn more about the Aesir.
The Invisible College was a story with a highly interesting world-building, mixing magic from an ancient race and technology that has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, its protagonist was immature and selfish, and all his mistakes and attitudes were romanticized in the book. Moreover, the romance took over the second half of the book, leaving the entire world relegated to details at the end.
***
Admito que no me gustó por los personajes, pero creo que en general es un buen libro, bastante redondo, que desperdició la tremenda construcción de mundo que tenía. Por cierto, recién al terminar descubrí que sería más de uno, pues este quedó abierto.
Robinson Hawksley es un profesor de The Invisible College que se mudó con sus padres a Auvinen después de que sus hermanos murieran de una enfermedad de la que él apenas sobrevivió. En un mundo en el que los humanos tienen magia aprendida de los Aesir y que la mezclan con tecnología basándose en los sonidos, Robinson es un profesor que enseña un sistema de pronunciación diseñado por su padre. Así conocerá a McKenna Aurora Foster, la hija de un hombre importante que debido a una enfermedad quedó sorda de niña.
Partiré diciendo que no esperaba que fuera tan importante el romance en la historia y eso me jugó mucho en contra y, en mi defensa, la sinopsis no da a entenderlo. Sin embargo, el libro fue un 50% o más relacionado al "romance entre Robinson y McKenna" y fue el único punto que de verdad no me gustó en todo el libro.
Sí que se dio a entender que se enamorarían, pero hubo un salto entre que se conocieron a dos semanas después en las que Robinson se enamoró sin remedio de McKenna. Me hubiera gustado poder leer ese proceso, entiendo por qué se atraerían mutuamente y que eso podría llevar a amor, de verdad que lo entiendo, con sus personalidades me hace sentido. Por desgracia, sentí muy mal abordado el romance, fue apresurado y demasiado intenso y mi mayor problema fue Robinson.
No soporté a Robinson, era este personaje super talentoso e inteligente, tan inteligente que no prestaba atención a su entorno, a la ropa o la comida. No obstante, se enamoró de McKenna y se lanzó a ese romance de golpe, estaba tan desesperado que sentía deshonesto no expresarle sus sentimientos. Como personaje, entiendo que fuera así, los personajes no tienen que agradarme y no todos deberían estar construidos para agradar, mi problema fue que todo lo que Robinson hacía estaba romantizado.
¿De verdad quieren romantizar a un personaje que, literal, se muere de hambre porque gasta su dinero en otras cosas? Sí, lo usaba para sus experimentos, pero era un adulto de 26 años, perdón, me parece irresponsable a niveles absurdos. ¿No era capaz de comer y quería casarse con McKenna? ¿Cómo iba a proporcionarle algo? Sobre todo porque McKenna no podía ganar su propio sustento por ser sorda y su sueño de entrar a The Invisible College era imposible.
Robinson me pareció un personaje sumamente inmaduro y egoísta, no me pareció romántica su forma de autodescuidarse ni de no pedir ni aceptar ayuda. ¿Y cuando decidió confesar sus sentimientos en contra de lo que su padre le decía y de los deseos de los padres de McKenna? Simplemente, egoísta. Robinson solo pensaba en que él tenía que decirle lo que sentía y en que él estaba enamorado, pero jamás se paró a pensar en la carga que pondría en una joven de 18 años ni la presión que, aunque no quisiera, pondría sobre sus hombros. No le dio tiempo, no le dio espacio, no intentó hacer lo más lógico que era mejorar sus propias condiciones y cortejarla poco a poco para ganarse su corazón, no, se lanzó como un loco a confesar sus sentimientos sin pensar en nadie más que él mismo. ¡Y todo esto fue romantizado en el libro!
McKenna me gustó, era una chica que trabajaba por lo que quería y se esforzaba con todo lo que tenía por sus sueños. Era sorda, lo que en este mundo, debido a su sistema de magia, era algo tan grave que mucha gente terminaba en asilos. Sin embargo, gracias al dinero de su padre ella pudo ser entrenada en leer labios y pagaban para que tomara lecciones para mejorar su dicción y pronunciación. Así que dentro de todo era una chica que vivía en privilegios, creo que me hubiese gustado aprender más de esta discriminación desde el punto de vista de alguien que sí que la vivía. No desmerezco el sufrimiento que esto significó para McKenna, pero quizá tener a otro personaje sordo para dar más contexto y para ejemplificar cómo vivían quienes no eran tan afortunados hubiera sido útil.
Tengo que decir que amé el inicio, amé el mundo y el estilo. Me gustó mucho el tema de las inteligencias, la mezcla entre tecnología y magia, todas las descripciones, el funcionamiento de la sociedad, The Invisible College, todo eso me pareció muy interesante. El tema de los Aesir, esta raza más fuerte y antigua con la que estaban en guerra cada ciertos años, siempre en invierno, también me pareció una historia fascinante, quería saber más, quería más de las leyendas y todo este tema. Por desgracia, una vez que Robinson se enamoró gran parte del libro se centró en el romance y esto quedó en pausa por muchas páginas.
Además de Robinson y McKenna, había otro narrador que era Joseph y admito que sus capítulos eran los que menos me entretenían, pero en general su hilo me pareció sumamente bueno. Creo que no se le sacó tanto provecho como debería, aunque en términos generales lo encontré bastante interesante y un giro entretenido. Quizá me sucedió que para ese punto estaba tan aburrida de Robinson-McKenna que no pude disfrutarlo como debería.
Otro punto que no me gustó tuvo que ver con que me decían que Robinson pasaba todo su tiempo en su laboratorio, que no tenía avances, aunque sí buenas ideas. Sin embargo, pero cuando tuvo el mayor avance para el final no fue necesariamente porque él fuera inteligente, fue casi suerte. Me hubiera gustado que sus experimentos llevaran a algún punto, que fuera algo progresivo y que para el final funcionara (quizá no terminé de entender los detalles en una mezcla de que estaba en inglés y que quería terminar porque no me estaba gustando, puede que estuviera bien desarrollado). Dentro de lo mismo, el tema del dinero también se solucionó de golpe, o sea, hizo sentido narrativamente, pero fue como que todos los impedimentos entre McKenna y Robinson se solucionaran no por ellos trabajando por su relación, sino que solo tuvieron suerte. Robinson no hizo ningún proceso de aprender a cuidar de sí mismo si quería casarse y hacerse responsable de su esposa, no hizo ningún compromiso para ganar más dinero para mantener a su nueva familia, nada, solo tuvo suerte.
Tengo que admitir que el tema de los Aesir, el mundo y el final (la última página) hicieron que me cuestionara si me leería la siguiente entrega, porque considero que el final podría hacerme cambiar mi perspectiva de los personajes. No lo sé, además, el mundo realmente me gustó mucho, me gustaría terminar de entenderlo y aprender sobre los Aesir.
The invisible College fue una historia con una construcción de mundo sumamente interesante, con una mezcla entre magia de una raza antigua y tecnología que tiene mucho para ofrecer. Por desgracia, su protagonista era inmaduro y egoísta y todos sus errores y actitudes eran romantizadas en el libro. Además, el romance se robó la segunda mitad del libro y todo el mundo quedó relegado a detalles del final.
Robinson Hawksley is a professor at The Invisible College who moved with his parents to Auvinen after his siblings died from a disease he barely survived. In a world where humans possess magic learned from the Aesir and mix it with technology based on sounds, Robinson is a professor who teaches a pronunciation system designed by his father. This is how he meets McKenna Aurora Foster, the daughter of an important man who became deaf as a child due to an illness.
"There may be thousands of wrong ways of doing something. But through persistence, by not giving up, we can discover another way."
I’ll start by saying that I didn’t expect the romance to be so important in the story, and that worked against it for me. In my defense, the synopsis didn’t imply it. However, the book was 50% or more focused on the “romance between Robinson and McKenna,” and that was the only aspect I truly didn’t like about the book.
It was clear they would fall in love, but there was a leap from when they met to two weeks later when Robinson fell hopelessly in love with McKenna. I would have liked to read about that process. I understand why they would be attracted to each other and that it could lead to love, I really do; their personalities make sense to me. Unfortunately, I felt the romance was poorly handled; it was rushed and too intense, and my biggest issue was Robinson.
I couldn’t stand Robinson; he was this super talented and intelligent character, so intelligent that he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings, his clothes, or his food. Yet, he fell in love with McKenna and jumped into that romance headfirst; he was so desperate that it felt dishonest not to express his feelings. As a character, I understand why he was like that. Characters don’t have to please me, and not all should be designed to please, but my problem was that everything Robinson did was romanticized.
"Some people like to think for others. To put their beliefs on them."
Do they really want to romanticize a character who, literally, starves because he spends his money on other things? Yes, he used it for his experiments, but he was a 26-year-old adult—sorry, that seems irresponsibly absurd to me. He couldn’t even feed himself, and he wanted to marry McKenna? How was he going to provide for her? Especially since McKenna couldn’t earn her own living due to being deaf, and her dream of entering The Invisible College was impossible.
Robinson seemed to me an extremely immature and selfish character; I didn’t find his self-neglect or his refusal to ask for or accept help romantic. And when he decided to confess his feelings against his father’s advice and McKenna’s parents' wishes? Simply selfish. Robinson only thought about his need to express his feelings and his love, but he never stopped to think about the burden he would place on an 18-year-old girl or the pressure he would, unwillingly, put on her shoulders. He didn’t give her time, he didn’t give her space, he didn’t try to do the logical thing of improving his own conditions and courting her gradually to win her heart. No, he rushed like a madman to confess his feelings, thinking only of himself. And all of this was romanticized in the book!
I liked McKenna; she was a girl who worked hard for what she wanted and put all her effort into her dreams. She was deaf, which in this world, due to its magic system, was so serious that many people ended up in asylums. However, thanks to her father’s money, she could be trained in lip reading, and they paid for lessons to improve her diction and pronunciation. So, in many ways, she lived a privileged life. I think I would have liked to learn more about this discrimination from the perspective of someone who truly experienced it. I don’t want to diminish the suffering this caused McKenna, but maybe having another deaf character to give more context and exemplify how those less fortunate lived would have been useful.
"Much of what we do every day happens because of habits created long ago by people we no longer remember."
I have to say I loved the beginning, I loved the world and the style. I really liked the theme of intelligences, the mix between technology and magic, all the descriptions, the functioning of society, The Invisible College—all of that was very interesting to me. The Aesir theme, this stronger and older race with which they were at war every few years, always in winter, also seemed like a fascinating story. I wanted to know more, I wanted more of the legends and all that. Unfortunately, once Robinson fell in love, much of the book focused on the romance, and this was put on hold for many pages.
Besides Robinson and McKenna, there was another narrator, Joseph, and I admit his chapters were the least entertaining for me, but overall, I found his storyline very good. I think it wasn’t as well developed as it should have been, although in general, I found it quite interesting and an entertaining twist. Maybe by that point, I was so bored with Robinson-McKenna that I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I should have.
Another point I didn’t like was that I was told Robinson spent all his time in his lab, that he had no breakthroughs, though he had good ideas. But when he made the biggest breakthrough at the end, it wasn’t necessarily because he was intelligent, it was almost luck. I would have liked his experiments to lead somewhere, for it to be something progressive that culminated in success at the end. (Maybe I didn’t fully understand the details, partly because it was in English and partly because I wanted to finish since I wasn’t enjoying it, so maybe it was well developed.) Along the same lines, the money issue was also solved suddenly—I mean, it made narrative sense, but it felt like all the obstacles between McKenna and Robinson were resolved not because they worked on their relationship, but because they just got lucky. Robinson didn’t go through any process of learning to take care of himself if he wanted to marry and take responsibility for his wife. He made no commitment to earning more money to support his new family, nothing—he just got lucky.
"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. Therefore, guard them well. Take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. Not every thought that enters your mind is yours."
I have to admit that the theme of the Aesir, the world, and the ending (the last page) made me question whether I would read the next installment, because I think the ending might change my perspective on the characters. I don’t know; also, I really liked the world, and I would like to finish understanding it and learn more about the Aesir.
The Invisible College was a story with a highly interesting world-building, mixing magic from an ancient race and technology that has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, its protagonist was immature and selfish, and all his mistakes and attitudes were romanticized in the book. Moreover, the romance took over the second half of the book, leaving the entire world relegated to details at the end.
***
Admito que no me gustó por los personajes, pero creo que en general es un buen libro, bastante redondo, que desperdició la tremenda construcción de mundo que tenía. Por cierto, recién al terminar descubrí que sería más de uno, pues este quedó abierto.
Robinson Hawksley es un profesor de The Invisible College que se mudó con sus padres a Auvinen después de que sus hermanos murieran de una enfermedad de la que él apenas sobrevivió. En un mundo en el que los humanos tienen magia aprendida de los Aesir y que la mezclan con tecnología basándose en los sonidos, Robinson es un profesor que enseña un sistema de pronunciación diseñado por su padre. Así conocerá a McKenna Aurora Foster, la hija de un hombre importante que debido a una enfermedad quedó sorda de niña.
"There may be thousands of wrongs ways of doing something. But through persistence, by not giving up, we can discover another way".
Partiré diciendo que no esperaba que fuera tan importante el romance en la historia y eso me jugó mucho en contra y, en mi defensa, la sinopsis no da a entenderlo. Sin embargo, el libro fue un 50% o más relacionado al "romance entre Robinson y McKenna" y fue el único punto que de verdad no me gustó en todo el libro.
Sí que se dio a entender que se enamorarían, pero hubo un salto entre que se conocieron a dos semanas después en las que Robinson se enamoró sin remedio de McKenna. Me hubiera gustado poder leer ese proceso, entiendo por qué se atraerían mutuamente y que eso podría llevar a amor, de verdad que lo entiendo, con sus personalidades me hace sentido. Por desgracia, sentí muy mal abordado el romance, fue apresurado y demasiado intenso y mi mayor problema fue Robinson.
No soporté a Robinson, era este personaje super talentoso e inteligente, tan inteligente que no prestaba atención a su entorno, a la ropa o la comida. No obstante, se enamoró de McKenna y se lanzó a ese romance de golpe, estaba tan desesperado que sentía deshonesto no expresarle sus sentimientos. Como personaje, entiendo que fuera así, los personajes no tienen que agradarme y no todos deberían estar construidos para agradar, mi problema fue que todo lo que Robinson hacía estaba romantizado.
"Some people like to think for others. To put their beliefs on them".
¿De verdad quieren romantizar a un personaje que, literal, se muere de hambre porque gasta su dinero en otras cosas? Sí, lo usaba para sus experimentos, pero era un adulto de 26 años, perdón, me parece irresponsable a niveles absurdos. ¿No era capaz de comer y quería casarse con McKenna? ¿Cómo iba a proporcionarle algo? Sobre todo porque McKenna no podía ganar su propio sustento por ser sorda y su sueño de entrar a The Invisible College era imposible.
Robinson me pareció un personaje sumamente inmaduro y egoísta, no me pareció romántica su forma de autodescuidarse ni de no pedir ni aceptar ayuda. ¿Y cuando decidió confesar sus sentimientos en contra de lo que su padre le decía y de los deseos de los padres de McKenna? Simplemente, egoísta. Robinson solo pensaba en que él tenía que decirle lo que sentía y en que él estaba enamorado, pero jamás se paró a pensar en la carga que pondría en una joven de 18 años ni la presión que, aunque no quisiera, pondría sobre sus hombros. No le dio tiempo, no le dio espacio, no intentó hacer lo más lógico que era mejorar sus propias condiciones y cortejarla poco a poco para ganarse su corazón, no, se lanzó como un loco a confesar sus sentimientos sin pensar en nadie más que él mismo. ¡Y todo esto fue romantizado en el libro!
McKenna me gustó, era una chica que trabajaba por lo que quería y se esforzaba con todo lo que tenía por sus sueños. Era sorda, lo que en este mundo, debido a su sistema de magia, era algo tan grave que mucha gente terminaba en asilos. Sin embargo, gracias al dinero de su padre ella pudo ser entrenada en leer labios y pagaban para que tomara lecciones para mejorar su dicción y pronunciación. Así que dentro de todo era una chica que vivía en privilegios, creo que me hubiese gustado aprender más de esta discriminación desde el punto de vista de alguien que sí que la vivía. No desmerezco el sufrimiento que esto significó para McKenna, pero quizá tener a otro personaje sordo para dar más contexto y para ejemplificar cómo vivían quienes no eran tan afortunados hubiera sido útil.
"Much of what we do every day happens because of habits created long ago by people we no longer remember".
Tengo que decir que amé el inicio, amé el mundo y el estilo. Me gustó mucho el tema de las inteligencias, la mezcla entre tecnología y magia, todas las descripciones, el funcionamiento de la sociedad, The Invisible College, todo eso me pareció muy interesante. El tema de los Aesir, esta raza más fuerte y antigua con la que estaban en guerra cada ciertos años, siempre en invierno, también me pareció una historia fascinante, quería saber más, quería más de las leyendas y todo este tema. Por desgracia, una vez que Robinson se enamoró gran parte del libro se centró en el romance y esto quedó en pausa por muchas páginas.
Además de Robinson y McKenna, había otro narrador que era Joseph y admito que sus capítulos eran los que menos me entretenían, pero en general su hilo me pareció sumamente bueno. Creo que no se le sacó tanto provecho como debería, aunque en términos generales lo encontré bastante interesante y un giro entretenido. Quizá me sucedió que para ese punto estaba tan aburrida de Robinson-McKenna que no pude disfrutarlo como debería.
Otro punto que no me gustó tuvo que ver con que me decían que Robinson pasaba todo su tiempo en su laboratorio, que no tenía avances, aunque sí buenas ideas. Sin embargo, pero cuando tuvo el mayor avance para el final no fue necesariamente porque él fuera inteligente, fue casi suerte. Me hubiera gustado que sus experimentos llevaran a algún punto, que fuera algo progresivo y que para el final funcionara (quizá no terminé de entender los detalles en una mezcla de que estaba en inglés y que quería terminar porque no me estaba gustando, puede que estuviera bien desarrollado). Dentro de lo mismo, el tema del dinero también se solucionó de golpe, o sea, hizo sentido narrativamente, pero fue como que todos los impedimentos entre McKenna y Robinson se solucionaran no por ellos trabajando por su relación, sino que solo tuvieron suerte. Robinson no hizo ningún proceso de aprender a cuidar de sí mismo si quería casarse y hacerse responsable de su esposa, no hizo ningún compromiso para ganar más dinero para mantener a su nueva familia, nada, solo tuvo suerte.
"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. Therefore, guard them well. Take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. Not every thought that enters your mind is yours".
Tengo que admitir que el tema de los Aesir, el mundo y el final (la última página) hicieron que me cuestionara si me leería la siguiente entrega, porque considero que el final podría hacerme cambiar mi perspectiva de los personajes. No lo sé, además, el mundo realmente me gustó mucho, me gustaría terminar de entenderlo y aprender sobre los Aesir.
The invisible College fue una historia con una construcción de mundo sumamente interesante, con una mezcla entre magia de una raza antigua y tecnología que tiene mucho para ofrecer. Por desgracia, su protagonista era inmaduro y egoísta y todos sus errores y actitudes eran romantizadas en el libro. Además, el romance se robó la segunda mitad del libro y todo el mundo quedó relegado a detalles del final.
December 16, 2025
* * * * * Free on Amazon Prime / $2.99 for non-Prime / on sale in UK and Australia as well /through December 2025 * * * * *
4.5 stars
This was so good! I’m just starting to get into Jeff Wheeler. He has perfected the skill of pacing. There was never a dull moment or slow passage. These are some features:
• Steampunk/gaslamp fantasy
• Sound and music-based magic system
• Mysterious artifacts
• Powerful, dangerous enemy
• Deaf FMC
• Slow-burn Regency-style romance
• Zombies
There are many deaf children and young adults thanks to a disease created by their immortal enemy. These people were born into the hearing world, and this society hasn’t yet developed a true Deaf culture.
There is tension throughout along with suspense and mystery. I was always surprised. I was even rooting for the romance, which is not so not like me.
I feel like I’ve read a lot of mediocre books lately, and this was so refreshing and delightful. Adult book but appropriate for all ages.
Language: Clean
Sexual Content: Vague hints about impropriety
Violence/Gore: war violence, one-on-one fights, disease; not graphic
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
4.5 stars
This was so good! I’m just starting to get into Jeff Wheeler. He has perfected the skill of pacing. There was never a dull moment or slow passage. These are some features:
• Steampunk/gaslamp fantasy
• Sound and music-based magic system
• Mysterious artifacts
• Powerful, dangerous enemy
• Deaf FMC
• Slow-burn Regency-style romance
• Zombies
There are many deaf children and young adults thanks to a disease created by their immortal enemy. These people were born into the hearing world, and this society hasn’t yet developed a true Deaf culture.
There is tension throughout along with suspense and mystery. I was always surprised. I was even rooting for the romance, which is not so not like me.
I feel like I’ve read a lot of mediocre books lately, and this was so refreshing and delightful. Adult book but appropriate for all ages.
Language: Clean
Sexual Content: Vague hints about impropriety
Violence/Gore: war violence, one-on-one fights, disease; not graphic
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
February 15, 2025
4.5 stars, rounded up for Goodreads
Bruh. That ending, chills.
My Quick Takes:
- 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️🔥 kisses only
- Content Considerations 🤔 themes of war, murder, suicide
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book but WOW! A clean fantasy with a regency romance subplot?! It kept reminding me of a mash up of Treasure Planet, white walkers from Game of Thrones, regency pining, with a scientific dark academia twist.
The beginning was a bit slow but once I figured out the realm I loved the magic and everything at work. I usually read multiple books and once and this was the one I kept picking up to read. Very excited to see where it goes next.
While this is an adult book, since there is no language or spice, I think it would be a great read for older teen readers. I ended up listening to this mainly on audio but also flipped back and forth a bit between audio and my kindle.
Absolutely loved it and would recommend to anyone, very excited to continue into the next book! I received an early copy of this book from the author, all opinions are my own.
Bruh. That ending, chills.
My Quick Takes:
- 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️🔥 kisses only
- Content Considerations 🤔 themes of war, murder, suicide
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book but WOW! A clean fantasy with a regency romance subplot?! It kept reminding me of a mash up of Treasure Planet, white walkers from Game of Thrones, regency pining, with a scientific dark academia twist.
The beginning was a bit slow but once I figured out the realm I loved the magic and everything at work. I usually read multiple books and once and this was the one I kept picking up to read. Very excited to see where it goes next.
While this is an adult book, since there is no language or spice, I think it would be a great read for older teen readers. I ended up listening to this mainly on audio but also flipped back and forth a bit between audio and my kindle.
Absolutely loved it and would recommend to anyone, very excited to continue into the next book! I received an early copy of this book from the author, all opinions are my own.
August 7, 2025
This and tons of more reviews can be found at https://onereadingnurse.com/2025/08/0...
Jeff Wheeler is possibly helping me to break out of my reading slump once again with his new series, The Invisible College. I guess it’s not super new (out November 2024) but every time I get a free KU trial I immediately go and catch up on his books! I can never believe how fast he turns out books.
If you are looking for something that is free to read and listen to on Kindle Unlimited, I listened to quite a bit of the Kate Rudd narration as well. I once again thoroughly enjoyed her voice and performance. She has a great tone and diction for Wheeler’s stories.
Anyway, I found The Invisible College a tiny bit hard to get into at first. Wheeler mixes a few different mythologies to get his Aesir villains, notably Norse and then a mix of different fae lore. Eventually I enjoyed his magical spin on steampunk and settled into the world and story. The Aesir are actually a tiny bit interesting as we don’t know what truly drives them, or how humans will survive the coming war.
There’s a good mix of mystery, action, political plotting, and character development to keep me interested. Plenty of political corruption and family values to balance each other out. Once again Wheeler relies on intelligences and intention, very reminiscent of Muirwood in some ways, but I loved his little dog friend.
The characters took me a little while to warm up to as well. Robinson is just ….like really, he’s not even going to feed or take care of himself? He can’t possibly be seen as a realistic character at least until McKenna sets him on a better course. I wouldn’t have approved of his courtship either 😂
Which brings me to McKenna – she is easy to root for, deaf and struggling with her options as far as being accepted into society and the barriers to using magic. Magic is very sensory in this world with sound, voice, and music, and I did enjoy the pair working together to grow.
The romance didn’t sell me either in this book. I know courtship was historically a lot different but Robinson managed to win her over eventually, even with his impulsiveness and poor caretaking 🤷🏻♀️ it all happened very fast though.
Overall, while I didn’t love this book cover to cover, The Invisible College had me well and truly interested by the end. It has all the elements of mystery, fantasy, and high stakes to keep me reading, and I can’t wait to see how deep the corruption runs in book two.
Jeff Wheeler is possibly helping me to break out of my reading slump once again with his new series, The Invisible College. I guess it’s not super new (out November 2024) but every time I get a free KU trial I immediately go and catch up on his books! I can never believe how fast he turns out books.
If you are looking for something that is free to read and listen to on Kindle Unlimited, I listened to quite a bit of the Kate Rudd narration as well. I once again thoroughly enjoyed her voice and performance. She has a great tone and diction for Wheeler’s stories.
Anyway, I found The Invisible College a tiny bit hard to get into at first. Wheeler mixes a few different mythologies to get his Aesir villains, notably Norse and then a mix of different fae lore. Eventually I enjoyed his magical spin on steampunk and settled into the world and story. The Aesir are actually a tiny bit interesting as we don’t know what truly drives them, or how humans will survive the coming war.
There’s a good mix of mystery, action, political plotting, and character development to keep me interested. Plenty of political corruption and family values to balance each other out. Once again Wheeler relies on intelligences and intention, very reminiscent of Muirwood in some ways, but I loved his little dog friend.
The characters took me a little while to warm up to as well. Robinson is just ….like really, he’s not even going to feed or take care of himself? He can’t possibly be seen as a realistic character at least until McKenna sets him on a better course. I wouldn’t have approved of his courtship either 😂
Which brings me to McKenna – she is easy to root for, deaf and struggling with her options as far as being accepted into society and the barriers to using magic. Magic is very sensory in this world with sound, voice, and music, and I did enjoy the pair working together to grow.
The romance didn’t sell me either in this book. I know courtship was historically a lot different but Robinson managed to win her over eventually, even with his impulsiveness and poor caretaking 🤷🏻♀️ it all happened very fast though.
Overall, while I didn’t love this book cover to cover, The Invisible College had me well and truly interested by the end. It has all the elements of mystery, fantasy, and high stakes to keep me reading, and I can’t wait to see how deep the corruption runs in book two.
November 8, 2024
**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾** 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒆𝒇𝒇 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓
Release Date: October 15, 2024
5⭐️2.5🌶
I absolutely adored this book! I'm kind of hoping it's the start of a series, but it's just an adorable standalone. If you take the Victorian Era romance, with all the frills and restrictions of polite society, and place it in a fantasy world where every 100 years extra terrestrial beings awaken to try and take over the world again! I was captivated.
McKenna is an 18 year old young women who lives with her family of some means, when a young professor comes to teach at her local college. Her father hires him to teach her how to better speak, since she is deaf. Robinson not only teaches her how to better speak, but he shows all of his research on the Aesir extraterrestrials to her father. Her father decides to fund his research.
McKenna and Robinson fall in love (him sooner than her), and they must fight against society's expectations and his lack of funds, and the looming their of war with the Aesirs. Robinson is also a sorcerer with the local college and in charge of defending part of the city with his magic whenever the Aesir wage an attack on the city.
I adore Jeff Wheelers world building. The complexity of it plus it's simplicity at the same time. Then he portrays these amazing heroic characters that I love to read about! I also read his Harbinger series that also enthralled me.
#readersofinstagram #bookfriends #book #bookreview #bookish #read #reader #kindleunlimited #ku #kindle #arcread #arc #advancedreadercopy #reading #audible #hotgirlsread #friendstolovers
#romantasy #fantasy #fallvibes #fallgirl #jeffwheeler #theinvisiblecollege
Release Date: October 15, 2024
5⭐️2.5🌶
I absolutely adored this book! I'm kind of hoping it's the start of a series, but it's just an adorable standalone. If you take the Victorian Era romance, with all the frills and restrictions of polite society, and place it in a fantasy world where every 100 years extra terrestrial beings awaken to try and take over the world again! I was captivated.
McKenna is an 18 year old young women who lives with her family of some means, when a young professor comes to teach at her local college. Her father hires him to teach her how to better speak, since she is deaf. Robinson not only teaches her how to better speak, but he shows all of his research on the Aesir extraterrestrials to her father. Her father decides to fund his research.
McKenna and Robinson fall in love (him sooner than her), and they must fight against society's expectations and his lack of funds, and the looming their of war with the Aesirs. Robinson is also a sorcerer with the local college and in charge of defending part of the city with his magic whenever the Aesir wage an attack on the city.
I adore Jeff Wheelers world building. The complexity of it plus it's simplicity at the same time. Then he portrays these amazing heroic characters that I love to read about! I also read his Harbinger series that also enthralled me.
#readersofinstagram #bookfriends #book #bookreview #bookish #read #reader #kindleunlimited #ku #kindle #arcread #arc #advancedreadercopy #reading #audible #hotgirlsread #friendstolovers
#romantasy #fantasy #fallvibes #fallgirl #jeffwheeler #theinvisiblecollege
August 20, 2024
4.5/5.0
This book rates that rare 5 stars for the absolute jaw-dropping, masterful writing and exquisite execution of an intensely creative story. It is multi-leveled, nuanced and yet carries a surprisingly warm and touching pen whenever the main characters are on page.
When reading the synopsis, however, I wasn’t sure if I would even like it. It seemed a bit confusing with more of a technical bent. Upon reading, however, I realized that couldn’t be further from the truth! It didn’t take long at all before I was completely engrossed and enjoying the tale as it unfolded. I was especially impressed with how well the author wove the very intricate world-building so effortlessly into the burgeoning plot. There is not a dump in sight! And that is huge considering all the differing aspects that must be explained and come together. Now, that doesn’t mean it didn’t take a bit of time to really understand how everything fits. It is just that it is written in a way that I enjoyed the journey to that understanding.
The story unfolds from three different perspectives. First, Robinson Dickemore Hawksley (Rob) the MMC. Rob is a gifted young man who is prone to getting so engrossed in his scientific and magical inventions that he forgets to eat or sleep. Next is McKenna Aurora Foster, the FMC, a young lady who suffered from a childhood disease that left her deaf. Then there is Joseph Crossthwait, a highly trained soldier assigned the task of uncovering secret Aesir agents embedded in society. The Aesir are a magical race of people who originally inhabited the world - until humans grew and took over. These ancient beings cannot exist in climates that are warm, so hibernate until winters and climate are cold enough for them to awaken. Then, however, they wage all out war to exterminate the human population. This is the time that our main characters find themselves in… And, the excitement begins!!
It is a delightfully unique story, where magic is melded into technology - giving it an almost steampunk vibe, yet it is accomplished in such a creative way, that the fantasy aspects still shine. Because the reader is just getting to know the world and characters, there isn’t an overload of action in this specific book, although there is some. The intrigue is by far the overarching point that keeps the reader turning pages. Well, that and the wonderful development of the characters! Yes, there is a touch of romance (yay!) As well as some twists one can never guess. Suffice it to say, it is the start of what looks to be a riveting and absolutely addicting series, for sure!
This book rates that rare 5 stars for the absolute jaw-dropping, masterful writing and exquisite execution of an intensely creative story. It is multi-leveled, nuanced and yet carries a surprisingly warm and touching pen whenever the main characters are on page.
When reading the synopsis, however, I wasn’t sure if I would even like it. It seemed a bit confusing with more of a technical bent. Upon reading, however, I realized that couldn’t be further from the truth! It didn’t take long at all before I was completely engrossed and enjoying the tale as it unfolded. I was especially impressed with how well the author wove the very intricate world-building so effortlessly into the burgeoning plot. There is not a dump in sight! And that is huge considering all the differing aspects that must be explained and come together. Now, that doesn’t mean it didn’t take a bit of time to really understand how everything fits. It is just that it is written in a way that I enjoyed the journey to that understanding.
The story unfolds from three different perspectives. First, Robinson Dickemore Hawksley (Rob) the MMC. Rob is a gifted young man who is prone to getting so engrossed in his scientific and magical inventions that he forgets to eat or sleep. Next is McKenna Aurora Foster, the FMC, a young lady who suffered from a childhood disease that left her deaf. Then there is Joseph Crossthwait, a highly trained soldier assigned the task of uncovering secret Aesir agents embedded in society. The Aesir are a magical race of people who originally inhabited the world - until humans grew and took over. These ancient beings cannot exist in climates that are warm, so hibernate until winters and climate are cold enough for them to awaken. Then, however, they wage all out war to exterminate the human population. This is the time that our main characters find themselves in… And, the excitement begins!!
It is a delightfully unique story, where magic is melded into technology - giving it an almost steampunk vibe, yet it is accomplished in such a creative way, that the fantasy aspects still shine. Because the reader is just getting to know the world and characters, there isn’t an overload of action in this specific book, although there is some. The intrigue is by far the overarching point that keeps the reader turning pages. Well, that and the wonderful development of the characters! Yes, there is a touch of romance (yay!) As well as some twists one can never guess. Suffice it to say, it is the start of what looks to be a riveting and absolutely addicting series, for sure!
August 11, 2024
2.5 🌟 it started REALLY good! So good that I was sure this is going to be a 5 stars read! I feel like the one thing that this book really need was depth! The characters felt hollow, I couldn’t feel the connection between the, the relationship felt like it was forced. Also in the beginning the war seems to be the main point of the novel but we didn’t get to see the war in that much depth, instead the plot suddenly shifted to the relationship of the characters. Also, the way that war just ended was seems so stupid honestly. The story ended with a cliffhanger and I’m going to read the next book, because I do want to know what will happen. This book had so much potential, it honestly breaks my heart to give it such a low rating.
(Thank you publishers and NetGalley for the ARC)
(Thank you publishers and NetGalley for the ARC)
September 8, 2025
I originally thought this was going to be a dark academia fantasy novel, but it’s not. It’s academic, and it’s fantastical, but it’s also so much more and also uite different from what I expected.
Robinson Hawksley is an elocutionist and professor of speech at the Invisible College. His method of teaching involves using the intelligences that create magic to train sorcerers. One of his students is McKenna Foster, a deaf girl. Because this novel’s setting is based on 1870s New England and the social ideas that existed during that time, McKenna has been told her whole life that she isn’t able to learn magic because she is deaf, and the magic is based on speech and sound. But McKenna is determined to be the first deaf person to become a sorcerer.
I really loved both McKenna and Robinson as protagonists; we get to see both of their POVs. They have a cute romance that is portrayed cleanly, with kisses only, which I really appreciated.
I also liked that one of our main characters was deaf, although I’m not sure how accurately she is portrayed as she is very adept at both lip reading and speaking. I know it was pushed on deaf people to learn to integrate into hearing society during the 1800s, but those aren’t common practices among the deaf community today because our understanding of deafness has evolved as a culture and using sign language is now acceptable. There are some deaf characters who use signs in the book, but it is very sparsely mentioned.
As a linguistics major myself, I really love reading books about language-based magic, and this was no different. The magic here is both language-based and sound-based, and I thought it was quite neat.
I’ve only touched on half the story though, for this book is half fantasy and half science fiction, something that I did not expect when starting it. There is an ancient immortal alien race called the Aesir that is waging war on the human race, and we get to see the effects of that war during the book. Deafness is believed to be a curse brought by the Aesir so that humans can’t learn the magic. And we also get to read from a third POV of a man who is hunting Aesir. I admit I would have preferred this aspect of the novel to not be present—I would have liked a more strict fantasy novel here—but it was still quite interesting, and the idea did grow on me the more I read.
I don’t know how to properly explain why I think so, but I think if you liked Blood Over Bright Haven, you will also like The Invisible College. The stories themselves are quite different, but there were many little details throughout this novel that kept reminding me of M. L. Wang’s incredible novel.
Overall, I had an enjoyable time reading this book, and I look forward to jumping straight into the next installment. If you like sci-fantasy, historical and academic settings, unique magic systems, lovable protagonists, and clean romance, you should give this book a shot.
Robinson Hawksley is an elocutionist and professor of speech at the Invisible College. His method of teaching involves using the intelligences that create magic to train sorcerers. One of his students is McKenna Foster, a deaf girl. Because this novel’s setting is based on 1870s New England and the social ideas that existed during that time, McKenna has been told her whole life that she isn’t able to learn magic because she is deaf, and the magic is based on speech and sound. But McKenna is determined to be the first deaf person to become a sorcerer.
I really loved both McKenna and Robinson as protagonists; we get to see both of their POVs. They have a cute romance that is portrayed cleanly, with kisses only, which I really appreciated.
I also liked that one of our main characters was deaf, although I’m not sure how accurately she is portrayed as she is very adept at both lip reading and speaking. I know it was pushed on deaf people to learn to integrate into hearing society during the 1800s, but those aren’t common practices among the deaf community today because our understanding of deafness has evolved as a culture and using sign language is now acceptable. There are some deaf characters who use signs in the book, but it is very sparsely mentioned.
As a linguistics major myself, I really love reading books about language-based magic, and this was no different. The magic here is both language-based and sound-based, and I thought it was quite neat.
I’ve only touched on half the story though, for this book is half fantasy and half science fiction, something that I did not expect when starting it. There is an ancient immortal alien race called the Aesir that is waging war on the human race, and we get to see the effects of that war during the book. Deafness is believed to be a curse brought by the Aesir so that humans can’t learn the magic. And we also get to read from a third POV of a man who is hunting Aesir. I admit I would have preferred this aspect of the novel to not be present—I would have liked a more strict fantasy novel here—but it was still quite interesting, and the idea did grow on me the more I read.
I don’t know how to properly explain why I think so, but I think if you liked Blood Over Bright Haven, you will also like The Invisible College. The stories themselves are quite different, but there were many little details throughout this novel that kept reminding me of M. L. Wang’s incredible novel.
Overall, I had an enjoyable time reading this book, and I look forward to jumping straight into the next installment. If you like sci-fantasy, historical and academic settings, unique magic systems, lovable protagonists, and clean romance, you should give this book a shot.
October 28, 2025
Unique and interesting world building. Definitely going to read book #2 of this series.
August 10, 2025
The ending……wow.
March 17, 2025
This is... honestly just badly written. Like, on a technical level.
You know how the writing advice is show, don't tell? Well, it's good advice for a reason.
You know how the writing advice is show, don't tell? Well, it's good advice for a reason.
January 7, 2026
I was HOOKED! Did not want to set this down. I loved the story line and felt like the world and magic was so consuming and engaging. While there were details you needed to focus on, it was nice reading a fantasy that felt like you could just step into the world and be filled with wonder at how the magic worked versus scratching your head. (Definitely a few times where I was a little confused on the details of the magic, but that’s normal for me and fantasy books!)
Cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
Content warnings: kisses only, death, fighting/war
Cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
Content warnings: kisses only, death, fighting/war
June 27, 2025
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️ (PG)
I loved the characters and the world building. Sometimes, the choice of wording pulled me out of the story. Otherwise, this would be a full 5 stars. I do want to read the sequel!
I loved the characters and the world building. Sometimes, the choice of wording pulled me out of the story. Otherwise, this would be a full 5 stars. I do want to read the sequel!
June 21, 2025
This was sooo good!!!
July 28, 2024
Oh wow where to begin? If this book is Jeff Wheelers normal level of eloquent writing, depth of creativity and imagination and flawless delivery I need to read more of his books!
The Invisible College is open to all who can perform magic and everyone has the potential through singing or playing an instrument with intent. Then imagine an immortal enemy that periodically attacks humanity with illnesses that specifically targets what makes magic possible by making survivers deaf and incapable of learning said magic or losing the ability altogether.
The immortal enemy, the Aesir, is terrifying to me. They came from a frigid environment on a moon circling a dying planet so they can't stand heat. The Aesir taught humans some of their magic when they settled on the world in which this book takes place, so at one point the two races were living in harmony.
They are beings of impeccable justice, which they consider the highest of all virtues. But do not be fooled by their cold beauty, the splendor of their magic, or their awe-inspiring songs. The Aesir are no longer our friends. (...) Something must have shifted (...) Regardless of the cause, we now know one thing: they now seek to destroy us (...)[W]hen they awaken, (...) they begin to hunt us again. Like rats.(...) [T]hey consider it within the bounds of justice to exterminate us.
And isn't that terrifying? They sleep to recuperate from the heat, and all the while you are praying that you are not the generation that will be decimated, when they awaken.
Unfortunately, our three main characters draw the short straw and have to face the Aesir; Robinson Dickemore Hawksley, a member of the Invisible College, professor at a university teaching a newly developed alphabet that helps, amongst others, deaf people learn how to speak, including McKenna Aurora Foster, the daughter of a rich investor who was sick and became deaf at a young age, and last Joseph Crossthwait, a member or a secret branch within the ranks of the Invisible College. Guess what he does? Hunts down another terrifying kind of Aesir magic called Semblances. The hair-raising magic that work while they slumber (besides the illnesses that spring up occasionally)? The ability to imposter a human that was close to death. The human is unaware that they have been possessed. Only a few are aware of that Semblances exist and they work to find and kill them so they can't send information back to the Aesir.
The story moves along at a good pace that keeps you engaged in the story of these three individuals. Time skips happen throughout the story but it is handled really well, like fx weeks go by while while Professor Hawksley is tutoring McKenna. It makes it feel like a lot is happening in a short time, when in actuality it is months.
The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is because
The one downside to reading ARCs is that you have to wait an extra long time before you can read the sequel. I want answers to my questions!
Thank you to NetGalley, Jeff Wheeler, and 47North for the free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Invisible College is open to all who can perform magic and everyone has the potential through singing or playing an instrument with intent. Then imagine an immortal enemy that periodically attacks humanity with illnesses that specifically targets what makes magic possible by making survivers deaf and incapable of learning said magic or losing the ability altogether.
The immortal enemy, the Aesir, is terrifying to me. They came from a frigid environment on a moon circling a dying planet so they can't stand heat. The Aesir taught humans some of their magic when they settled on the world in which this book takes place, so at one point the two races were living in harmony.
They are beings of impeccable justice, which they consider the highest of all virtues. But do not be fooled by their cold beauty, the splendor of their magic, or their awe-inspiring songs. The Aesir are no longer our friends. (...) Something must have shifted (...) Regardless of the cause, we now know one thing: they now seek to destroy us (...)[W]hen they awaken, (...) they begin to hunt us again. Like rats.(...) [T]hey consider it within the bounds of justice to exterminate us.
And isn't that terrifying? They sleep to recuperate from the heat, and all the while you are praying that you are not the generation that will be decimated, when they awaken.
Unfortunately, our three main characters draw the short straw and have to face the Aesir; Robinson Dickemore Hawksley, a member of the Invisible College, professor at a university teaching a newly developed alphabet that helps, amongst others, deaf people learn how to speak, including McKenna Aurora Foster, the daughter of a rich investor who was sick and became deaf at a young age, and last Joseph Crossthwait, a member or a secret branch within the ranks of the Invisible College. Guess what he does? Hunts down another terrifying kind of Aesir magic called Semblances. The hair-raising magic that work while they slumber (besides the illnesses that spring up occasionally)? The ability to imposter a human that was close to death. The human is unaware that they have been possessed. Only a few are aware of that Semblances exist and they work to find and kill them so they can't send information back to the Aesir.
The story moves along at a good pace that keeps you engaged in the story of these three individuals. Time skips happen throughout the story but it is handled really well, like fx weeks go by while while Professor Hawksley is tutoring McKenna. It makes it feel like a lot is happening in a short time, when in actuality it is months.
The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is because
The one downside to reading ARCs is that you have to wait an extra long time before you can read the sequel. I want answers to my questions!
Thank you to NetGalley, Jeff Wheeler, and 47North for the free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
February 15, 2025
Given some of my issues with this book, I wanted to some people in my own community who have had total or partial hearing loss or had been born deaf before I reviewed this. And please weigh in if you are a part of the community, I always like to know if I'm way off base.
Honestly, I enjoyed the plot of this book. You've basically got a World War that's guaranteed to start. You just don't know when. The magic system is an interesting mix of technology and music, which is wonderful. We simply do not get enough music based magic systems. And that's pretty much the end of what I enjoyed.
The time skips in this are whiplash inducing, we move ahead months at a time in some cases, except when we are following Joseph, he's hanging out in whatever timeline the previous characters' chapter was in Mostly. Robinson's need to uphold his morals were at times highly unrealistic and at others completely hypocritical. And no matter what, because he always does "right thing," everything just works out for him. His insistence at pursuing McKenna, after being told multiple times by family and friends to wait, reminded me of that video of the guy saying, "You do not have to accept her rejection." His "needing" to be "honest" is painted as romantic when it's not.
What I think really got me is the whole Deaf thing. I think it's wonderful that the main character is deaf, I truly do, but the whole story hinges on McKenna's driving desire to be seen as anything but deaf. And yes, given the timeframe, this is replicating that most definitely would be a thing. But the number one question my friends had that either lost their hearing or was born without was: Does the story center around a character overcoming their deafness." Yes, yes, it did. And again, it is painted as this kind of advancement of this world's understanding of those who can't hear, but since being able to hear is supposedly necessary to fight the Aesir that stops mattering. If Rob can figure out how to turn a deaf person into a sorcerer, then you've got a huge uptick in those able to join the military. This doesn't even need to be implied. That's the logical conclusion that all of those children at McKenna's family's school would become "useful," and that didn't sit right with me. Do I think this was Wheeler's intention? No. But I would have much rather seen a story where the world adapts to it's deaf population (especially since it's seems that the vast majority of those who are deaf were only that way because of this sickness) than the deaf population having to adjust to the hearing population. And more often than not, pity is an emotion applied to those that were deaf. Which again definitely plays to that Industrial Age timeline this is sitting in, but I again would have rather seen that not exist. Not to mention, there doesn't seem to be any other disabilities in this world. You're either deaf (being mute is added later in the book), or you're able bodied. Again, being deaf is a critical issue to this plot, but it just seemed so weird. If the Aesir
Overall, it's been a while since I truly enjoyed a book by Wheeler. I have started many and just could not find the will to finish it. But this might be it for me. Even without the deaf issues, Rob would have been problematic enough for me to say that I've lost interest.
Honestly, I enjoyed the plot of this book. You've basically got a World War that's guaranteed to start. You just don't know when. The magic system is an interesting mix of technology and music, which is wonderful. We simply do not get enough music based magic systems. And that's pretty much the end of what I enjoyed.
The time skips in this are whiplash inducing, we move ahead months at a time in some cases, except when we are following Joseph, he's hanging out in whatever timeline the previous characters' chapter was in Mostly. Robinson's need to uphold his morals were at times highly unrealistic and at others completely hypocritical. And no matter what, because he always does "right thing," everything just works out for him. His insistence at pursuing McKenna, after being told multiple times by family and friends to wait, reminded me of that video of the guy saying, "You do not have to accept her rejection." His "needing" to be "honest" is painted as romantic when it's not.
What I think really got me is the whole Deaf thing. I think it's wonderful that the main character is deaf, I truly do, but the whole story hinges on McKenna's driving desire to be seen as anything but deaf. And yes, given the timeframe, this is replicating that most definitely would be a thing. But the number one question my friends had that either lost their hearing or was born without was: Does the story center around a character overcoming their deafness." Yes, yes, it did. And again, it is painted as this kind of advancement of this world's understanding of those who can't hear, but since being able to hear is supposedly necessary to fight the Aesir that stops mattering. If Rob can figure out how to turn a deaf person into a sorcerer, then you've got a huge uptick in those able to join the military. This doesn't even need to be implied. That's the logical conclusion that all of those children at McKenna's family's school would become "useful," and that didn't sit right with me. Do I think this was Wheeler's intention? No. But I would have much rather seen a story where the world adapts to it's deaf population (especially since it's seems that the vast majority of those who are deaf were only that way because of this sickness) than the deaf population having to adjust to the hearing population. And more often than not, pity is an emotion applied to those that were deaf. Which again definitely plays to that Industrial Age timeline this is sitting in, but I again would have rather seen that not exist. Not to mention, there doesn't seem to be any other disabilities in this world. You're either deaf (being mute is added later in the book), or you're able bodied. Again, being deaf is a critical issue to this plot, but it just seemed so weird. If the Aesir
Overall, it's been a while since I truly enjoyed a book by Wheeler. I have started many and just could not find the will to finish it. But this might be it for me. Even without the deaf issues, Rob would have been problematic enough for me to say that I've lost interest.
June 30, 2024
⭐ 4.5 (Rounded Down)
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
I very much enjoyed this book.
I thought the plot was well written and I truly felt I could place myself in the world I was reading. This is one of those stories I would like to see turned into a movie.
I loved the hint at romance, it was very cute and had me kicking my feet. However, I would have liked to see Robinson & McKenna interact more in the first half of the book, instead of their thoughts of their interactions in hindsight.
Some things in the book annoyed me but I think it was more purposeful character flaws than a failing on the author's part. Joseph was my main issue with the book, only because I didn’t like him. He was devoid of any likable qualities for me, it seemed as though he thought he was above everyone.
Nothing about this book felt predictable and I loved that.
I received an uncorrected proof, advanced reader copy of this book.
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
I very much enjoyed this book.
I thought the plot was well written and I truly felt I could place myself in the world I was reading. This is one of those stories I would like to see turned into a movie.
I loved the hint at romance, it was very cute and had me kicking my feet. However, I would have liked to see Robinson & McKenna interact more in the first half of the book, instead of their thoughts of their interactions in hindsight.
Some things in the book annoyed me but I think it was more purposeful character flaws than a failing on the author's part. Joseph was my main issue with the book, only because I didn’t like him. He was devoid of any likable qualities for me, it seemed as though he thought he was above everyone.
Nothing about this book felt predictable and I loved that.
I received an uncorrected proof, advanced reader copy of this book.
November 12, 2024
Wow. I'm blown away.
This book was amazing. Totally blew away all my expectations and exceeded them times twenty.
Let's talk about some of my favorite things
1. The setting. It's steampunk vibes. It's roaring twenty vibes. It's also fantasy vibes. All the vibes just make it absolutely amazing and fascinating. I need me some roasted peanuts after reading this.
2. The magic. It revolves around sound and music. Fascinating. The theory and the laws of the magic are so cool and I love that we go on a journey with the characters to better understand it.
3. The romance. Honestly it should be number one. It's is so swooonyyy. Seriously it takes everything you love about pride and prejudice and makes it better. Several times I thought the FMC reminded me of Elizabeth Bennett but more unique and better. Loveeedd the swooniness and that it's just kisses 😍
4. The deaf representation is amazing. I love the way McKenna's chapters were written. I loved her journey, her attitude about being deaf, and the emotional growth she goes through and other characters go through while interacting with her.
5. Robinson is like a speech language pathologist as well as magical scientist. He's my favorite
6. The plot twist and turns and mystery. Like WOW. I CAN'T EVEN RIGHT NOW WITH THE ENDING. No spoilers here because you have to read it to fully appreciate it but like AHHHHH soo many questions still even though it ended at a satisfying moment.
Once again I'm blown out of the water by Jeff Wheeler's writing and this fascinating world he has created.
I need the next book ASAP.
💋Kisses only romance
⚠️There is some fighting and death. McKenna is deaf. There is an emotional scene with some characters who are sick and being tended. It is a fantasy but not gruesome. Appropriate for teenagers
This book was amazing. Totally blew away all my expectations and exceeded them times twenty.
Let's talk about some of my favorite things
1. The setting. It's steampunk vibes. It's roaring twenty vibes. It's also fantasy vibes. All the vibes just make it absolutely amazing and fascinating. I need me some roasted peanuts after reading this.
2. The magic. It revolves around sound and music. Fascinating. The theory and the laws of the magic are so cool and I love that we go on a journey with the characters to better understand it.
3. The romance. Honestly it should be number one. It's is so swooonyyy. Seriously it takes everything you love about pride and prejudice and makes it better. Several times I thought the FMC reminded me of Elizabeth Bennett but more unique and better. Loveeedd the swooniness and that it's just kisses 😍
4. The deaf representation is amazing. I love the way McKenna's chapters were written. I loved her journey, her attitude about being deaf, and the emotional growth she goes through and other characters go through while interacting with her.
5. Robinson is like a speech language pathologist as well as magical scientist. He's my favorite
6. The plot twist and turns and mystery. Like WOW. I CAN'T EVEN RIGHT NOW WITH THE ENDING. No spoilers here because you have to read it to fully appreciate it but like AHHHHH soo many questions still even though it ended at a satisfying moment.
Once again I'm blown out of the water by Jeff Wheeler's writing and this fascinating world he has created.
I need the next book ASAP.
💋Kisses only romance
⚠️There is some fighting and death. McKenna is deaf. There is an emotional scene with some characters who are sick and being tended. It is a fantasy but not gruesome. Appropriate for teenagers
June 30, 2024
I received advanced access to this book through NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, 47North) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
While not necessarily original, I did find the plot and storyline interesting. While slow, I was interested in what would happen next with the war between the Aesir, especially with the Awakening ongoing. However, the romance in the book was lacking as neither character seemed to have any chemistry between each other, and neither character was particularly compelling.
It was nice that one of the main characters was deaf, as well as the inclusion of other minor deaf characters. However, it felt more like the main character pitied the deaf characters vs, the deaf characters being strong, independent, and standing independently.
Jeff Wheeler also leads the readers to a twist at the end of the book but then decides to twist that twist. Instead of being a "gotcha" moment, it just felt forced as if he wrote himself into a corner and couldn't get out.
I will probably continue reading this series, not due to a love of the characters but to see how the war plays out.
While not necessarily original, I did find the plot and storyline interesting. While slow, I was interested in what would happen next with the war between the Aesir, especially with the Awakening ongoing. However, the romance in the book was lacking as neither character seemed to have any chemistry between each other, and neither character was particularly compelling.
It was nice that one of the main characters was deaf, as well as the inclusion of other minor deaf characters. However, it felt more like the main character pitied the deaf characters vs, the deaf characters being strong, independent, and standing independently.
Jeff Wheeler also leads the readers to a twist at the end of the book but then decides to twist that twist. Instead of being a "gotcha" moment, it just felt forced as if he wrote himself into a corner and couldn't get out.
I will probably continue reading this series, not due to a love of the characters but to see how the war plays out.
July 26, 2024
TLDR: I was really looking forward to this book but I was unfortunately let down.
What really confused me about his is that the writing itself was good but the story was so flat. Every conflict seemed to be resolved immediately or was not resolved at all. Every character was flat and unmotivated. I don’t think the description is what this book is really about. The war of worlds between humanity and the aesir was pretty low stakes. There wasn’t really much talk of it. They didn’t even end the war. They hardly even talked about the Aesir. Robinson is also supposed to teach magic, or atleast that’s the conclusion I drew from the description, to McKenna. They have a romance that I didn’t ask for and that seems to be what the book is really about. I wish it were marketed as a magical realism romance or a romantasy instead of a fantasy with a war and magically beings. I don’t know man… I’m having trouble separating my thoughts because there was so much good but so much to be desired.
I will say that, I appreciate the dead inclusion and, as a Christian lady, there seemed to be some lovely biblically moral themes at the core of the book and I always love encountering that ❤️
What really confused me about his is that the writing itself was good but the story was so flat. Every conflict seemed to be resolved immediately or was not resolved at all. Every character was flat and unmotivated. I don’t think the description is what this book is really about. The war of worlds between humanity and the aesir was pretty low stakes. There wasn’t really much talk of it. They didn’t even end the war. They hardly even talked about the Aesir. Robinson is also supposed to teach magic, or atleast that’s the conclusion I drew from the description, to McKenna. They have a romance that I didn’t ask for and that seems to be what the book is really about. I wish it were marketed as a magical realism romance or a romantasy instead of a fantasy with a war and magically beings. I don’t know man… I’m having trouble separating my thoughts because there was so much good but so much to be desired.
I will say that, I appreciate the dead inclusion and, as a Christian lady, there seemed to be some lovely biblically moral themes at the core of the book and I always love encountering that ❤️
March 12, 2025
A fairly easy read, with some potential for an interesting magic system and setting. But those pieces end up feeling more like set dressing for the period-piece romance-driven plot. Not necessarily a problem, except the characters are somewhat two-dimensional and overly upstanding in a way that's more annoying than fun. And the prose is just bland. It feels more like the book is happening *at* you than with you. There's never a sense of discovery, because secrets and unknowns are simply told when needed to move the plot along. I expect to wiki the rest of the plot rather than finish the series out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2025
[2 stars]
mad. taht's the only thing i can say about this book, i'm so mad cause it had so much potential. i love the "conflict" going on in this book, the magic system, everything about the aesir and their abilities, it's actually so cool and makes my fricky side get exited. but what i wasn't aware of is that this book is heavily focused on the romance, and that was the thing that made me almost want to dnf this book, must definetly made me want to burn it even. i'm not such a fan of the main characters, robinson and mckenna, that's a light word actually, i don't like them at all, and i'll tell you why, the next part will have spoilers about the romance part of this book (wich is most of the book tho):
that was more a rant and i'm sorry, but i was just so frustrated with this book, such a dissapointment cause i mentioned in the spoiler section that one of the main issues for their "impossible romance" was the money issue, it could have made a great point for cahracter development, but it was resolved so fast. i was so engaged at the beginning of the book, but by the end of it the only reason i wanted to end the book is cause i'm curious about the aesir and the alchemy and stuff. i have to say, that ending felt so rushed and anticlimatic, with a cliffhanger that i'll admit, makes the reader want to read the second book, but i'm not putting myself in that position again. it was this book vs me and i almost lost the battle😭
mad. taht's the only thing i can say about this book, i'm so mad cause it had so much potential. i love the "conflict" going on in this book, the magic system, everything about the aesir and their abilities, it's actually so cool and makes my fricky side get exited. but what i wasn't aware of is that this book is heavily focused on the romance, and that was the thing that made me almost want to dnf this book, must definetly made me want to burn it even. i'm not such a fan of the main characters, robinson and mckenna, that's a light word actually, i don't like them at all, and i'll tell you why, the next part will have spoilers about the romance part of this book (wich is most of the book tho):
that was more a rant and i'm sorry, but i was just so frustrated with this book, such a dissapointment cause i mentioned in the spoiler section that one of the main issues for their "impossible romance" was the money issue, it could have made a great point for cahracter development, but it was resolved so fast. i was so engaged at the beginning of the book, but by the end of it the only reason i wanted to end the book is cause i'm curious about the aesir and the alchemy and stuff. i have to say, that ending felt so rushed and anticlimatic, with a cliffhanger that i'll admit, makes the reader want to read the second book, but i'm not putting myself in that position again. it was this book vs me and i almost lost the battle😭
April 30, 2025
This book was like 1800’s England steampunk with musical magic.
Overall, I found the concept of this book interesting, especially with the mechanical and musical aspects, but I personally found this book lacking and boring to read and the plot was slow moving. I was not really invested in any of the characters and didnt really understand how they all fit together until about 75% in, even then it felt forced. Also, what is the Invisible College? Is it just an umbrella term for Sorceres? I was bummed that this wasnt an actual Academy setting.
I also would have enjoyed more details on how this magic system worked and the mechanics behind the world. I feel like we breezed through it and then the characters kept referencing things and it was confusing because I felt we hadnt covered that and I was somehow expected to know.
At the beginning the MMC, Robinson, had a cough as part of a sickness, but then after that mention he somehow miraculously didnt have any symptoms for the rest of the book, which is wild because he also was starving, so you would think his illness would be exacerbated. He also seemed very focused on himself and his work and then became immediately obsessed with the FMC, McKenna.
McKenna seemed young and childish at 18yr, but it seems she lived a pampered life. She is deaf and obviously a very hard worker to overcome this. I do admire her commitment to wanting to learn magic. I found after she had her drowning accident, she changed quite a bit. I think she became a Semblance and then also quickly became obsessed with Robinson. There is obviously something deeper happening behind the scenes that we dont know about yet in that regard.
I also question the Semblance who was referred as both a reanimated corpse but also as a changeling. Both of those seem very different answers. I just find it odd that Joseph ended up being one but he didnt know he was one until the end but was able to shoot himself? I dont understand if its just a reanimated corpse with implanted memories how he was able to end his life.
Also, the intelligences that they use to power machines and the one that follows Robinson around, are they spirits? Im not sure what they are as there was no detail provided about that.
I do not think that I will continue to read the next book.
Overall, I found the concept of this book interesting, especially with the mechanical and musical aspects, but I personally found this book lacking and boring to read and the plot was slow moving. I was not really invested in any of the characters and didnt really understand how they all fit together until about 75% in, even then it felt forced. Also, what is the Invisible College? Is it just an umbrella term for Sorceres? I was bummed that this wasnt an actual Academy setting.
I also would have enjoyed more details on how this magic system worked and the mechanics behind the world. I feel like we breezed through it and then the characters kept referencing things and it was confusing because I felt we hadnt covered that and I was somehow expected to know.
At the beginning the MMC, Robinson, had a cough as part of a sickness, but then after that mention he somehow miraculously didnt have any symptoms for the rest of the book, which is wild because he also was starving, so you would think his illness would be exacerbated. He also seemed very focused on himself and his work and then became immediately obsessed with the FMC, McKenna.
McKenna seemed young and childish at 18yr, but it seems she lived a pampered life. She is deaf and obviously a very hard worker to overcome this. I do admire her commitment to wanting to learn magic. I found after she had her drowning accident, she changed quite a bit. I think she became a Semblance and then also quickly became obsessed with Robinson. There is obviously something deeper happening behind the scenes that we dont know about yet in that regard.
I also question the Semblance who was referred as both a reanimated corpse but also as a changeling. Both of those seem very different answers. I just find it odd that Joseph ended up being one but he didnt know he was one until the end but was able to shoot himself? I dont understand if its just a reanimated corpse with implanted memories how he was able to end his life.
Also, the intelligences that they use to power machines and the one that follows Robinson around, are they spirits? Im not sure what they are as there was no detail provided about that.
I do not think that I will continue to read the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2024
The WORLD-BUILDING my lord. Top-notch. If you want to be immersed in a fantasy setting that feels familiar and accessible while retaining that otherness, this is the world for you. The magic system is based on music and is unique. This novel is multi-POV, with two main POVs and a third secondary POV, and all of the storylines are engaging and intriguing.
The FMC, McKenna, is vibrant, vivacious and tenacious, and also happens to be deaf. I really enjoyed the Author’s portrayal of her deafness, and how she doesn’t let it define her or her goals. In a society where magic is based in music and the ability to reproduce tones, they have incredibly prejudiced views towards deafness - most deaf children being abandoned or placed in asylums. McKenna desperately wants to learn to be a sorcerer, and has sought out the aid of Robinson, a sorcerer and elocutionist, to help her.
The MMC, Robinson, is passionate, dedicated, and true, and is a sorcerer in the Invisible College, an organization that uses the Unseen Powers in their never-ending war against the Aesir. The lore around the Aesir is interesting and a fresh twist on Norse mythology-inspired fantasy. I really really love that they’re vindictive ice aliens. I’m intrigued to see what information we get on them in the next installment, as several of the outstanding questions revolve around the nature of the Aesir, magic, and their relationship with it.
A lovely blend of science fantasy with an almost steampunk feel, I couldn’t put it down. There were many twisty twists and I was completely taken aback by one of them! I can’t wait for the next installment of Rob and McKenna’s story. Highly recommend!
The FMC, McKenna, is vibrant, vivacious and tenacious, and also happens to be deaf. I really enjoyed the Author’s portrayal of her deafness, and how she doesn’t let it define her or her goals. In a society where magic is based in music and the ability to reproduce tones, they have incredibly prejudiced views towards deafness - most deaf children being abandoned or placed in asylums. McKenna desperately wants to learn to be a sorcerer, and has sought out the aid of Robinson, a sorcerer and elocutionist, to help her.
The MMC, Robinson, is passionate, dedicated, and true, and is a sorcerer in the Invisible College, an organization that uses the Unseen Powers in their never-ending war against the Aesir. The lore around the Aesir is interesting and a fresh twist on Norse mythology-inspired fantasy. I really really love that they’re vindictive ice aliens. I’m intrigued to see what information we get on them in the next installment, as several of the outstanding questions revolve around the nature of the Aesir, magic, and their relationship with it.
A lovely blend of science fantasy with an almost steampunk feel, I couldn’t put it down. There were many twisty twists and I was completely taken aback by one of them! I can’t wait for the next installment of Rob and McKenna’s story. Highly recommend!
April 24, 2025
Magic, Music and Mayhem
Jeff Wheeler has obviously been a high-level sorcerer for many past lives. No one without those credentials could have created such a mesmerizing story about an alternative world such as The Invisible College.
Cleverly, magic is a skill afforded to anyone, rich or poor, male or female, as long as you can hear and make music. The Invisible College is where you go after your initial training and for the rest of your life to ascend to higher levels.
Why does this world need magic? A long time ago, lost in the mists of time, another race invaded. The Aesur literally lived in the ice and initially got along with humans. Something way back pissed them off, and it's been War every time they Awaken.
Set against this backdrop, are stories of real people falling in love, fighting difficult circumstances. Stories of selflessness in times of great need. Sprinkle in a corrupt Military official or two, a greedy government and you have the picture.
Then imagine that this beautiful story is accompanied by a delicate yet heart-swelling musical score that keeps you anticipating each scene, celebrating the big wins, and applauding the final act.
Flush with the knowledge that your favorite characters have made it this far. But. But, the bass line pounding out the end tells you that the final act hasn't even started yet. Stay tuned for the second book.
Jeff Wheeler has obviously been a high-level sorcerer for many past lives. No one without those credentials could have created such a mesmerizing story about an alternative world such as The Invisible College.
Cleverly, magic is a skill afforded to anyone, rich or poor, male or female, as long as you can hear and make music. The Invisible College is where you go after your initial training and for the rest of your life to ascend to higher levels.
Why does this world need magic? A long time ago, lost in the mists of time, another race invaded. The Aesur literally lived in the ice and initially got along with humans. Something way back pissed them off, and it's been War every time they Awaken.
Set against this backdrop, are stories of real people falling in love, fighting difficult circumstances. Stories of selflessness in times of great need. Sprinkle in a corrupt Military official or two, a greedy government and you have the picture.
Then imagine that this beautiful story is accompanied by a delicate yet heart-swelling musical score that keeps you anticipating each scene, celebrating the big wins, and applauding the final act.
Flush with the knowledge that your favorite characters have made it this far. But. But, the bass line pounding out the end tells you that the final act hasn't even started yet. Stay tuned for the second book.
February 25, 2025
4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
It’s Harry Potter meets Bridgerton. Magic is something anyone can learn but a few decide to continue learning it as a profession or as a means to enter the military. But to use magic you have to be able to hear. There’s a a deaf school that teaches those you can’t hear to read lips and speak as though they can hear and you wouldn’t be able to tell. But there’s a war against magical beings that the 2 main characters have to figure out how to defeat while they pursue their affections for each other. One is of high society and the other is a professor and inventor trying to make ends meet. The magic, the world building, the war, the inventions, and the storyline are blended so well together that I was eager to continue listening. Because there is a perspective from the deaf character, the language used makes you appreciate words and the beauty of the meanings for them. The cliff hanger was almost as good (or bad depending how you see it) to Rebecca Yarros and her Fourth Wing books. This had me so angry and in need of answers that immediately used my Audible credit to preorder the next one.
It’s Harry Potter meets Bridgerton. Magic is something anyone can learn but a few decide to continue learning it as a profession or as a means to enter the military. But to use magic you have to be able to hear. There’s a a deaf school that teaches those you can’t hear to read lips and speak as though they can hear and you wouldn’t be able to tell. But there’s a war against magical beings that the 2 main characters have to figure out how to defeat while they pursue their affections for each other. One is of high society and the other is a professor and inventor trying to make ends meet. The magic, the world building, the war, the inventions, and the storyline are blended so well together that I was eager to continue listening. Because there is a perspective from the deaf character, the language used makes you appreciate words and the beauty of the meanings for them. The cliff hanger was almost as good (or bad depending how you see it) to Rebecca Yarros and her Fourth Wing books. This had me so angry and in need of answers that immediately used my Audible credit to preorder the next one.
December 17, 2025
Thank you to the author for the free copy for review.
This was a really creative story with interesting world building. It is a blend of a historically based setting (think 1870s) along with threats from a dangerous magical race. The icy elements involved with the magical race made this a very fitting book to read during winter!
I really appreciated that one of the main characters was deaf and the role that played in her journey.
This would be a great choice for an introduction to fantasy because it doesn’t have the elements that intimidate a lot of people (like tons of complicated names and places to keep straight) but still had the hallmarks of the genre.
Trigger/content notes: some violence and death. Spice level is kissing.
This was a really creative story with interesting world building. It is a blend of a historically based setting (think 1870s) along with threats from a dangerous magical race. The icy elements involved with the magical race made this a very fitting book to read during winter!
I really appreciated that one of the main characters was deaf and the role that played in her journey.
This would be a great choice for an introduction to fantasy because it doesn’t have the elements that intimidate a lot of people (like tons of complicated names and places to keep straight) but still had the hallmarks of the genre.
Trigger/content notes: some violence and death. Spice level is kissing.
August 1, 2024
I thought that The Invisible College was absolutely spectacular! The world building and characters are phenomenal. You get pulled into the world and the events completely willing to go on the ride. It was exciting and lovely, superb! 4.75 stars
I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me ARC access to this novel.
All thoughts about this novel are my own.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me ARC access to this novel.
All thoughts about this novel are my own.
November 15, 2024
exciting new book
A new world with magic and beautiful aliens who want to destroy mankind. A genius absent minded professor, a Strong Willed Deaf Girl and a hunter. It all comes together and creates an exciting mystery that’s hard to put down. I came to love the characters in this book and I can’t wait to find out what comes next.
A new world with magic and beautiful aliens who want to destroy mankind. A genius absent minded professor, a Strong Willed Deaf Girl and a hunter. It all comes together and creates an exciting mystery that’s hard to put down. I came to love the characters in this book and I can’t wait to find out what comes next.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews