Sadly this was a DNF for me about 15% in. I may try later sometime but I couldn’t keep myself interested in it at all.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading one of Jeff Wheeler's books and I was pleasantly surprised. The story started slow, but it managed to keep me captivated for its entirety. The characters were lovable, and the worldbuiding especially caught my attention: a steampunk world with a magical system based on patterns of sound, and seemingly immortal enemies who use even stranger magic? Simply amazing.

The ending wraps up the main story nicely, but the few unresolved plot threads leave you wanting for the next installment in the series.

When I first saw that Jeff was publishing a new book series set in what seems to be a Magical SteamPunk-like world, I was very excited. In the past, Mr. Wheeler predominantly set his stories within a fantasy world (With some exceptions like the Dresden Codex series which is a great series too) but having a story set in a completely new world was wonderful. I have always enjoyed stories set in this type of world, where technology is all around, but it is not relying on physics of our world to keep it running but instead some sort of magical technology.

After reading this book, I was in no way disappointed. This story is fantastic (I do not like to go into a synopsis of the whole book in reviews, if you want that, read the book blurb!) and it was very easy to quickly drop into the story and get sucked it, leading to it being very hard to put down. It’s a wonderful world he is building here, filled with an unlimited potential number of backstories and all sorts of future adventures for the characters we have just met.

This book was a real pleasure to read. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series and can’t wait to find out what happens next

I first ran across Jeff Wheeler when I read his Jaguar Prophecies, so when I saw this one, I knew I wanted to pick it up,. He has a fantastic way of weaving sci-fi with a bit of fantasy as well.

This book is no different as we encounter a race of beings which has been sleeping for millennia and awaken to find humans (mortals) thriving and changing the landscape of their once frozen planet. With the awakening, the Aesir bring a sickness which beings to spread like a plague through the streets of England. The only hope of the people is to survive long enough until the season changes and the winter thaws with the coming of spring.

On the other hand, we have a bit of a romance with McKenna and an elocutionist Robinson Hawksley who entered her life to teach her enunciation but fell for her rather hard and quickly. He soon turns over her tutelage to another professor so as not to cross boundaries but she is still a bit wary as she has not yet made her debut in society and she still feels young and uncertain about what she wants from her future beyond wanting to be a part of the Invisible College.

There are actually quite a lot of twists and turns and surprising things which happen along the way. You'll need to read to see if everyone has a happy ending. I plan to keep reading what I can find by Jeff Wheeler and I certainly hope we explore more in a sequel to this book because I need to know more.

An exciting new world by Jeff Wheeler! I’m amazed at how he is able to create such completely different societies and forms of magic in his stories. This one took me a bit to get into, but once I did I was completely sucked in. I enjoyed the change of perspective between the two main characters, Robinson and McKenna, as well as the perspective of the character Joseph Crossthwait. I was anxious for a good portion of the book, the last half especially, because if I’ve learned anything reading Jeff Wheeler’s books it’s that he is happy to make us suffer for our happy ending. I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!

I haven't read every series by Jeff Wheeler, but this one is shaping up to be my favorite.

"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."

I love the concept of the auditory magic system (music or voice, choir or orchestra) the Aesir taught to humans. Clearly history has deteriorated what society understands about magic, though. In the present, sorcerers are using their magic that attract intelligences for technical development. Robinson Hawksley's theory on intelligences has me wanting to know all the secrets of the Invisible College. The traditional knowledge (city elite) versus the research Hawksley (country bumpkin) is doing brings tension to the plot that I found enjoyable. The whole system is well conceptualized from the start. He even deals with involvement of deaf and dumb in such a society.

Obviously there is something wrong with Robinson and McKenna's relationship. I have plenty of theories why this is. The story kept spiraling up and up to a page-burning cliffhanger. Very much looking forward to seeing how the questions raised are answered.

I loved this new world! McKenna and Rob were so much fun to get to know! I loved the plot. The academia setting was filled with intrigue, suspense, and anticipation; and the twists and turns the story took as it developed had me on the edge of my seat! I can’t wait for the next book! My thanks to Jeff Wheeler for allowing me to read an ARC of this amazing book!

ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

3.5 rounded up

I’ll admit this book did take me much longer to finish than anticipated, however it was due to life situations that made it hard for me to find time to pick up the book & read.

Life aside, I was immediately hooked when I started reading The Invisible College. I loved the anecdotes before the start of the story & sprinkled throughout.

Wheeler has impeccable world building, characterization & attention to detail that made me going back & flying through this book to finish it. The story of the Aesir was incredibly interesting.

My *only* gripe has to do with the pacing of the romance…. It made no sense to have it move so fast & took me out of the story at times because of how much I didn’t like it. Overall this story of The Invisible College was definitely worth the read & a great introduction into Jeff Wheeler.

I really enjoyed this book and that ending?! While reading I could not put this down and was hooked right away! I loved seeing the representation and unique magic. I hope there is a second book because I want to explore this world further. I'll also be checking out more works by Jeff Wheeler since his writing was so addicting.

4.5⭐ rounded up to 5. *Adding Jeff Wheeler to my list of auto-buy authors.*

❤️ Impeccable worldbuilding and storytelling
❤️ Well written and creative plot with tension and suspense
❤️ Unpredictable plot twists
❤️ Deaf and neurodiversity rep
❤️ That ending! Urgh!
❌ Annoying MMC
❌ Rushed romance plotline
❌ Shift from a plot focus to a romance focus

Trigger warnings: violence (incl. gun violence), murder, death (incl. of children) and grief, war, audism, gaslighting, poverty, blood and gore, pandemic, drowning, possession, power imbalance, etc.

Plot:
In a world where sorcery requires speech, deaf teenager McKenna Foster has been told she will never be able to create magic. Refusing to give up on her dream, she seeks the help of famous elocutionist Robinson Hawksley. While they make progress and grow closer and closer, winter creeps in, bringing with it an ancient magical race determined to exterminate humans.

I'm having a hard time defining this book’s genre. It’s fantasy, but with a historical fiction and sci-fi feel. It’s also clean romance. But anyways, I loved it and I can’t wait to read book 2.

Characters:
I think this is the only aspect of the book that fell a little short. I liked McKenna, but I wasn’t crazy about her as a protagonist. And boy did Robinson get on my nerves! I thought he was immature and rude. Perhaps this is why the focus switch from plot to romance was a little disappointing for me. I hope we’ll see more growth from both of them in the next book, and that the focus will move away from their romance and back to the plot.

Writing:
Every time I read something from Wheeler, I’m impressed by his sharp and evocative, but also unpretentious, writing style. I can’t explain it—I know writing a novel takes tons of time and effort (like, I know), but he makes it feel effortless. Perhaps it’s the prose plus a combination of epic worldbuilding, top-tier storytelling, and well-written characters, but I always feel immersed in his books. And that’s sooo important for me as a reader.

This book opens up a new world of magic and technology to the readers. Jeff Wheeler's impeccable world-building and unique magic system holds the attention and keeps you engrossed in the plot.
The plot is medium in pace and picks up toward the latter half of the book.
We get three POV characters in this first installment. Their unique perspectives, as an attack is launched on the country, brings a lot of the puzzle pieces together. The storyline will keep you guessing what will happen. There is a good mix of stocky characters and grey characters, all following some ideology regarding what is good and what is bad. If anything, the female characters are mostly black or white, which is my only complain.
The author does an amazing job at establishing the societal pressures on each character. The disabled characters here actually serve a purpose and are not just included to tick some mental box for representation's sake, which was refreshing. The stigma around disability, the differences in social classes and the discrimination against the disabled and poor were portrayed in detail.
As the first book in the series, there are a lot of characters introduced and places visited, but the storytelling kept me engaged and didn't leave me behind in jargons and names. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

First of all, thank you for the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read the book.
I really loved the book. Specially the magic system was what made me love it the most. I think this will have a sequel and I'm afraid that McKenna might be a Semblance 😱😱😱 I'm scared!!! But I can't wait for the next one!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, 47North, and Jeff Wheeler for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

I've been sitting here for the past hour, trying to come up with the right way to start this review that will be the perfect balance of critical kindness, and I'm honestly drawing blanks - so here I am with this strange beginning before I dive right into it... which truthfully, is not unlike how Jeff Wheeler himself begins The Invisible College.

POV you roll up to the prologue expecting another dark academia fantasy, only to witness some random person get shot point blank as a form of lore dropping. Someone have mercy on the characters in this book, because Jeff Wheeler sure won't.

Edgelord antics aside (This is a compliment, Jeff. That was some legend behaviour), The Invisible College is an incredibly creative and radical venturing into the concept: "what if I try to push the boundaries of world-building as far as I possibly can in less than 400 pages". Jeff Wheeler goes heavy, hits hard, and has a hell of a lot of fun here, and I respect it. I had a really freaking good time.

Until the romance was introduced. I'm beginning to wonder about these genre mash-ups, and how it's starting to feel like authors are shoehorned into "giving the people what they want", even to their own creative detriment, because it's popular to write a romantasy. I imagine there's behind-the-scenes pressure to cash in on a trend in literature. Really though, I'm probably going through the trenches with my own preferences for romance, because realistically, I'm just a simple reader who doesn't like the insta-love trope. If you do, you're gonna have a great time with this book.

That aside, in a weird twist of fate, I also happened to be (re)reading Robin Hobb's The Assassin's Apprentice at the same time as The Invisible College, and it made me realise... Damn, Jeff Wheeler is so similar in writing style when it comes to painting a visual novel in your brain. It's like he's uploading a scene directly into my hippocampus in that triple threat format of sights, scents, and sounds. The world of The Invisible College felt like a living, breathing reality while I was reading it, and that's such an accomplishment. This is where Jeff Wheeler shines.

Overall, if all of the aforementioned points I've mentioned above sound appealing to you (including insta-love, I'm just a grumpy millennial), do pick up The Invisible College. I truly believe you'll have a great time.

If you think you have already read your favorite Jeff Wheeler book, guess again! The Invisible College checks every box for everything you love in a novel, and more. You will fall in love with Robinson, for better and worse through twists and turns you never see coming. Jeff Wheeler’s genius imagination takes you through a new world you will love just as much or more as his previous novels. No stone left unturned, or detail unwritten. Once you pick up this book, you will not want to put it down. Make sure you have the next one ordered!! You will be dying to get your hands on it!

This was an enjoyable book. While it ends at a point that makes sense, it still feels like a bit of a cliffhanger. The world building is super interesting and the magic is fascinating. There is definitely a question of f who the good guys are, especially toward the end. I’ll plan on picking up the next book in the series because I’m interested in seeing where Wheeler takes this story line

Thank you 47North and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jeff Wheeler is a brand new author to me, but if his other books are anything like this one (beautiful prose, creative and intricate world building), then I need to check out some of his other works!

The Invisible College is open to anyone who wants to learn magic and is willing to learn to play an instrument or sing. Long ago the Aesir, a race of humanoid aliens(?) who live in the coldest reaches of the world, taught humanity about magic. Since then something went terribly wrong and every few hundred years the Aesir awake and terrorize the humans of this world.

This is the story of Robinson Dickemore Hawksley and McKenna Aurora Foster. Hawksley is a member of the Invisible College and a promising Alchemist. He also teaches deaf children and adults how to talk "normally." McKenna is the daughter of a rich investor and is deaf, and in a world where the source of magic is music, it doesn’t matter how rich you are - being deaf makes you a second-class citizen. But that is where Hawksley comes in; he is willing to tutor McKenna and in exchange, McKenna's father will invest in his alchemical pursuits.

This book is a little bit like Babel meets the Others from ASOIAF. On the one hand you have a society that closely mimics how RF Kuang constructed her England in Babel, but instead of silver bars and language, you have music and the intelligence of living things (believe me it makes sense in the book). And the Aesir are just as terrifying and dangerous as the Others.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Invisible College and seriously CANNOT wait for the next book. Kudos Mr. Wheeler! 4.5 Stars

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.

Jeff Wheeler has reinvented himself once again, lending the same excellent quality to a different style of writing to his historical fantasy and thriller series. The story is of people and war. This book has a more academic feeling. It's serious yet with moments of lightness throughout. In Auvinen, Robinson moves from his country home to the city to do research related to a wartime invention. He's a mage and member of The Invisible College for mages. He teaches a unique method of elocution invented by his father, bringing it to a small school for deaf children, a shunned group, and teaches at the university to make ends meet. He's presented as the stereotype of an absentminded professor. He cares not what he wears, if he eats, how he takes care of himself, only about his work. You want to reach through the pages and shake him to make him understand that he can live differently and should make that choice. He begins tutoring his research sponsor’s 17-year-old daughter, McKenna, who is deaf but wants terribly to become a mage, which relies on sound. Robinson believes that he can help her find a way. Their developing relationship ensues.
I have not read or watched a movie with a particular characteristic in its foe – way to go, Jeff! The Aesir is an ancient race of beings that deep sleep in freezing temperatures for many years. When they wake up, they recall that they'd been at war with Auvinen, not realizing they've been asleep for maybe a hundred years and things have changed.! I don’t recall a plot like this. They instantly assault the population. They are hard to kill and kill people easily. The mages must defend the city, and Robinson hopes his research project will pay off in helping the cause.
At one point, the military thinks Robinson is dangerous, so you get the danger element of them hunting for him. There seem to be several stories within the story that all work together.
The world-building mostly focuses on the city, although a few scenes occur elsewhere. There’s a steampunk element to the world, mechanical devices infused with magic, most notably the transportation trams are pulled by iron horses animated by intelligences.
For me, the strength of a story lies in the relationships between its characters: Robinson’s care for his family, developing friendships, connection to McKenna and her family, and care for the school children. You also see the way class and disability affect how people are treated in society. And you can’t help but care for the kindness and determination of Robinson, even though you want him to eat, bathe and wear new clothes!
Although the war is the driving factor of the overall plot, for me, fighting is central is several ways. How do you fight a war. How do you fight prejudice in society. And how do you fight for what you know you were born to do, for yourself. It makes for a fabulous read!

**Book Review: The Invisible College by Jeff**

Jeff’s "The Invisible College" is a thrilling exploration of an escalating war between humanity and the mysterious Aesir, an otherworldly species that has lain dormant for centuries. At the heart of this tale are Robinson Dickemore Hawksley and McKenna Aurora Foster, whose paths intertwine in the bustling town of Auvinen.

As a professor at the Invisible College, Hawksley is determined to teach, and share his father’s phonics and speech methods with the local deaf community. Here, he meets McKenna, a deaf girl from a wealthy and prominent family, whose privileged background starkly contrasts with the chaos unfolding around them. As the threat of the Aesir looms ever larger, the urgency for research, defense, and protection intensifies, setting the stage for a gripping narrative.

What truly sets this book apart is Jeff’s ability to craft a multifaceted plot that keeps readers guessing. There is never just one thing happening. This complexity ensures that every page is filled with intrigue and excitement, making it a page-turner that’s anything but predictable.

Jeff has a remarkable talent for building rich, immersive worlds, and in "The Invisible College," he delves into themes of communication, connection, and resilience amid turmoil. The evolving relationship between Hawksley and McKenna adds an emotional layer to the story.

I am eagerly anticipating the next installment. "The Invisible College" showcases Jeff’s skills as a storyteller, offering a thrilling blend of adventure, depth, and character development. This is a must-read for anyone drawn to intricate plots and richly crafted worlds!

I completely got lost in the world of this book and I loved it. I loved Robinson and McKenna and getting to read their journey together. The ending of the book makes me want book 2 immediately.