The premise of The Invisible College is brilliant and has so much potential. The conflict with the Aesir, a old enemy that surfaces every several hundred years, intrigued me from the start. The musically based magic system feels fresh and full of possibility. Unfortunately, at about the halfway point it felt like the book almost completely forgot what it was supposed to be about. What was an intriguing fantasy turned into an awkward historical romance. I would consider reading the sequel, but it would have to prioritize the fantasy plot and world building a bit more.

Thank you Jeff Wheeler, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my advanced listening copy! My opinions are my own. The Invisible College is out now!

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 3
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 3
Final Score - 3..4

I fear I have not been this disappointed in a book in awhile. The cover, the synopsis, the concept were all so promising! But I can honestly only recall one major plot point and that was figuring out that pocket watch. But other than that, nothing happened. I wasn’t connected to the characters. I also have no idea who/what the aliens/bad guys/monsters even were. There were so many things left unanswered and I just don’t care enough to continue if there will be a second book.

The Invisible College exceeded my expectations at every level! Jeff Wheeler's storytelling and world building captivated me from the start and kept me enthralled until the very end.

I loved the unique magic system revolving around music and sound and how the characters' understanding and use of that magic evolved throughout the book.

Robinson and McKenna were such intriguing main characters. Their love of language and learning, as well as their determination to push through the limits placed upon them from both society and their own physical barriers, was inspiring.

Magic, intrigue, romance, mystery, action, discovery...this book has it all!

I also appreciated that there is no foul language and no explicit content in this book.

This is the first book I've read by Jeff Wheeler, and it will not be my last. I cannot wait for Book 2!!!

After reading the book, I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version and it was spectacular. The narrator was emotive and engaging and did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and story to life!

*Thank you to the author for the ARC, and to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the ALC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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.

Jeff Wheeler’s The Invisible College is a one-of-a-kind read that masterfully blends fantasy, historical fiction, romance, and science fiction, resulting in a vibrant and expansive world. The author’s world-building is astounding, filled with intricate details and a sense of wonder that transports you to another place and time. It’s rare to find a story this creative, with a plot that feels both fresh and deeply immersive.

One of the unique joys for me was seeing a main character named McKenna—a rarity and a fun surprise! Even more meaningful was the thoughtful representation of McKenna as a deaf character, offering a perspective that’s seldom seen in fantasy. Wheeler doesn’t just add diversity for its own sake; he truly respects and develops his characters, making this representation feel authentic and respectful.

The audiobook, narrated by Kate Rudd, deserves special mention. Her expressive, engaging narration kept me hooked from start to finish, enhancing the overall experience. If you’re looking for a book that’s packed with imagination, heart, and a touch of everything, The Invisible College is well worth the read.

Fans of BABEL, MAGICIANS, and DISCOVERY OF WITCHES will absolutely love this. Magical academia, war, in a realistic setting - it felt so fun and so smart at the same time. Loved this.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨🎻 ARC REVIEW🎻✨

The Invisible College by Jeff Wheeler
4.25/5 ⭐
Audio Pub Date 🇺🇸: Nov 12th

When I read this book's blurb, I was curious how the author was going to weave together all of the concepts in the description. Let me tell you, Jeff Wheeler did a masterful job fusing together ideas that typically span genres and aren't seen merged together in one book. I'm excited to read the next in the series.

This story takes place in a world where aliens have journeyed to a planet with humans. Long ago, they taught the humans magic, but something happened in the past where every few generations sparks a new war between the humans and the aliens. The magic is controlled by music, and (in one of the most interesting choices the author makes) one of the main character afflicted by hearing loss.

Please read if you like the following:
🎵 Steampunk worlds with Victorian rules of society
🎵 Enigmatic magic schools with mysteries afoot
🎵 Love stories that, perhaps, span ages
🎵Cool ancient relics with mysterious purposes

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Audio, and 47 North for the advanced review audio.

PS. I bought the book immediately after finishing it and Jeff Wheeler was willing to personalize it. I asked for a doodle and he's apparently going to pull through 😂 love it when authors do stuff like that

🏷️ #scifi #fantasy #bookstagram #books #booklover #book #bookworm #bookstagrammer #reading #bookish #bookaddict #booknerd #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #instabook #bookrecommendations #read #bookcommunity #bookphotography #bookshelf #bookaholic #bookblogger #booklovers #booklove

**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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Loved the narrator of this audiobook and I so enjoyed the atmosphere of this story. The evil Aesir are very interesting and a unique race to learn about. This story also showcases beautiful word building and intricate character design. There’s a touch, or a hint if you will, of romance that is adorably heartwarming. I wish the relationship was explored more but here’s hoping for book two. Sorcery, academia, military assassins, and a an evil to destroy I’m in. If you’re looking for a magical academia adventure this autumn season try this one out!

Author: Jeff Wheeler
Publisher: 47North
Audio: Brilliance Audio

🔔Content notes: no foul language, no explicit content, fantasy violence present

Thanks so much to author @muirwoodwheeler and @netgalley for an audiobook copy!

"The Invisible College" is the type of book that gives you a bunch of tasty crumbs but never the full cake-possibly. I suspect that readers of this book are going to have very varied opinions based on both what they are looking for and what tempted them to pick this title up. At the same time it pains me to give this only a middle stared review because what it does right is incredibly intriguing and deserves that extra star if it wasn't pulled back by my over all experience.

Let me break this down a little more. The plot summary isn't entirely wrong, but it is a slightly misleading. The alien presence is the first element mentioned and implies that there might be some perspective or at least history. However the ambiguity of these foes is a huge element. There is no known start of the war so it is uncertain if it is driven by just a control of power/place.

It also implies that Robinson is going to be heavily involved in military and academic development.
He is, but very much on the sidelines. We never get to see him as an institution instructor and the military is much more of a side presence. I don't actually see this as a downside as it contributes to an element I love in that it focuses on the civilian side of things during the break of war time and during it as well as those in reserves and non-combative roles. It provides a perspective that's rarer. Finally is the leader of 'crossing barriers of time' --an element that is more speculative or inferred. All of this implies a much more action heavy story. If you are a fan of battle on battle and strategy you'll be disappointed.

Second is the emphasis on McKenna and side mention of Robinson's mother being deaf. I do have to commend the author for starting with a preface denoting that he worked with stereotypes and attitudes of the time. However, if you are hoping that the breadth of the deaf experience in a time like that is explored you will also come out unsatisfied.

To the story's credit it does point out more than once that McKenna is from privilege and her life is much different from those in the orphanage - another group I wish we got to see more of. However the entire messaging around her is how she's trying to conform that for someone sensitive to these things might come across stronger than her drive to defy the limits society has placed on her. And with how the story ends it makes this goal that has been such a key element to the character element feel lackluster if not underwhelming. The only mention of something she appreciates about her world is that she can spy or tune out others in another way. I think more work could have been done , perhaps reaching out to the deaf community, to try see how they could imagine what beauty they find in their world that hearing people take for granted that would have transferred to those circumstances.

WIth those negatives out of the way, if you are curious about the paralleled time frame, you will probably be delighted. There is a drastic shift that turns this book to match any top notch Victorian style novel. While it may had felt a little abrupt, for what it is it is lovely. This applies to both the way the romance is treated and the social structure and traits.

If you're coming in for the magic system you will be over the moon. It teeters between a soft and hard structure in that there are very specific scientific elements at play yet a philosophical brush when it comes to the intentions that embed themselves in things. The cloudiness might bug some but I loved how many doors this opened for what it could be used for.

Other highlights included a cast of interesting side characters, central characters who are just straight up honorable and good but not less magnetic than someone more morally grey, the limits of an enemy and seeing how both sides are pushing their constraints, and the connections of family and community that are layered.

In the end it is a read I certainly don't regret and in a lot of ways I want more of--but probably not in the way of the publisher would prefer in that it leaves the reader at the edge of their seat. There are pieces of something that are so much more that I would have love to have been given more of in this first novel. Or maybe waited to be revealed in a future work to focus in more. In short, I think one of the biggest frustrations I had with this read was that the pacing was all over the place. Not every story needs to be break neck speed with a tidy bow and falling action. But there has to be some kind of rhythm to the progression. Lacking that too much just felt sudden or even random.

I am interested in the sequel, but I hope that there is a little more tightening to the sequencing of events and consideration to how what we're being shown or told contributes to the main elements of the story.

I so enjoyed listening to these first few chapters! Jeff Wheeler is an amazing writer! He brings life to each of the characters, and paints a masterpiece of the world in which they live. I have lost rack of which of his books that I have read, there has been so many, but I have never been bored of reading his writings. I can’t wait to get the book to finish reading the story.

Thank you for the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the book in advance.
I really liked the book specially the magic system and everything about the Aesir.
I like how the relationship between Robinson and McKenna evolved, even it was kinda forbidden.
I'm so scared for the next book because from McKenna's POV chapters, I think she's a Semblance. Fingers crossed I'm wrong!