Status
Available
Collection
Genres
Publication
Philomel Books (2013), Edition: First Edition, 368 pages
Description
"To break his curse of invisibility, a boy is helped by a girl, who is the only one who can see him"--
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
368 p.; 9.75 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member A_Reader_of_Fictions
Oh, expectations, you turncoats. Always there when I start out, and off who the f*ck knows where as I suffer through an uninspired book. Before you start telling me I shouldn't have finished this book, believe me, I know that was an option. However, by the time I was sure I wouldn't like it, I was
My mistake, and I will admit it was mine alone, was that I assumed Invisibility would be something like Levithan's Every Day. Admittedly, I have yet to read that book, but the premise blows my mind, and, based on friends' reviews and recommendation, I will love it. In that book, I understand that Levithan takes a sort of metaphysical and philosophical look at a unique way of existing, and uses that to reflect on sexuality and love. With Invisibility, I hoped for something similar. What I wanted was the tale of an invisible boy, born that way for no rhyme or reason, and how he comes to find meaning in his existence. Again, this was solely my mental creation. If you had similar hopes, quash them, because Invisibility is just a paranormal romance of magic and curses.
To give Cremer and Levithan their dues, the world building for the magic is unique, if strange. They did at least expend the effort to come up with something a bit out of the box. The curses, especially, are very cool, and some of them legitimately freaked me out, so that was well done. Unfortunately, their hearts weren't in that aspect of the book, so the world is uncovered and explained through a series of chapter-long infodumps. The teens go to an adult, ask for information, and receive and infodump. Then they go to another adult and repeat the process. It's a dulling way to receive information.
All of that could easily have been saved with well-done characters, though, since characters are where my true love lies as a reader anyway. Sadly, Stephen and Elizabeth are static, with no motivations except the ones given to them by their romance. Elizabeth does have a second motivation in protecting her mother and brother, but, when push comes to shove, she always chooses Stephen over them, so that hardly counts to me.
When two authors team up to write a novel in dual perspectives, I generally assume that they both take a perspective to write. Thus, I'm excited to read books composed in this way, because I love dual perspective done well, and it should be so easy for two separate authors to create two distinct perspectives. Somehow, though, I found that I had a lot of trouble distinguishing whether I was reading an Elizabeth chapter or a Stephen chapter until one of their names was said.
Perhaps, though, Elizabeth and Stephen are so indistinguishable because they lack individual interests and personalities. Very little effort is expended to make them feel like real people. Stephen, for example, has been on his own since his mother's death, but he apparently does nothing but order food to eat, angst, and people-watch. Though he has absolutely no one to talk to, he has no solitary hobbies to do while alone in his apartment. Um, Stephen, may I suggest the internet? I'm in my home alone right now, but, if I break from writing this review, I can go on Twitter and talk to any number of friends. Though no one can see him, he could make a network on the internet, where no one can see your physical form anyway, unless you choose to share a photo. Or, Stephen, how about reading? No wonder he's so miserable, since he doesn't ever do anything.
Then there's Elizabeth, who Cremer and Levithan really tried to make cool and nerdy. Her dream in life is to be a comic book writer and illustrator, both because doing just one is lame to her. Awesome, right? I should totally love this girl. And yet. For all her supposed love of comics, her interest in comic books has been added solely as a plot device by which she can realize her own special powers, which she has been secretly using to create the world in her comic book. When her brother, Laurie, introduces her to another comic book fan, she shows no interest in ever talking to him about them. When the group ends up going several times to a really bitching comic book shop with tons of special editions, Elizabeth never once stops to peruse the selection. Yeah, she's dealing with some serious stuff, but there is no universe where I would be able to walk through a bookstore without noting titles as I walked through or trailing my fingers along the spines. Don't try to connect to nerds with such a shallow attempt, because we do see through that.
The only characters I liked and cared about at all were Laurie, Elizabeth's brother, and Sean, a boy in the building Laurie is crushing on. After her parents' divorce, their mother moved the three of them to New York City to escape homophobia so severe that Laurie was hospitalized with multiple broken bones. The father basically blamed Laurie for provoking the attack, so the dad's obviously scum. Briefly, Laurie is a real plot point with a burgeoning romance, but we never get to find out how that's going for him, and he becomes just a pawn to be manipulated by the bad guy. Even then, Laurie's still more useful than Stephen. Laurie gets sh*t done.
Worst of all is the romance. First off, we have the invisible, personality-less boy and the pretending-to-be-a-nerd girl. Shock of shocks, she is the only person in the whole wide world who can see him! They touch and feel things. Their connection is made of magic and wondrousness and they fall in love in an unclear amount of time. However, their romance cannot have gone on for long, since she's still a ways from school starting and summer is not that long. Hello, instalove.
It gets better, though! Without establishing any real emotional connection between these two, which would be difficult, since they don't actually have personalities, they declare their love and begin arguing about who gets to die for the other one. Is anyone else sick of reading books about teens who are desperate to sacrifice themselves for someone they've only known for a month? Going back to what I mentioned earlier, Elizabeth is already willing to save Stephen's life over that of her brother's when forced to choose, though, obviously, she'll manage to save both. No, b*tch, your brother comes first, not the invisible kid you've known for a month or less. Also, and here's where things really crossed the line, Cremer and Levithan never offer a convincing excuse for why Laurie can see Stephen, since her own powers don't explain sh*t. It was a convenient way to make them feel like they must have some mystical connection.
The ending did manage to surprise me just a bit, so I will give some credit for that. Cremer and Levithan didn't go for the obvious, easy ending that I'd predicted, so I will applaud them for finally stepping outside of the box, though I would have been grateful if it had happened 340 pages sooner.
If paranormal romances relying heavily on baseless instalove still work for you, by all means procure a copy of Invisibility. If, on the other hand, you were hoping for something deep and meaningful along the lines of Levithan's Every Day, you might want to spare yourself the disappointment.
Show More
too far into the book to DNF. Once I've read twenty percent or so, it's happening, and that's all there is to it. Invisibility isn't necessarily a bad book, but it's certainly not what I was hoping for, and will likely only please those who have not yet tired of the standard paranormal romance formula and tropes. Warning: this review will contain some spoilers.My mistake, and I will admit it was mine alone, was that I assumed Invisibility would be something like Levithan's Every Day. Admittedly, I have yet to read that book, but the premise blows my mind, and, based on friends' reviews and recommendation, I will love it. In that book, I understand that Levithan takes a sort of metaphysical and philosophical look at a unique way of existing, and uses that to reflect on sexuality and love. With Invisibility, I hoped for something similar. What I wanted was the tale of an invisible boy, born that way for no rhyme or reason, and how he comes to find meaning in his existence. Again, this was solely my mental creation. If you had similar hopes, quash them, because Invisibility is just a paranormal romance of magic and curses.
To give Cremer and Levithan their dues, the world building for the magic is unique, if strange. They did at least expend the effort to come up with something a bit out of the box. The curses, especially, are very cool, and some of them legitimately freaked me out, so that was well done. Unfortunately, their hearts weren't in that aspect of the book, so the world is uncovered and explained through a series of chapter-long infodumps. The teens go to an adult, ask for information, and receive and infodump. Then they go to another adult and repeat the process. It's a dulling way to receive information.
All of that could easily have been saved with well-done characters, though, since characters are where my true love lies as a reader anyway. Sadly, Stephen and Elizabeth are static, with no motivations except the ones given to them by their romance. Elizabeth does have a second motivation in protecting her mother and brother, but, when push comes to shove, she always chooses Stephen over them, so that hardly counts to me.
When two authors team up to write a novel in dual perspectives, I generally assume that they both take a perspective to write. Thus, I'm excited to read books composed in this way, because I love dual perspective done well, and it should be so easy for two separate authors to create two distinct perspectives. Somehow, though, I found that I had a lot of trouble distinguishing whether I was reading an Elizabeth chapter or a Stephen chapter until one of their names was said.
Perhaps, though, Elizabeth and Stephen are so indistinguishable because they lack individual interests and personalities. Very little effort is expended to make them feel like real people. Stephen, for example, has been on his own since his mother's death, but he apparently does nothing but order food to eat, angst, and people-watch. Though he has absolutely no one to talk to, he has no solitary hobbies to do while alone in his apartment. Um, Stephen, may I suggest the internet? I'm in my home alone right now, but, if I break from writing this review, I can go on Twitter and talk to any number of friends. Though no one can see him, he could make a network on the internet, where no one can see your physical form anyway, unless you choose to share a photo. Or, Stephen, how about reading? No wonder he's so miserable, since he doesn't ever do anything.
Then there's Elizabeth, who Cremer and Levithan really tried to make cool and nerdy. Her dream in life is to be a comic book writer and illustrator, both because doing just one is lame to her. Awesome, right? I should totally love this girl. And yet. For all her supposed love of comics, her interest in comic books has been added solely as a plot device by which she can realize her own special powers, which she has been secretly using to create the world in her comic book. When her brother, Laurie, introduces her to another comic book fan, she shows no interest in ever talking to him about them. When the group ends up going several times to a really bitching comic book shop with tons of special editions, Elizabeth never once stops to peruse the selection. Yeah, she's dealing with some serious stuff, but there is no universe where I would be able to walk through a bookstore without noting titles as I walked through or trailing my fingers along the spines. Don't try to connect to nerds with such a shallow attempt, because we do see through that.
The only characters I liked and cared about at all were Laurie, Elizabeth's brother, and Sean, a boy in the building Laurie is crushing on. After her parents' divorce, their mother moved the three of them to New York City to escape homophobia so severe that Laurie was hospitalized with multiple broken bones. The father basically blamed Laurie for provoking the attack, so the dad's obviously scum. Briefly, Laurie is a real plot point with a burgeoning romance, but we never get to find out how that's going for him, and he becomes just a pawn to be manipulated by the bad guy. Even then, Laurie's still more useful than Stephen. Laurie gets sh*t done.
Worst of all is the romance. First off, we have the invisible, personality-less boy and the pretending-to-be-a-nerd girl. Shock of shocks, she is the only person in the whole wide world who can see him! They touch and feel things. Their connection is made of magic and wondrousness and they fall in love in an unclear amount of time. However, their romance cannot have gone on for long, since she's still a ways from school starting and summer is not that long. Hello, instalove.
It gets better, though! Without establishing any real emotional connection between these two, which would be difficult, since they don't actually have personalities, they declare their love and begin arguing about who gets to die for the other one. Is anyone else sick of reading books about teens who are desperate to sacrifice themselves for someone they've only known for a month? Going back to what I mentioned earlier, Elizabeth is already willing to save Stephen's life over that of her brother's when forced to choose, though, obviously, she'll manage to save both. No, b*tch, your brother comes first, not the invisible kid you've known for a month or less. Also, and here's where things really crossed the line, Cremer and Levithan never offer a convincing excuse for why Laurie can see Stephen, since her own powers don't explain sh*t. It was a convenient way to make them feel like they must have some mystical connection.
The ending did manage to surprise me just a bit, so I will give some credit for that. Cremer and Levithan didn't go for the obvious, easy ending that I'd predicted, so I will applaud them for finally stepping outside of the box, though I would have been grateful if it had happened 340 pages sooner.
If paranormal romances relying heavily on baseless instalove still work for you, by all means procure a copy of Invisibility. If, on the other hand, you were hoping for something deep and meaningful along the lines of Levithan's Every Day, you might want to spare yourself the disappointment.
Show Less
LibraryThing member brandileigh2003
I wanted to read this one because the idea of invisibility appeals tho me. Then s added in the fact that the only person that can see him is the girl that he is attracted to.
The beginning was a little slow for me but once the dual narrative and Elizabeth entered the story it picked up. It wasn't
One thing that bothered me was that in my kindle library copy there wasn't any indication besides chapter breaks as to who is talking. While after a few words or sentences it was easy enough to figure out it was jarring to me.
Both characters had their own voice and personalities and I liked tuff at whole romance was a big focus, out wasn't the only plot line. Elizabeth and her brother were close and I always enjoy a good family dynamic. Laurie, the brother had a lot of baggage but it was nice to see him flourishing in New York.
When Elizabeth first find out about the invisibility, or was so proud of her reaction. She was outraged and disbelieving, questioning herself and sanity like a normal person would. But what got to her the most was the lies he told, not only to cover up invisibility, but other things such as school and stuff about his parents.
I felt like I still wanted to know what happened after about 65% but I was also skimming a lot too. I am not sure if it was my mood, or if the plot just started to slow down and meander a bit.
I didn't get the ending that I sincerely hoped for, but I think that it wrapped up in a realistic (for paranormal anyways) and okay manner. That they had hope for certain things to change, but they are stronger than they were before they met each other.
Bottom Line: Good book about a concept I liked.
The beginning was a little slow for me but once the dual narrative and Elizabeth entered the story it picked up. It wasn't
Show More
necessarily that I didn't connect to him but I just liked her more. Elizabeth knew that something was off and a little weird from their first stroll through the park, butt there was a spark between them and she didn't think it was something bad, just different. He was hiding the fact that no one else could see him. I don't think that it was necessarily that he was being deceptive but it would be really hard tho believe and he also didn't want to lose the only person that could see him since not even his parents could see him and it would be very lonely.One thing that bothered me was that in my kindle library copy there wasn't any indication besides chapter breaks as to who is talking. While after a few words or sentences it was easy enough to figure out it was jarring to me.
Both characters had their own voice and personalities and I liked tuff at whole romance was a big focus, out wasn't the only plot line. Elizabeth and her brother were close and I always enjoy a good family dynamic. Laurie, the brother had a lot of baggage but it was nice to see him flourishing in New York.
When Elizabeth first find out about the invisibility, or was so proud of her reaction. She was outraged and disbelieving, questioning herself and sanity like a normal person would. But what got to her the most was the lies he told, not only to cover up invisibility, but other things such as school and stuff about his parents.
I felt like I still wanted to know what happened after about 65% but I was also skimming a lot too. I am not sure if it was my mood, or if the plot just started to slow down and meander a bit.
I didn't get the ending that I sincerely hoped for, but I think that it wrapped up in a realistic (for paranormal anyways) and okay manner. That they had hope for certain things to change, but they are stronger than they were before they met each other.
Bottom Line: Good book about a concept I liked.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JRlibrary
Stephen was born invisible and Elizabeth is the only person who can see him. They figure out that a curse has been placed on him and they want to break that curse, but it means killing his evil grandfather.
I picked this book up because I loved the Night Shade trilogy, but this book just didn't work
I picked this book up because I loved the Night Shade trilogy, but this book just didn't work
Show More
for me. There was just too much internal angst for me. I like more action. Show Less
LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
Stephen is invisible to everyone, the result of a curse placed by his maternal grandfather on his mother. He’s been living this way for all of his 16 years and has come to grips with the lifestyle. That is until one day when a new neighbor moves into his apartment building, two doors down.
The quest is “why can Elizabeth see him when no one else can?” The romance…oh, you can figure that out yourself. I’ve never read anything written by Andrea Cremer. David Levithan, however, has broken many literary barriers with his YA novels. Boy Meets Boy certainly is ground-breaking. Every Day posits the supposition that a person can wake up in another person’s body on a daily basis and live that person’s life as well as his/her own. Quite a fun read. And now, he and Ms. Cremer have introduced us to magic, spellcasters, cursecasters and spellseekers in Invisibility. (By not explaining these, I’m forcing you to read the book…which is my intention.)
The authors take you on an adventure with all the necessary ingredients: spells, death defying feats, etc. I was going to put the book down with 50 pages left, at 11:15 PM one night, but decided wisely to stay up until I finished it.
For those of you who identify with the loners of the world, there’s Stephen and Elizabeth. For those of you who identify with the “can-do, nothing can stop me” characters, there’s Elizabeth’s brother, Laurie, who’s had to overcome his own major trials. For those of you who want a character to hate, well, there’s one of those too…and plenty of characters to love. For those of you who just want something fun to read, there’s Invisibility, which, trust me, will not be invisible in your library or bookstore. Actually, I’m thinking this book is going to fly off the shelves, so it may be invisible for a bit. So, maybe you just need your own copy. Whichever way you go, just make sure you read it.
Show More
Elizabeth, struggling to unlock her door and not lose her packages fails at the task, dropping them on the floor. Turning to Stephen, she snarkily says something to the effect of “having fun watching me? how about helping?” Stunned, Stephen assists her, which sets off a romance and a quest.The quest is “why can Elizabeth see him when no one else can?” The romance…oh, you can figure that out yourself. I’ve never read anything written by Andrea Cremer. David Levithan, however, has broken many literary barriers with his YA novels. Boy Meets Boy certainly is ground-breaking. Every Day posits the supposition that a person can wake up in another person’s body on a daily basis and live that person’s life as well as his/her own. Quite a fun read. And now, he and Ms. Cremer have introduced us to magic, spellcasters, cursecasters and spellseekers in Invisibility. (By not explaining these, I’m forcing you to read the book…which is my intention.)
The authors take you on an adventure with all the necessary ingredients: spells, death defying feats, etc. I was going to put the book down with 50 pages left, at 11:15 PM one night, but decided wisely to stay up until I finished it.
For those of you who identify with the loners of the world, there’s Stephen and Elizabeth. For those of you who identify with the “can-do, nothing can stop me” characters, there’s Elizabeth’s brother, Laurie, who’s had to overcome his own major trials. For those of you who want a character to hate, well, there’s one of those too…and plenty of characters to love. For those of you who just want something fun to read, there’s Invisibility, which, trust me, will not be invisible in your library or bookstore. Actually, I’m thinking this book is going to fly off the shelves, so it may be invisible for a bit. So, maybe you just need your own copy. Whichever way you go, just make sure you read it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tim_halpin
What a peculiar book! Ever wonder what would happen if a character from an urbane, quick-witted teenage novel (like, say, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, or Dash and Ely's Book of Dares) wandered into a fantasy world of cursecasters and spellseekers? Well, this is it.
And, unfortunately, it
Having said that, I don't mean this is a lame book. There were some really good moments. And I don't expect all books to fit neatly into genre rules. It's just that, when you want to break out of those rules, you've got to do it with a spark of genius, and I just don't think that was there.
And, unfortunately, it
Show More
doesn't really work. Neither of these genres are particularly realistic (Nick and Norah? It's a great tale, and there's truth in it, but not the literal kind of truth), and both require a certain kind of protagonist. Crossing over kind of exposes the myth, it deconstructs the genre, which is all very interesting, but doesn't really make for a great read. The characters seem to push my credulity more than the scenario. Having said that, I don't mean this is a lame book. There were some really good moments. And I don't expect all books to fit neatly into genre rules. It's just that, when you want to break out of those rules, you've got to do it with a spark of genius, and I just don't think that was there.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BeckyGandee
“Invisibility was not what I was expecting at all, just by the look of the cover, I thought it was more of a romantic book. It does have romance in there, but it has more action and spells. I did enjoy the read, just went a different way than expected.
I had a hard time believing the whole being
I had a hard time believing the whole being
Show More
born invisible, I just couldn't make my imagination go with it. As time went on, and the reason was explained, I could understand how and why Stephen is invisible. The characters were all great and I enjoyed getting to know each one. I really hope that this is a beginning to a series, the ending kind of left us hanging.” Show Less
LibraryThing member ErlangerFactionless
I listened to the audiobook version of Invisibility in my car, during my commute to and from work. I fell in love with the story as soon as I heard Stephen’s first chapter.
First of all, the narration is absolutely impeccable. Mandy Siegfried and MacLeod Andrews read alternating chapters from
Okay, let’s talk about Laurie. And why he is not in the summary?! Laurie is Elizabeth’s younger brother, and he is my favorite character. Laurie is my hero, my future bff, my ultimate gay friend, my light of hope and humor shining in the darkness. I absolutely love that boy. He is the best little brother anyone could ever have.
Alright, let’s try to be somewhat coherent here. But I just can’t even. This story is simply breathtaking. I was hooked on every word. I scrambled to change the disc in my car while driving 75 mph on a 5 lane highway. I yelled and pleaded and cried with the characters – out loud – in my car. I couldn’t stop myself. I could picture every detail of Manhattan as the story unfolds. I could feel the emotion in every dramatic and powerful moment. I was so sad to hear the end of the story, that last track on the last disc, so I pushed the back button and listened to the last track again. And it was perfect. It was a perfect ending to an amazing story.
Everyone should read this. If you like romance, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, magic, science fiction – read it. If you want something to make you cry, make you laugh, make you stay up late finishing it – read it.
And if you can, listen to it. Trust me. Make Stephen visible in your own way by joining his and Elizabeth and Laurie’s story.
First of all, the narration is absolutely impeccable. Mandy Siegfried and MacLeod Andrews read alternating chapters from
Show More
Elizabeth’s and Stephen’s points of view, respectively. They changed their voices for each character’s dialogue, and it was clear, even between the 2 narrators, who was speaking what line. There was absolutely no confusion about dialogue or action, which is always a risk with audiobooks. The way Mandy did Laurie’s voice, in particular, was so endearing and adorable! Okay, let’s talk about Laurie. And why he is not in the summary?! Laurie is Elizabeth’s younger brother, and he is my favorite character. Laurie is my hero, my future bff, my ultimate gay friend, my light of hope and humor shining in the darkness. I absolutely love that boy. He is the best little brother anyone could ever have.
Alright, let’s try to be somewhat coherent here. But I just can’t even. This story is simply breathtaking. I was hooked on every word. I scrambled to change the disc in my car while driving 75 mph on a 5 lane highway. I yelled and pleaded and cried with the characters – out loud – in my car. I couldn’t stop myself. I could picture every detail of Manhattan as the story unfolds. I could feel the emotion in every dramatic and powerful moment. I was so sad to hear the end of the story, that last track on the last disc, so I pushed the back button and listened to the last track again. And it was perfect. It was a perfect ending to an amazing story.
Everyone should read this. If you like romance, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, magic, science fiction – read it. If you want something to make you cry, make you laugh, make you stay up late finishing it – read it.
And if you can, listen to it. Trust me. Make Stephen visible in your own way by joining his and Elizabeth and Laurie’s story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Brainannex
I love both of these authors and I'm glad that they collaborated on a work. This one takes a healthy dose of disbelief but there's a fair amount of exploration of what it means to be human, a member of society, a lover, a friend. Better than most YA one could read.
LibraryThing member TheLoopyLibrarian
An interesting premise with authentic teen voices, but ultimately, try as I might, I just couldn’t buy Elizabeth as a spellseeker. It was too convenient and just didn’t feel right. Also, the romantic relationship between Elizabeth and Stephen felt contrived. Nevertheless, the story flew at a
In accordance with FTC guidelines, please note that I received an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Show More
quick pace, and the action became intense at the end. I won’t be reading the sequel, but I was entertained overall.In accordance with FTC guidelines, please note that I received an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member usagijihen
4.5/5 stars!
Ever since "Every Day", I've become a Levithan devotee. And I've been a Cremer devotee since "Nightshade", so when I heard these two were writing a book together? I made a noise that wasn't human. I was really anticipating it (seriously in my top ten for early 2013), and I'm so glad it
While a little slow to start, there's magic there from the very first page. And no, I don't mean because Stephen's invisible, but because of the fact that his world, the world shrunk down to his apartment, his New York City and how he interacts with it is so very well-built, and so very sturdy, that it automatically reminded me of the magic we immediately encounter in the opening passages of "Every Day". Which is not a bad thing - this, I've discovered, is Levithan's style when it comes to magical realism. And you know what? He's really good at it. And when it comes to Cremer and the entrance of Elizabeth, she's shown a surprising talent for what seems to be ordinary contemporary YA - but when certain things happen later, she calls upon her talent with paranormal/paranormal romance to really help bring the other half of this book to life. The division of labor here is obvious but extremely well done, and that's what really struck me at first about the first few opening chapters, when Stephen and Elizabeth meet. Both authors use their talent for their characters and so it flows together really well because of it. It's startlingly smooth even if slow at first, but once we start getting more revealed, things take off into a crazy ride that doesn't stop until the end of the book.
Some have called insta-love when it comes to Stephen and Elizabeth's relationship, but (for once), I've found the opposite. There's a lot of inner worldbuilding for both characters (but Stephen's inner world, naturally, is more built), and thus a lot of fighting with oneself about the other person. Cremer and Levithan make it clear from the get-go that this will not be an easy relationship, be it platonic or otherwise, and that everyone (including the audience) is going to have to work really hard for everything to work. I love that both Stephen and Elizabeth have to fight against themselves, against their past experiences, and against their possible future in order to be together in any sort of relationship medium, and when they finally do get together? Oh, is it worth it. But I also have to give it to Levithan and Cremer that once their relationship gets going, it doesn't go full-bore screaming in the direction of immediate declarations of true love, which was a pleasant change for YA. It's a slow realization, and one that scares the hell out of both of them, which I found realistic and relatible even though I'm definitely not a teenager anymore. (Romantic) love SHOULD be scary to anyone of any age, and I'm glad that's the way the two authors played it.
I also loved Laurie as the comic relief. Considering what happens to him (or what's just happened to him at the start of the book), the way he accepts Stephen (very cautiously) and what has happened to him, and yet still isn't afraid of his new life was really a joy. We've couched nonheteronormative sexual identity in bullying, hate crime, and suicides for so long, I think that we as a collective contemp YA audience have forgotten how resilient these people, these characters can be, and how quickly they can bounce back even from such terrible experiences as the one that Laurie experienced. It was really a joy to read, and nothing less I'd expect from Levithan. As for Cremer, she did have a little gay action going on in the Nightshade series, but not fleshed out enough for me to really be able to honestly comment on how things worked. Now I can say that yes, she can be able to use gay characters not as sob stories, but as triumph stories, and as regular stories that happen everyday.
As for the big reveal of Elizabeth's true nature and how it relates to Stephen's curse, I can't say I wasn't entirely not expecting it, but I liked the way that played out nonetheless. Their love suddenly becomes this very fragile thing (and it wasn't exactly made of titanium to begin with), and Laurie really becomes part of the main cast here, which was nice. I'm still feeling lukewarm about Millie at this point - mostly because her development and backstory isn't really given to us until/near the climax of the book. Saul was nicely fleshed out as a minor character, and I generally loved how everyone was brought together with Stephen's grandfather as the big bad, and how the entire climax and resolution went down. There isn't a happy ending here - not your usual kind, at least - there's magic, there's ongoing relationship repair, and no big problems (like Stephen's little invisibility problem) don't just disappear thanks to TRUE LOVE(tm). And I thought that was the best way to handle things in terms of ending the book. That was the most satisfying for me because it was also the most realistic, magical realism and paranormal romance aside. We don't always get happy endings, and sometimes, when we do, they're not the ones that we've been promised since we've been children.
Finally, the sensory imagery: for Stephen it's slow (obviously, because he has to try harder), but once the curses really get involved, the ones that Elizabeth try to wrestle are almost a little too intense to handle. To the point where I had to walk away, breathe, and process for awhile. Both of these authors are awesome at sensory imagery and language, so it was a little overpowering at times. But that's definitely not a bad thing, and I really loved how they were able to combine their skills here.
Final verdict? If you can stick with a quiet, slow, insidious little book such as this until the action starts coming at you, I really suggest that you give this book a try. Even if you can't, give it a try anyway - I think you'll find that your patience will definitely pay off. "Invisibility" will be out from Penguin in North America on May 7, 2013, so DEFINITELY check it out when you get the chance. Definitely one of my favorites of 2013 so far, and I'm hoping these two authors team up together once more and bring us something just as awesome as this book.
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
Ever since "Every Day", I've become a Levithan devotee. And I've been a Cremer devotee since "Nightshade", so when I heard these two were writing a book together? I made a noise that wasn't human. I was really anticipating it (seriously in my top ten for early 2013), and I'm so glad it
Show More
pretty much lived up my expectations. While I can see this book may not be for everyone (the pacing is a bit slow, and the big reveals take time and patience to get to), it's well worth the wait for me. Mixing magical realism with contemporary YA lit, "Invisibility" is a wonderful story of magic, and what it takes to really love someone.While a little slow to start, there's magic there from the very first page. And no, I don't mean because Stephen's invisible, but because of the fact that his world, the world shrunk down to his apartment, his New York City and how he interacts with it is so very well-built, and so very sturdy, that it automatically reminded me of the magic we immediately encounter in the opening passages of "Every Day". Which is not a bad thing - this, I've discovered, is Levithan's style when it comes to magical realism. And you know what? He's really good at it. And when it comes to Cremer and the entrance of Elizabeth, she's shown a surprising talent for what seems to be ordinary contemporary YA - but when certain things happen later, she calls upon her talent with paranormal/paranormal romance to really help bring the other half of this book to life. The division of labor here is obvious but extremely well done, and that's what really struck me at first about the first few opening chapters, when Stephen and Elizabeth meet. Both authors use their talent for their characters and so it flows together really well because of it. It's startlingly smooth even if slow at first, but once we start getting more revealed, things take off into a crazy ride that doesn't stop until the end of the book.
Some have called insta-love when it comes to Stephen and Elizabeth's relationship, but (for once), I've found the opposite. There's a lot of inner worldbuilding for both characters (but Stephen's inner world, naturally, is more built), and thus a lot of fighting with oneself about the other person. Cremer and Levithan make it clear from the get-go that this will not be an easy relationship, be it platonic or otherwise, and that everyone (including the audience) is going to have to work really hard for everything to work. I love that both Stephen and Elizabeth have to fight against themselves, against their past experiences, and against their possible future in order to be together in any sort of relationship medium, and when they finally do get together? Oh, is it worth it. But I also have to give it to Levithan and Cremer that once their relationship gets going, it doesn't go full-bore screaming in the direction of immediate declarations of true love, which was a pleasant change for YA. It's a slow realization, and one that scares the hell out of both of them, which I found realistic and relatible even though I'm definitely not a teenager anymore. (Romantic) love SHOULD be scary to anyone of any age, and I'm glad that's the way the two authors played it.
I also loved Laurie as the comic relief. Considering what happens to him (or what's just happened to him at the start of the book), the way he accepts Stephen (very cautiously) and what has happened to him, and yet still isn't afraid of his new life was really a joy. We've couched nonheteronormative sexual identity in bullying, hate crime, and suicides for so long, I think that we as a collective contemp YA audience have forgotten how resilient these people, these characters can be, and how quickly they can bounce back even from such terrible experiences as the one that Laurie experienced. It was really a joy to read, and nothing less I'd expect from Levithan. As for Cremer, she did have a little gay action going on in the Nightshade series, but not fleshed out enough for me to really be able to honestly comment on how things worked. Now I can say that yes, she can be able to use gay characters not as sob stories, but as triumph stories, and as regular stories that happen everyday.
As for the big reveal of Elizabeth's true nature and how it relates to Stephen's curse, I can't say I wasn't entirely not expecting it, but I liked the way that played out nonetheless. Their love suddenly becomes this very fragile thing (and it wasn't exactly made of titanium to begin with), and Laurie really becomes part of the main cast here, which was nice. I'm still feeling lukewarm about Millie at this point - mostly because her development and backstory isn't really given to us until/near the climax of the book. Saul was nicely fleshed out as a minor character, and I generally loved how everyone was brought together with Stephen's grandfather as the big bad, and how the entire climax and resolution went down. There isn't a happy ending here - not your usual kind, at least - there's magic, there's ongoing relationship repair, and no big problems (like Stephen's little invisibility problem) don't just disappear thanks to TRUE LOVE(tm). And I thought that was the best way to handle things in terms of ending the book. That was the most satisfying for me because it was also the most realistic, magical realism and paranormal romance aside. We don't always get happy endings, and sometimes, when we do, they're not the ones that we've been promised since we've been children.
Finally, the sensory imagery: for Stephen it's slow (obviously, because he has to try harder), but once the curses really get involved, the ones that Elizabeth try to wrestle are almost a little too intense to handle. To the point where I had to walk away, breathe, and process for awhile. Both of these authors are awesome at sensory imagery and language, so it was a little overpowering at times. But that's definitely not a bad thing, and I really loved how they were able to combine their skills here.
Final verdict? If you can stick with a quiet, slow, insidious little book such as this until the action starts coming at you, I really suggest that you give this book a try. Even if you can't, give it a try anyway - I think you'll find that your patience will definitely pay off. "Invisibility" will be out from Penguin in North America on May 7, 2013, so DEFINITELY check it out when you get the chance. Definitely one of my favorites of 2013 so far, and I'm hoping these two authors team up together once more and bring us something just as awesome as this book.
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
Show Less
LibraryThing member edspicer
This book really surprised me and I couldn't put it down. It's like a love story, but with a wicked twist. 4Q4P The cover art is awesome and I'd recommend this to middle school and high school students. I chose to read this book because my friend recommended it to me. BeccaB
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: This was an interesting read that I enjoyed, but it was really slow paced so it took a while for me to get through it.
Opening Sentence: I was born invisible.
The Review:
Stephen was born invisible. No one could see him, not even his mother. He is now
Elizabeth’s Family moved to New York City to get away from some things that happened in the last town they lived. After the “incident” Elizabeth drew away from everyone including all of her friends. Moving away was supposed to be a new start for Elizabeth and her family. When she meets Stephen she can’t help but be drawn to him. As they get to know each other feelings start to develop, but then she finds out she is the only person that can see him. Stephen has been cursed by his grandfather who is someone known as a cursecaster. It turns out that Elizabeth is a spellseeker. She has the ability to see curses and spells. She also might be able to help Stephen break his curse, but when Stephen’s evil grandfather comes to town and starts to wreck havoc everywhere he goes they have to change some of their plans. How far are they willing to go to break Stephen’s curse? What price will you be willing to pay because the price could be Elizabeth’s life!
I liked Stephen’s character. It was hard not to feel for him in the story because of his situation, but I thought that he dealt with everything really well. He had a good attitude about everything for the most part. There was a few moments where he would get a little bit whiny about things, but really I was surprised by how positive he was. He’s a pretty mellow person and just really goes with the flow for the most part. His relationship with Elizabeth developed way too quickly but it was still really sweet. It was really fun to watch him interact with somebody for basically the first time in his life. You get to see him grow so much as a character and a person, which made it really easy to connect with him on a deeper level.
Elizabeth has a spunky personality and she was very entertaining. I love how blunt she was and how she would just speak what was on her mind. She goes through a lot throughout the book and she figures out a lot of things about herself. For the most part she handled things well, but there were just a few times that she came across a tad bit annoying. She is brave and determined to help Stefan, which I thought was really admirable but she sometimes makes stupid decisions. Overall, I liked her character but I didn’t love her.
Invisibility is an interesting book with a pretty unique idea. I enjoyed this but it was just a little too slow moving for me. I found myself skimming through parts because I just wasn’t interested in reading everything. Another thing I didn’t like was the instalove. Stephen and Elizabeth had only knew each other for like a week before the L word was spoken. I will admit that I have read stories were they fall in love this vast and it works, but it just seemed really rushed to me in this one. For the most part I really enjoyed the writing, it was very descriptive and flowed well. I like the characters. They each added their own unique spin to the story. The villain was definitely very evil, maybe a little over-the-top but for the most part a very interesting villain. I thought that the paranormal aspects of the story were very intriguing and different from anything else I’ve ever read. The ending was left very open ended, which I thought actually works really well with the story. I don’t think there is a sequel planned, but if one was written I would be interested in reading it. Overall, I would say that this was an entertaining read and if you don’t mind a slower paced book you would probably really enjoy this.
Notable Scene:
As it sinks in, the exhilaration and the horror and the mind-blowing ordinariness of what I am doing all combine into a fierce static of emotions. Elizabeth doesn’t seem to notice this. To her, I am just a boy from down the hall.
Extraordinary.
Somehow I make conversation. Somehow I speak.
She is seeing the face I never get to see, because no mirror has ever caught me.
FTC Advisory: Philomel/Penguin provided me with a copy of Invisibility. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: This was an interesting read that I enjoyed, but it was really slow paced so it took a while for me to get through it.
Opening Sentence: I was born invisible.
The Review:
Stephen was born invisible. No one could see him, not even his mother. He is now
Show More
16 years old and his mother passed away a year ago. His father left when he was young so he lives in his New York City apartment by himself. He lives a simple life since you can order pretty much everything online and have it delivered to your door. Since no one can see him he can do ever he wants, but his mother taught him not to use his invisibility to hurt or take from others. He can still touch and talk to people, but what’s the point when no one can see him. Sure he’s lonely but he is pretty content with his life until Elizabeth moved into the apartment two doors down. Imagine Stephen’s great surprise when he meets this beautiful girl who can actually see him.Elizabeth’s Family moved to New York City to get away from some things that happened in the last town they lived. After the “incident” Elizabeth drew away from everyone including all of her friends. Moving away was supposed to be a new start for Elizabeth and her family. When she meets Stephen she can’t help but be drawn to him. As they get to know each other feelings start to develop, but then she finds out she is the only person that can see him. Stephen has been cursed by his grandfather who is someone known as a cursecaster. It turns out that Elizabeth is a spellseeker. She has the ability to see curses and spells. She also might be able to help Stephen break his curse, but when Stephen’s evil grandfather comes to town and starts to wreck havoc everywhere he goes they have to change some of their plans. How far are they willing to go to break Stephen’s curse? What price will you be willing to pay because the price could be Elizabeth’s life!
I liked Stephen’s character. It was hard not to feel for him in the story because of his situation, but I thought that he dealt with everything really well. He had a good attitude about everything for the most part. There was a few moments where he would get a little bit whiny about things, but really I was surprised by how positive he was. He’s a pretty mellow person and just really goes with the flow for the most part. His relationship with Elizabeth developed way too quickly but it was still really sweet. It was really fun to watch him interact with somebody for basically the first time in his life. You get to see him grow so much as a character and a person, which made it really easy to connect with him on a deeper level.
Elizabeth has a spunky personality and she was very entertaining. I love how blunt she was and how she would just speak what was on her mind. She goes through a lot throughout the book and she figures out a lot of things about herself. For the most part she handled things well, but there were just a few times that she came across a tad bit annoying. She is brave and determined to help Stefan, which I thought was really admirable but she sometimes makes stupid decisions. Overall, I liked her character but I didn’t love her.
Invisibility is an interesting book with a pretty unique idea. I enjoyed this but it was just a little too slow moving for me. I found myself skimming through parts because I just wasn’t interested in reading everything. Another thing I didn’t like was the instalove. Stephen and Elizabeth had only knew each other for like a week before the L word was spoken. I will admit that I have read stories were they fall in love this vast and it works, but it just seemed really rushed to me in this one. For the most part I really enjoyed the writing, it was very descriptive and flowed well. I like the characters. They each added their own unique spin to the story. The villain was definitely very evil, maybe a little over-the-top but for the most part a very interesting villain. I thought that the paranormal aspects of the story were very intriguing and different from anything else I’ve ever read. The ending was left very open ended, which I thought actually works really well with the story. I don’t think there is a sequel planned, but if one was written I would be interested in reading it. Overall, I would say that this was an entertaining read and if you don’t mind a slower paced book you would probably really enjoy this.
Notable Scene:
As it sinks in, the exhilaration and the horror and the mind-blowing ordinariness of what I am doing all combine into a fierce static of emotions. Elizabeth doesn’t seem to notice this. To her, I am just a boy from down the hall.
Extraordinary.
Somehow I make conversation. Somehow I speak.
She is seeing the face I never get to see, because no mirror has ever caught me.
FTC Advisory: Philomel/Penguin provided me with a copy of Invisibility. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: This was an interesting read that I enjoyed, but it was really slow paced so it took a while for me to get through it.
Opening Sentence: I was born invisible.
The Review:
Stephen was born invisible. No one could see him, not even his mother. He is now
Elizabeth’s Family moved to New York City to get away from some things that happened in the last town they lived. After the “incident” Elizabeth drew away from everyone including all of her friends. Moving away was supposed to be a new start for Elizabeth and her family. When she meets Stephen she can’t help but be drawn to him. As they get to know each other feelings start to develop, but then she finds out she is the only person that can see him. Stephen has been cursed by his grandfather who is someone known as a cursecaster. It turns out that Elizabeth is a spellseeker. She has the ability to see curses and spells. She also might be able to help Stephen break his curse, but when Stephen’s evil grandfather comes to town and starts to wreck havoc everywhere he goes they have to change some of their plans. How far are they willing to go to break Stephen’s curse? What price will you be willing to pay because the price could be Elizabeth’s life!
I liked Stephen’s character. It was hard not to feel for him in the story because of his situation, but I thought that he dealt with everything really well. He had a good attitude about everything for the most part. There was a few moments where he would get a little bit whiny about things, but really I was surprised by how positive he was. He’s a pretty mellow person and just really goes with the flow for the most part. His relationship with Elizabeth developed way too quickly but it was still really sweet. It was really fun to watch him interact with somebody for basically the first time in his life. You get to see him grow so much as a character and a person, which made it really easy to connect with him on a deeper level.
Elizabeth has a spunky personality and she was very entertaining. I love how blunt she was and how she would just speak what was on her mind. She goes through a lot throughout the book and she figures out a lot of things about herself. For the most part she handled things well, but there were just a few times that she came across a tad bit annoying. She is brave and determined to help Stefan, which I thought was really admirable but she sometimes makes stupid decisions. Overall, I liked her character but I didn’t love her.
Invisibility is an interesting book with a pretty unique idea. I enjoyed this but it was just a little too slow moving for me. I found myself skimming through parts because I just wasn’t interested in reading everything. Another thing I didn’t like was the instalove. Stephen and Elizabeth had only knew each other for like a week before the L word was spoken. I will admit that I have read stories were they fall in love this vast and it works, but it just seemed really rushed to me in this one. For the most part I really enjoyed the writing, it was very descriptive and flowed well. I like the characters. They each added their own unique spin to the story. The villain was definitely very evil, maybe a little over-the-top but for the most part a very interesting villain. I thought that the paranormal aspects of the story were very intriguing and different from anything else I’ve ever read. The ending was left very open ended, which I thought actually works really well with the story. I don’t think there is a sequel planned, but if one was written I would be interested in reading it. Overall, I would say that this was an entertaining read and if you don’t mind a slower paced book you would probably really enjoy this.
Notable Scene:
As it sinks in, the exhilaration and the horror and the mind-blowing ordinariness of what I am doing all combine into a fierce static of emotions. Elizabeth doesn’t seem to notice this. To her, I am just a boy from down the hall.
Extraordinary.
Somehow I make conversation. Somehow I speak.
She is seeing the face I never get to see, because no mirror has ever caught me.
FTC Advisory: Philomel/Penguin provided me with a copy of Invisibility. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: This was an interesting read that I enjoyed, but it was really slow paced so it took a while for me to get through it.
Opening Sentence: I was born invisible.
The Review:
Stephen was born invisible. No one could see him, not even his mother. He is now
Show More
16 years old and his mother passed away a year ago. His father left when he was young so he lives in his New York City apartment by himself. He lives a simple life since you can order pretty much everything online and have it delivered to your door. Since no one can see him he can do ever he wants, but his mother taught him not to use his invisibility to hurt or take from others. He can still touch and talk to people, but what’s the point when no one can see him. Sure he’s lonely but he is pretty content with his life until Elizabeth moved into the apartment two doors down. Imagine Stephen’s great surprise when he meets this beautiful girl who can actually see him.Elizabeth’s Family moved to New York City to get away from some things that happened in the last town they lived. After the “incident” Elizabeth drew away from everyone including all of her friends. Moving away was supposed to be a new start for Elizabeth and her family. When she meets Stephen she can’t help but be drawn to him. As they get to know each other feelings start to develop, but then she finds out she is the only person that can see him. Stephen has been cursed by his grandfather who is someone known as a cursecaster. It turns out that Elizabeth is a spellseeker. She has the ability to see curses and spells. She also might be able to help Stephen break his curse, but when Stephen’s evil grandfather comes to town and starts to wreck havoc everywhere he goes they have to change some of their plans. How far are they willing to go to break Stephen’s curse? What price will you be willing to pay because the price could be Elizabeth’s life!
I liked Stephen’s character. It was hard not to feel for him in the story because of his situation, but I thought that he dealt with everything really well. He had a good attitude about everything for the most part. There was a few moments where he would get a little bit whiny about things, but really I was surprised by how positive he was. He’s a pretty mellow person and just really goes with the flow for the most part. His relationship with Elizabeth developed way too quickly but it was still really sweet. It was really fun to watch him interact with somebody for basically the first time in his life. You get to see him grow so much as a character and a person, which made it really easy to connect with him on a deeper level.
Elizabeth has a spunky personality and she was very entertaining. I love how blunt she was and how she would just speak what was on her mind. She goes through a lot throughout the book and she figures out a lot of things about herself. For the most part she handled things well, but there were just a few times that she came across a tad bit annoying. She is brave and determined to help Stefan, which I thought was really admirable but she sometimes makes stupid decisions. Overall, I liked her character but I didn’t love her.
Invisibility is an interesting book with a pretty unique idea. I enjoyed this but it was just a little too slow moving for me. I found myself skimming through parts because I just wasn’t interested in reading everything. Another thing I didn’t like was the instalove. Stephen and Elizabeth had only knew each other for like a week before the L word was spoken. I will admit that I have read stories were they fall in love this vast and it works, but it just seemed really rushed to me in this one. For the most part I really enjoyed the writing, it was very descriptive and flowed well. I like the characters. They each added their own unique spin to the story. The villain was definitely very evil, maybe a little over-the-top but for the most part a very interesting villain. I thought that the paranormal aspects of the story were very intriguing and different from anything else I’ve ever read. The ending was left very open ended, which I thought actually works really well with the story. I don’t think there is a sequel planned, but if one was written I would be interested in reading it. Overall, I would say that this was an entertaining read and if you don’t mind a slower paced book you would probably really enjoy this.
Notable Scene:
As it sinks in, the exhilaration and the horror and the mind-blowing ordinariness of what I am doing all combine into a fierce static of emotions. Elizabeth doesn’t seem to notice this. To her, I am just a boy from down the hall.
Extraordinary.
Somehow I make conversation. Somehow I speak.
She is seeing the face I never get to see, because no mirror has ever caught me.
FTC Advisory: Philomel/Penguin provided me with a copy of Invisibility. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
Some very perky dialogue here as well as an absorbing story and likable characters. Not bad for the dollar bin!
LibraryThing member melydia
Steven's been invisible his whole life. Then he meets Elizabeth, who can - inexplicably - see him. This is YA lit, so they're teenagers and there's romance in the offing. And it's all just so terribly charming. I adored it. The ending was a bit more abrupt than I'd hoped, but it was generally
Show More
satisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
This one pulled me in and kept me reading, I enjoyed the characters in it, even the incidental ones, they were a great set of people, the sequel bait ending was interesting. There was often a lack of detail, of drawing people, but overall it's a good read for me. I would like to see a
Elizabeth has moved from Minnesota to New York after her younger brother was badly beaten for being gay. As she's bringing some things into the new apartment she spies a boy, little does she know that he's invisible to everyone but her, a curse his grandfather put on his mother. Through the story they learn to love each other and work on unravelling what his grandfather has done. During it they will find a world of magic and magic within.
I liked it. Maybe not the insta-love but I liked the characters and what they were trying to do.
Show More
sequel.Elizabeth has moved from Minnesota to New York after her younger brother was badly beaten for being gay. As she's bringing some things into the new apartment she spies a boy, little does she know that he's invisible to everyone but her, a curse his grandfather put on his mother. Through the story they learn to love each other and work on unravelling what his grandfather has done. During it they will find a world of magic and magic within.
I liked it. Maybe not the insta-love but I liked the characters and what they were trying to do.
Show Less
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
I'm not sure if it's me or the books I am choosing to read but at the moment I am finding it really hard to connect with anything, I started this book with high hopes having loved "Every Day" and it started well. Stephen was a likeable character and I though the authors were taking me on a journey
Show More
exploring what it means to be human. But, alas, it quickly moved to a romance then, about halfway through, the plot became just too convoluted with cursecasters, spellseekers and the like, which left me cold. Oh well, it's back to the library for another book. Fingers crossed whatever I choose will finally wow me. Feeling jaded :( Show Less
Pages
368