Invisibility

Invisibility
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
12+
Release Date
May 07, 2013
ISBN
0399257608
Buy This Book
      

A magical romance between a boy cursed with invisibility and the one girl who can see him, by New York Times bestselling authors Andrea Cremer and David Levithan.

Stephen is used to invisibility. He was born that way. Invisible. Cursed.

Elizabeth sometimes wishes for invisibility. When you’re invisible, no one can hurt you. So when her mother decides to move the family to New York City, Elizabeth is thrilled. It’s easy to blend in there.

Then Stephen and Elizabeth meet. To Stephen’s amazement, she can see him. And to Elizabeth’s amazement, she wants him to be able to see her—all of her. But as the two become closer, an invisible world gets in their way—a world of grudges and misfortunes, spells and curses. And once they’re thrust into this world, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how deep they’re going to go—because the answer could mean the difference between love and death.

From the critically acclaimed and bestselling authors Andrea Cremer, who wrote the Nigthshade series, and David Levithan, who wrote Every Day and co-wrote Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist with Rachel Cohen and Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green, as well as many other novels, comes a remarkable story about the unseen elements of attraction, the mortal risks of making yourself known, and the invisible desires that live within us all.

User reviews

2 reviews
Overall rating
 
3.8
Plot
 
4.5(2)
Characters
 
3.5(2)
Writing Style
 
3.5(2)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A(0)
Already have an account? or Create an account
View most helpful
Good book about a concept I liked.
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 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.
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
(Updated: August 22, 2013)
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
When I saw this book adorning the shelves of my local library and spotted the two well-known authors who collaborated to create it, I made a mad dash to the checkout line, bouncing on my toes in excitement and muttering soft 'come on, come on, come on' encouragements to the doddering librarian. I could not get it home fast enough. Unfortunately, I had some review books I had to read before I could sink my teeth into this story. I had never read anything by David Levithan, but I had read a few by Andrea Cremer. I found myself constantly wondering who wrote what throughout the story. There were moments of humor that I suspect was David's touch, and some swoonworthy confessions of love that had the distinct Andrea air to it.

This story is essentially a well laid tale about a cursed invisible boy and the love affair he has with the only girl who can see him. Why is she the only one who can see him, you may ask? You will only find the answer in the pages of this book. I am not one for spoilers.

Elizabeth and Stephen, together, learn that the world is not what they once imagined it to be. There is actual magic running rampant through the streets of their NYC home, as well as around the world. This realization spurs the pair into action where, with the help of a creepy "witch" and Elizabeth's jokster of a gay younger brother, they seek out an end to Stephen's invisibility plight. This means tracking down Stephen's malicious grandfather who's only ambition is to cause as much suffering and strife as possible.

To avoid giving away too much I will keep the generalization of the book to a minimum. It is an adventure the reader must take for themselves. Trust me, it won't be a waste of time.

I think what I liked best about this book was the WAY it was written. Don't get me wrong, the story was splendiferous as well, but in most romance driven books it is hard to balance the humor. It either falls flat or turns the book into a mockery. There is a fine line and these two authors navigated it perfectly. However, I did sometimes find Elizabeth and Stephen's romance a bit forced at times. They were together for a short period of time and were already in love and willing to die for each other? Very Romeo and Juliet. Stephen seemed a little too meek for me at some points. I wanted him to "man up" a bit (that's right, Laurie... I said 'man up'!). Those are only a small (microscopic really) part of the book that was so-so for me.

This book read like the beginning of a series. Dare I hope that this may be true?!

Invisibility is the perfect combination of humor, romance, adventure, and magic. It sweeps the reader into a world where unlucky situations or unfortunate circumstances may actually have a reason behind the existences. David Leviathan and Andrea Cremer are a dynamic duo worthy of worship. We're not worthy, David and Andrea! We're not worthy!

Review Posted on: http://www.ladybugliterature.blogspot.com
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Good Story.
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
In the first pages, we meet Stephen, a boy who is invisible. He's lived his whole life, never being able to be seen by anyone. Not even his parents. When his mother dies, Stephen is left all alone and it's all he knows. Until Elizabeth moves into an apartment across the hall. Because Elizabeth is unlike anyone Stephen has ever met before. Elizabeth can see him.
I was very excited to have the opportunity to read Invisibility as part of the ARC tours. I've been looking forward to this book since the premise came out. I'm a huge fan of Andrea's writing, and though I am still to read Bloodrose (a few people kind of spoiled the book for me. No I'm not bitter. Much.), I really enjoyed her Nightshade series. I was also very interested in reading a duo of authors because I have read both good partnerships and bad. After all that, Invisibility left me with mixed feelings.
The writing is still beautiful. Even lyrical in parts. I could feel Stephen and Elizabeth's struggles throughout the book. Stephen is a sad creature, but also a lot happier than you'd expect someone to be in his shoes. That's the part I really enjoyed about him as a character. You really see his appreciation for the little things in life as he works to find the best in the hand he's been dealt.
On the other hand, we meet Elizabeth. She has a few things to deal with as well. I liked her fine as a character, although her stubbornness did get on my nerves a bit. However, that could be a good thing, I'm not sure. My favorite part about Elizabeth was her brother Laurie. He was my favorite character in the whole book. His fierceness, love, and devotion is absolutely beautiful. There really should be more sibling relationships like Elizabeth's and Laurie's. Just saying.
Overall, the book was nicely written but it didn't have as much conflict as I expected leading into it. Sure, there are certain aspects that had to be dealt with in the story, but in the end, I felt like a bit of a let down. One big thing that stood out is that there was no resolution at the end of the book. Well, maybe a tiny little one, but not really. Is this book part of a series? For some reason, I thought it was a stand alone and if that's true, I'm not sure how I feel about it even more.
If you enjoy the writings of Andrea Cremer and David Levithan, you will enjoy Invisibility. There is just something beautiful about love that over comes obstacles, whatever they are.
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0