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secretmagic's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting story and characters, but a little confusing at times. Couldn't follow all the theory on coincidences as much as I would have liked.
3.5/5 stars
3.5/5 stars
danoreading's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting and unusual premise and good characters - a blind character is rare in YA. The execution of the mystery didn't quite work for me and the ending was a little underwhelming. A quiet mystery, kind of like Picture Me Gone, but I found that execution a bit more successful than this one. Very different from Midwinterblood.
keimre734's review against another edition
1.0
I have to be completely honest and state that I did not finish this book. After reading over 100 pages into She Is No Invisible, I had to put the book down and walk away. A 16 year old girl and her little brother fly across an ocean in search of their "missing" father. I do not remember exactly where Laureth and her brother are from but I do remember it is somewhere in Europe. I am an American from the Midwest, so I am not too familiar with many European countries, but I am sure that they have some sort of Emergency Number that Laureth should have called when she started to think that her father was missing. Perhaps something similar to our 9-1-1 Emergency System? I am not sure how they do things over in Europe, but in America, children are taught from a very early age that if you or someone around you is hurt or in harms way, you should pick up the nearest phone and alert the proper authorities as to what is going on.
As I read along in She Is Not Invisible, I kept thinking about the TV Show Dora the Explorer. Every time I see that TV Show, it makes me wonder where in the world are her parents and why is no one watching out for her. Young children should not be traipsing around the country side looking for things (or people for that matter!)
As I read along in She Is Not Invisible, I kept thinking about the TV Show Dora the Explorer. Every time I see that TV Show, it makes me wonder where in the world are her parents and why is no one watching out for her. Young children should not be traipsing around the country side looking for things (or people for that matter!)
megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
4.0
I am a fan of Marcus Sedgwick ever since I read Blood Red, Snow White and I have been slowly making my way through his books. She Is Not Invisible is written fairly simple that makes for an easy read, and allows you to easily get to know the characters. I think this is a great book, especially as it adds light on how society reacts to disabled people, and those who are visually impaired and the protagonist Laureth Peak is blind. Therefore She Is Not Invisible adds some diversity and originality to the YA contemporary genre, which is really great. Some great characters, with some good development and relationships with a nice mystery thrown in.
Overall, an enjoyable and refreshing read.
Overall, an enjoyable and refreshing read.
mehsi's review against another edition
3.0
A quite boring book at times. Not much happened, and the story made at times no sense.
What in Heavens name possesses a BLIND girl to go on a plane, take her little brother, and go find her dad? I mean seriously, what?
She totally relies on her brother for a big part of the book, I had hoped a girl who would get it in her stupid head to go on an plane to the US would have more independence.
I can imagine at times she doesn't want people to know why she is blind, because, by Gods, the people are just mean/rude/condescending towards her. Which is another thing I was annoyed by. Practically everyone (like when the newsreport came on) thinks she is sad, weak, and can't do anything by herself.
I didn't like the notebook part, they are mostly too confusing or too boring and I didn't really particularly care for them.
I did love the fact this book is about a blind person and how they do things (at least going through cities and such). There should be more books with a blind main character.
All in all a nice book, but prepare to be bored, or to facepalm. :)
Review first posted at: http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
What in Heavens name possesses a BLIND girl to go on a plane, take her little brother, and go find her dad? I mean seriously, what?
She totally relies on her brother for a big part of the book, I had hoped a girl who would get it in her stupid head to go on an plane to the US would have more independence.
I can imagine at times she doesn't want people to know why she is blind, because, by Gods, the people are just mean/rude/condescending towards her. Which is another thing I was annoyed by. Practically everyone (like when the newsreport came on) thinks she is sad, weak, and can't do anything by herself.
I didn't like the notebook part, they are mostly too confusing or too boring and I didn't really particularly care for them.
I did love the fact this book is about a blind person and how they do things (at least going through cities and such). There should be more books with a blind main character.
All in all a nice book, but prepare to be bored, or to facepalm. :)
Review first posted at: http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
emleemay's review against another edition
2.0
I honestly think that Marcus Sedgwick is one of the most underrated writers that I've ever read. His books often leave me feeling mesmerised long after I've left the final page behind. He doesn't care about trends or pleasing people. He delivers unique stories and interesting narratives - each of which is nothing like the last. He writes in different genres and isn't afraid to cross the lines of them and make you wonder exactly what you've let yourself in for. I have a lot of admiration for him. From the beautifully written historical fiction of [b:Revolver|6491917|Revolver|Marcus Sedgwick|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319727900s/6491917.jpg|6683327], to the strange but compelling fantasy of [b:Midwinterblood|10836471|Midwinterblood|Marcus Sedgwick|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319727124s/10836471.jpg|15750616], he has always seemed to deliver. Which, I think, makes [b:She Is Not Invisible|17839197|She Is Not Invisible|Marcus Sedgwick|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378830555s/17839197.jpg|24963141] doubly disappointing.
This book tries. You can see it trying from page one. Maybe, you might say, it tries too hard. I was initially delighted by the introduction of a blind teen protagonist - not something I am too familiar with - and the engaging opening that presents us with a bizarre mystery. In this story, Laureth Peak's father is a famous writer who appears to have gone missing. He is supposed to be doing research in Europe but all is apparently not what it seems when someone contacts Laureth informing her that her father's notebook has been found in New York. Afraid for her father's safety and perhaps even his sanity, Laureth runs away with her brother on a mission to locate their missing parent after the other one seems unconcerned. Even inexperienced readers will find themselves mentally working through the possibilities of what could have happened - good news is, you're all probably wrong.
But there's bad news too. Or there was for me. Firstly, there's a lack of believability in everything that happens in this novel. I can suspend disbelief quite a lot, I really can. But not only does Laureth manage to fool numerous airport staff into letting a blind sixteen-year-old girl leave the country with her kid brother, she also manages to sufficiently distract the security at the New York airport enough that they simply wave her through. That's right. The security staff at an airport were like "oh well, we're a bit distracted with this other thing over here so go on through". The book was already losing me by this point.
The problems I had with the believability were a real shame. More so in this than other books because I really appreciated the author trying to realistically portray the way a blind person perceives the world. Through Laureth, I had the opportunity to think about things I don't normally consider and understand a bit more about the difficulties facing people with little to no eyesight. It made for some sad and terrifying scenes in the book. But it still failed in the end, if you ask me. The book became a joke with every ridiculous turn it took and this detracted from what had started as something really special.
Though perhaps the thing I disliked most were the attempts to make this book deeply philosophical. This is what I mean when I said it tried too hard. Unlike the other novels I've read by this author, the book set out to convey a message, not to tell a story. And it didn't work. The slow build-up was manageable only because it seemed to promise a wow factor somewhere down the line... it was anticlimactic, to say the least. The main story is split up with pages of Laureth's father's notebook which talks about coincidence, patterns of the universe, Einstein (amongst other scientists) and the general meaning of it all. It asked big questions but seemed to end with a shrug of its metaphorical shoulders that left me feeling like I'd just wasted the last couple of hours. Very disappointing.
gordonk's review
5.0
A thriller unlike any other I've encountered. Not the most action packed, but definitely intense, and full of character.
cornmaven's review against another edition
4.0
Sedgwick explores the nature of coincidence in this story of a blind British girl embarking on a journey to America to find her father. There are expository passages, rendered in separate fonts, about the greats of our time and their obsession with coincidence, whether it exists, and what it is if it doesn't. I found that all very interesting; would a young adult, though? I am not sure.
The story as it unfolded was intriguing because you are experiencing it from Laureth's perspective, so some scenes are only described in cursory terms; Laureth herself only gets details if her younger brother Benjamin, all of 7 years, is prompted for them or delivers them voluntarily, which a 7 year old is not exactly programmed to do as a matter of course. So, why, for example, does The Black King hotel have a sort of club atmosphere when you walk in, and why are all of the corridors so very dark? I never did understand why, which was kind of interesting in its own way.
I loved that Sedgwick used his own obsession with the number 354 to tell this tale. But, if Laureth and Benjamin hadn't ended up where they did at the end, they would have run out of the ATM money pretty quickly with all of the cab rides they took! ;-) I really kind of wished Sedgwick had had them go on the subway once in awhile. That would have been more interesting adventures.
It was a quick read for me, and I appreciated all of Laureth's comments about interacting with the seeing population and how that is for a blind person.
The story as it unfolded was intriguing because you are experiencing it from Laureth's perspective, so some scenes are only described in cursory terms; Laureth herself only gets details if her younger brother Benjamin, all of 7 years, is prompted for them or delivers them voluntarily, which a 7 year old is not exactly programmed to do as a matter of course. So, why, for example, does The Black King hotel have a sort of club atmosphere when you walk in, and why are all of the corridors so very dark? I never did understand why, which was kind of interesting in its own way.
I loved that Sedgwick used his own obsession with the number 354 to tell this tale. But, if Laureth and Benjamin hadn't ended up where they did at the end, they would have run out of the ATM money pretty quickly with all of the cab rides they took! ;-) I really kind of wished Sedgwick had had them go on the subway once in awhile. That would have been more interesting adventures.
It was a quick read for me, and I appreciated all of Laureth's comments about interacting with the seeing population and how that is for a blind person.
mollylooby's review against another edition
4.0
Blurb
TWO DRIED MICE. A FLUFFY RAVEN CALLED STAN. A SUICIDAL AUSTRALIAN BIOLOGIST . . .
Is it coincidence or something more sinister that draws them together? Many strange things collide in Laureth Peak's life one hot August weekend. Perhaps the strangest of all is the way her dad had been acting lately. And now he's disappeared. It looks as if his obsession with coincidence might have fatal consequences.
As Laureth sets off for New York with her strange younger brother, Benjamin, she has little faith in herself. But she has a burning determination to find her missing father. She has just one clue to follow; his notebook. Does it contain salvation, or madness?
My Review
Now I'm not fond of the blurb. In fact, I wasn't going to pick this book up at all because of it. The reason I did is down to my partner - who doesn't read. He said it sounded good and that intrigued me because I couldn't see it. So here I am with the book on my shelf. And let me tell you, I'm glad he made me reconsider.
'She Is Not Invisible' was a great, easy read. So easy in fact, I struggled to put it down. I read the whole thing - all 354 pages of it - in just one day. It might have been the mystery or the tone and rhythm of the narration, I don't know, but I just fell into it.
I loved Laureth's narration so I was on to a winner. The narrative jumped around in a natural chatty way that was surprisingly easy to follow. I also found Laureth realistic and relatable. By the end, I really wanted to be her friend - which happens to me a lot. However, Laureth's brother, Benjamin, took longer for me to warm up to. Perhaps that was because I felt he was too babyish for seven sometimes. But as the book went on and I got to know the character better, I realised why Sedgwick had written him that way and I took my snap judgement back.
Laureth's father is a writer and every time she mentioned him or his work or his process, I just ate it up. I love to hear about authors in books and that'll always be the case. It always has been."Maybe writers are just a bit bonkers anyway." How can you not love that?
What really blew me away though was how it all came together. The last few paragraphs particularly, made me insanely happy. I won't be able to explain it, but if you read the book, you'll know just what I'm talking about.
Let me leave you with this. 'She Is Not Invisible' is an incredibly clever book that gets cleverer and cleverer as you read it. I will most definitely remember this book for a long time.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10
Would I recommend it? Yes! It is too clever to miss and so easy to pick up.
Would I look up the author? Yes. I'd like to see what other 'diamonds and pearls' Sedgwick has written.
'She Is Not Invisible' is an insanely clever book I enjoyed every moment of.
First Blogged Here: http://bit.ly/FangsClawsandWings
TWO DRIED MICE. A FLUFFY RAVEN CALLED STAN. A SUICIDAL AUSTRALIAN BIOLOGIST . . .
Is it coincidence or something more sinister that draws them together? Many strange things collide in Laureth Peak's life one hot August weekend. Perhaps the strangest of all is the way her dad had been acting lately. And now he's disappeared. It looks as if his obsession with coincidence might have fatal consequences.
As Laureth sets off for New York with her strange younger brother, Benjamin, she has little faith in herself. But she has a burning determination to find her missing father. She has just one clue to follow; his notebook. Does it contain salvation, or madness?
My Review
Now I'm not fond of the blurb. In fact, I wasn't going to pick this book up at all because of it. The reason I did is down to my partner - who doesn't read. He said it sounded good and that intrigued me because I couldn't see it. So here I am with the book on my shelf. And let me tell you, I'm glad he made me reconsider.
'She Is Not Invisible' was a great, easy read. So easy in fact, I struggled to put it down. I read the whole thing - all 354 pages of it - in just one day. It might have been the mystery or the tone and rhythm of the narration, I don't know, but I just fell into it.
I loved Laureth's narration so I was on to a winner. The narrative jumped around in a natural chatty way that was surprisingly easy to follow. I also found Laureth realistic and relatable. By the end, I really wanted to be her friend - which happens to me a lot. However, Laureth's brother, Benjamin, took longer for me to warm up to. Perhaps that was because I felt he was too babyish for seven sometimes. But as the book went on and I got to know the character better, I realised why Sedgwick had written him that way and I took my snap judgement back.
Laureth's father is a writer and every time she mentioned him or his work or his process, I just ate it up. I love to hear about authors in books and that'll always be the case. It always has been."Maybe writers are just a bit bonkers anyway." How can you not love that?
What really blew me away though was how it all came together. The last few paragraphs particularly, made me insanely happy. I won't be able to explain it, but if you read the book, you'll know just what I'm talking about.
Let me leave you with this. 'She Is Not Invisible' is an incredibly clever book that gets cleverer and cleverer as you read it. I will most definitely remember this book for a long time.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10
Would I recommend it? Yes! It is too clever to miss and so easy to pick up.
Would I look up the author? Yes. I'd like to see what other 'diamonds and pearls' Sedgwick has written.
'She Is Not Invisible' is an insanely clever book I enjoyed every moment of.
First Blogged Here: http://bit.ly/FangsClawsandWings
mmpickart's review against another edition
3.0
She Is Not Invisible is a fun, fast mystery about a blind girl, Laureth, whose father has gone missing and goes on a hunt to find him. To make matters worse, Laureth's mother seems disinterested in their father's disappearance, so 16-year-old Laureth runs away to the United States to find him, and she takes her 7-year old brother to help her. Laureth's father has spent many years writing a book about coincidences and researching the scientific theories behind coincidences, and he has shared what he has learned with his children. Laureth believes she can find her father using the clues that have been left behind before something really terrible happens to him.
This book was really fast paced, which I enjoyed. I also enjoyed trying to find all the hidden messages in the book while I was reading, and if I hadn't known about the hidden messages, I probably would have wanted to read the book again. (For more about the hidden messages, watch this video from the author: https://youtu.be/sJHVzk_vshg. For some more information but some slight spoilers, go here: http://imgur.com/gallery/rpkiw.)
Another plus to the book: I learned a lot while reading it, and it was fascinating. The only downside to the book was the ending seemed a too...easy? Not necessarily forced, but definitely not what I was expecting and I was a little disappointed. But overall, it was still a good book and it generated a lot of discussion in my teen book club.
This book was really fast paced, which I enjoyed. I also enjoyed trying to find all the hidden messages in the book while I was reading, and if I hadn't known about the hidden messages, I probably would have wanted to read the book again. (For more about the hidden messages, watch this video from the author: https://youtu.be/sJHVzk_vshg. For some more information but some slight spoilers, go here: http://imgur.com/gallery/rpkiw.)
Another plus to the book: I learned a lot while reading it, and it was fascinating. The only downside to the book was the ending seemed a too...easy? Not necessarily forced, but definitely not what I was expecting and I was a little disappointed. But overall, it was still a good book and it generated a lot of discussion in my teen book club.