blaarrosir's review
1.0
Instant true love on third date. True love which then consumes the two characters so much that the plot of the entire book is just an afterthought, an aside. No, thank you.
bibliophile_booklover's review
4.0
Would have preferred a happier ending. A little anticlimactic. I wish I wasn't a standalone because there are still unresolved issues.
pollyroth's review
1.0
1.5 Stars
I got to say, I am extremely disappointed in this book. I picked it up thinking there'd be that cheesy yet irresistible "we are meant for each other" kind of romance going on. It just didn't happen.
So, I'd like to point out that the original summary Goodreads put up said nothing about spells and curses casters and that nonsense. It also doesn't point out that this is a shared point of view book. The current one is actually quite accurate, save for the romance. Stephen is invisible and Elizabeth wishes she could disappear. They meet and are suddenly thrust in a world where spells and curse casters and everything else you can imagine exist. They have one goal: break the curse that makes Stephen invisible.
So one of the main problems with this book is Elizabeth's point of view. It just seemed unnecessary and she came off as shallow and uninteresting. Everything we learned about her through her chapters could have easily been learned with a few ACTUAL conversations between her and Stephen. They could have talked and we could have learned about her brother being gay or some events that she goes through alone as long as she describes it with through description. It would have have cut out useless pages and kept me more interested throughout the book. And because we have her point of view as well, she never tells Stephen anything she goes through. He gets one sentence summaries of the event and nothing more.
Which bring me to my next complaint: Stephen and Elizabeth's lack of relationship building. By the end, Stephen and Elizabeth know no more about each other than in the fourth chapter. They've barely spoken two full conversations! And then they claim they're in love with each other! They've never really had a real, deep conversation and Elizabeth's already seeing he's different, and Stephen's telling her he loves her! So it's obviously insta-love right? And I can forgive insta-love if they really seem in love and are a perfect match. And I'm sorry, but they don't seem like they could even date even in middle school. And really, Stephen's love doesn't contribute for much considering he's never had a conversation with a girl other than his mom! His love is really for what she can do, which is see him. He doesn't really love her; he loves that someone can finally see him. Oh, and you know how when you're in love or you really like someone you're hungry for their presence, kiss, everything? You can tell they're not to even the point of really like by the way Stephen describes their alone time. He basically says they kiss, yes, but not too deeply. Their actions never come anywhere close to sex. And they're not ready for that. They don't know each other well enough. They don't want each other like that yet. So, from that I basically learned that you can love someone without knowing them very much, and you can also love some that way but not want to have any physical connection. I'm sorry but that makes no sense whatsoever. They seem in crush stages. Weak crush stage.
This book, for as long as it was, had no description at all. I was constantly wondering what Millie's age was! They made several references that she seemed old, but HOW OLD!? 60? 70? 45? You have absolutely no idea! Elizabeth is described once in this book. It would have been nice to be reminded from time to time what her hair color was. And there are ways to do this! "I idly twirled my finger around my (insert color because I have no idea) colored hair." And the same goes for Stephen! The one advantage to having Elizabeth's point of view is knowing what Stephen looks like. And she describes him twice! It would, once again, be nice to know what he looks like because even though he'd be air to the rest of us, I can't imagine air talking.
Finally, this book lacked interesting qualities in the middle. The first hundred pages were fast and, as long as Stephen was POVing, it was interesting and I could keep reading. And the same went for the last hundred pages. But the middle hundred pages were boring as hell. Learning about the world Stephen's curse originated from put me to sleep! The authors did it in such a way that I didn't care about the technicalities or the little details. I just wanted that dramatic confrontation with Stephen's grandfather.
Oh, and I just want to ask: What kind of mother doesn't tell her son why he, and only he, is invisible?!?! No mother would keep this from their child. That's just cruel. But what I really don't get is that even though his mother did this, Stephen thought she was amazing! Like she did no wrong to him. He didn't seem the least bit angry he'd never shared any of this with him, and continued to worship her. And I also don't get why Stephen's so mean to his dad. I mean seriously, he's trying the best he can.
Hugely disappointing. Reminds me of Crave in the sense that I thought I'd get a love story, and ended up with blah. It was only slightly better actually.
I got to say, I am extremely disappointed in this book. I picked it up thinking there'd be that cheesy yet irresistible "we are meant for each other" kind of romance going on. It just didn't happen.
So, I'd like to point out that the original summary Goodreads put up said nothing about spells and curses casters and that nonsense. It also doesn't point out that this is a shared point of view book. The current one is actually quite accurate, save for the romance. Stephen is invisible and Elizabeth wishes she could disappear. They meet and are suddenly thrust in a world where spells and curse casters and everything else you can imagine exist. They have one goal: break the curse that makes Stephen invisible.
So one of the main problems with this book is Elizabeth's point of view. It just seemed unnecessary and she came off as shallow and uninteresting. Everything we learned about her through her chapters could have easily been learned with a few ACTUAL conversations between her and Stephen. They could have talked and we could have learned about her brother being gay or some events that she goes through alone as long as she describes it with through description. It would have have cut out useless pages and kept me more interested throughout the book. And because we have her point of view as well, she never tells Stephen anything she goes through. He gets one sentence summaries of the event and nothing more.
Which bring me to my next complaint: Stephen and Elizabeth's lack of relationship building. By the end, Stephen and Elizabeth know no more about each other than in the fourth chapter. They've barely spoken two full conversations! And then they claim they're in love with each other! They've never really had a real, deep conversation and Elizabeth's already seeing he's different, and Stephen's telling her he loves her! So it's obviously insta-love right? And I can forgive insta-love if they really seem in love and are a perfect match. And I'm sorry, but they don't seem like they could even date even in middle school. And really, Stephen's love doesn't contribute for much considering he's never had a conversation with a girl other than his mom! His love is really for what she can do, which is see him. He doesn't really love her; he loves that someone can finally see him. Oh, and you know how when you're in love or you really like someone you're hungry for their presence, kiss, everything? You can tell they're not to even the point of really like by the way Stephen describes their alone time. He basically says they kiss, yes, but not too deeply. Their actions never come anywhere close to sex. And they're not ready for that. They don't know each other well enough. They don't want each other like that yet. So, from that I basically learned that you can love someone without knowing them very much, and you can also love some that way but not want to have any physical connection. I'm sorry but that makes no sense whatsoever. They seem in crush stages. Weak crush stage.
This book, for as long as it was, had no description at all. I was constantly wondering what Millie's age was! They made several references that she seemed old, but HOW OLD!? 60? 70? 45? You have absolutely no idea! Elizabeth is described once in this book. It would have been nice to be reminded from time to time what her hair color was. And there are ways to do this! "I idly twirled my finger around my (insert color because I have no idea) colored hair." And the same goes for Stephen! The one advantage to having Elizabeth's point of view is knowing what Stephen looks like. And she describes him twice! It would, once again, be nice to know what he looks like because even though he'd be air to the rest of us, I can't imagine air talking.
Finally, this book lacked interesting qualities in the middle. The first hundred pages were fast and, as long as Stephen was POVing, it was interesting and I could keep reading. And the same went for the last hundred pages. But the middle hundred pages were boring as hell. Learning about the world Stephen's curse originated from put me to sleep! The authors did it in such a way that I didn't care about the technicalities or the little details. I just wanted that dramatic confrontation with Stephen's grandfather.
Oh, and I just want to ask: What kind of mother doesn't tell her son why he, and only he, is invisible?!?! No mother would keep this from their child. That's just cruel. But what I really don't get is that even though his mother did this, Stephen thought she was amazing! Like she did no wrong to him. He didn't seem the least bit angry he'd never shared any of this with him, and continued to worship her. And I also don't get why Stephen's so mean to his dad. I mean seriously, he's trying the best he can.
Hugely disappointing. Reminds me of Crave in the sense that I thought I'd get a love story, and ended up with blah. It was only slightly better actually.
jnharris10's review
3.0
An engaging, quick read but definitely a typical YA supernatural romance. I'm a huge Levithan fan and absolutely loved Stephan's POV. That being said, Cremer's chapters with Elizabeth just didn't capture my attention. I actually disliked Elizabeth and found her to be annoyingly arrogant and selfish. It's difficult to keep pace with an author like Levithan, whose words flow so poetically across the page but I do give props to Cremer for trying.
lazygal's review
5.0
One of those "darn! I wish I'd read this in paper" books because I'm sure that the differentiation between the voices of Elizabeth/Jo and Stephen would be so much clearer than it was on my Kindle. Anyway...
Such an interesting idea: a boy was cursed before birth to being invisible. He lives with his mother (who has never seen, only held, him) in NYC, not going to school and not really interacting with people. Not going to school. Waiting for the doorman to open the door so he can enter and exit the building. Dad has left, but still pays the bills, which really helps when Mom dies because people assume Dad is still living in the apartment (or at least using it as a pied-a-terre in the city) so there's no worry about Stephen being homeless. And then one day, the new girl-next-door starts talking to him, because she can see him. Has the curse been reversed?
This could only have been set in a city like New York, with food delivery a norm for many residents, and where people really don't pay that much attention to what's going on around them. Using places like Central Park's Ramble and Times Square just made the setting that much more real, and highlighted Stephen's aloneness. His friendship with Elizabeth (or should we call her Jo?) is so sweet at first, then fraught when she learns he's actually invisible to everyone else (including her preternaturally unflappable gay younger brother Laurie). All three become friends, and it didn't feel forced or weird that one was invisible, the other two siblings. Their activities and conversations being so real speak to the talents of the authors.
The cursecaster/spellseeker relationship was interesting, as was Elizabeth's battle with Stephen's curse. By the end, with the curse not lifted, I really was happy that there wasn't a pat "and they all lived happily ever after" summation but... is this a prelude to a sequel? Please, no. This was so good As Is.
ARC provided by publisher.
Such an interesting idea: a boy was cursed before birth to being invisible. He lives with his mother (who has never seen, only held, him) in NYC, not going to school and not really interacting with people. Not going to school. Waiting for the doorman to open the door so he can enter and exit the building. Dad has left, but still pays the bills, which really helps when Mom dies because people assume Dad is still living in the apartment (or at least using it as a pied-a-terre in the city) so there's no worry about Stephen being homeless. And then one day, the new girl-next-door starts talking to him, because she can see him. Has the curse been reversed?
This could only have been set in a city like New York, with food delivery a norm for many residents, and where people really don't pay that much attention to what's going on around them. Using places like Central Park's Ramble and Times Square just made the setting that much more real, and highlighted Stephen's aloneness. His friendship with Elizabeth (or should we call her Jo?) is so sweet at first, then fraught when she learns he's actually invisible to everyone else (including her preternaturally unflappable gay younger brother Laurie). All three become friends, and it didn't feel forced or weird that one was invisible, the other two siblings. Their activities and conversations being so real speak to the talents of the authors.
The cursecaster/spellseeker relationship was interesting, as was Elizabeth's battle with Stephen's curse. By the end, with the curse not lifted, I really was happy that there wasn't a pat "and they all lived happily ever after" summation but... is this a prelude to a sequel? Please, no. This was so good As Is.
ARC provided by publisher.
justineduhart's review
4.0
Is this really a one-shot? oO
I looooove David Levithan's writing. Stephen & Laurie are genuinely amazing.
Elizabeth is great in the beginning, then annoying as the story gets deeper into the supernatural dimension of the story and gets better towards the end.
The story is pretty cool and I realized I was glad not to be invisible...
I looooove David Levithan's writing. Stephen & Laurie are genuinely amazing.
Elizabeth is great in the beginning, then annoying as the story gets deeper into the supernatural dimension of the story and gets better towards the end.
The story is pretty cool and I realized I was glad not to be invisible...
siobhan27's review
5.0
Where do I even start with reviewing this book? Andrea Cremer and David Levithan are amazingly talented on their own, but together they were brilliant. This book combined the issues and feelings that David is so good at portraying, with the supernatural world of the unknown that Andrea is so brilliant at creating. It was a perfect combination.
Stephen is invisible, always has been. And in his short life he has already had to become accustomed to do everything for himself. His mother is dead, and his father is nothing but a bank account. So when Elizabeth moves in across the hall, he expects that things will be as they always were. Except she can see him, and he has no idea why. It is then that the lives they both know shatter into a million pieces.
This novel had so many layers, more than some books I have read lately. On one hand Stephen is invisible on a physical level, but he also has the personality of someone who ha been ignored by those around him. And it is something that most people can identify with. Yes, Stephens is invisible because of a curse, but that does not take away the real life implications of feeling invisible. I love how David and Andrea treat these seemigly mundane teenage feelings and make them the forfront of the story. And sometimes you forget the understone beneath the supernatural element of the story.
Lets not forget about Elizabeth and her brother Laurie. I honestly feel like it would not have a true David Levithan novel if it did not touch upon the topics of gender and sexuality. This part of the story was my favouite for many reasons. One, because it showcased the bond between siblings through a horrible hate crime that rocked both Laurie and Elizabeth, and two because it allows readers to see, through Lauries personlaity and joy of life, that events like that do not define you. The book would not have been the same without their relationship.
The love story between Elizabeth and Stephen was sudden and deliberate. They needed each other in ways they never expected and I thought the added element of the paranormal world was intriguing and fascinating. It was a brilliant mash up of two authors' talents that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.
Stephen is invisible, always has been. And in his short life he has already had to become accustomed to do everything for himself. His mother is dead, and his father is nothing but a bank account. So when Elizabeth moves in across the hall, he expects that things will be as they always were. Except she can see him, and he has no idea why. It is then that the lives they both know shatter into a million pieces.
This novel had so many layers, more than some books I have read lately. On one hand Stephen is invisible on a physical level, but he also has the personality of someone who ha been ignored by those around him. And it is something that most people can identify with. Yes, Stephens is invisible because of a curse, but that does not take away the real life implications of feeling invisible. I love how David and Andrea treat these seemigly mundane teenage feelings and make them the forfront of the story. And sometimes you forget the understone beneath the supernatural element of the story.
Lets not forget about Elizabeth and her brother Laurie. I honestly feel like it would not have a true David Levithan novel if it did not touch upon the topics of gender and sexuality. This part of the story was my favouite for many reasons. One, because it showcased the bond between siblings through a horrible hate crime that rocked both Laurie and Elizabeth, and two because it allows readers to see, through Lauries personlaity and joy of life, that events like that do not define you. The book would not have been the same without their relationship.
The love story between Elizabeth and Stephen was sudden and deliberate. They needed each other in ways they never expected and I thought the added element of the paranormal world was intriguing and fascinating. It was a brilliant mash up of two authors' talents that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.
lindacbugg's review
4.0
I had really high hopes for this book because I loved [b:Every Day|13262783|Every Day|David Levithan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356993940s/13262783.jpg|18464379] when I read it last year and I have to say I was not disappointed. I have yet to read any of the other titles David Levithan has co-written with other YA authors but if this is any indication of the enjoyment I'm in for I have several new titles to add to my reading list.
Have you ever felt invisible--that people just don't see you? For Stephen this is his reality owing to a curse his Grandfather placed on his mother. Imagine how much his life changes when he realizes his new neighbor Elizabeth (and only Elizabeth) can see him. What follows is a tale of romance and cursecasters and spellseekers.
I loved the relationship between Stephen and Elizabeth. How Stephen is reluctant at first to tell Elizabeth the truth of his life
"It is only when I get home that I feel the weight again,of all the things I cannot tell her, of all the things I am."
or after they have formed a bond he is unsure of what others seem to know about relationships, what he's missed out on by being invisible
"There are times--times like now--when I wonder if being invisible is the only thing I'm good at. It feels like there's too much to catch up on, too much that everyone else already knows. If we build our current relationships from the relics of old relationships, I am starting without any material."
Laurie, Elizabeth's brother, added great comic relief and was my favorite character. Just the perfect amount of snark and as someone who had his own demons to overcome, his message of overcoming adversity without being all sickly sweet about it was perfect.
As it stands now this is a stand alone novel but I heard somewhere there may be a sequel which I would read in a heartbeat.
Buy this title from Powells Books.
Have you ever felt invisible--that people just don't see you? For Stephen this is his reality owing to a curse his Grandfather placed on his mother. Imagine how much his life changes when he realizes his new neighbor Elizabeth (and only Elizabeth) can see him. What follows is a tale of romance and cursecasters and spellseekers.
I loved the relationship between Stephen and Elizabeth. How Stephen is reluctant at first to tell Elizabeth the truth of his life
"It is only when I get home that I feel the weight again,of all the things I cannot tell her, of all the things I am."
or after they have formed a bond he is unsure of what others seem to know about relationships, what he's missed out on by being invisible
"There are times--times like now--when I wonder if being invisible is the only thing I'm good at. It feels like there's too much to catch up on, too much that everyone else already knows. If we build our current relationships from the relics of old relationships, I am starting without any material."
Laurie, Elizabeth's brother, added great comic relief and was my favorite character. Just the perfect amount of snark and as someone who had his own demons to overcome, his message of overcoming adversity without being all sickly sweet about it was perfect.
As it stands now this is a stand alone novel but I heard somewhere there may be a sequel which I would read in a heartbeat.
Buy this title from Powells Books.
holly_tree's review
3.0
When will I learn? The books you can find at Target will never, never be the quality that I'm wanting? Just because I found the Shiver trilogy there once in paperback doesn't make up for the dozen of mediocre books I risk my money on.
So, while I enjoyed this book, I felt the flow was off. Some chapters lagged, and then the next chapter would speed on by, and then we'd go back to lagging...
Short of it: The first half was the best-- it was more every-day-y. Laurie is the best character; he gets booted out of most of the second half. Elizabeth is ornery, disappointingly so. Stephen seems unreal-sweet, except when he gets mad at his dad. Then he's as witchy as Elizabeth. Plot holes.
If the sequel showed up on my doorstep for free, 50/50 chance I'd read it. Otherwise.... ehh.
So, while I enjoyed this book, I felt the flow was off. Some chapters lagged, and then the next chapter would speed on by, and then we'd go back to lagging...
Short of it: The first half was the best-- it was more every-day-y. Laurie is the best character; he gets booted out of most of the second half. Elizabeth is ornery, disappointingly so. Stephen seems unreal-sweet, except when he gets mad at his dad. Then he's as witchy as Elizabeth. Plot holes.
If the sequel showed up on my doorstep for free, 50/50 chance I'd read it. Otherwise.... ehh.
jenbsbooks's review
3.0
I quite liked this. I listened to the audio download from my library. Both narrators were good. The girl's voice was especially engaging. When the two different narrators would do some of the same voices however (as they voiced each other, or the especially the character "Millie") they were so different it would throw me off somewhat.
The story was quite intriguing to me. Steven's invisibility. Clothes worn, food consumed ... also invisible upon contact. Even his form is somewhat physically transparent, he has to concentrate to be "real" enough to pick things up, open doors, to be heard speaking, etc.
Of course, having read the blurb, I was expecting that moment when he realizes someone (Elizabeth) can see him. Still, it was fun to experience it... and a little later, when Elizabeth realizes not everyone can see Steven.
All that alone is an interesting enough story ... I guess there did need to be a reason for it all, but the whole curse-casters and spell seeking stuff did get a little convoluted. While there didn't seem to be a ton of either out in the world, there seemed to be a ton of curses on everyone, everywhere, and of course things became even more crazy when Steven's grandfather came back into the picture.
I must admit, I often get a little distracted with audio and I'm multi-tasking as I listen. Especially true in the final chapters of the book (headphones on while watching a basketball game). I think I might check-out the book and quickly skim the ending, just to make sure I caught everything. Closure. Also rather nice to have a stand-alone book that is done with one ... not a series.
The story was quite intriguing to me. Steven's invisibility. Clothes worn, food consumed ... also invisible upon contact. Even his form is somewhat physically transparent, he has to concentrate to be "real" enough to pick things up, open doors, to be heard speaking, etc.
Of course, having read the blurb, I was expecting that moment when he realizes someone (Elizabeth) can see him. Still, it was fun to experience it... and a little later, when Elizabeth realizes not everyone can see Steven.
All that alone is an interesting enough story ... I guess there did need to be a reason for it all, but the whole curse-casters and spell seeking stuff did get a little convoluted. While there didn't seem to be a ton of either out in the world, there seemed to be a ton of curses on everyone, everywhere, and of course things became even more crazy when Steven's grandfather came back into the picture.
I must admit, I often get a little distracted with audio and I'm multi-tasking as I listen. Especially true in the final chapters of the book (headphones on while watching a basketball game). I think I might check-out the book and quickly skim the ending, just to make sure I caught everything. Closure. Also rather nice to have a stand-alone book that is done with one ... not a series.