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A review by christajls
Invisibility by Andrea Cremer
3.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
I need to preface this review by saying that I really love both of these authors seperately. Honestly, I will devour anything with David Levithan’s name on it. And Rift by Andrea Cremer was one of my favourite reads in 2012. But together…I’m not sure they’re the best mix.
Don’t get me wrong, Invisibility is by no means a bad book. The concept is fascinating. So many of us have felt invisible at some point but it’s so difficult to imagine never being able to connect with anyone. To have to make a conscious effort just to be solid enough to touch. That’s something beyond loneliness. Stephen’s plight is heart breaking, but the novel isn’t. It’s encouraging and inspiring and makes you believe that no matter how dire the situation, there is always hope.
The magical element was also really interesting and unique. There are some neat twists and I liked the way they could explain something as bizarre and unexpected as invisibility and make me believe it. The idea of unseen/unknown curses was creepy and haunting. Next time my subway is delayed or my computer isn’t working I may be casting a suspicious gaze over my shoulder, or searching out a spell seeker to double check it’s not a curse.
But despite all this great groundwork, the story dragged a bit – especially in the middle. Once things get going you are often subjected to large bits of information that were just dumped on you. I realize they had a lot of lore and background to explain but there had to be a more interesting way to do that someone just recounting the history over multiple pages. The information was interesting at first but then began to drag. I wish those reveals would have been more seamlessly integrated, or even broken up so it wasn’t so much at once.
I did really enjoy the style of Stephen’s chapters. Clever and amusing but with the constant twinge of sadness. The tone fit his character perfectly. But I had some problems with Elizabeth. She was just so perfect. Though she had a bit of a reaction to Stephen’s invisibility she seemed to get over it really quickly. And then from that point it seemed everything worked out relatively quickly for her. She’s sweet and kind and protective of her younger brother Laurie. She’s perfect. Just too perfect. I never felt the same sort of tension and conflict in her chapters as I did in Stephen’s.
Recommendation: An interesting and unique book but ultimately it didn’t do justice to either writer’s talent. I think they’re better apart than they are together.
I need to preface this review by saying that I really love both of these authors seperately. Honestly, I will devour anything with David Levithan’s name on it. And Rift by Andrea Cremer was one of my favourite reads in 2012. But together…I’m not sure they’re the best mix.
Don’t get me wrong, Invisibility is by no means a bad book. The concept is fascinating. So many of us have felt invisible at some point but it’s so difficult to imagine never being able to connect with anyone. To have to make a conscious effort just to be solid enough to touch. That’s something beyond loneliness. Stephen’s plight is heart breaking, but the novel isn’t. It’s encouraging and inspiring and makes you believe that no matter how dire the situation, there is always hope.
The magical element was also really interesting and unique. There are some neat twists and I liked the way they could explain something as bizarre and unexpected as invisibility and make me believe it. The idea of unseen/unknown curses was creepy and haunting. Next time my subway is delayed or my computer isn’t working I may be casting a suspicious gaze over my shoulder, or searching out a spell seeker to double check it’s not a curse.
But despite all this great groundwork, the story dragged a bit – especially in the middle. Once things get going you are often subjected to large bits of information that were just dumped on you. I realize they had a lot of lore and background to explain but there had to be a more interesting way to do that someone just recounting the history over multiple pages. The information was interesting at first but then began to drag. I wish those reveals would have been more seamlessly integrated, or even broken up so it wasn’t so much at once.
I did really enjoy the style of Stephen’s chapters. Clever and amusing but with the constant twinge of sadness. The tone fit his character perfectly. But I had some problems with Elizabeth. She was just so perfect. Though she had a bit of a reaction to Stephen’s invisibility she seemed to get over it really quickly. And then from that point it seemed everything worked out relatively quickly for her. She’s sweet and kind and protective of her younger brother Laurie. She’s perfect. Just too perfect. I never felt the same sort of tension and conflict in her chapters as I did in Stephen’s.
Recommendation: An interesting and unique book but ultimately it didn’t do justice to either writer’s talent. I think they’re better apart than they are together.