Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Transparent lacks any spark that makes a story such as this one stand out. Fiona was a boring character and the plot lacks any real excitement and action.
- I've heard awesome things about this book, and I couldn't wait to read it! Everyone is right! This book was so much fun!
- I loved the dedication page! It was my "awwwwww" for the day. It is very poetic and touching.
- I really loved all the characters in the story. Fiona was such a great female protagonist. I really related to her and her feelings. I liked Bea a ton! Who wouldn't like Brady and Seth? They are both really great guys. I liked how Seth started out annoying, but he really grows on you.
- I loved Fiona's character development. In the beginning she has really low self esteem, and after making some friends and learning about herself, she gains a lot of self worth and confidence. It was really great to see that kind of improvement in a young teenage girl.
- The super powers in this story were awesome! I loved how creative they all were, and I liked the explanation about how people got their anomalies.
- I think this book has a fun story and a good message! I love stories with great messages. I think everyone wants to be seen for who they are. We all want to be treated like a human being and not some freak. Each of us has value.
- I love how the author took an emotion, like feeling invisible, and made it a reality and expounded on it. This was such a great idea for a story, and I'm glad Natalie wrote this book.
- This was a wonderful debut novel, and I'm looking forward to more Natalie Whipple books!
- I loved the dedication page! It was my "awwwwww" for the day. It is very poetic and touching.
- I really loved all the characters in the story. Fiona was such a great female protagonist. I really related to her and her feelings. I liked Bea a ton! Who wouldn't like Brady and Seth? They are both really great guys. I liked how Seth started out annoying, but he really grows on you.
- I loved Fiona's character development. In the beginning she has really low self esteem, and after making some friends and learning about herself, she gains a lot of self worth and confidence. It was really great to see that kind of improvement in a young teenage girl.
- The super powers in this story were awesome! I loved how creative they all were, and I liked the explanation about how people got their anomalies.
- I think this book has a fun story and a good message! I love stories with great messages. I think everyone wants to be seen for who they are. We all want to be treated like a human being and not some freak. Each of us has value.
- I love how the author took an emotion, like feeling invisible, and made it a reality and expounded on it. This was such a great idea for a story, and I'm glad Natalie wrote this book.
- This was a wonderful debut novel, and I'm looking forward to more Natalie Whipple books!
I didn't expect to like this book so much because I was confused for the first chapter. The story line is quite intriguing and I can't wait to read the sequel.
Transparent, Natalie Whipple's debut novel, had a few flaws but I must say that I still adored it. It's a fun, fresh story that will have readers hooked from beginning to end.
The world was by far the best thing about Transparent. It's a lot like our current world except for the fact that people are born with abilities. The abilities can be mundane things like purple skin or something extraordinary like invisibility. The ability that you are born with can change everything about your life. The more powerful abilities (like invisibility) are coveted and lead to high ranking roles in the world. However, we aren't talking roles like President of the United States, we're talking roles like leader of a mafia. The best way to describe the world of Transparent is like a mix between X-Men and the Curseworkers series by Holly Black. It is freaking awesome.
The characters were a good mix. Fiona was rather shy and quiet (being invisible doesn't exactly lead to lots of friendships) but that was definitely only one side of her. It took a bit of work to get her to come out of her shell but once she did she was funny, kind, and a bit of smart-ass. She had a bunch of awesome qualities that will really endear readers to her. Seth, Bee, and Brady were an odd group of friends but perfect for Fiona. Bee and Brady were almost too perfect but they were nice to Fiona when no one else was. Seth, on the other hand, spent most of his time antagonizing Fiona. They were always at each other's throats and they bantered constantly. They had some of the most awesome sexual tension. I loved seeing their relationship grow and change. The family dynamics were also pretty great. Fiona's family was far from perfect but they worked through their problems throughout the course of the book. Bee's family was probably the best though. All her brothers were crazy and her parents were so obviously in love. They welcomed Fiona with open arms even though they knew she could bring serious danger to their family.
The story was really the only thing that I had issues with. Fiona is an invisible girl whose father happens to be the leader of a very powerful mafia. He takes advantage of Fiona's invisibility and forces her to hurt people. When he tells her to kill someone she finally decides it's time to get out. She and her mom run far away from her father but they know that they won't be able to hide forever. I definitely had issues with this part. Fiona's invisible. Why can't she hide forever? Sure, she'd have to leave her mom behind but it seems to me that her mom would be safe if Fiona wasn't with her. It just seemed to me like Fiona and her mom made it way too easy for her father to find them.
While the story was the only part I had issues with, I still managed to thoroughly enjoy it. It gripped me from the very first page and by the end, I was on the edge of my seat. There was so much going on. Sure some of it was rather predictable but there were definitely some things that shocked me. I kid you not, by the end of the book I was biting my nails and hoping that everything would work out. This story will definitely keep readers up late into the night, unable to stop reading.
Overall, Transparent brings something completely new to YA with it's awesome world and crazy story. It's a fun, quick read that I highly recommend.
The world was by far the best thing about Transparent. It's a lot like our current world except for the fact that people are born with abilities. The abilities can be mundane things like purple skin or something extraordinary like invisibility. The ability that you are born with can change everything about your life. The more powerful abilities (like invisibility) are coveted and lead to high ranking roles in the world. However, we aren't talking roles like President of the United States, we're talking roles like leader of a mafia. The best way to describe the world of Transparent is like a mix between X-Men and the Curseworkers series by Holly Black. It is freaking awesome.
The characters were a good mix. Fiona was rather shy and quiet (being invisible doesn't exactly lead to lots of friendships) but that was definitely only one side of her. It took a bit of work to get her to come out of her shell but once she did she was funny, kind, and a bit of smart-ass. She had a bunch of awesome qualities that will really endear readers to her. Seth, Bee, and Brady were an odd group of friends but perfect for Fiona. Bee and Brady were almost too perfect but they were nice to Fiona when no one else was. Seth, on the other hand, spent most of his time antagonizing Fiona. They were always at each other's throats and they bantered constantly. They had some of the most awesome sexual tension. I loved seeing their relationship grow and change. The family dynamics were also pretty great. Fiona's family was far from perfect but they worked through their problems throughout the course of the book. Bee's family was probably the best though. All her brothers were crazy and her parents were so obviously in love. They welcomed Fiona with open arms even though they knew she could bring serious danger to their family.
The story was really the only thing that I had issues with. Fiona is an invisible girl whose father happens to be the leader of a very powerful mafia. He takes advantage of Fiona's invisibility and forces her to hurt people. When he tells her to kill someone she finally decides it's time to get out. She and her mom run far away from her father but they know that they won't be able to hide forever. I definitely had issues with this part. Fiona's invisible. Why can't she hide forever? Sure, she'd have to leave her mom behind but it seems to me that her mom would be safe if Fiona wasn't with her. It just seemed to me like Fiona and her mom made it way too easy for her father to find them.
While the story was the only part I had issues with, I still managed to thoroughly enjoy it. It gripped me from the very first page and by the end, I was on the edge of my seat. There was so much going on. Sure some of it was rather predictable but there were definitely some things that shocked me. I kid you not, by the end of the book I was biting my nails and hoping that everything would work out. This story will definitely keep readers up late into the night, unable to stop reading.
Overall, Transparent brings something completely new to YA with it's awesome world and crazy story. It's a fun, quick read that I highly recommend.
I read this like two months ago and I remember very little about it.
It's really very meh.
Let's see....a girl is invisible because something happened and people have superpowers. And her dad is an evil asshole whose superpower is manipulating people....so she and her mom escape to a small town.
And then there's a boring insta-love romance...and....I think that's about it. It's just...so uninteresting. It's NOT a terrible concept, but the author does NOTHING with it. I'm trying to remember why I gave it two stars instead of one. I guess...it wasn't offensive in any way? I dunno. Not my thing.
It's really very meh.
Let's see....a girl is invisible because something happened and people have superpowers. And her dad is an evil asshole whose superpower is manipulating people....so she and her mom escape to a small town.
And then there's a boring insta-love romance...and....I think that's about it. It's just...so uninteresting. It's NOT a terrible concept, but the author does NOTHING with it. I'm trying to remember why I gave it two stars instead of one. I guess...it wasn't offensive in any way? I dunno. Not my thing.
Why I Loved It: When radioactive poisoning was a huge threat during the Cold War, people started taking a little blue pill called Radiasure. The thing about this whole pill is that it started causing mutations in DNA. It wasn't seem much at first, but when a generation started to having children with strange features like pink skin or weird hair or special abilities, the effects became more apparent. After a time, it became even more and more obvious. Now people liked to use Radiasure to increase their power. And just like any kind of drug like that, power becomes wrapped up in the pills.
Powerful criminals then start manipulating the people with special abilities and fighting for control of the pills. Fiona's father is one of the biggest crime lords, and she was born as the first invisible person in the world. Sadly, that makes her a pawn in her father's hands. I mean an invisible person is every crime lord's dream come true. Her father's ability is that he is able to pretty much make women do whatever he wants them to do. Which makes manipulating Fiona and her mother, a telekinetic, so much easier.
Living as a pawn of her father, she didn't exactly live a normal life. When her mother decides that she really wants to escape, Fiona has to learn how be normal. It's not really easy to be normal when you are invisible. I mean I'm sure it would seem weird seeing a walking set of clothes. Plus, being the only invisible person in the world and the daughter of a well-known criminal tends to follow her.
The story was quite interesting. I know that there were a couple of things that bothered me while I read, but the story really was captivating. The friends that Fiona makes in her learning to be normal, as normal as you can be when you are invisible, are incredibly interesting. I really enjoyed getting to know them. Fiona's two brothers were interesting as well. Graham was a jerk and Miles was wonderful. And the boy that Fiona ends up falling for has a power that is just what Fiona needs.
I found that the novel was well-thought-out and quite interesting. I love reading books about people with super powers. Some people might get all focused on the science, but that's never really been a problem for me. I found Transparent to be funny, with sweet and sour moments, and a concept that I found incredibly interesting. Granted, I was just looking for some light reading. It was what I needed at the time.
Low Points: There wasn't a massive amount of world-building, Fiona could be a bit rude and selfish at times, her mother is treated poorly at times considering how much of a victim she really is in the story.
High Points: Super powers, mafia-type world, Miles *awesome big brother*, some super friends, and a really sweet romance.
Who Should Read It: I think people who love the whole super powers things and the Oceans movies would appreciate the book.
Powerful criminals then start manipulating the people with special abilities and fighting for control of the pills. Fiona's father is one of the biggest crime lords, and she was born as the first invisible person in the world. Sadly, that makes her a pawn in her father's hands. I mean an invisible person is every crime lord's dream come true. Her father's ability is that he is able to pretty much make women do whatever he wants them to do. Which makes manipulating Fiona and her mother, a telekinetic, so much easier.
Living as a pawn of her father, she didn't exactly live a normal life. When her mother decides that she really wants to escape, Fiona has to learn how be normal. It's not really easy to be normal when you are invisible. I mean I'm sure it would seem weird seeing a walking set of clothes. Plus, being the only invisible person in the world and the daughter of a well-known criminal tends to follow her.
The story was quite interesting. I know that there were a couple of things that bothered me while I read, but the story really was captivating. The friends that Fiona makes in her learning to be normal, as normal as you can be when you are invisible, are incredibly interesting. I really enjoyed getting to know them. Fiona's two brothers were interesting as well. Graham was a jerk and Miles was wonderful. And the boy that Fiona ends up falling for has a power that is just what Fiona needs.
I found that the novel was well-thought-out and quite interesting. I love reading books about people with super powers. Some people might get all focused on the science, but that's never really been a problem for me. I found Transparent to be funny, with sweet and sour moments, and a concept that I found incredibly interesting. Granted, I was just looking for some light reading. It was what I needed at the time.
Low Points: There wasn't a massive amount of world-building, Fiona could be a bit rude and selfish at times, her mother is treated poorly at times considering how much of a victim she really is in the story.
High Points: Super powers, mafia-type world, Miles *awesome big brother*, some super friends, and a really sweet romance.
Who Should Read It: I think people who love the whole super powers things and the Oceans movies would appreciate the book.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I heard about this book, I was really excited to read it. But after reading some rather ‘meh’ reviews of this book, I was kinda worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it very much. Turns out I had nothing to worry about! Transparent was such a cute read!
First of all, the opening line in this is this:
It’s a good thing summers in Vegas are so hot, considering how often I walk the streets naked.
Talk about an attention grabber! (And seriously, how awesome would that be to not have to worry about uncomfortable clothes and have no one be able to see that you didn’t have any on?)
The characters were fabulous! I think they were my favorite part of this book. I wanted to live in the pages just so I could hang out with Fiona’s friends! Especially Bea. I looooved Bea! I have to admit she kind of annoyed me in the beginning, because she was always there, in Fi’s face, and it was slightly obnoxious. I gotta hand it to her though, she didn’t give up and ended up being a truly wonderful friend for Fi. I can’t really put into words how endearing the relationships in this book were.
I liked Fiona, for the most part. You really have to wonder – what would it be like to be invisible? For no one to see your facial expressions? *shudders* I mean, I think it would be cool sometimes, but not all the time. It would suck for no one to see the real you. But I think she became a bit complacent because of that. When a giant bomb is dropped (OMG squee!!!! Best twist EVER.) she runs away. Actually, I was pretty irritated with her for the way she acted when she found out.
I could just keep being whatever I wish I were, instead of what I am. I could forget everything that happened here. Forget this stupid person I am. Starting over would be easier. I’m invisible. I can be whoever I want. Why in the world would I want to be myself?
Yeah, I wanted to punch her. She acted petulant and cowardly, running when she could have faced the issue (and really, it wasn’t even an actual issue, she was just flipping out for absolutely no legitimate reason – calm your tits, lady) and worked it out and been perfectly happy. Then she said ‘I don’t like this place. It sucks.’ Um? 5 pages ago you were loving it! Just because something happened that you didn’t like….ugh. It was so childish!
Spoiler
And this:I don’t even know if it’d work between us. We’d probably fight all the time. So what if there’s chemistry? I shouldn’t let that cloud my judgement. I need to be practical. It would never work.
ARGH! How do you know if you don’t try?! And you haven’t really been fighting yet, so what makes you think you’d fight all the time? You’re just pissed because you can’t hide behind your invisibility anymore. Such a coward!!
Anyway. Seth. SETH. I must say I was Team Seth from the start. Not that I didn’t like Brady, but he was just too…perfect. Seth was a pain in the arse, even slap-worthy at times, but I loved him nonetheless! I just wanted to hug him!
The romance was adorable! Usually I’m not a big fan of romance, but this one had just the right amount…and it developed slowly so it was realistic and swoon-worthy, leaving me wanting more.
The underlying danger of Fiona’s dad finding her made things more interesting and caused just the right amount of conflict. And the ending was well done! I do recommend this book; it’s not for everyone and was kind of a fluffy read, but I really enjoyed it!
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Plot: 4/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World-building: 4/5
Pace: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
*Review from http://books-anovelidea.blogspot.com/*
(3.75/5 stars)
Have you ever found yourself feeling completely invisible? And I mean Mia Thermopolis "someone just sat on me again" invisible. Fiona McClean is completely and legitimately invisible, and that's just how her father likes it. As Las Vegas's number one crime boss, having an invisible daughter as his number one secret weapon is Fiona's dad's top priority and she always did his bidding. That is, until he asks her to commit a murder. Fiona and her mother flee Vegas and head to a sleepy little town where nothing happens, desperate to save Fiona from a life as a criminal. Then, a whole bunch of shenanigans ensue, leading to a major climax that involves guns, and an ending that is very satisfying because it's one hundred percent a standalone YA book! And since it involves superpowers and radiation pills, it's totally sci-fi, which is good because it's definitely still Sci Fi Month!
What I liked:Did I mention this is a standalone? Because it's a standalone and I love it for that. The trend in YA fiction is full of series right now (which is fine and I love that too), but it's refreshing to see something that doesn't follow that trend. edit: I just found out this book is now part of a series, not a standalone *face palm* I take that all back I also really liked Fiona's voice, it was distinct and funny and some of the lines had me suppressing a giddy smile and outburst in the middle of the airport. Her voice changed as she developed and grew as a character and that was great to see. I also really loved the character diversity in her new group of friends and old family drama. Yeah, sure it was stereotypical- weak minded mom, misogynistic dad, loud but loyal best girl-friend, brothers who are the complete opposites of each other- but it was stereotypical enough that it was different. Does that even make sense? The characters captured my heart, and I was immediately invested in their struggles. Also, let's talk about the awesome superpowers. So cool. So different. So, thank you Natalie Whipple. Super strength, the ability to create smells, be able to mimic other people's voices, and invisibility are just the top layer of powers we see in this story. It also got me thinking that maybe I don't actually want to be invisible ever (now I must find a new answers to the "what superpower would you have?" question). It completely sucks to be Fiona and have that curse. Which brings me to a little shout out to Natalie Whipple for the entire "am I beautiful" conversation that Fiona has with her mother in which she kind of shames society for seeing beauty as a purely physical trait and not having anything to do with character. Guess what, Fiona is beautiful because of who she is, not because of what she looks like.
What I didn't like: I didn't like that I felt like I could never fully trust Miles, Fiona's brother. I don't know what it was, and I really think it was a personal thing- maybe I have trust issues and he was too nice. That felt weird to me. I also wasn't the biggest fan of how the story ended, the part concerning her father at least. I really was expecting a bigger blow up, and I was disappointed it ended so lightly. But I did like the rest of the ending, and I still really liked the book itself, I'm just being picky. Lastly, I was left still a bit confused over the entire identity of Spud, but I think that was a personal thing too. Was Spud a real person? I didn't get it.
Overall, Transparent was a very fun, light read. The story was interesting and easy to get invested in, and the characters brought a whole new personality to it. Oh, and the love interest is A+ (super smart soccer boy? sign me up!) and quite adorable, but it doesn't overshadow the story and conflict (yay for good writing!). I definitely recommend it as a standalone so be sure to check it out!
(3.75/5 stars)
Have you ever found yourself feeling completely invisible? And I mean Mia Thermopolis "someone just sat on me again" invisible. Fiona McClean is completely and legitimately invisible, and that's just how her father likes it. As Las Vegas's number one crime boss, having an invisible daughter as his number one secret weapon is Fiona's dad's top priority and she always did his bidding. That is, until he asks her to commit a murder. Fiona and her mother flee Vegas and head to a sleepy little town where nothing happens, desperate to save Fiona from a life as a criminal. Then, a whole bunch of shenanigans ensue, leading to a major climax that involves guns, and an ending that is very satisfying because it's one hundred percent a standalone YA book! And since it involves superpowers and radiation pills, it's totally sci-fi, which is good because it's definitely still Sci Fi Month!
What I liked:
What I didn't like: I didn't like that I felt like I could never fully trust Miles, Fiona's brother. I don't know what it was, and I really think it was a personal thing- maybe I have trust issues and he was too nice. That felt weird to me. I also wasn't the biggest fan of how the story ended, the part concerning her father at least. I really was expecting a bigger blow up, and I was disappointed it ended so lightly. But I did like the rest of the ending, and I still really liked the book itself, I'm just being picky. Lastly, I was left still a bit confused over the entire identity of Spud, but I think that was a personal thing too. Was Spud a real person? I didn't get it.
Overall, Transparent was a very fun, light read. The story was interesting and easy to get invested in, and the characters brought a whole new personality to it. Oh, and the love interest is A+ (super smart soccer boy? sign me up!) and quite adorable, but it doesn't overshadow the story and conflict (yay for good writing!). I definitely recommend it as a standalone so be sure to check it out!