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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Actual rating: 3.5 Stars
This review may contain unmarked spoilers
The Synopsis of Transparent sounded really interesting to me & while this 2013 debut was still pretty good there was parts that I didn't really enjoy.
I went into it thinking that it would be about 1 person with an ability which in this case "invisibility" but that wasn't the case at all. This whole book has different people with different abilities while invisibility was a rare one she wasn't the only one with abilities.
So what caused these abilities? apparently during the cold war there was an antiradiation pill created that was called "radiasure." it was created in hopes of surviving a nuclear holocaust & about five years later mutations came giving people different abilities which at first wasn't much. But they figured it was a good trade for immunity to radiation.
what really annoyed me in the beginning was just Fiona herself. After she seemed to think that everyone Knew who she was (in most cases they did) & just wanted to but while some people honestly did hate her & tried to stay away from her at all costs. There was indeed some good people at her school who just wanted to be her friend because they understood how it is to be different. But Fiona didn't see it like that & was constantly thinking everyone was out to get her. Which REALLY annoyed the crap out of me.
I really loved Fiona's friends I liked how no matter what they stood together & the overall closeness Bea had with her family along with Seth & Brady who lets face it was pretty much family to Bea. I overall just loved how they all stood up for one another & in the end these people are what made me like Fiona more. As once she realized that not everyone is out to get her she started being herself which I really liked as she had a great fun personality.
Overall Transparent was a good read while some parts did tick me off there wasn't enough to make me hate the book. I would still recommend this book to others.
This review may contain unmarked spoilers
The Synopsis of Transparent sounded really interesting to me & while this 2013 debut was still pretty good there was parts that I didn't really enjoy.
I went into it thinking that it would be about 1 person with an ability which in this case "invisibility" but that wasn't the case at all. This whole book has different people with different abilities while invisibility was a rare one she wasn't the only one with abilities.
So what caused these abilities? apparently during the cold war there was an antiradiation pill created that was called "radiasure." it was created in hopes of surviving a nuclear holocaust & about five years later mutations came giving people different abilities which at first wasn't much. But they figured it was a good trade for immunity to radiation.
what really annoyed me in the beginning was just Fiona herself. After
Spoiler
Her & Her mom escapedSpoiler
turn her in to her dadI really loved Fiona's friends I liked how no matter what they stood together & the overall closeness Bea had with her family along with Seth & Brady who lets face it was pretty much family to Bea. I overall just loved how they all stood up for one another & in the end these people are what made me like Fiona more. As once she realized that not everyone is out to get her she started being herself which I really liked as she had a great fun personality.
Overall Transparent was a good read while some parts did tick me off there wasn't enough to make me hate the book. I would still recommend this book to others.
While I might think it would be neat to be invisible every once in a while I can not imagine ONLY being invisible and never seeing my self or have someone else see me. Fiona's father has put her talent to use for him and has her steal things and do his other dirty work. Her mom who is 'addicted' to her father takes Fiona and runs giving Fiona a chance at a somewhat normal life. TRANSPARENT and its elements ended up being unlike any other book I have read.
This might read a little jumpy and I apologize in advance, I did not want to give away any spoilers. It is made clear that this is not the first time that Fiona and her Mom have been on the run. It has never worked out before and Fiona has no doubt that her father will show up at anytime or that her mom will end up taking her back. Fiona is really standoffish with a group of people who are trying to be her friends. She has no doubt that they think she is spoiled, or there to cause trouble. Once she lets them in things start to get even more interesting. All of the characters in TRANSPARENT where great. Bea and her family were just so much fun to be around. Fiona's brother Miles was extremely easy to like, was protective of his sister and was willing to do just about anything to help her out. Seth surprised me the most. I would have never guessed his ability and I just loved who he turned out to be by the end of the book.
TRANSPARENT was enjoyable and unique. I hope we get to see more from this world but I have not seen anything that mentions this being part of a series. It works as a standalone but I do want more.
This might read a little jumpy and I apologize in advance, I did not want to give away any spoilers. It is made clear that this is not the first time that Fiona and her Mom have been on the run. It has never worked out before and Fiona has no doubt that her father will show up at anytime or that her mom will end up taking her back. Fiona is really standoffish with a group of people who are trying to be her friends. She has no doubt that they think she is spoiled, or there to cause trouble. Once she lets them in things start to get even more interesting. All of the characters in TRANSPARENT where great. Bea and her family were just so much fun to be around. Fiona's brother Miles was extremely easy to like, was protective of his sister and was willing to do just about anything to help her out. Seth surprised me the most. I would have never guessed his ability and I just loved who he turned out to be by the end of the book.
TRANSPARENT was enjoyable and unique. I hope we get to see more from this world but I have not seen anything that mentions this being part of a series. It works as a standalone but I do want more.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Disclaimers: I received an electronic arc from the publisher via Edelweiss. I was not obligated to write a good review nor did I receive any compensation for writing this review. This review is my honest opinion.
An Overview of the Novel: Fiona is invisible—no, really she is. After the Cold War, people started taking the drug radiasure to be safe from radiation. The only problem is that it mutated the cells and suddenly almost everybody in society has mutated and received special gifts.
Hers is invisibility. She was born invisible. Nobody has ever seen her. And since her dad is a syndicate boss, she was born into a life of crime. She hates what she's doing and can't get rid of the guilt she feels for all the terrible things she's done. But that's her father's gift. He's so charming he can make women do anything he wants them too. Fiona is no exception.
But when Fiona and her mom run away again, she's hopeful that maybe this time they can stay out of sight. Maybe this time they will stay safe from her father's and her brother Graham's clutches. But can somebody like her ever really be safe?
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Natalie Whipple lives only blocks away from me. I've heard her talk about what the writing process means to her and so naturally I was really excited to read her writing. So while I don't really know Natalie, I sort of do. Just throwing that out there for means of disclosure.
When I first read the synopsis it grabbed my attention, but didn't leave me completely hooked. I liked the cover though and I really wanted to read the book. So I did.
The writing was gripping from the very first page until the very last page. It left me riveted for the entire novel. Her writing didn't bring undue attention to itself. It simply flowed and left me wanting to read more and more.
I hate cookie-cutter characters and Whipple certainly didn't fall into that trap. Her characters were intriguing and beautifully constructed. I loved reading about them and watching them interact with each other.
I also loved how flawless Natalie's world-building was. It was clear that she thought through how she wanted to create her world. I also loved that in this novel everybody knew about each other's superpowers. In most novels I read, the superpowers are unknown or hidden.
I liked that the ending wasn't a cliff-hanger. It was a conclusion and yet it left room for a sequel. Or in other words, it tied up enough loose ends and left the perfect amount of strings untied.
So why 4 stars? It was beautifully written, not my favorite, but still beautiful. The characters were intriguing, the world building was well thought out, and the writing was masterfully crafted.
In Summary: Natalie Whipple created a novel that let me hooked from the beginning and was brilliantly crafted. I can't wait to read Whipple's sophomore novel which comes out next year.
Warnings/Side-notes: None. This book is clean.
The Wrap-up: Whipple's novel was intriguing and exceeded my expectations. Fans of paranormal or soft sci-fi novels, will love this book. It was an intriguing read and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Love,
Danica Page
Disclaimers: I received an electronic arc from the publisher via Edelweiss. I was not obligated to write a good review nor did I receive any compensation for writing this review. This review is my honest opinion.
An Overview of the Novel: Fiona is invisible—no, really she is. After the Cold War, people started taking the drug radiasure to be safe from radiation. The only problem is that it mutated the cells and suddenly almost everybody in society has mutated and received special gifts.
Hers is invisibility. She was born invisible. Nobody has ever seen her. And since her dad is a syndicate boss, she was born into a life of crime. She hates what she's doing and can't get rid of the guilt she feels for all the terrible things she's done. But that's her father's gift. He's so charming he can make women do anything he wants them too. Fiona is no exception.
But when Fiona and her mom run away again, she's hopeful that maybe this time they can stay out of sight. Maybe this time they will stay safe from her father's and her brother Graham's clutches. But can somebody like her ever really be safe?
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Natalie Whipple lives only blocks away from me. I've heard her talk about what the writing process means to her and so naturally I was really excited to read her writing. So while I don't really know Natalie, I sort of do. Just throwing that out there for means of disclosure.
When I first read the synopsis it grabbed my attention, but didn't leave me completely hooked. I liked the cover though and I really wanted to read the book. So I did.
The writing was gripping from the very first page until the very last page. It left me riveted for the entire novel. Her writing didn't bring undue attention to itself. It simply flowed and left me wanting to read more and more.
I hate cookie-cutter characters and Whipple certainly didn't fall into that trap. Her characters were intriguing and beautifully constructed. I loved reading about them and watching them interact with each other.
I also loved how flawless Natalie's world-building was. It was clear that she thought through how she wanted to create her world. I also loved that in this novel everybody knew about each other's superpowers. In most novels I read, the superpowers are unknown or hidden.
I liked that the ending wasn't a cliff-hanger. It was a conclusion and yet it left room for a sequel. Or in other words, it tied up enough loose ends and left the perfect amount of strings untied.
So why 4 stars? It was beautifully written, not my favorite, but still beautiful. The characters were intriguing, the world building was well thought out, and the writing was masterfully crafted.
In Summary: Natalie Whipple created a novel that let me hooked from the beginning and was brilliantly crafted. I can't wait to read Whipple's sophomore novel which comes out next year.
Warnings/Side-notes: None. This book is clean.
The Wrap-up: Whipple's novel was intriguing and exceeded my expectations. Fans of paranormal or soft sci-fi novels, will love this book. It was an intriguing read and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Love,
Danica Page
I had read some very mixed reviews about this book before reading it myself, and I will admit I was a little hesitant. Because of two things, one being the superhero powers that are given to the characters, and because of the Mob family dynamic that really isn't discussed in YA. But I will say that I was really happy and surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
To start, I thought the main character was written brilliantly, she was spunky and full of attitude--which would happen if you were the only invisible person in the whole world. I also loved that the main character had a very hard time trusting anyone that wasn't her brother Will. It gave us a chance to see the family dynamic without having to be told about it by the character herself.
The secondary characters were also well done because of their ability to advance the plot but also serve a purpose--They each added something to every scene. I also thought the love story that appeared at the beginning was very refreshing because it is not what you think it is, and I loved that. It was very sweet and their connection was felt from the very beginning. But I did think that it was a little predictable at times.
Fiona's father was a very interesting character because he was so terrifying from the word of mouth that happened throughout the book. But to be honest when we meet him in person I didn't find him all that scary. And I think that was something that took me away from the story, especially ay the end. Speaking of the end, although semi realistic, I felt like it could have been better. I felt like the resolution was swift and a little too perfect for me. I wish I could go into more detail but I can't because of spoilers :(
Overall I thought Transparent was extremely entertaining and fast paced read that kept me reading from page one. Its a perfect read for those days on the beach or just sitting on your porch!
To start, I thought the main character was written brilliantly, she was spunky and full of attitude--which would happen if you were the only invisible person in the whole world. I also loved that the main character had a very hard time trusting anyone that wasn't her brother Will. It gave us a chance to see the family dynamic without having to be told about it by the character herself.
The secondary characters were also well done because of their ability to advance the plot but also serve a purpose--They each added something to every scene. I also thought the love story that appeared at the beginning was very refreshing because it is not what you think it is, and I loved that. It was very sweet and their connection was felt from the very beginning. But I did think that it was a little predictable at times.
Fiona's father was a very interesting character because he was so terrifying from the word of mouth that happened throughout the book. But to be honest when we meet him in person I didn't find him all that scary. And I think that was something that took me away from the story, especially ay the end. Speaking of the end, although semi realistic, I felt like it could have been better. I felt like the resolution was swift and a little too perfect for me. I wish I could go into more detail but I can't because of spoilers :(
Overall I thought Transparent was extremely entertaining and fast paced read that kept me reading from page one. Its a perfect read for those days on the beach or just sitting on your porch!
I really enjoyed the world building in this book. However, I'm beginning to think that HarperTeen and I are just not a great fit. They always focus on emotion, while I want maps and more information about drugs and political structure. I'm really interested in reading book 2 in this series (which had a different editor and different house), and seeing if it changed.
Hmm. I bet I'd have appreciated this one more without a sequel (which I haven't read and thus can't comment on), because that would have forced the characters, Fiona in particular, to get to the important things rather faster. Oh, in a lot of ways the story is fine; I particularly like the randomness of some of the unusual talents/mutations. Fiona is invisible, but some of the people around her can project and imitate voices, fly, use superstrength...or just have unusually coloured eyes or be able to imitate smells.
But I'd love to have seen those skills used more. The implication seems to be—though I don't think this was intentional—that only the crime syndicates use such skills to any serious end. But...flying? Invisibility? Surely there are things other than crime that people would use such skills for, especially if having a mutation-based skill was not uncommon. Or just...I wanted those skills used more in the book. When the characters have to resort to playground games so that one of them can use her skill...her skill isn't being used to anywhere near its full potential.
Also. Fiona? If you're running from your evil father and his evil people, for crying out loud. Go farther than the next state. Maybe to a city, where more anonymity is possible. Change your name. Figure out some kind of disguise. It's a minor miracle of fiction that she and her mother weren't found out within about three seconds.
But I'd love to have seen those skills used more. The implication seems to be—though I don't think this was intentional—that only the crime syndicates use such skills to any serious end. But...flying? Invisibility? Surely there are things other than crime that people would use such skills for, especially if having a mutation-based skill was not uncommon. Or just...I wanted those skills used more in the book. When the characters have to resort to playground games so that one of them can use her skill...her skill isn't being used to anywhere near its full potential.
Also. Fiona? If you're running from your evil father and his evil people, for crying out loud. Go farther than the next state. Maybe to a city, where more anonymity is possible. Change your name. Figure out some kind of disguise. It's a minor miracle of fiction that she and her mother weren't found out within about three seconds.
So I was supposed to read this for a book club. I wasn't enjoying it all that much, and I didn't get very far. Then at book club I learned how it ends. The basic gist I got is that they needed a man to come and save all the women from their hormones, otherwise the other man would just continue to control them.
So I think I'm not going to finish it. I kind of want to, if only to see how it all gets handled, but... I'm not going to.
So I think I'm not going to finish it. I kind of want to, if only to see how it all gets handled, but... I'm not going to.
While many of the reviews seem to be making comparisons to x-men and other books/movies with super power themes (and I have read a few of those recently to see some similarities to the Steelheart series, or The Young Elites...) I've also read a couple INVISIBILITY books in the past bit, so it was interesting to see how the "invisible" angle was approached.
I read "Things Not Seen" quite a while ago. In it, we have an invisible boy (if he wears clothes they will show up, so he's running around naked a lot). He forms a relationship with a blind girl, who doesn't realize no one else can see him either. In "Invisibility" ... no nakedness as clothes become transparent on contact. He happens upon a girl who for some reason can see him, when no one else can (it's a curse in this case).
HERE ... a pill people took to protect themselves from radiation has created mutations and "powers" and kids born to people who took the drug also have powers. Our protagonist (a girl in this book) was born invisible (and thus dropped at birth, oops). Clothes do appear on her ... so there is some nakedness when she wants to be completely invisible. Unlike the other two books, she doesn't hide her ability in this world where so many have powers. She even attends school, picture floating clothes ;)
Whereas the first two books had characters dealing with invisibility in a normal world, this one is run by competing mafia, using the people and their powers, often for evil (it did have shades of Steelheart in that).
It was fluffy fun. No profound quotes or book club material, but I was entertained and always anxious to get back to the story when I had to put the book down.
I read "Things Not Seen" quite a while ago. In it, we have an invisible boy (if he wears clothes they will show up, so he's running around naked a lot). He forms a relationship with a blind girl, who doesn't realize no one else can see him either. In "Invisibility" ... no nakedness as clothes become transparent on contact. He happens upon a girl who for some reason can see him, when no one else can (it's a curse in this case).
HERE ... a pill people took to protect themselves from radiation has created mutations and "powers" and kids born to people who took the drug also have powers. Our protagonist (a girl in this book) was born invisible (and thus dropped at birth, oops). Clothes do appear on her ... so there is some nakedness when she wants to be completely invisible. Unlike the other two books, she doesn't hide her ability in this world where so many have powers. She even attends school, picture floating clothes ;)
Whereas the first two books had characters dealing with invisibility in a normal world, this one is run by competing mafia, using the people and their powers, often for evil (it did have shades of Steelheart in that).
It was fluffy fun. No profound quotes or book club material, but I was entertained and always anxious to get back to the story when I had to put the book down.
I really enjoyed this book! Read it in a day. A cross between Heroes, Casino, Heist Society, Ocean's 11, & a great teen movie - if you like any of those, you'll probably like this book. Fun read and a very intriguing alternate world. Reads like a contemporary with a sci-fi twist. Loved the characters so much! The love between family members comes through strongly (at least for those not trying to control and use each other in a mob way). Sweet romance and great friendships with lots of family drama. Ending could be finished here or could allow for a sequel - I'm hoping for more time with these characters!