Scan barcode
etinney's review
3.0
First the good parts: I have not read The Explosionist in a long time, and I was concerned that I would not understand anything that was going on. Luckily, Davidson recounted all of the important stuff that happened, so I was good. I was very intrigued at the beginning of the novel. Sophie was adorable and VERY intelligent (it was kind of scary). The political intrigue was very interesting, and I like how the atomic bomb fits into the alternative history of the novel. The book kept me engaged very nicely, especially about Mikael. At the beginning, Mikael sounded like the cutest person I have ever seen. When they kissed in the lake, I flipped out in cuteness. THEY ARE SO ADORABLE. But after the explosion at the party... the story went downhill.
At some parts, the plot dragged on and on and on and on. Then, it would pick up in tripletime and suddenly she is in a new place. I honestly think if the book were longer, we wouldn't have these problems because she would have time to more thoroughly explain why Mikael's personality changed. Also, Davidson was not consistent with that. He would be really nice; then he would suddenly be a buttface. Also, she and these really influential famous people seemed to be extremely loosely connected. All of the revealations were saved for the ending of the book. Then suddenly... Mikael is spontaneously better with what I think was a special puzzle and then it ended. WHAT? They didn't even kiss or anything, which sounds stupid, I know, but that just another loose end. Also, did anyone think the Snow Queen thing was random? I thought the main focus of the book was policy and physics, not fairytales. I personally would have liked to read about what happened with Elsa and Nobel. There were just a lot of loose ends. I actually hope there is another book because I want some of these questions answered.
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars for keeping me intriguied.
Cover: Random, much? I didn't picture Sophie like that at all. I pictured her more like the girl on the cover of The Explosionist.
At some parts, the plot dragged on and on and on and on. Then, it would pick up in tripletime and suddenly she is in a new place. I honestly think if the book were longer, we wouldn't have these problems because she would have time to more thoroughly explain why Mikael's personality changed. Also, Davidson was not consistent with that. He would be really nice; then he would suddenly be a buttface. Also, she and these really influential famous people seemed to be extremely loosely connected. All of the revealations were saved for the ending of the book. Then suddenly... Mikael is spontaneously better with what I think was a special puzzle and then it ended. WHAT? They didn't even kiss or anything, which sounds stupid, I know, but that just another loose end. Also, did anyone think the Snow Queen thing was random? I thought the main focus of the book was policy and physics, not fairytales. I personally would have liked to read about what happened with Elsa and Nobel. There were just a lot of loose ends. I actually hope there is another book because I want some of these questions answered.
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars for keeping me intriguied.
Cover: Random, much? I didn't picture Sophie like that at all. I pictured her more like the girl on the cover of The Explosionist.
julshakespeare's review
2.0
2.2/5 stars, full review to come! This book was like a fever dream. Nothing had any meaning. All foreshadowing was moot. Pacing was nonexistent. However.... Elsa Blix lives in my mind rent free.
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Pacing: 1/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Pacing: 1/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
bethanymiller415's review
2.0
In Invisible Things, the sequel to The Explosionist, sixteen-year-old Sophie is living with her friend Mikael’s family in a flat above the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Denmark. The Institute is run by Niels Bohr, and many of Europe’s most prominent scientists work there. He and the other scientists are working on designing the atomic bomb, which they hope will put an end to war. Sophie’s parents, who were killed in an explosion while working for physicist Alfred Nobel when Sophie was a baby, had worked on the original plans for this project. Sophie believes that Nobel is the key to discovering what (or who) really caused the explosion that killed her parents. When Sophie’s great-aunt Tabitha dies, a family secret is revealed that changes everything for Sophie.
Invisible Things is not a bad book; however, I found it very annoying for several reasons. First, there is no indication anywhere on the book jacket that it is a sequel, so the unsuspecting reader will spend the first few chapters feeling vaguely confused because the author assumes the reader’s familiarity with the characters and events from the previous book. Second, the book is an alternate history (something else that you would not know by looking at the book jacket), but it takes a while for that to become clear especially as there are real historical figures and events present in the book. For both of these reasons, many teen readers will put this book down before they get through the first chapter. Third, the conclusion of the book is very unsatisfying; the author builds suspense but the exciting climax that the reader is hoping for never really happens. Recommended as an additional selection only where The Explosionist was popular.
Invisible Things is not a bad book; however, I found it very annoying for several reasons. First, there is no indication anywhere on the book jacket that it is a sequel, so the unsuspecting reader will spend the first few chapters feeling vaguely confused because the author assumes the reader’s familiarity with the characters and events from the previous book. Second, the book is an alternate history (something else that you would not know by looking at the book jacket), but it takes a while for that to become clear especially as there are real historical figures and events present in the book. For both of these reasons, many teen readers will put this book down before they get through the first chapter. Third, the conclusion of the book is very unsatisfying; the author builds suspense but the exciting climax that the reader is hoping for never really happens. Recommended as an additional selection only where The Explosionist was popular.
aprilbooksandwine's review
3.0
Invisible Things by Jenny Davidson is an alternate history sort of historical fiction. Set prior to World War II, Scotland is crazy militant. Girls get brainwashed into being something like sex slaves for high power government employees. The European mainland countries have banded into a confederation. However, some elements are the same as actual history. For example there is the rise of the Nazis. Plus there are actual people from history in this book such as Niels Bohr and Alfred Noble. The main character, Sophie is a refugee from Scotland who lives in Niels Bohr’s institute. Her parents both died when she was very young in an explosion at the factory where they were employed.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
saragrochowski's review
4.0
Jenny Davidson's sophmore novel, INVISIBLE THINGS, is one of the most beautifully written novels I've read this year. That, coupled with regular mentions of characters like Niels Bohr and Alfred Nobel, cause the reader to feel as though they're peering not only into the past, but into something terribly important.
Part one of the novel begins in Denmark at the Institute for Theoretical Physics where our main character, Sophie, resides. Sophie is a teen surrounded by brilliant minds and it's clear she may someday join their ranks. She is an orphan with a mysterious past... and she wants answers. The deeper she digs, however, the more complicated things become. Not only is her past more knotted and manipulated than she ever would have assumed, Europe itself is falling to pieces... which presents unwelcome obstacles.
The one aspect of this novel that I wasn't as taken with as I would have liked was the romance. I only point this out because romance is mentioned in the synopsis, which greatly heightens my expectations. Once I reconciled that this aspect wasn't as prominent as I would have liked, I enjoyed the novel much more.
I'll be taking the time to read Davidson's first offering, THE EXPLOSIONIST, and, if you favor atmospheric novels with a rich, historical setting, I highly recommend you pick up INVISIBLE THINGS as well.
Part one of the novel begins in Denmark at the Institute for Theoretical Physics where our main character, Sophie, resides. Sophie is a teen surrounded by brilliant minds and it's clear she may someday join their ranks. She is an orphan with a mysterious past... and she wants answers. The deeper she digs, however, the more complicated things become. Not only is her past more knotted and manipulated than she ever would have assumed, Europe itself is falling to pieces... which presents unwelcome obstacles.
The one aspect of this novel that I wasn't as taken with as I would have liked was the romance. I only point this out because romance is mentioned in the synopsis, which greatly heightens my expectations. Once I reconciled that this aspect wasn't as prominent as I would have liked, I enjoyed the novel much more.
I'll be taking the time to read Davidson's first offering, THE EXPLOSIONIST, and, if you favor atmospheric novels with a rich, historical setting, I highly recommend you pick up INVISIBLE THINGS as well.
shmandy's review
3.0
Really Good :) I loved the setting and detail, it made me feel like I was actually there :D
amdame1's review
3.0
Set in 1938 Denmark on the eve of WW2, Sophie is entangled with many of the scientists working on the atomic bomb: Niels Bohr, Alfred Nobel, etc.
Apparently I need to brush up on my history as I didn't realize it was an "alternate history" until I read the author notes at the end. I'm just going to hold on to the idea that it was because it was such a close parallel to the true history that I didn't catch on.
Apparently I need to brush up on my history as I didn't realize it was an "alternate history" until I read the author notes at the end. I'm just going to hold on to the idea that it was because it was such a close parallel to the true history that I didn't catch on.
lorny's review
3.0
Much like its predecessor The Explosionist, Invisible Things is a gorgeously written novel with many historical allusions. Like I mentioned in my review of The Explosionist, things can get quite confusing if you don’t recall much of your European history classes. I’d recommend reading the acknowledgements first to re-acquaint yourself with Jenny Davidson’s alternate history.
While Invisible Things wasn’t quite as exciting or inventive as The Explosionist, it did nicely incorporate the Snow Queen fairy tale. I enjoyed picking out parallels to the Hans Christian Anderson story (not familiar with the story? Wikipedia is your friend. I gave myself a refresher course as soon as I realized the tie-in). Though initially the retelling of The Snow Queen seems well done, it didn’t follow through to the end of the book, which was a bit confusing.
Overall, I’d say that Invisible Things was a nice follow-up to The Explosionist, but it didn’t exactly feel necessary. True, it resolved some lingering questions from the first book (the mystery of Sophie’s parents’ death; Sophie’s hypnotically-induced written testimony of the day her parents died), but I wasn’t as satisfied as I thought I’d be. If you’ve read The Explosionist and really loved it, I’d recommend giving Invisible Things a go; the two are written in a similar style.
While Invisible Things wasn’t quite as exciting or inventive as The Explosionist, it did nicely incorporate the Snow Queen fairy tale. I enjoyed picking out parallels to the Hans Christian Anderson story (not familiar with the story? Wikipedia is your friend. I gave myself a refresher course as soon as I realized the tie-in). Though initially the retelling of The Snow Queen seems well done, it didn’t follow through to the end of the book, which was a bit confusing.
Overall, I’d say that Invisible Things was a nice follow-up to The Explosionist, but it didn’t exactly feel necessary. True, it resolved some lingering questions from the first book (the mystery of Sophie’s parents’ death; Sophie’s hypnotically-induced written testimony of the day her parents died), but I wasn’t as satisfied as I thought I’d be. If you’ve read The Explosionist and really loved it, I’d recommend giving Invisible Things a go; the two are written in a similar style.
acgood's review
1.0
I feel like I just got side-swiped. What...happened??! Everything interesting and good in The Explosionist is dumped and Davidson's writing regressed so, so much. It feels like this was the very first, roughest draft that she gave to her editor, and her editor stiffed her and turned this into the publisher, no edits or even looking it over.
First off, every important event happens offstage and is reported to Sophie through newspapers or the radio. This isn't an exaggeration; things like the European Federation invading Denmark, Aunt Tabitha committing suicide, and this dissolution of IRYLNS happens with little note or fanfare. These are all such interesting, important events and they're given NO screen time. As a result, the whole plot mostly consists of Sophie's thoughts, wanderings, meetings, and meals. It is incredibly boring and unremarkable in terms of plot.
Also, all of the interesting alternate world building either gets put on hold (like the cultural differences between Scotland and the continental members of the Hanseatic League) or vaguely elaborated on (the scientific progress of the atom bomb). This is incredibly frustrating because Davidson had some very intriguing world building in the last book; it's what kept me interested in picking up the sequel. In fact, that applies to the plot points as well; IRYLNS is disbanded with little notice or fanfare and then quickly dropped from the plot, and the simmering war in Europe is only lightly hinted at, despite the invasion of the Hanseatic League.
And finally, Davidson's writing somehow regressed, and regressed hard. This reads like a first time writer using the Thesaurus function in Word. Davidson relies so much on using SAT words for adjectives to describe even mundane things, like Sophie's cat curling up in her lap and purring ("She could feel the steady vibration of his purr, a deep, reassuring rumble that seemed to resonate with her own sympathetic nervous system and helped her settle down into some semblance of calm.") Along with that, her sentences became so long and verbose; I read a sentence that was literally thirteen lines long. This was not present in The Explosionist AT ALL. I really don't know what happened to her writing in the intervening years.
I was really sad and frustrated with this book because the first book really showed that Davidson can write, and had some interesting ideas. But for some reason that all got chucked out the window in favor of a short but plodding retelling of The Snow Queen that somehow ends on a happy note despite imminent war.
First off, every important event happens offstage and is reported to Sophie through newspapers or the radio. This isn't an exaggeration; things like the European Federation invading Denmark, Aunt Tabitha committing suicide, and this dissolution of IRYLNS happens with little note or fanfare. These are all such interesting, important events and they're given NO screen time. As a result, the whole plot mostly consists of Sophie's thoughts, wanderings, meetings, and meals. It is incredibly boring and unremarkable in terms of plot.
Also, all of the interesting alternate world building either gets put on hold (like the cultural differences between Scotland and the continental members of the Hanseatic League) or vaguely elaborated on (the scientific progress of the atom bomb). This is incredibly frustrating because Davidson had some very intriguing world building in the last book; it's what kept me interested in picking up the sequel. In fact, that applies to the plot points as well; IRYLNS is disbanded with little notice or fanfare and then quickly dropped from the plot, and the simmering war in Europe is only lightly hinted at, despite the invasion of the Hanseatic League.
And finally, Davidson's writing somehow regressed, and regressed hard. This reads like a first time writer using the Thesaurus function in Word. Davidson relies so much on using SAT words for adjectives to describe even mundane things, like Sophie's cat curling up in her lap and purring ("She could feel the steady vibration of his purr, a deep, reassuring rumble that seemed to resonate with her own sympathetic nervous system and helped her settle down into some semblance of calm.") Along with that, her sentences became so long and verbose; I read a sentence that was literally thirteen lines long. This was not present in The Explosionist AT ALL. I really don't know what happened to her writing in the intervening years.
I was really sad and frustrated with this book because the first book really showed that Davidson can write, and had some interesting ideas. But for some reason that all got chucked out the window in favor of a short but plodding retelling of The Snow Queen that somehow ends on a happy note despite imminent war.