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A review by thestarman
Transparent by Natalie Whipple
3.0
TAGLINE: "Even an invisible girl can't hide forever."
FIRST SENTENCE (Prologue):
"I nearly died the second I was born."
Out of the 8 or so "superhero" books I've read the past 2 years, TRANSPARENT was actually one of the better ones (hint: most of 'em sucked).
Fiona is an invisible girl. In fact, she's never even seen herself. She can't turn her invisibility OFF, which makes her life challenging. But you'll have to read TRANSPARENT to, um, see what I mean.
TRANSPARENT is not a comic book Heroes vs. Villains whirlwind. It's more a tale of dysfunctional vs. "normal" family, and of trying to fit in. "Who can I trust?" is really important in TRANSPARENT.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
DETAILS: (no huge spoilers)
The overall WOW! factor in TRANSPARENT was lower than expected, yet it's still a fun YA story. There's definitely more to this invisible girl than meets the eye. I'm rounding this one up from 2.5 to 3 stars, even though it suffered in the logic and awesomeness departments.
BEST STUFF:
++ The beginning of the book really grabbed my interest.
++ The superpowers (and lesser powers) are pretty nifty.
++ A teen character with really evil relatives (instead of just the usual YA useless or absent parents) was a good twist.
CONS:
-- Fiona seems more 13-ish than 16 (but she's had an unusual childhood).
-- Some pretty big plot logic/realism flaws. Ex:
-- The villains
-- The good guys seriously need to toughen up and Many head-scratching moments here.
Which cover do you like best?
PROTAGONIST: Fiona was frustratingly naive, yet I liked her character a lot. It's also neat how she literally. Fiona is often treated like a non-person, a freak, or something to be afraid of. How that would make you feel?
* Will Fiona escape the villains who want to control her?
* Will Fiona ever find her place in the world?
* Why are boys suddenly making eyes at her (so to speak, ha ha)?
* Will she get stuck in remedial classes?
* And perhaps most importantly, what kind of swimsuit looks best on an invisible 16-year old body?
If you want to find out, read TRANSPARENT.
I had some issues with TRANSPARENT, but Natalie Whipple shows talent and imagination here, especially considering this is her first published novel. I plan to read [b:Blindsided|18243852|Blindsided (Transparent, #2)|Natalie Whipple|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1377268985s/18243852.jpg|25692180], the sequel to TRANSPARENT. These characters are interesting, if not super-bright.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
READ THIS ONE IF the idea of invisibility or other superpowers interests you, or if you like books about kids trying to fit in. It's also a good fit if you want a YA/juvenile book with paranormal elements and mild teen crushings.
LOOK ELSEWHERE IF you seek an action-packed Good vs Evil nail-biter, or a book where the good guys consistently use their abilities and brains well.
PARENTS: Some innuendos. Teen boys talking trash. Kissing. Meanness and violence (nothing gory). Mild suspense. Safe enough for most readers age 11+ years. Some of the adults in TRANSPARENT are awful role models, but here it becomes an important plot point.
ALSO CONSIDER:
[b:Gone|2536134|Gone (Gone, #1)|Michael Grant|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357796831s/2536134.jpg|2543657] [bc:Gone|2536134|Gone (Gone, #1)|Michael Grant|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357796831s/2536134.jpg|2543657]
[b:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449153532s/27190613.jpg|41682914] [bc:And I Darken|25324111|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462983948s/25324111.jpg|41682914]
[b:Paranormalcy|7719245|Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496938681s/7719245.jpg|6949381] [bc:Paranormalcy|7719245|Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496938681s/7719245.jpg|6949381]
[b:The Brokenhearted|14498145|The Brokenhearted (The Brokenhearted #1)|Amelia Kahaney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361330672s/14498145.jpg|20140739] [bc:The Brokenhearted|14498145|The Brokenhearted (The Brokenhearted #1)|Amelia Kahaney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361330672s/14498145.jpg|20140739]
FIRST SENTENCE (Prologue):
"I nearly died the second I was born."
Out of the 8 or so "superhero" books I've read the past 2 years, TRANSPARENT was actually one of the better ones (hint: most of 'em sucked).
Fiona is an invisible girl. In fact, she's never even seen herself. She can't turn her invisibility OFF, which makes her life challenging. But you'll have to read TRANSPARENT to, um, see what I mean.
TRANSPARENT is not a comic book Heroes vs. Villains whirlwind. It's more a tale of dysfunctional vs. "normal" family, and of trying to fit in. "Who can I trust?" is really important in TRANSPARENT.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
DETAILS: (no huge spoilers)
Spoiler
The overall WOW! factor in TRANSPARENT was lower than expected, yet it's still a fun YA story. There's definitely more to this invisible girl than meets the eye. I'm rounding this one up from 2.5 to 3 stars, even though it suffered in the logic and awesomeness departments.
BEST STUFF:
++ The beginning of the book really grabbed my interest.
++ The superpowers (and lesser powers) are pretty nifty.
++ A teen character with really evil relatives (instead of just the usual YA useless or absent parents) was a good twist.
CONS:
-- Fiona seems more 13-ish than 16 (but she's had an unusual childhood).
-- Some pretty big plot logic/realism flaws. Ex:
Spoiler
Registering for PUBLIC school using your REAL NAME is really dumb when villains with unlimited resources are hunting you.-- The villains
Spoiler
were completely unlikeable and had no depth.-- The good guys seriously need to toughen up and
Spoiler
use their brains and powers, if just to defend themselves. Which cover do you like best?
PROTAGONIST: Fiona was frustratingly naive, yet I liked her character a lot. It's also neat how she
Spoiler
uses clothing and accessories to help define herself,* Will Fiona escape the villains who want to control her?
* Will Fiona ever find her place in the world?
* Why are boys suddenly making eyes at her (so to speak, ha ha)?
* Will she get stuck in remedial classes?
* And perhaps most importantly, what kind of swimsuit looks best on an invisible 16-year old body?
If you want to find out, read TRANSPARENT.
I had some issues with TRANSPARENT, but Natalie Whipple shows talent and imagination here, especially considering this is her first published novel. I plan to read [b:Blindsided|18243852|Blindsided (Transparent, #2)|Natalie Whipple|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1377268985s/18243852.jpg|25692180], the sequel to TRANSPARENT. These characters are interesting, if not super-bright.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
READ THIS ONE IF the idea of invisibility or other superpowers interests you, or if you like books about kids trying to fit in. It's also a good fit if you want a YA/juvenile book with paranormal elements and mild teen crushings.
LOOK ELSEWHERE IF you seek an action-packed Good vs Evil nail-biter, or a book where the good guys consistently use their abilities and brains well.
PARENTS: Some innuendos. Teen boys talking trash. Kissing. Meanness and violence (nothing gory). Mild suspense. Safe enough for most readers age 11+ years. Some of the adults in TRANSPARENT are awful role models, but here it becomes an important plot point.
ALSO CONSIDER:
[b:Gone|2536134|Gone (Gone, #1)|Michael Grant|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357796831s/2536134.jpg|2543657] [bc:Gone|2536134|Gone (Gone, #1)|Michael Grant|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357796831s/2536134.jpg|2543657]
[b:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449153532s/27190613.jpg|41682914] [bc:And I Darken|25324111|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462983948s/25324111.jpg|41682914]
[b:Paranormalcy|7719245|Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496938681s/7719245.jpg|6949381] [bc:Paranormalcy|7719245|Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496938681s/7719245.jpg|6949381]
[b:The Brokenhearted|14498145|The Brokenhearted (The Brokenhearted #1)|Amelia Kahaney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361330672s/14498145.jpg|20140739] [bc:The Brokenhearted|14498145|The Brokenhearted (The Brokenhearted #1)|Amelia Kahaney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361330672s/14498145.jpg|20140739]