Invisibility: A Book Review

Hello!

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Summary: Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.

{kindly taken from Goodreads}

My Thoughts: I have been meaning to read this for a while, as I got it way back in May from the library {oops! :)}, but I finally got around to it this week. To start, let me tell you that the cover and synopsis do nothing to let you know what the book is about. What started off as a solid contemporary becomes a story mixed with magic, curses, and a whole lot more than just romance. While this wasn’t my favorite book in the world, I still thought it was a good read!

Stephen has been invisible, literally invisible, ever since he was born. When he meets Elizabeth, he is shocked to learn that she has the ability to see him. It turns out that Stephen was cursed by his grandfather to his mother’s actions, and Elizabeth can see him because she is a “spellseeker.” Personally, I didn’t find the main characters to be all that bad. I can definitely see why others found them to be a bit flat in development, but their flaws weren’t so major that my enjoyment of the story was ruined. I think what might tip people off is the difference in writing styles. Leviathan wrote Stephen’s point of view, while Cremer was in charge of Elizabeth’s. The styles were so different and inconsistent that it was hard to overlook it. As characters, though? I have seen a lot worse. However, while the MC’s didn’t impress me, I loved the supporting characters, specifically Laurie. He was fully developed and his personality added a lot to the story.

The plot was a pleasant surprise, because I was not expecting so much magic. I found the whole world of curses and spells to be really interesting, and I always wanted to know more! I do wish that the transition into the magic part of the story was less glaring. It felt as if we were being transported into an entirely different world without much notice. Once the middle part hit, however, I was hooked, and the ending was a nice wrap-up, but still left room for a possible sequel. My only other minor complaint is that I would have loved to have learned more about the supporting characters, like Stephen’s dad or Saul, because their parts in the storyline ended weirdly.

Overall, this was an entertaining read! My review may sound harsh, but that’s because the focus is on the technical side of things. When it comes to enjoyment level, this is a really good book!

Pros: Strong supporting characters and unique plot.

Cons: Some plot holes and obvious differences in writing styles.

Heads Up: Romance.

Overall: I give it 3 stars {***} and I recommend it for ages 13 and up.

Have a wonderful night!
B :)