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Invisibility

Andrea Cremer (Goodreads Author),

David Levithan (Goodreads Author)

3.43 · Rating details · 8,332 ratings · 1,273 reviews

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 ab ...more

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Hardcover, 358 pages

Published May 7th 2013 by Philomel

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YA Novels of 2013

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Apr 13, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, 2013-publication, penguin, male-ya-author, male-pov, dnf, read-2013, skimmed-or-unfinished, huge-disappointments, lgbtqi

DNF at 137 pages. I liked the beginning of the book, which felt very Every Day-like in its thoughtfulness and sensitivity, and I like Stephen's POV. I am not a fan of Elizabeth's POV, however, and after a sudden kiss at their third meeting on page 70, instalove after that, and a plot that got progressively more convoluted (view spoiler), this just wasn't a premise that worked for me.

Paranormal romance written like realistic fiction, but without enough consis ...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Kat O'Keeffe rated it it was ok

So much potential, but ultimately there were some aspects that just didn't work for me.

First off, what did work: I loved the premise and the whole idea of the cursed invisible boy and the one girl who could see him. I also liked the writing throughout. I enjoyed Levithan's chapters a little more, but Cremer's chapters were also well written. The story was interesting and kept me entertained, and I also thought characterization was well done (even though I wasn't a fan of all the characters.)

Howe So much potential, but ultimately there were some aspects that just didn't work for me.

First off, what did work: I loved the premise and the whole idea of the cursed invisible boy and the one girl who could see him. I also liked the writing throughout. I enjoyed Levithan's chapters a little more, but Cremer's chapters were also well written. The story was interesting and kept me entertained, and I also thought characterization was well done (even though I wasn't a fan of all the characters.)

However, there were three main things that prevented me from really enjoying this. First, the insta-love. This doesn't always bother me, but in this case I had trouble buying the romance. I don't know precisely what it was, I just couldn't really get a feel for their relationship. The characters claimed they had all these strong feelings for each another, but as a reader, I just couldn't sense those feelings.

This might be in part because I didn't really connect with the leading female character, Elizabeth. I wanted to like her and I tried, but while I didn't hate her, I just didn't really care about her either. I felt myself getting annoyed by a lot of her reactions and decisions.

Finally, as awesome as the premise was, I thought the execution of this premise was less than awesome. Some of the world building was shaky (I still don't understand exactly why Elizabeth could see Stephen. She's just a special snowflake or what?) And some of the transitions between chapters were really choppy, resulting in weird jumps back and forth in time, or interesting scenes interrupted with back story.

I'm not sure how I feel about the end. There is a resolution, but there's also clearly more story in the future for these characters. As far as I know, there isn't a confirmed sequel, but the authors haven't shut down the possibility of one. (If it happens I'd probably read it, though it wouldn't be high priority.)

Overall, I thought this was a decent read, but because I was expecting something amazing, I ended up a little disappointed. The premise was great and the story was well written and entertaining, but unfortunately some aspects of the execution and the characters just didn't do it for me. If it sounds like something you might like, though, give it a try! Maybe you will enjoy it more than I did! ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Ellie rated it liked it

Shelves: stand-alone, books-i-own, alternating-pov, amazing-writing, badass-heroines, candy-books, books-who-made-me-feel-warm-inside, i-have-superpowers, magic-witches-wizards-casters, sweet-romance

Holy cow.

Andrea Cremer and David Levithan??? Together???

This is just so ifcnbIFNIWEeiurwbfw ierEFgberg jhbdADcfbe foAuweRW BV SURGYkjanrg aehusdfUBf w H!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*faints*

---UPDATE: 21st October 2013----

2.5 stars.

Dear fellows, I am sorry to communicate the only binomial who actually works (and I mean mind-blowing works) is David Levithan - Rachel Cohn.

The first half of the book wasn't actually that bad, but then... Meeeeeeeeeh.

This is probably one of the hugest ...more

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Mar 27, 2013 MeMe Belikova First lady Ivashkov rated it it was amazing

First of all, can I say I LOVE David Levithan and Andrea Cremer! I meet both of them at signings and they are both amazing people and I was super excited to her they both did a mash up on this book. Them two together was seriously a matched made in heaven 0:)

So invisibility is about a guy named Stephen, who is invisible due to a cures that he knows nothing about. He is pretty much your average guy but you know invisible to everyone(so he thinks) until he meets Elizabeth, a girl who has moved rig ...more

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Apr 10, 2016 Irmak rated it really liked it

Shelves: kütüphanem

Açıkçası başlarken kitaptan çok yüksek bir beklentim yoktu. David Levithan'ın Her Gün kitabını çok sevmiştim ama bu kitap başka bir yazarla ortak bir çalışması olduğu için tereddütlerim vardı. Fakat sevdim, hatta çok sevdim.
• Stephen görünmez olarak yaşamaktadır. Böyle doğmuştur. Görünmez. Lanetli. Böyle yaşamaya alışmıştır ama mutsuzdur. Görünmek ister. Ve günün birinde lanetin kalktığını düşünür çünkü karşısında onu gören bir kız vardır. Elizabeth. Fakat ne yazık ki lanet kalkmamıştır, Elizab ...more

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May 08, 2016 Zeynep rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

*4,5 stars*

Kitabı sevmemek için bariz hiçbir sebebim yok. Öylesine elime aldım, ne ara bitti bilmiyorum. İki ya da üç kere ayraca ihtiyacım oldu diyeyim de anlayın kitabı nasıl sevdiğimi <3 David Levithan'ı zaten çok seviyordum ama Cremer ile birlikte yazmaları daha bi tatlı olmuş bence.

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Aug 21, 2012 Jen Ryland added it

I am a HUGE fan of David Levithan and his fictional collaborations with John Green and Rachel Cohn. In fact, Nick and Norah and Will Grayson, Will Grayson are some of my favorite YA contemporaries of all time.

Based on the blurb and cover, I went into Invisibility expecting a book like Levithan's Every Day, a contemporary with a hint of the paranormal. I liked the way Every Day offered minimal explanation for the paranormal elements and instead focused on the more existential or philosophical sid I am a HUGE fan of David Levithan and his fictional collaborations with John Green and Rachel Cohn. In fact, Nick and Norah and Will Grayson, Will Grayson are some of my favorite YA contemporaries of all time.

Based on the blurb and cover, I went into Invisibility expecting a book like Levithan's Every Day, a contemporary with a hint of the paranormal. I liked the way Every Day offered minimal explanation for the paranormal elements and instead focused on the more existential or philosophical side of a character's paranormal abilities. Invisibility started out in that vein -- seeming like a contemporary novel with a paranormal twist -- but then suddenly morphed into a breakneck fantasy-adventure that reminded me of a Percy Jackson book.

Stephen is invisible and always has been -- all his mother would tell him was he was living under a curse. Then one day, he meets someone who can see him. While this is a revelation to Stephen, it does set up a scenario where he and the girl seem sort of stuck with each other. Stephen can finally have a real relationship; and the only girl who can see him can hardly reject the guy who's never been seen by anyone in his entire life.

The girl who can see him is Elizabeth, but prefers to be called Jo. (This is a Little Women joke which completely weirded me out because in Invisibility, Jo's brother is named … Laurie. Jo and Laurie cannot be siblings, because in my head I write fanfic where Amy and Professor Bhaer die of typhoid fever so that Jo and Laurie can finally be together.)

Elizabeth/Jo was not the easiest of characters to warm up to. Yes, she's angry about something horrible that happened to her brother, but she's also pretty ticked-off in general. I did like the relationship between Jo and her brother, and loved the parallels that Laurie seemed to be drawing between the fact that Stephen is invisible and the struggles that Laurie has gone through.(view spoiler). Laurie says: "When no one can see who you are, no one really knows you."

I expected Invisibility to continue on this course and be a sweet story about unconditional love and self-acceptance. (Honestly, I was hoping that Stephen would fall in love with Laurie.) But instead the plot became all about Jo's attempt to break the curse and cure Stephen of his invisibility and, suddenly, I'm knee-deep in cursecasting and hexology.

It's hard when you go into a book expecting one thing and get something completely different. I try to roll with the punches in these situations, but in this case I felt invested in the book I started to read. The last half of the book reminded me of Beastly by Alex Flinn (another book about curses and love) crossed with The Lightning Thief -- both books that I enjoyed. I guess I found this particular mash-up of contemporary + paranormal a little jarring and wished the book had stayed on its original course. (I'm a die-hard contemporary fan -- what can I say?)

I didn't dislike this book. I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to. ...more

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May 08, 2016 Nicay │The Nerdy side of a Queen rated it liked it

I am a cause with no effects. I am footsteps without a sound. I am nothing but air - noticeable in motions but gone even as it arrives.

I don't know what will I felt after reading this. Enjoyment? Satisfaction? Asking for more? Hmm. I don't really know.

Well, my rating is still in a tag of war between 3 to 3.5 ☆. It was a balance of likeness and still undecided for this story.

I guess I need to explain first what was the story about without any spoilers, so I can verdict my final decision afte ...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Rose rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, better-than-i-expected, contemporary, paranormal, romance, supernatural, young-adult, ya-a-z-reading-challenge-2015

Initial reaction: Dude - I actually really enjoyed this and it was probably helped by a decent audio narration. I wasn't thrilled about Elizabeth's POV in turns and the overarching "instalove", but it was the secondary characters, Stephen's POV and narrative voice, and the intrigue of the cursecasting and light/dark undertones of the narrative that won me over.

Full review:

For all intents and purposes, I'm really surprised that I ended up really liking this book a whole heck of a lot. I will conc ...more

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Jun 01, 2013 Kat rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, paranormal, 2013-reads, romance

I'm going to warn you in advance - this will be a ranty review. And not because Invisibility was terribly bad, but because I was terribly disappointed. I mean, David Levithan is an author who cemented his place on my very small auto-buy list with just ONE book - Every Day. Now, I know, I shouldn't really compare one book against the other, but when you hold an author in such high esteem, it's nearly impossible not to do so.

The basic plot is intriguing, if not necessarily completely my cup of te I'm going to warn you in advance - this will be a ranty review. And not because Invisibility was terribly bad, but because I was terribly disappointed. I mean, David Levithan is an author who cemented his place on my very small auto-buy list with just ONE book - Every Day. Now, I know, I shouldn't really compare one book against the other, but when you hold an author in such high esteem, it's nearly impossible not to do so.

The basic plot is intriguing, if not necessarily completely my cup of tea. But I'm an open minded kinda reader, there's very little I won't read, and there have been a few paranormal romance-type books that I've enjoyed immensly. After all, how bad could it be?

Firstly, lets start with the romance. There's very little more to say than it's insta-love, to be frank. Stephen and Elizabeth meet, and after an undisclosed amount of time (which can't be longer than 2-3 weeks), they are IN LOVE. With capital letters. We're talking die-for-each other kinda love, which, I'm sorry, doesn't happen within a matter of weeks, especially at sixteen and I do not want it in books I read. Ever.

Now, if they were both fabulous characters that I felt an awesome connection to and wanted nothing more than a happily ever after, I probably could have overlooked this flaw - I did with Every Day and I LOVED that book. I hugged it for fucks sake. But neither Elizabeth, and to a lesser extent, Stephen, are characters I wanted to cheer from the sidelines. Elizabeth has the makings of a great character - she wants to be a comic book writer, she's got artistic talent to the eyeballs and shes dedicated to her younger brother, Laurie. However, somewhere along the way she seems to have misplaced a very important part of her character - a personality. Stephen is much the same, there's just not much substance there - yes, he's invisible, his life is hard, but why not turn it around and make him some daring adverturer who sneaks into clubs or onto airplanes or just SOMETHING other than moping about.

There is only one character that held this whole thing together, and that was Elizabeth's younger brother, Laurie. He's at the heart of the reason her family moves to New York and unlike the main characters, he has personality to the eyeballs. It should have been HIS crush that was invisible, dammit. Or him - in fact, although he's a secondary character, he's got the personality that would have made Stephen far more likable.

The paranormal aspect is actually the one thing that saved me from DNFing the whole shebang, and although it didn't feel exceptionally well done (and the climax seemed way too quick to me), the actual premise of spellseekers and cursecasters was different from other paranormal novels that I've read recently.

The writing worked for me for the most part, and felt more like the high-side of middle-of-the-road but there was none of the Levithan quote-fests that I've come to know and love, and there were some parts that I just wanted over and done with and others that I really enjoyed.

Overall, although Invisibility wasn't a book for me, I can see how it would appeal to other readers, particularly those who enjoy a unique plot more so than characters than can fall head over heels in love with.

Just one more thought and then my rant is over - screw you, expectations, screw you. ...more

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May 10, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc

Oh, expectations, you turncoats. Always there when I start out, and off who the fuck knows where as I suffer through an uninspired book. Before you start telling me I shouldn't have finished this book, believe me, I know that was an option. However, by the time I was sure I wouldn't like it, I was too far into the book to DNF. Once I've read twenty percent or so, it's happening, and that's all there is to it. Invisibility isn't necessarily a bad book, but it's certainly not what I was hoping for ...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Jan Bethel rated it liked it

Shelves: badly-needed, will-definitely-buy, wish-list, yet-to-find, i-need-this-on-my-bookshelf, waiting-impatiently

Love-Hate Relationship again!

I loved this book when it started. But somehow I ended up not liking it.

Tsk! **Actual review to come**

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Jan 16, 2016 Selly - Leggere Romanticamente rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2 stelline e mezzo

Sul blog trovate la recensione qui ---> http://www.leggereromanticamente.com/...

Questo libro stand-alone non è assolutamente ciò che mi aspettavo di leggere.
E non lo dico in senso positivo, per me è un grande e grosso “Boh”.
Tanto per cominciare la “magica storia d'amore” che mi aspettavo di trovare nel romanzo è molto marginale e presente quasi esclusivamente nella prima parte, inoltre i sentimenti dei protagonisti sono affrettati e forzati.
Sempre a proposito della prima ...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Saniya marked it as to-read

David Levithan and Andrea Cremer?

PERFECTION.

Can't wait to read this! :D

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Jun 22, 2013 Bee (Heart Full of Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books

The original review can be found at Heart Full of Books!

When it comes to David Levithan I find that his co-written works are always the best, and Invisibility continues to prove this theory right. I absolutely loved the first 150 pages or so. They were so well written and I was completely absorbed by the characters and the situation. However, I do agree with the majority of the other reviews that this book lost its way in the middle, and began to feel like something completely different. Still, The original review can be found at Heart Full of Books!

When it comes to David Levithan I find that his co-written works are always the best, and Invisibility continues to prove this theory right. I absolutely loved the first 150 pages or so. They were so well written and I was completely absorbed by the characters and the situation. However, I do agree with the majority of the other reviews that this book lost its way in the middle, and began to feel like something completely different. Still, I really liked the magical-realism element, and I think you can explain away the majority of the strangeness to the situation. It’s still worth giving a go, and here’s why!

I’m not entirely sure how far into how Stephen is invisible and why Elizabeth is the only one that can see him without giving away spoilers, because I think half of the magic of this book was the slow reveal. What I will say though is that the magic made sense. It seemed perfectly reasonable and I was entirely convinced that this could be an AU of our world. My all-time favourite part, however, was when the hows and the whys didn’t even matter. I was fully prepared for this story to just be a cute magical-realism romance about Elizabeth and Stephen trying to work it out and explain it to Elizabeth’s family. It just got too confusing and perhaps even a little carried away with itself when the authors tried to give the book more purpose, which sounds ridiculous, but the high stakes changed the story completely.

In the first 150 pages I thought I would be giving this book five stars. I loved all of the characters. There’s Stephen, who’s soft spoken and super adorable. Eh’s spent all of his life observing other people so his narrative is filled with description and wonderment. I found Elizabeth to be pretty inconsistent, but I really liked her to begin with when she was a little snarky and off-hand. She seemed like a girl who knew what she wanted. She didn’t really have a filter and could be a bit abrasive and I loved how witty her observations where. The final main player is Laurie, Elizabeth’s younger brother. He was beaten at his old school for being gay, so the family (minus their d-bag father) move to New York so Laurie can be safe. Laurie was an extremely serious and silly boy. Sometimes he would come out with the most profound things, and if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s the pep talk. One of my favourite bits was when Elizabeth’s having a bit of a breakdown because Stephen has finally told her he’s invisible and she’s the only one that can see him, and Laurie gives her the verbal version of a slap and encourages her not to be silly and melodramatic and instead to realise how much she loves him and the fact he’s invisible shouldn’t change anything.

So, yes, there’s a little bit of insta-love, but to be perfectly honest, I didn’t find it to be fast paced whatsoever. I fell in love with their love. All of the characters were so refreshing and how they handled the situation to begin with was really admirable. Then, of course, things go off kilter as the book tries to take a more series tone, resembling something like the Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It gets a bit strange and you have to take the explanations and long-winded exposition with a pinch of salt. The ending was quite disappointing to, as their efforts didn’t really seem to pay off. I really hope that one day the authors write a sequel because I really didn’t think it should end there. In my head-cannon I have found a way to make everything end the way I want to, though, so I’m not too distressed.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story, and I hope that my albeit vague review (I don’t want to spoil it for you!) has convinced you enough to pick it up! I gave the first part 5 stars, the middle 3 and the ending 2.5. ...more

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Jul 07, 2015 Myriam rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: sp, ebook, sold

Lecture abandonnée.
Dommage que la construction de cette histoire m'ait semblé bâclée. Les détails sont confus, et les règles de l'univers créé sont mal expliquées.
http://unjour-unlivre.fr/2015/07/andr...

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Jul 02, 2011 Jana marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I feel really stupid for asking this but.. can someone explain to me about everyone's comments about Cremer's anti-feminism? I do agree but isn't the point of her Nightshade series to show girls in a very different 'light'? lol I'm so confused..

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Dec 26, 2011 shady boots | #WatchPOSE marked it as dnf

Andrea Cremer and David Levithan? o_o Wow, I never thought those two authors would ever team up.

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Oct 11, 2011 Cory marked it as to-read

Andrea Cremer and David Levithan? Questionable sexism ahoy.

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Aug 06, 2015 Dark Faerie Tales rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed-by-bridget

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This was an interesting read that I enjoyed, but it was really slow paced so it took a while for me to get through it.

Opening Sentence: I was born invisible.

The Review:

Stephen was born invisible. No one could see him, not even his mother. He is now 16 years old and his mother passed away a year ago. His father left when he was young so he lives in his New York City apartment by himself. He lives a simple life since you can order pretty much ...more

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Feb 14, 2013 ☕ Kimberly rated it really liked it

I have enjoyed David Levithan’s previous works and so I was excited to read Invisibility his collaboration with Andre Cremer. He takes his readers on a journey that leaves them in awe at the close of the book(s). From magic, to romance to friendship I was completely caught up in the tale and its characters. While I clearly heard Levithan’s voice throughout the novel, I was equally impressed by Cremer and look forward to explore more of her works. Invisibility is a book to be both devoured and sa I have enjoyed David Levithan’s previous works and so I was excited to read Invisibility his collaboration with Andre Cremer. He takes his readers on a journey that leaves them in awe at the close of the book(s). From magic, to romance to friendship I was completely caught up in the tale and its characters. While I clearly heard Levithan’s voice throughout the novel, I was equally impressed by Cremer and look forward to explore more of her works. Invisibility is a book to be both devoured and savored.

The tale begins when we meet a single mom and her two teenage children as they move into an apartment building in NYC. Recently relocated from Minnesota they are fragile and rebuilding their lives after a vicious hate crime tore their family apart. Laurie is attending summer school, Mom is adjusting to her new job and that leaves Elizabeth to unpack the apartment. While trying to open the door and unload packages she spies Stephen and no one is more surprised that she can see him, then Stephen. Stephen was born invisible; no one not even his mother has ever seen him. The tale that unfolds is filled with romance, danger and acceptance.

The tale is told in dual POV’s going back and forth between chapters giving us an intimate look into the minds of Elizabeth and Stephen. Elizabeth is struggling after her brother’s attack and betrayal from people in her life. She immediately connects with Stephen, and while at first it felt a little like insta-love the romance settled and gained more substance. She is really trying to discover herself or reinvent herself and we see this from simple things like trying to change her name to the way she is drawn to Stephen. While I didn’t always agree with her, I understood what drove her. She has moments of kick-ass-ery which I adored, she can be selfish and in the next moment put others ahead of herself. In a nut-shell she is complicated, and felt fleshed-out and genuine. Stephen is strong, an island unto himself and doesn’t realize how lonely his existence has been until Elizabeth and her world collide with his. A part of him embraces all of it and another wants to keep a bubble around himself and Elizabeth. Their romance was pure, slow, tender, and bittersweet. You cannot help but wish them a happy ending. Laurie is a shining star, an optimist and a survivor. He is there for both of them and I adored this young man. Millie, Saul and Stephen’s grandfather help us understand the curse and magical aspects of the tale and added to the overall suspense.

Invisibility is a tale you want to savor, and the tale flows beautifully. It’s the type of book where you slide right into the world, look up and realize you’ve consumed a hundred or more pages. I did not find myself rushing towards the conclusion and instead basked in the unfolding of the tale. The curse, spellbinders, spellcasters and cursecasters were all fascinating. The authors did an excellent job of providing enough history to make it feel plausible and yet I craved more. I loved the descriptive style used to describe the curses afflicting victims and the way Elizabeth was able to see them. There are intense battles, and scenes which were vividly described and I felt like I was right there in the middle of it all. There were lessons to be learned, questions to be asked and ideas to be pondered as I weaved further into the tale. The ending gives us both resolution and unanswered questions but most of all hope. Another book could easily be created and this tale continued or the author(s) can leave us to create our own idea of happily-ever-after.
ARC provided in exchange for unbiased review.
See more of my reviews @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ...more

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Aug 22, 2014 Jen | Jen Talks Audiobooks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own-print, amazing-narrator, audiobook, contemporary, fantasy, read-in-print, romance, young-adult, women-authors

This was quite a surprise. Not what I expected at all. It's a nice story about a boy who's invisible, the one girl who can see him, and why this is all possible. A pleasant little urban fantasy with a great ending and a pretty good bad guy.

I only had a couple of problems with this book - one being that it's basically instalove. I did love the relationship between these two characters, but boy did it happen fast. The other is a situation with Elizabeth's brother Laurie that happened before they r ...more

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Jun 22, 2013 Oda Renate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: buy-next, favorites

even with the bitter sweet ending, I love this book.
it funny, relatable,romantic, realistic,uniqe.
just overall utterly perfect.
-------
reread it today because its still one of my fave books.
I have loved to read all my 25 years, yet I can think of few other books I have read that are as perfect as this one. so impactful, full of dept, intimacy, love and beauty.
I am amazed how EVERY SINGLE WORD is perfect in the story.
Rereading it this time I do have some thoughts a) there was talk about a adaption ...more

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Aug 14, 2016 Serhat Can Kacan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-read

Görünmez bir çocuk ve onu görebilen bir kız.

Görünmezlik ile lanetlenen Stephen, kendisini görebilen birisi ile karşılaşır. Görülmenin beraberinde getirdiği farklı duygular ve diğer insanlara görünmeye çalışmak, işte kitap boyunca okuyacağınız konu budur.

David Levithan ve Andrea Cremer'in yazmış olduğu Görünmez için beklentim yüksek olduğundan dolayı kitabı okurken sıkıldığım zamanlar oldu.
Olaylar bir erkek, bir kız karakterin gözünden anlatılıyor. Durum böyle olunca iki tarafında duygularını an ...more

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Sep 05, 2011 usagi ☆ミ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013, for-review, magical-reality, own-print-arc, teenage-shennanigans, best-of-13, contemporary, gods-and-monsters, reviewed, vaginal-fantasy

4.5/5 stars!

Ever since "Every Day", I've become a Levithan devotee. And I've been a Cremer devotee since "Nightshade", so when I heard these two were writing a book together? I made a noise that wasn't human. I was really anticipating it (seriously in my top ten for early 2013), and I'm so glad it pretty much lived up my expectations. While I can see this book may not be for everyone (the pacing is a bit slow, and the big reveals take time and patience to get to), it's well worth the wait for me 4.5/5 stars!

Ever since "Every Day", I've become a Levithan devotee. And I've been a Cremer devotee since "Nightshade", so when I heard these two were writing a book together? I made a noise that wasn't human. I was really anticipating it (seriously in my top ten for early 2013), and I'm so glad it pretty much lived up my expectations. While I can see this book may not be for everyone (the pacing is a bit slow, and the big reveals take time and patience to get to), it's well worth the wait for me. Mixing magical realism with contemporary YA lit, "Invisibility" is a wonderful story of magic, and what it takes to really love someone.

While a little slow to start, there's magic there from the very first page. And no, I don't mean because Stephen's invisible, but because of the fact that his world, the world shrunk down to his apartment, his New York City and how he interacts with it is so very well-built, and so very sturdy, that it automatically reminded me of the magic we immediately encounter in the opening passages of "Every Day". Which is not a bad thing - this, I've discovered, is Levithan's style when it comes to magical realism. And you know what? He's really good at it. And when it comes to Cremer and the entrance of Elizabeth, she's shown a surprising talent for what seems to be ordinary contemporary YA - but when certain things happen later, she calls upon her talent with paranormal/paranormal romance to really help bring the other half of this book to life. The division of labor here is obvious but extremely well done, and that's what really struck me at first about the first few opening chapters, when Stephen and Elizabeth meet. Both authors use their talent for their characters and so it flows together really well because of it. It's startlingly smooth even if slow at first, but once we start getting more revealed, things take off into a crazy ride that doesn't stop until the end of the book.

Some have called insta-love when it comes to Stephen and Elizabeth's relationship, but (for once), I've found the opposite. There's a lot of inner worldbuilding for both characters (but Stephen's inner world, naturally, is more built), and thus a lot of fighting with oneself about the other person. Cremer and Levithan make it clear from the get-go that this will not be an easy relationship, be it platonic or otherwise, and that everyone (including the audience) is going to have to work really hard for everything to work. I love that both Stephen and Elizabeth have to fight against themselves, against their past experiences, and against their possible future in order to be together in any sort of relationship medium, and when they finally do get together? Oh, is it worth it. But I also have to give it to Levithan and Cremer that once their relationship gets going, it doesn't go full-bore screaming in the direction of immediate declarations of true love, which was a pleasant change for YA. It's a slow realization, and one that scares the hell out of both of them, which I found realistic and relatible even though I'm definitely not a teenager anymore. (Romantic) love SHOULD be scary to anyone of any age, and I'm glad that's the way the two authors played it.

I also loved Laurie as the comic relief. Considering what happens to him (or what's just happened to him at the start of the book), the way he accepts Stephen (very cautiously) and what has happened to him, and yet still isn't afraid of his new life was really a joy. We've couched nonheteronormative sexual identity in bullying, hate crime, and suicides for so long, I think that we as a collective contemp YA audience have forgotten how resilient these people, these characters can be, and how quickly they can bounce back even from such terrible experiences as the one that Laurie experienced. It was really a joy to read, and nothing less I'd expect from Levithan. As for Cremer, she did have a little gay action going on in the Nightshade series, but not fleshed out enough for me to really be able to honestly comment on how things worked. Now I can say that yes, she can be able to use gay characters not as sob stories, but as triumph stories, and as regular stories that happen everyday.

As for the big reveal of Elizabeth's true nature and how it relates to Stephen's curse, I can't say I wasn't entirely not expecting it, but I liked the way that played out nonetheless. Their love suddenly becomes this very fragile thing (and it wasn't exactly made of titanium to begin with), and Laurie really becomes part of the main cast here, which was nice. I'm still feeling lukewarm about Millie at this point - mostly because her development and backstory isn't really given to us until/near the climax of the book. Saul was nicely fleshed out as a minor character, and I generally loved how everyone was brought together with Stephen's grandfather as the big bad, and how the entire climax and resolution went down. There isn't a happy ending here - not your usual kind, at least - there's magic, there's ongoing relationship repair, and no big problems (like Stephen's little invisibility problem) don't just disappear thanks to TRUE LOVE(tm). And I thought that was the best way to handle things in terms of ending the book. That was the most satisfying for me because it was also the most realistic, magical realism and paranormal romance aside. We don't always get happy endings, and sometimes, when we do, they're not the ones that we've been promised since we've been children.

Finally, the sensory imagery: for Stephen it's slow (obviously, because he has to try harder), but once the curses really get involved, the ones that Elizabeth try to wrestle are almost a little too intense to handle. To the point where I had to walk away, breathe, and process for awhile. Both of these authors are awesome at sensory imagery and language, so it was a little overpowering at times. But that's definitely not a bad thing, and I really loved how they were able to combine their skills here.

Final verdict? If you can stick with a quiet, slow, insidious little book such as this until the action starts coming at you, I really suggest that you give this book a try. Even if you can't, give it a try anyway - I think you'll find that your patience will definitely pay off. "Invisibility" will be out from Penguin in North America on May 7, 2013, so DEFINITELY check it out when you get the chance. Definitely one of my favorites of 2013 so far, and I'm hoping these two authors team up together once more and bring us something just as awesome as this book.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
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May 27, 2017 Esra rated it it was ok · review of another edition

*2,5*
Görünmez hakkında ne düşünmeliyim bilemiyorum, fazlasıyla muallakta kaldığım bir kitap.
Türüne ne genç yetişkin diyebiliyorum ne de tam fantastik. Kitabı okurken yer yer yazarlar çok güzel ilerleyebilecek bir konuyu harcamış gibi hissettim. Büyügörenlerle, lanetleyicilerle ilgili daha fazla olay, daha fazla detay aradım. Çünkü eğer o detayları görsem, kesinlikle beğenip herkese önereceğim bir kitap olacaktı. Ama yazarlar bunun aksine bu tür bölümlerde daha çok genç-yetişkine kayıp benim bekl ...more

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Jun 21, 2013 Eric Townsend rated it it was ok

Invisibility is filled with just as much awkwardness as the teen romance it contains. Teen romance can be epic, it can be ugly and usually it has bits of everything in between, such is the case here. So let’s break it down just like that, it’s time for the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

- Levithan. The man can flat out WRITE. While his style does seem to carry over in everything he writes (the set of rules of the invisibility curse is reminiscent of his set of rules in Every Day for that MC ...more

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May 05, 2011 Miss Bookiverse rated it liked it

Shelves: st-mine, age-ya, loc-new-york, t-family-siblings, ge-paranormal, ge-contemporary-fiction, t-lgbtq, read-in-my-20s

Liebes Invisibility,
oh mann! Was war das denn? Und wieso? Es hätte doch… argh!

Wie du merkst, hast du mich ganz schön frustriert. Dabei hat alles so traumhaft angefangen. In typischer Levithan-Manier hat mich schon dein erstes Kapitel begeistert. Es war sofort da, dieses „deshalb ist das mein Lieblingsautor“-Gefühl. Du hattest etwas von deinem Bruder Every Day, einen interessanten Grundkonflikt (unsichtbarer Junge wird plötzlich von einer einzigen Person gesehen) mit einer paranormalen Note und g Liebes Invisibility,
oh mann! Was war das denn? Und wieso? Es hätte doch… argh!

Wie du merkst, hast du mich ganz schön frustriert. Dabei hat alles so traumhaft angefangen. In typischer Levithan-Manier hat mich schon dein erstes Kapitel begeistert. Es war sofort da, dieses „deshalb ist das mein Lieblingsautor“-Gefühl. Du hattest etwas von deinem Bruder Every Day, einen interessanten Grundkonflikt (unsichtbarer Junge wird plötzlich von einer einzigen Person gesehen) mit einer paranormalen Note und genau die richtigen wohlklingenden Worte.

Auch die Kapitel, die deine Mama Andrea Cremer aus Elizabeths (das Mädchen, das den unsichtbaren Stephen sehen kann) Sicht geschrieben hat, haben sich gut in dein Gesamtbild eingegliedert. Ich hatte ja ein bisschen Angst davor. Habe nämlich nicht das Beste über deine Cousine Nightshade gehört. Lief aber gut, vor allem als du mir Elizabeths Bruder Laurie vorgestellt hast. Er hat eine gewisse Leichtigkeit in die Geschichte gebracht mit seiner einfühlsamen, amüsanten Art. Außerdem hat er den Fokus von den Liebenden genommen. Es gibt nicht immer nur Elizabeth und Stephen.

Bis Seite 130 ging es fröhlich mit uns weiter. Ich fand es berührend wie echt du Stephens Lage geschildert hast, zum Beispiel wie leise er redet, weil er kaum Gespräche gewöhnt ist. Oder wie hitzig Elizabeth ist und Stephen verklickert, dass er sie nicht einfach so behandeln kann wie er es in einer Szene getan hat.

Bis dahin war ich gespannt auf deine übernatürliche Seite. In Every Day gibt es keine, da ist A „einfach so seit er denken kann“. Bei dir ist das leider ganz anders. Ab da hast du angefangen mich zu enttäuschen. Die Erklärung für Stephens Unsichtbarkeit und alle Personen und Magie, die damit zusammenhängen, waren einfach so flach und banal. Schwarzweißmalerei vom Feinsten. Dahin war die Finesse deiner ersten 100 Seiten. Plötzlich ist nur noch die Rede von böse cursecasters und eine glücklicher Zufall reiht sich an den nächsten. Den Figuren fällt unheimlich viel in den Schoß. Dazu kommen einige Kapitel, in denen du mich mit Informationen überhäuft hast. Neues über die Welt der Flüche und Magie hast du nicht geschickt in die Handlung eingeflochten sondern eine Person seitenlang erklären lassen. Besagte Person hat natürlich auch viel mehr mit dem Ursprungsfluch zu tun als es auf den ersten Blick den Anschein hat. Trotzdem taucht sie immer nur dann auf, wenn sie gerade gebraucht wird.

Zwischenzeitlich hat mich diese komplette Kehrtwende der Handlung nicht nur frustriert sondern regelrecht gelangweilt. Ich wünschte einfach deine Geschichte wäre in eine ganz andere Richtung gegangen.

In deinen letzten Kapiteln hast du dich wieder ein bisschen gefangen. Dein Schluss war weder zu kitschig noch überdramatisch, aber den bitteren Beigeschmack des Mittelteils hat das nicht mehr wett gemacht. So viel verschenktes Potenzial!

In tiefer Enttäuschung,
Infinite Playlist ...more

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Dec 20, 2015 Marine's Books rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5/5.
First of all, I read the French edition of it and I would like to highlight how pretty the French cover is, I mean, it is really prettier than the original one, isn’t it? I had seen it many times in bookshops and I really wanted to read it, but it had rather mixed opinions. This is why I really want to thank the publisher for sending me this book. I have to say that it was a good surprise for me and I am glad I discovered this universe of spells and curses. It was a real pleasure to read D 3.5/5.
First of all, I read the French edition of it and I would like to highlight how pretty the French cover is, I mean, it is really prettier than the original one, isn’t it? I had seen it many times in bookshops and I really wanted to read it, but it had rather mixed opinions. This is why I really want to thank the publisher for sending me this book. I have to say that it was a good surprise for me and I am glad I discovered this universe of spells and curses. It was a real pleasure to read David Levithan again (I had absolutely loved him in Will Grayson, Will Grayson) in a novel co-written with another author. It looks like he does that often but I think it is very original.

The chapters are alternating between two points of view: Stephen’s, who is invisible for everyone, and Elizabeth’s, the only one who can see him. David wrote Stephen’s part but I honestly didn’t notice any huge difference between the writing styles of both authors, except for the fact that it changes between a girl’s and a boy’s points of view, but it might come from the fact that I read it in French and that it had been translated.

I have to admit that I don’t really understand why so many people didn’t like it. From the beginning, I thought the characters were moving, the plot well-led and the suspense was here. I couldn’t wait to know what was going to happen to Stephen now that someone could see him. Was his life going to change? Why was he invisible? Were they going to be able to “cure” him? I also thought the universe was extremely extensive, and it would have been great for a series. But a one-shot was perfectly fine too, so I am not going to complain.

There was a little spark missing but I enjoyed everything in this novel, even secondary characters. I hadn’t read a paranormal romance for a while and this one totally convinced me. The ending is quite open, and I have to admit that, when there is an open-ending, I am always torn between frustration and happiness about being able to imagine what was going to happen next. I would have liked something else for the ending, but I realize that I am not frustrated. It’s true, I would have loved the story to keep on because I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters, but the ending is a success.

It was a romantic story full of magic perfect for the holidays. I think it is the kind of book I would like to reread someday. And David Levithan is now definitely an author that I love and I want to discover more of his work!

https://marinesbooks.wordpress.com/20... ...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Lexie rated it liked it

INVISIBILITY was just a bit better than ok for me. AHHHHHH SO MANY PLOT HOLES :/ Does anyone know if this is going to have a freakin sequel. I loved Stephen, but I wasn't a a total fan of Elizabeth. She just seemed like a light-switch throughout the entire novel there were parts that I loved about her and there were parts that I hated. I thought the beginning of the book was so well done I truly felt sorry for Stephen and I really connected with him, the middle of the book was super fast paced ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Who else thought the girl was annoying	2	18	Aug 24, 2014 08:23PM
The play Laurie wanted to do	2	30	Jan 29, 2014 01:36PM
7DRAKE: Invisibility Review	2	13	Oct 31, 2013 09:04AM
German reading ci...: [Part 4] Kapitel 25-Ende	6	12	Jul 01, 2013 05:57AM
German reading ci...: [Part 2] Kapitel 9-16	7	10	Jun 30, 2013 04:52AM
German reading ci...: [Part 3] Kapitel 17-24	5	7	Jun 30, 2013 04:50AM

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About Andrea Cremer

Andrea Cremer

6,467 followers

Andrea Cremer is the author of the internationally bestselling Nightshade series. She spent her childhood daydreaming and roaming the forests and lakeshores of Northern Wisconsin.

Andrea has always loved writing and has never stopped writing, but she only recently plunged into the deep end of the pool that is professional writing. Before she wrote her first novel, Andrea was a history professor at ...more