Invisibility

Having just finished A Constellation of Vital Phenomena it was definitely time for me to find an easy read, something light and fun, and Invisibility fit the bill.

Stephen is invisible, he was born invisible due to a curse that was put on his mother, and he has always been invisible.  His dad couldn’t take it and left and his mother has died, leaving Stephen to walk the streets of NYC alone and unseen.

Elizabeth is moving to NYC with her brother Laurie and her mom.  They are starting a new life, minus dad, after a horrific event occurred in their old life in Minnesota.  Elizabeth is angry and bitter and wants nothing more than to disappear into the anonymity of the city.

Everything changes for them both on the day Elizabeth moves into Stephen’s apartment building and actually sees him, even though he remains invisible to everyone else.  Of course they fall in love, and he has to eventually explain to Elizabeth why no one else can see him.  Turns out that his grandfather is a cursecaster, an evil guy who curses people for fun, including his own daughter, Stephen’s mom.  And wouldn’t you know it?  Elizabeth is a spellseeker, destined to help control cursecasters and able to see curses placed on others.  With the help of another spellseeker, Millie, Elizabeth begins to learn about her powers on a quest to help Stephen.

Will they be able to find Stephen’s grandfather and reverse the curse?  Will Stephen become visible to others?  Will Elizabeth’s powers get strong enough in time?

The ending was not as predictable as I thought it might be, and there are many out there clamoring for a sequel and it has not been ruled out by the authors, but I say leave it as it is – not everything needs to get tied up in a neat package at the end of every book.

OK- Elizabeth can be a little annoying and well, dull, at times and there were moments when I wanted to strangle Stephen into being more engaged in the fight for his own well-being, but overall I enjoyed the story and the characters.  I loved Laurie and would’ve liked to see even more of him – he brings great humor and humanity into the story.  Overall, a fun quick read to throw into your beach-read pile of books!

“Every fight for survival is really a fight to return to the inconsequential concerns of the mundane.” 

Title:  Invisibility
Author: Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Publication: Philomel, May 2013