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Review: Invisible Things

Update 1/3/2010: Just found out this is a sequel, still from what I have read of this book, the author's style is not to my liking. I probably will not read the first one, but if you were a fan of The Explosionist, I think you will enjoy the story progression of Invisible Things.

Book: Invisible Things (The Explosionist #2)

Author: Jenny Davidson

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 272

Book Received from Star Book Tours

Date Read: 12/19/10 - 12/22/10

From Amazon:
Sixteen-year-old Sophie knows there is more to the story of her parents' death. And she's on a mission to find the truth. To aid her in solving the decades-old mystery, Sophie has enlisted her best friend, Mikael, whose friendship has turned into something more. It's soon clear that Sophie's future is very much wrapped up in the details of her family's past, and the key lies with information only one man can provide: her parents' former employer, the elusive billionaire Alfred Nobel.  As the threat of war looms in Europe, dangers to Sophie and her loved ones grow. While her determination to solve the mystery doesn't waver, forces beyond her control conspire to keep her from her purpose. Then, news of her great-aunt Tabitha's death sets off a chain of events that leaves Sophie questioning everything.

The more Sophie learns, the more she realizes that nothing—and no one—in her life is what it seems. And coming to terms with the dark secrets she uncovers means imagining a truth that she never dreamed possible. Full of gorgeous settings, thrilling adventure, and romance, invisible things is a novel that dares to ask, what if?

Yani's  Analysis:

"What if" is not the question of this book. Its more like just "What???" When I first started reading I kept looking around and going to the front to see if I had skipped something. Still, even after having completed the book I felt like there are many unanswered questions and not the good kinds that make you anxious to read the sequel. Maybe I had too much expectation for what seemed like a unique and thrilling storyline as it is described above. First, there was no mission, things happened to Sophie, she did not make anything happen. Second, while Mikael is her love interest I did not feel his back story as a best friend was formed. Also, for being mentioned in the synopsis I thought there would be a little more love or flirting going on between them, but alas nothing ::sigh::

You could tell from her writing style that Jenny Davidson is very intelligent. I usually love books that are witty and so well versed, but her writing style just irked me. The story is slow to pick up, confusing, vocabulary is foreign, and the back and forth between memories and her current thoughts just made me want to pull out my hair. Still, the novel had some good moments. Female power and all that good stuff was included, plus relevant issues on what is right and wrong when a country is at war... see below for a great quote on that topic.

Overall though, there was too much left unsaid. Like what was the point of the supernatural element? What exactly is the agency her aunt ran? What does legation mean? These thoughts consumed me even after I put down the book. And while I love a good open ending that leads to a sequel, this is one sequel I won't be picking up.

Ratings:

Plot: 3/5

Writing Style: 2/5

Characters: 3/5

Uniqueness: 4/5

Memorable Quotes:

"But there was kind of a hypocrisy, wasn't there, in congratulating oneself on not having to assent to such things while simultaneous benefiting from living in a world where espionage and even assassination might be the only way for one's country to maintain it's independence."

So here it goes....

Finally, I got my act together to submit my first post to this blog. Last week I received a copy of Invisible Things by Jenny Davidson from Star Book Tours and the next day I left on a five day cruise. I took four other books with me thinking I would have more than enough time to finish them all while I lounged by the pool. Now I don't know if this is my fault because I haven't read a book in while or it just wasn't that interesting, but it took me three days to read Invisible Things. I used the last day to read Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy. (Look for those reviews later this week)

After reading these books, I couldn't help but thinking what happened to that feeling of being engrossed in a good read. I used to pick up a book and not be able to fall asleep till I finished. Lately, even my favorite authors have been disappointing me - Forget You - and new books that should have blasted me away - Matched - didn't. Though, there have been some surprising hits - The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) which at first I had refused to read it due to the title, I then fell in love with the genuine, funny, sarcastic main characters - most books have yet to capture and hold my attention.

And then I stumbled upon this blog post, Top 10 books of 2010, and thought what better way to start off my blog (and 2011) than with my own list. First though, I must see if I agree with Forever YA assumptions. So that means reading the books on the list I hadn't gotten to yet (6 of the 12). I have to say, I definitely agree with the other choices, except for Forget You, so it seems we have similar tastes.

So be on the lookout for my first reviews this week and My top 10 of 2010 list coming soon.