Friday, April 26, 2013

Review: Transparent by Natalie Whipple + ARC Giveaway!


I'm feeling much better! Thanks so much everyone for the well wishes! I haven't been sick in years and I forgot how much it sucks :-(  Did quite a bit of reading though and the days I was too sick to read I got to watch lots of Veronica Mars! But sadly being on the computer made me dizzy so I'm quite behind on writing up reviews so thanks for baring with me while I catch up. I have a couple great giveaways and many great ARC reviews to share so stay tuned! I'll also be spending the weekend attempting to get around to everyone's blog and catch up on commenting.



http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350939760l/11973377.jpg
Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Release Date: May 21, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Haunt Author: Website | Facebook | Twitter
 

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is. An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults. After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily. Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

Fiona has been her dad's tool all her life. His power is that he is basically irresistible to women so he controls Fiona, her mom, and a ton of other females. Fiona is invisible and that makes her a great thief but when her dad finally wants to make her commit murder, her mom grabs Bea and they run. They have tried to run many times but her dad is very powerful. Fiona has low self esteem because she is literally completely invisible. She has no clue what she looks like and has never had any real friends. In Fiona's world, everyone took a drug called Radiasure to avoid a nuclear holocaust but it mutated the entire population. That doesn't stop prejudices. People with certain powers like super strength and invisibility are still outcasts. Fiona meets Bea and Brady who take her in as true friends. If she can just make sure her dad never finds her.

I loved the world building. Totally awesome to have a world full of people with so many different powers. It was interesting to discover each characters strengths. Bea and Brady are both great friends and secondary characters. My favorite characters actually might be Bea's brothers that they call The Pack. A bunch of rowdy boys with some very humorous lines but all loyal friends and good guys. I also loved Brady and his brother Seth. The romance was interesting because Fiona was immediately drawn to Brady but as she hung out with Seth I just knew there was something there too. It doesn't feel like a love triangle though because she develops a friendship with both boys before finally figuring out who she wants to move forward with. While Brady was openly sweet, Seth was a little more guarded and harder to warm up to but I eventually loved him.

Fiona's brothers were also surprisingly enjoyable characters. One is very protective and one seems on the dad's side but they both ended up surprising me. Fiona also had great character growth. She was very closed off at the beginning because of her life and how her father treated her. Then when she gets Bea, Brady, and Seth's support she really becomes stronger and more confident. Her Dad is a major douche but I was proud of the way they all stand up to him and how well everyone comes together to help Fiona. The ending wraps up perfectly but I feel things are open enough for another book. I'm not sure if this will become a series but I really hope so!



"Dad is a drug--a mutation in his pheromones makes him practically irresistible to women."

"Radiasure was invented as an anti-radiation pill during the Cold War, and people popped it by the dozens in hopes of surviving a possible nuclear holocaust. About five years later, the mutations came."

"I haven't been entirely honest with you, and I wanted to come clean today."
I gulp. "Not entirely honest how?"
"I..." He looks away. "I like you. I have since day one."
"Is that all?" I put my hand over my heart as if that'll slow it down. Smacking his shoulder, I laugh. "I thought you were going to say something horrible!"
He offers a wary smile. "You don't think that's horrible?"
"Not at all."


"I never wanted to fix you," he says softly. "Whether you knew it or not, you've been fixing me."

"I know I want this. I want him. It's still scary, liking someone so real and messed up, someone who knows your weaknesses. But at the same time it's intoxicating. He likes me--I like him--despite all the bad stuff. We both want it to work, and maybe that will make it happen."

Rating: 4/5

~Giveaway~ 
US ONLY - All rules located in rafflecopter terms & conditions
This will be a kind of quick one so that way you can get the book before it releases.

20 comments:

  1. I am really looking forward to reading this one. The romance sounds sweet, and something I would enjoy. Lovely review.


    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  2. Wow, for some reason I totally missed this one..like completely. It sounds really good too! I am so glad you liked this one and I am glad you reviewed it. I am definitely going to mark it down as to read.

    Have a great weekend Jennifer and I hope you are feeling better!

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  3. I enjoyed the world building and sweet romance as well. Glad you're feeling better
    Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  4. I keep getting this one mixed up with Invisibility. lol I like when characters have powers so this one sounds pretty interesting. I think I'll like Brady and Seth. :)

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  5. I'm glad to see you enjoyed this one! I've seen quite a few mixed reviews, but the premise sounds awesome. And I always love the quotes you pick. :)

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  6. I'm glad there was great character growth in this novel and that it surprised you, or at least certain characters did, I have really high hopes for this novel and can't wait to read it!

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  7. thanks for the great review! This book sounds very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I'm glad you enjoyed this book. I've heard so many mixed reviews and I've been excited about this book for a while and don't want to be disappointed. Fiona and her family sound really interesting and I love that everyone has all of these different powers. Thanks for the review :)

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  9. I'm glad to hear you are feeling much better :-)

    I have this book on my TBR pile and can't wait to read it. The concept sounds really interesting, I love books about teens with special powers/abilities and don't think I have read anything about invisibility so I'm curious to see how it all plays out. The romance also sounds really sweet.

    A wonderful review! :-)

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  10. Wait... wtf? She's literally invisible? Son of a ... I thought it mean figuratively. Like no one paid attention to her. Great, now I need to go download this. Thanks a lot for adding to my reading schedule, Jen! :D

    I'm glad you're feeling better.

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  11. This sounds far fetched, like maybe not really believable when you read it. BUT I have learned that authors CAN convince us that it could happen and make what is a farfetched idea work. So I'm definitely curious to read this one! I have a copy of it so I'll have to see if it works for me. I'm glad you liked it!

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  12. I had just started reading this when I got a review book and had to put it down. It seemed like a really easy read. I'm looking forward to digging in again.

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  13. I recently read Invisibility and am looking forward to checking this out too.
    Glad you're feeling better!

    You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics

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  14. These seem like some interesting characters. I think I'll love The Pack, and the romance sounds very interesting since it doesn't quite start off as a love triangle but friendships.

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  15. Is this a dystopian? I can’t tell but it seems like it. No bueno for me but it does seem like it has a pretty good romance. As long as the romance is good I can read pretty much anything!

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  16. I love books with superhero/superpowers in them and this looks like a great book filled with some funny lines but a serious plot line and a great read.

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  17. Great review! This book sounds so..... strange and different. Neither of which are bad things. The cover is beautiful. I am excited for this book. I hope that it is as original as it sounds. And as strange!

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  18. This is the first I am hearing about this book and I think it sounds amazing! Great review, can't wait to read it!

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  19. Ooh I love your review! I gave Transparent a 4 out of 5 stars review also. I also really loved Brady and Seth:)

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