I've been looking for a book to pull me out of my reading slump, and this was it. If You Could See the Sun was a fast read with an interesting plot. I'm a big fan of elite school drama books so this was a fun read. The concept of this book was really interesting. Some things I want to bring up are the characters and the plot. I have something I liked, and didn't like, about both.
The characters were the epitome of wealthy, boarding school kids. The drama, the entitlement, and the ignorance showed in most of the side characters. I liked Alice, Henry, and Chanel. They were enjoyable characters, and I liked the friendship they had. One thing I would have liked to see more of was character depth. Sure there was the smart, multi-millionaire's son with some trauma, but that's a common theme in books like this. The characters were fitted into their rolls well, the roles were just very stereotypical.
The plot differentiated from what I thought the book was about. I enjoyed the idea of Beijing Ghost, that was a twist from the regular teen dramas like Gossip Girl. I found the idea of Alice turning invisible new and refreshing, but I feel that plot line fell short of my expectations. I wish more time in the book had been spent either explaining her powers or having her learn how to control them. They seemed like a bigger deal in the synopsis then they were in the book. I don't want to seem like I'm discounting the helpfulness invisibility contributed to the plot, I just felt the powers didn't make as many appearances as I hoped. The last part of the plot I want to talk about is the end (which will be in a separate paragraph below so I don't spoil the book). I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who want a good, fast, drama. 8/10 might read again.
*** PARTIAL SPOILERS***
I felt the end should have been expanded on more. After the person (I'm not listing names in case you haven't read the book) gets kidnapped Alice tries to save him. I think the rescue could have been stretched out longer, it was a chapter long, but it felt a little rushed. I'm glad not everyone had a happy ending ( I certainly expected them to). The author did a perfect job, dealing just enough punishment that the book isn't all happy endings, but it's also not devastatingly sad.
The characters were the epitome of wealthy, boarding school kids. The drama, the entitlement, and the ignorance showed in most of the side characters. I liked Alice, Henry, and Chanel. They were enjoyable characters, and I liked the friendship they had. One thing I would have liked to see more of was character depth. Sure there was the smart, multi-millionaire's son with some trauma, but that's a common theme in books like this. The characters were fitted into their rolls well, the roles were just very stereotypical.
The plot differentiated from what I thought the book was about. I enjoyed the idea of Beijing Ghost, that was a twist from the regular teen dramas like Gossip Girl. I found the idea of Alice turning invisible new and refreshing, but I feel that plot line fell short of my expectations. I wish more time in the book had been spent either explaining her powers or having her learn how to control them. They seemed like a bigger deal in the synopsis then they were in the book. I don't want to seem like I'm discounting the helpfulness invisibility contributed to the plot, I just felt the powers didn't make as many appearances as I hoped. The last part of the plot I want to talk about is the end (which will be in a separate paragraph below so I don't spoil the book). I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who want a good, fast, drama. 8/10 might read again.
*** PARTIAL SPOILERS***
I felt the end should have been expanded on more. After the person (I'm not listing names in case you haven't read the book) gets kidnapped Alice tries to save him. I think the rescue could have been stretched out longer, it was a chapter long, but it felt a little rushed. I'm glad not everyone had a happy ending ( I certainly expected them to). The author did a perfect job, dealing just enough punishment that the book isn't all happy endings, but it's also not devastatingly sad.