I love when I have trouble categorizing a book. Is it fantasy? Is it magical academia? Who knows.
A lot of us feel unseen or maybe too seen in the world, depending on who you ask. For someone who doesn’t fit in, like Alice, a scholarship student at an elite boarding school in Beijing, how she appears to others is a huge factor (arguably too much) of her identity. I love how Liang created this literal invisible power for Alice to deal with; she has an opportunity to get ‘in’ with her classmates by being useful to them - even if it’s anonymously. But as we know, with great power comes great responsibility. And for teenagers, power is a seductive force and a slippery slope. Alice grows so much in this story, learning a lot about what she wants in the world, and how she really wants people to see her. Also, it doesn’t hurt that she goes to her mortal enemy and academic rival Henry (who is unfairly attractive) to help her out with her predicament. I loved their partnership and watching her perceptions change about him and her other classmates as she gets deeper into her invisible criminal acts.
I have been seeing lots of comparisons to Gossip Girl about this book - no offense to that franchise but I think comparing it to this book does this book a disservice. On the surface it’s a story about a girl who randomly turns invisible and then uses those powers for ‘bad.’ But I think her situation is one born out of desperation, unbelonging, and striving for recognition. Many teens will find solace in Alice’s situation and moral dilemmas.
A lot of us feel unseen or maybe too seen in the world, depending on who you ask. For someone who doesn’t fit in, like Alice, a scholarship student at an elite boarding school in Beijing, how she appears to others is a huge factor (arguably too much) of her identity. I love how Liang created this literal invisible power for Alice to deal with; she has an opportunity to get ‘in’ with her classmates by being useful to them - even if it’s anonymously. But as we know, with great power comes great responsibility. And for teenagers, power is a seductive force and a slippery slope. Alice grows so much in this story, learning a lot about what she wants in the world, and how she really wants people to see her. Also, it doesn’t hurt that she goes to her mortal enemy and academic rival Henry (who is unfairly attractive) to help her out with her predicament. I loved their partnership and watching her perceptions change about him and her other classmates as she gets deeper into her invisible criminal acts.
I have been seeing lots of comparisons to Gossip Girl about this book - no offense to that franchise but I think comparing it to this book does this book a disservice. On the surface it’s a story about a girl who randomly turns invisible and then uses those powers for ‘bad.’ But I think her situation is one born out of desperation, unbelonging, and striving for recognition. Many teens will find solace in Alice’s situation and moral dilemmas.