REVIEW: She is not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
RATING: 4 Stars
GENRE: YA Contemporary

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The feeling that coincidences give us tells us they mean something... But what? What do they mean?

Laureth Peak's father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers - a skill at which she's remarkably talented. When he goes missing while researching coincidence for a new book, Laureth and her younger brother fly from London to New York and must unravel a series of cryptic messages to find him. The complication: Laureth is blind. Reliant on her other senses and on her brother to survive, Laureth finds that rescuing her father will take all her skill at spotting the extraordinary, and sometimes dangerous, connections in a world full of darkness.

MY THOUGHTS:
Laureth Peak sets out to New York, with her younger brother for assistance, in an attempt to discover where her father has gone? Why did his notebook end up in USA when he was meant to be in Europe? Why was he and her mother acting so weird? And why is he obsessed with coincidence?

Surprisingly, I read this book quite quickly, despite the writing not being fast paced (though I wouldn't say it is slow). I would say this book is definitely character and setting based as one of the reasons I dropped a star was because of the lack of plot behind the mystery. Every time I looked into this book before reading it, it was described as a thriller or mystery surrounding the disappearance of her Father. However, upon reading, despite being keen to discover the outcome of the mystery, I was very disappointed with the unveiling. The solution/issue was very simplistic and hardly worth naming it a thriller at all. I would call it a contemporary.

The reason I liked this book enough to give it 4 stars despite the weak mystery plot, was for the world building. Laureth, the protagonist, is blind/ visually impaired. You never know the full details as it never explicitly says it, it is merely implied. The way Sedgwick develops Laureth's life to enable you to be put into her shoes is fantastic. Nothing throughout the book is visually described, everything is based upon sounds, smells and touch - creating a world just like the one Laureth lives in and a book topic very unique to YA.

Overall, a books primarily based upon character development and Laureth's disability with a small element of mystery and adventure, worthy of a quick read!