Transparent | Natalie Whipple | Audiobook Review

Originally, I had received Transparent by Natalie Whipple in the mail as an ARC, and then a finished copy, which okay I probably should have read it in physical form BUT THEN a person I trust panned Transparent and I got kind of nervous. So, because audiobooks tend to go over better with me than physical books and because I have had to commute at least 2 hours a day, I knew that the best possible option would be for me to listen to Transparent AND it makes it so I can remove two books from my house without the OH NO I AM GETTING RID OF A BOOK WITHOUT READING IT WHAT IF IT IS NOT AT THE LIBRARY paralyzing fear. Yes, I have that anxiety problem. Also? Super powers. I came for the super powers.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?

Fiona is invisible, no one can see her as that is what invisible means. Her dad is the boss of this big huge crime syndicate and he often uses Fiona to complete some jobs. When he asks her to kill a rival’s daughters, she realizes that he has gone to far. Fiona and her mom then run away from Las Vegas to a desert community in hopes that her dad won’t find them. By the way, her dad has this charm power where he can pretty much get people to do whatever he wants. So anyways, while in this new town, Fiona makes friends for the first time in her life and may even have a bit of a crush BUT there’s this annoying boy who keeps getting in the way. OH AND, her father knows her power is valuable, so he’s on the hunt for Fiona.

HOW DID I LIKE FIONA?

At first, I kind of thought Transparent’s Fiona was a brat. I mean, she just came across as kind of whiny and okay, I GET IT. I get that her life does suck and being invisible is basically the worst. But then somewhere along the way, between her ineptitude at math and her protectiveness towards her new friends, I just started genuinely liking Fiona. She’s not so terrible 50 pages in and she actually is in a bit of pickle. Plus, she provides an interesting sort of dynamic as an invisible girl navigating high school. I’m sure plenty of us have felt invisible before, but Fiona actually IS invisible. So, there’s that. Her insecurities just made sense to me and so, I felt she was authentic and liked her.

WHAT ABOUT THE WORLDBUILDING?

Whipple’s world in Transparent is cool, no doubt about that. People used to take these pills called radiasure, in order to prevent radiation poisoning. However, the pills had the side effect of giving the offspring of the people ingesting the pills special abilities. And now the world is populated by crime syndicates who get their way because they have super hero powers and normal people do not. Currently, radiasure is illegal, but that does not stop people from making it and obtaining it. Y’all, the world is neat, however, we don’t really explore the syndicates and the mobs in depth. Instead, it’s about Fiona escaping from the syndicate and experiencing normal life. I think that this book does not quite go the full monty as far as world building goes.

ARE THERE SWOONS?

Yes, and one of my favorite kinds. The relationship between Fiona and a boy who I will keep unnamed for fear of spoilers goes from antagonism to this sort of crush. AND IT IS AWESOME. Y’all, I will forever and always love a love-hate relationship and one of those slow OMG I LIKE YOU realizations. They are far and away my FAVORITE. And yes, there are scenes where there’s glances and touches and kissing and it’s awesome. And yes, I totally used awesome one too many times, but I liked the romance in Natalie Whipple’s Transparent.

HOW IS THE NARRATION  OF TRANSPARENT BY NATALIE WHIPPLE?

As I mentioned above, I listened to the audiobook version of Transparent and quite enjoyed it. It’s produced by Harper Audio and is narrated by Tavia Gilbert and only seven hours long. Heck yeah, short and quick audiobook that took only a few days to listen to. This was my first time listening to something narrated by Tavia Gilbert but it will not be my last. She infuses her words with emotion. She does different voices for the characters. And her voice is not at all grating. In all, I quite enjoyed listening to this book on audio and would recommend you give it a shot if you’re curious about Transparent.

SUM IT UP WITH A GIF:

Because those were the thoughts running through my head as I thought about Fiona’s powers.

OTHER REVIEWS OF TRANSPARENT BY NATALIE WHIPPLE:

Bibliophilic Monologues – “So this book, you guys, it was fun. Entertaining.”
Pure Imagination – “I just went in expecting too much.”
Finding Bliss In Books – “not everything is overwhelming awful”

Support Good Books & Good Wine: