Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2013 New York City is supposed to offer a fresh start for sixteen-year-old Elizabeth and her family, who are fleeing the small-town life that got Elizabeth’s younger brother, Laurie, severely beaten for being gay. Stephen, also sixteen, happens to live in their new building, but no one knows it-since birth, Stephen has been invisible due to a curse put upon him by his own grandfather. Elizabeth, however, can see Stephen, and the two fall into a relationship after just a few days. However, this isn’t a fairy tale that’s resolved by true love’s kiss: Elizabeth’s connection with Stephen draws both her and Laurie deeper into a world of cursecasters and spellseekers until a confrontation with Stephen’s grandfather leaves Elizabeth close to death. The dialogue requires as much suspension of disbelief as the invisibility element-these teens inhabit the world of John Green and Gilmore Girls, firing off pop culture reference and preternaturally wise statements of philosophy in a moment’s notice. The characters are also so effortlessly likable, though, that their precocity is mostly endearing. The authors bypass the conventional obstacles to Elizabeth and Stephen’s inevitable romance and instead focus on the development of their relationship as the circumstances around them change. The curse and the invisibility add tension to their plight, but these teens are dealing with the issues any relationship encounters: the ebb and flow of intimacies, their insecurities and doubt, the realization that love is not simply a feeling but a sustained effort with no guarantees. Stephen and Elizabeth alternate narration, but Laurie is perhaps the most compelling one here, rising above the happy-go lucky gay sidekick to become a complex and essential part of the story. The fairy-tale circumstances tempered by real-world emotions will hold major appeal for teens looking for both drama and a mostly happy ending. KQG - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2013 Gr 8 Up—Stephen has always been (quite literally) invisible. For 16 years, no one, not even his own mother, has seen him. Alone since her death a year ago, he spends his time as an outsider, observing the lives of others in New York City who don't know he exists, so it comes as quite a shock when his new neighbor, Elizabeth, sees him and speaks to him directly. She is the only one who has ever seen him, and together they set out to discover the truth about the curse that has plagued him. Cremer and Levithan craft a tale of love and magic in their first collaborative effort. Told in alternating first-person voices, the novel allows readers to get to know each character's hopes and doubts, but it's Stephen who truly carries the story. Filled with conflicting emotions, he comes across as an authentic teen who just happens to be invisible. Elizabeth, by comparison, isn't as well developed and seems detached-even after she learns that she has latent magical abilities. Although they are immediately attracted to each other, the deep love they quickly feel seems rather unbelievable in a story in which readers are also asked to accept that cursecasters, spellseekers, and invisibility are real. This is a promising contemporary romance with elements of magical realism, but ultimately the story is overwhelmed by its own ambitions, becoming just another work of paranormal fiction.—Audrey Sumser, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Mayfield, OH - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2013 Since birth Stephen has been invisible—the result, perhaps, of an arcane curse. “I am like a ghost who’s never died,” he thinks wistfully. And like a ghost, he remains unseen until the day he encounters the abrasive Elizabeth, newly moved to New York from Minnesota. “She sees me,” he thinks, amazed. And yes, the two fall in love. But what about that curse? How is it that Elizabeth is the only one who can see him? It must mean something, but what? And, most important, can the curse be broken? Questions abound in this enigmatic mash-up of fantasy and romance set in contemporary real-world Manhattan. If there are sometimes too many coincidences and plot conveniences, the collaboration of Levithan and Cremer creates a seamless narrative that, after a slow start, picks up appreciably as answers begin to emerge right up to the equivocal ending that suggests a sequel. And that’s good news for the many readers who will be left eagerly waiting for the story to continue. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With two New York Times best-selling authors behind it, this title will almost sell itself, but a major marketing push has already generated anticipation well beyond the collaborators’ already vast fan base. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

Loading...