OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "To See The Unseen" by Emily Apfel.]

To See the Unseen by Emily Apfel is a young adult book that tells the story of a young man, whose parents are extreme academic-types, living with dyslexia and ADHD. Luke Shipp is entering his final year of middle school when an accident with his father’s DNA experiment completely changes Luke’s perspective on the world. Rather than seeing facial features and physical characteristics, Luke suddenly begins to see people as nothing more than molecules. The molecules change colors based on the person’s mood. On top of his learning disability, Luke now has to learn how to deal with this new ability as he navigates the normal challenges of eighth grade.

I loved the premise of this book and the underlying message that students with learning disabilities merely see the world differently than everyone else. I think it’s a great message, and the unique way that this message is incorporated into this story, with such an original concept of being able to see emotions at a molecular level, was the greatest strength of this book.

Although the concept of the book is fun and original, the overall execution of such a story wasn’t quite adequate. The story started off strong with Luke gaining his new abilities, but I think that he adjusted to his new life way too quickly and understood way too much about what it meant to see the various colors in the molecules without any explanation. On top of that, there isn’t really any conflict in the story, and, as a result, there is no suspense or solution to any problems. To me, these are the most critical elements in a novel that were completely missing from this book.

Additionally, the text is filled with spelling and punctuation errors and has clearly not been professionally edited or proofread. There are also some plot holes and inconsistencies within the story’s timeline. For example, it is stated at the beginning of the book that it’s a Tuesday after school when Luke has the accident with his father’s DNA experiment. His parents make him go to school the next day; on his first day back after the accident, it is supposed to be the first day of the new school year and an entire week after the accident. Some serious reworking of the storyline is needed to make the book flow a little more smoothly.

Because of the errors and incomplete feeling of this novel, I give this book a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. I chose not to give it 1 star because it has a strong foundation and a good premise that could be rewritten into something worth reading. With lots of editing, this could be a great book for middle school-aged readers and young adults.

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To See The Unseen
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I am sorry that the book contained some errors that deterred you from fully enjoying it.

It's apparent there are some missing plots in the scene. I will pass on this.

Upon reading your summary, I was sure this would be a book that I would add to my list. I also appreciate the message that the author was trying to impart on readers, but the lack of proofreading is a deal-breaker for me. Thanks for your honest review!

My type, I will add this to my shelf. Thanks for the review

Thank you for the review. I'll wait for it to be properly edited then try it. Its not so fun reading an unedited book.

Even though there are a lots of errors I would highly recommend this book. It is worth that.

This book seems like it could have a great impact on children with learning disabilities if it were better edited and the plot holes filled. I'm not sure if I'll read it quite yet. Maybe I'll wait until the author rewrites, if he chooses to.

This book has a great overall message, but it's too bad that the overall plot and editing is lacking. Once these issues are fixed, the book will be amazing!

This sounds like an interesting read; I always enjoy books that put a unique or fresh spin on topics such the ones dealt with in this novel. It’s a pity about the problems you mentioned though, and I agree that a book without a defined conflict and solution is not really adequate. Thanks for the honest review!

What a novel premise for a book! It has the potential to open the eyes of many young adults to the difficulties faced by those with learning disabilities. The idea that they merely see things differently is great, and being able to see emotions at a molecular level is beautiful! Such a pity about the poor execution and the lack of proper editing. I hope the author will take another look at this and put the finishing touches on it. Thanks for the great review.

I'm sad to hear about the shortcomings, but this initially seemed like a very interesting book. Great work on the review.

Thanks for such an honest review. I know what it feels like to come across a lot of errors in a book. However, the storyline is an interesting one

Initially Review was going well. I then found that this is unedited book. It seems great book for the students. Finding abilities in disabilities. I am waiting for this book to be edited.
Thank you! Enjoy reading

Bad editing is always a deal breaker. Thank you for the honest review!