Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: V.E. Schwab
ISBN: 9781789095593
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 560
Source: Private copy
When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality. But there’s always a price – the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone.
Addie flees her tiny home town in 18th-Century France, beginning a journey that takes her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her and everything she owns is lost and broken. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day.
Her only companion on this journey is her dark devil with hypnotic green eyes, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal. Alone in the world, Addie has no choice but to confront him, to understand him, maybe to beat him.
Until one day, in a second hand bookshop in Manhattan, Addie meets someone who remembers her. Suddenly thrust back into a real, normal life, Addie realises she can’t escape her fate forever.
Official Summary
15 August 2022
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman, Addie LaRue, makes a bargain with a god to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
This book was my first ever standalone fantasy which is strange considering how many fantasy books I have read. When I first picked up this book, I was afraid the world-building would be bad and that the story would feel rushed as opposed to the very drawn-out fantasy series I have read. And I am so happy I was wrong. This story is fast-paced and the world-building was awesome, I found I did not have a hard time keeping up at all from start to finish.
I liked the flashbacks and how much depth we got Addie’s character through those flashbacks. I also loved the artwork in the book between each part. I found myself wanting to read faster so I could see a new one, which was a great motivator to read more.
My favourite character was Addie, but only Addie when she was around Luc. Very specific I know but I enjoyed the dynamic between these two. I felt like when she was by herself or with Henry or pretty much any other character she was a very depressing character to read. I will say V.E. Schwab knows how to write a sad character.
I only really have two complaints when it comes to this book. That is the ending. I felt like it was a bit rushed. Also maybe it was just me but it felt as if Addie was just settling. I did not like that, I guess after having her be super sad throughout the book, we would get to see her be very happy towards the end.
Then there was Henry. I so badly wanted to like his character, but there was just something about him that just annoyed me. I don’t even know what it is, all I know is that I did not like his character. Although his character is the one I felt the most sympathy towards. I mean everything he went through sucked and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
I really enjoyed this book and I gave it five out of five stars. It just might be the best book I have read so far this year. I would highly recommend this book!
Also by V.E. Schwab
Vicious
A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism and a time when allegiances are called into question.
About The Author
Author Bio from the Author’s Site
VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is currently in the works at Netflix with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist Productions producing. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
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