The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: V.E. Schwab
Published by: Titan Books
Pages: 545
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
Published by: Titan Books
Pages: 545
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
France, 1714.
A desperate woman makes a desperate deal in the dark – a bargain to live forever but be remembered by none.
So begins the invisible life of Addie LaRue, shadow muses to artists throughout history, forgotten friend, confidante and lover, slipping away with the morning light. Addie passes through lives, desperate only to leave a trace of herself. Until the day she walks back into a small bookshop in Manhattan and meets Henry, who remembers her.
After 300 years Addie’s life is restarting, but the devil never plays fair. As Henry and Addie’s lives start to intertwine, they must face the consequences of the decisions they’ve made and the prices to be paid.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a dazzling adventure across centuries and continents, across history and art, about a young woman learning how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
A desperate woman makes a desperate deal in the dark – a bargain to live forever but be remembered by none.
So begins the invisible life of Addie LaRue, shadow muses to artists throughout history, forgotten friend, confidante and lover, slipping away with the morning light. Addie passes through lives, desperate only to leave a trace of herself. Until the day she walks back into a small bookshop in Manhattan and meets Henry, who remembers her.
After 300 years Addie’s life is restarting, but the devil never plays fair. As Henry and Addie’s lives start to intertwine, they must face the consequences of the decisions they’ve made and the prices to be paid.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a dazzling adventure across centuries and continents, across history and art, about a young woman learning how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
My thoughts:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is an enchanting new page-turner from a true master of fantasy, V.E. Schwab.
The story begins in 1714, as Addie, a dreamer and artist, tries to find her way out of an impending marriage. To escape the wedding, she makes a deal with Luc, the god of darkness, to free herself forever from belonging to anyone. He grants Addie immortality and liberty in exchange for her soul.
Addie soon learns the consequences of dealing with darkness. She belongs to no one, true, but she didn’t anticipate that no one would remember her face or her name. Her parents and friends forget her. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day.
Addie herself is an incredibly compelling character, a girl born in the wrong time, so desperate to be free she makes a deal with the devil.
“I want a chance to live. I want to be free…I want more time.”
Her only companion on this journey is the mysterious dark devil with hypnotic green eyes, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal. Then 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.
The story follows Addie as she slips through time, desperately trying to have some influence on the world and the people she meets. For while she can't leave a mark or memory in her wake, she finds that she can plant ideas and tend to them, filling art and music with echoes of her presence throughout time.
This book is a masterclass in timing and world-building. The story moves back and forth through timelines weaving its way, but I never found myself lost or confused. The transitions in the book feel effortless, and the world-building is so enchanting you’ll feel like you’re stood in Paris or New York side by side with Addie.
Even with an awareness of all the hype the book has been receiving online, it still leapt high above my expectations. Schwab has created a genius concept and a panoramic, time-hopping narrative of immortality and erased memory.
The book is so cleverly executed, and I don’t think I’ll ever read anything like it again. I am passionately in love with this prose, and V. E. Schwab has written an unforgettable book about a girl who’s always forgotten.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a beautiful story about life, hope, and the importance of connection and legacy. Schwab's writing is lyrical and firm, etching itself into your memory as you read, leaving you unable to forget the book about the forgotten girl. It also has a pretty perfect ending and a extremely satisfying conclusion.
I highly recommend it to both fantasy and non-fantasy readers alike, as there is something in this book for almost everyone.
Overall reaction:
