The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Ratings1,133
Average rating4.1
DNF at 45%
Even though It was an anticipated release of the year, and I was super excited for it, I just couldn't keep going. The sadness of this book is too much for me. Despite having some “happy”moments, there is a shadow in the whole book that makes it feel depressing.
I might come back to finish it at some point in life, but right now I can't.
Gifted from my uncle. Hits the spot for a book you don't want to put down plot-wise. Plus two bisexual main characters!! The sort of book where you can feel your feelings being played like a fiddle and you don't care.
Moods: Adventurous, Emotional, Mysterious
How it made me feel: Another be careful what you wish for tale, but with a twist. I did not want to put this book down and when I did, I still wanted to think about it. A gorgeous story that felt like a contemporary, updated fable.
There were some issues that kept me from giving 5 stars, though. Although SO beautifully written, I felt as though we were shown more of the story than we actually experienced or felt. This made the pacing feel a little slower in places when I would have liked to have felt more with the main characters.
After 300 years into a curse, I would have liked Addie to have matured some. She loved, she hurt, she suffered, she is neglected, abandoned, abused. She lived like a fugitive in people's houses, learning to be skilled thief. She learned and experienced so much, but her thoughts still felt so young.
Would I recommend? Yes, absolutely :)
In modern times, Addie is a woman who loves books, drinking coffee, and doesn't want any man to tell her what to do. But when she was born centuries ago, she as supposed to be married and be a breeder as it was the costume of the time. To escape that fate she made a pact with the devil to live forever, but he also made her to be forgotten by everyone who meets her as soon as they loose sight of her.
Good premise, but cliched heroin and I didn't connect to the characters, places or prose.
Read 2:11 / 17:10 13%
boring as heck. just not worth any of the cute moments. also her writing is really repetitive
Interesting concept, but author's writing is not for me. Have tried several of her book and just cannot get interested when reading even though the ideas behind the books always sound up my alley.
Everyone kept telling me to read this monster of a book because it was popular and well-written and all that. Of course, I tend to lean toward the arcane more than the mainstream, but then I thought, well - as a reviewer (who is really trying to expanding her horizons - NY Resoultion!!) I should give it a go. And I'm really glad I did. It was wonderfully written with such a unique and interesting idea - about a woman who makes a deal and can live forever...but never be remembered by anyone. This book isn't as simple as “romance between girl and devil” (which I thought it might be going into it). Addie is a fantastically written character and Schwab truly dives into her loneliness. The devil isn't the classic “I'm a scary bad guy” no...this guy is actually DANGEROUS. It's not stereotyped or trivialized. He's not even really referred to as a “devil” in the classic sense.
I had SO many reactions throughout this book as well, which I count as a success.
Me when Henry remembers her:
Me when I all the sudden am hit with the question “WAIT, WHY does he remember her?”
Me THE ENTIRE BOOK regardless of what was happening:
This is a slow-paced book, which I could see turning off some readers. But I think, if you like fantasy and romance and a well-thought out book, it will be worth the muddling through the slow parts.
DNF'ed at 30%. The premise of the book was interesting, but I found that I was not interested in the characters and storyline.
Voor de verandering eens een “A book you might like” voorstel van de Kindle waarvan niet meteen al de omschrijving me deed afvragen, “Waarom?”.
Adeline LaRue, een paar honderd jaar geboren op het platteland van Frankrijk, wordt geacht te trouwen, maar wil dat niet. Een beetje per ongeluk sluit ze een dealtje met de duivel en blijkt vervolgens onsterfelijk. Klein minpuntje is dat iedereen die ze tegenkomt haar binnen een paar minuten vergeten is zodra ze uit zicht is...
“Her mother said it was duty. Her father said it was mercy, though Adeline doesn't know for whom. Estele said nothing, because she knew it wasn't fair. Knew this was the risk of being a woman, of giving yourself to a place, instead of a person. Adeline was going to be a tree, and instead, people have come brandishing an ax.”
Fast forward die paar honderd jaar en ze heeft er een beetje mee leren leven. Zij zelf wordt dan wel steeds vergeten, maar ideeen die weet te planten hebben meer kans om wortel te schieten:
“In the instruments that lean against the walls. In the scribbled lines and notes scattered on tables—bars of half-remembered melodies mixed in with grocery lists and weekly to-do's. But here and there, another hand—the flowers he's started keeping on the kitchen sill, though he can't remember when the habit started. The book on Rilke he doesn't remember buying. The things that last, even when memories don't.”
En dan wordt alles ineens anders:
“I remember you. Three hundred years. Three hundred years, and no one has said those words, no one has ever, ever remembered.”
Fijn boek, en een mooi einde.
I am a huge V.E. Schwab fan and was, according to my husband, more excited about receiving this ARC from Tor than I have been for any present he's ever given me. Obviously, he's never given me novel by Schwab. Her writing, the ideas she comes up with, begs the question of whether or not she made a deal herself. And, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is no exception. For me, the most interesting aspect of the story was Addie's pursuit of leaving her mark on the world since the deal she made with the devil made her forgettable and unable to do so. Over three hundred years no one has remembered her or that she influenced them, except the devil. That is, until she meets Henry. Schwab weaves their stories together and you know, and don't want to know, what will happen to them. I won't say. Buy the book, preorder now, and find out for yourself.
The characters weren't intriguing. Addie is the most unimaginative person in the book. She wants to have her freedom (completely understandable) but yet she hardly did anything with it for over 300 years. To be fair i can understand it would be difficult to trick your way into many things like airlines for traveling but it seemed like she made everything difficult, for example, stealing a book when there's libraries around? Being broken hearted by not being remembered, yet always inflicting that pain by going back to the same people and have them meet you all over again.
I do not understand how Luc (the devil who made her the deal) even got interested in her. He is apparently ageless and has met countless people but yet Addie Larue is the girl whom you can't let go? Ok.
I will at least give her props for being determined not to quit and give up her soul quickly even after all her hardship.
As for the romance, it seemed like the only reason she even wanted to be with Henry was because he remembered her. She mentioned more how he didn't fit with her than why she liked being around him. Which is funny considering he always felt unloved or not enough. Addie basically just used everyone she came into contact with and tried to make herself the victim.
I didn't care who died or vanished from this book. The only time I actually felt any emotion was with her last visit to see her mother. I felt more bad for her parents than I did for her or anyone else.
This book should have just been called The Exploitations of Addie Larue
I'm going to start off this review by saying that I experienced The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue as an audiobook, not a physical book. I generally prefer physical books but I saw that I was able to get this audiobook for free and I had already heard a decent amount of it so I got it. As such I won't review the writing as much as the general feel of the book and narration. With all that out of the way this is excellent and my guess is that that's true no matter how you consume it. Addie LaRue tells the story of (you guessed it) Addie LaRue, a French girl born in the late 1600s who makes a deal with a god that allows her to live forever but at the cost of having nobody remember who she is after she leaves their sight. About 1/3 of the way through the book, she meets Henry Strauss, who is able to remember her for some reason. Addie and Henry are truly wonderful protagonists who you feel so much for. They are eminently rootable, especially against a figure like Luc (Addie's name for the god she made a deal with). They are so flawed and at times they made me want to rip my hair out but they are ultimately good people. Henry is one of the most relatable protagonists I've ever read and some of his narration (as written by Schwab) is undeniably poignant. A lot of this book is deeply depressing, particularly when narrated by Addie, but it never quite stops feeling hopeful because Addie herself never gives up hope. She has lived a life that sounds truly miserable but she somehow manages to put it together through sheer determination. Luc is also a fantastic villain, in many ways a typical ‘god who has some human characteristics' but he is just so hatable in a way that doesn't quite make him repulsive, just compelling. These three main characters are easily able to carry the 17 hours of audiobook. That's no small feat and I have to say that in this way and many others Schwab executed his vision for this book pretty flawlessly. This is an excellent book and I recommend everyone check it out.
DNF @ 40%
It doesn't usually take me long to get through books and even the ones that do take multiple days, I do at least want to get back to them this one... just isn't gripping me. I stopped caring about Addie.
Mostly... probably a writing style that doesn't vibe for me. Her other series I LOVE, but it did take effort for me to jive with as well, so I think this is more of a me problem. Especially with the lack of dialogue. So, bummer.
"Do you know how you live three hundred years?" she says. And when he asks how, she smiles. "The same way you live one. A second at a time."
Victoria -- girl, listen. You've got to stop emotionally destroying me like this.
An new twist on the deal with the devil story which I found a pleasant change from the usual way these tales go. The last time I hit such a refreshing reinterpretation of the bargain of Faust was Ryka Aoki's 2021 Novel Light from Uncommon Stars.
A respectable faction of a bookclub I read with said positive things about this novel and I can certainly add my voice to the chorus.
Anyone already a fan of V.E.Schwabs need read no further and add this one to their To-Be-read- Ziggurat immediately. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a dark fantasy romance with queer protagonists and a cast of shadowy, ephemeral characters spanning centuries and continents. If you are into vampire books, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue just might scratch that itch. Although Addie is not a vampire, the story includes such vampire tropes as immortality, agelessness, and a cruel sire.
The historical periods span 300 years and I always enjoy those stories which we see our world change through our protagonist and Addie is a smart and experienced character who learns to over come the challenges and how she wins a victory for her lover means even though it does not conclude the story for her I am satisfied she will succeed in the end.
I really wanted to like this but oh boy, I couldn't wait for it to end.
Really cool premise, but unbelievably boring execution.
Entitled white girl, laments her bad choice, after being told explicitly NOT to do the thing she did.
Also, why is everything set in New York?
