Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Tor Books

Publication date: October 6, 2020

Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Book Depository | Goodreads

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Visit my shop for recommendation lists here.

Summary

Living in France in the 1700s, Addie LaRue always felt like there was something more to life. Desperate to get away from the path her life is following, she makes a bargain with the devil to live forever. However, it’s at a cost. Everyone Addie meets will forget her.

Originally meant as a way to get Addie to give up, Addie is determined to make the most of her life. For 300 years, she does just that. Dazzling adventures and art and romance. Trying to leave her mark on the world.

However, everything changes in a bookshop in New York in 2014. Everything changes when a young man remembers her name.

Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Thanks to Tor Books for sending an ARC of this to our Barnes and Noble! I had only heard good things about this book, and I am so happy to say it lived up to all expectations. I will do my best to put into words how much I loved this book, without spoilers!

I’ve only read V.E. Schwab’s young adult stuff (her other series have been on my TBR), but this is a masterpiece on its own. The way that Schwab filled this book with longing and loneliness. You can feel Addie’s ache for some sort of human connection, any relationship outside of the one with the creature who cursed her. The emotions are the strongest aspect of this book because they fill every moment in this book.

Not only is this a fantasy, but we get a lot of history, too. Addie is a muse for artists across centuries, inspiring all sorts of art throughout the book. I can’t wait to see the final edition because there are art pieces mentioned in the ARC that I’d like to see. I have one copy pre-ordered, but I’m debating getting a second just to annotate it. There are absolutely gorgeous lines in this book! Once it’s published, maybe I’ll do a post about that.

Anyway, you will fall in love with Addie right from the first sentence of this book. It’s a book about being unsure of what you want, a book about getting what you think you want, but not quite. It’s a book for anyone and everyone.

All in all, I don’t think I have any complaints about this book. It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year; and I’ve read a lot of great ones! Addie, I remember you.

5/5 stars