Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I don't know whether to consider this historical fiction, romance, sci fi, or fantasy, but whatever it is, I loved it. There were so many things done well in the construction of this story, but the characters really stood out. I felt them all to be interesting, dynamic, and genuine: comparable to actual humans. All of the characters had a beautifully drawn arc that kept me very engaged throughout. I'm familiar with Schwab's style of writing in her previous works, which is short, choppy chapters that focus on action, but I felt the short chapters in this book complemented the slower pace of the book really well. My favorite parts of the book were the glimpses through time at major historical moments to the point that I wish we spent a bit more time there and less in the present. The romance was.. okay. Despite the characters being believable, I had a hard time understanding what drew Henry to Addie in the first place, and the speed at which it happened was jarring. My main disappointment was at the end with a really tired trope that always bothers me which is when the book your reading is actually referenced as a book that is being read/written in the story as well. I just think it's uncreative, but I suppose I can appreciate the tie-in of the book to Addie's influence on art throughout history. This was such a change of pace from Schwab's other works, it was refreshing and really demonstrates strong versatility!

Content Warnings

bookhoarder93's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was a wonderful blend of real-world and fantasy. While the overall plot was fairly predictable, that wasn’t the driving, compelling force behind the story. The characters are what the main focus is and what truly brought the pages alive. Reading this made me think a lot about the little moments, simple pleasures, etc. we may miss or neglect in life.

Content Warnings

adriannamarguerite's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

Content Warnings

water_violin's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

laurenfro22's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Oh. My. God. I loved this book. I was mesmerized by the plot and audibly gasped at the many twists and had to keep myself from crying on my commute as I listened to the last few chapters. I am in love with this book and wish I could just wrap myself up in it. Definitely headed for post-book hangover for the next few days.

Content Warnings