Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

La Vida Invisible de Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

325 reviews

nineinchnails's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this is definitely a no plot just vibes type of book and very slow paced so i can absolutely understand why so many people didn't enjoy this or even manage to get through it, HOWEVER i loved this. i am a sucker for pretty prose though and the prose was gorgeous in this book so i'm a little biased. most of the criticism for this book is warranted but this story and its characters really appealed to me. i wish we got more on addie's time in new orleans though, it seemed like it would have given some more insight into

her and luc's relationship + would've given luc more depth. it feels like we barely got to know him

.

it definitely could have been condensed just a little because "no plot just vibes" isn't much of an exaggeration and i'm not sure how it managed to be 500+ pages long but i can enjoy a slow book when i like the writing. the ending did feel slightly anticlimactic but it was more bittersweet than anything else to me. not sure if i would recommend this because the it really is slow but i definitely enjoyed this!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Violence, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Alcoholism, War, Biphobia, and Child death

Maternal mortality/Death during childbirth

inkysplodge's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Suicide attempt, War, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism, and Cursing

wombat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, War, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Suicide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

hazelbcap's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It’s poetic, and heartbreaking, and inspiring, and I didn’t want it to ever end. A sweet unique read that I’ll cherish forever. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Death, and War

mrsdragon's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I like magical realism, pretty prose, and slow burn stories so this one has popped up in a lot of places as I book I might like. And I did greatly enjoy the pieces of it, but it just didn't quite live up to what it could have been.

The author uses flashbacks and dual story lines to slowly dole out information and uses that mechanic well to up the intrigue and the mystery of the book.  Unfortunately, sometimes she got so wrapped up  in the details that even I started to wish she would move it along already. There were also "mysteries" that were so obvious it was painful how long it took for the truth to be recognized/explained. 

I was here for the "dark mysterious god of the woods, maybe devil, kinda conjured from your drawing" trope, but aspects of Addie's relationship with the dark seemed forced, illogical, or contradictory. Despite the prose, there was a heavy-handed bit of "telling instead of showing".

And then there's the fact that while the main story follows Addie, a large chunk of the story follows another main character who is never mentioned in the jacket descriptions which...isn't really *wrong* but did seem weird. 

The author also sets up a narrative device within the story that mimics the structure of the book (clever!) but which makes the first couple of chapters in the last section seem weirdly navel-gazey and self-referential. And the final chapter left me...sad.

Addie, saves Henry and instead give herself over to tormenting Luc. And yes, I get the "finally free!" arc, but there is nothing that says that counteracts her first contract, she didn't renegotiate for her soul, so she will still be cursed to be invisible?

I also just, generally had a lot of questions about

Addie + Henry (300+ year old + 29 year old find love because...they are curse compatible?), Addie's humanity (is she turning into a god? If that's true, how does the whole Henry thing square?), Luc's nature (he's a god not a human! No, but he loves her! No but he's incapable of love!).

I can squint and see answers, but I think it could have been handled more gracefully in the story.

That said, the conceit was a fun one, the "holes" the author found in the curse, she did a fabulous job with how the dark both granted and twisted wishes in a way that felt both natural and inevitable once the downsides were understood. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Child death, War, Death of parent, Addiction, and Sexual content

thirza_joy's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: War, Drug use, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Addiction

liviascott's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Drug use

Minor: Death and Death of parent

larbster90's review against another edition

adventurous sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: War, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

tranquiltides's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

VE Schwab does it again! First book of 2024 is a 5 star. Honestly I can’t believe I waited so long to read it! This book had me laughing and crying, and thinking and feeling and honestly… isn’t that what we all want out of a good story? 
It’s emotional in a longing sort of way, but anyone who enjoys a twist on “The Villian gets the girl” romance stories will certainly enjoy this read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Drug use, and War

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury

alivotta's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense 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

Wow

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Drug abuse, Death, and Drug use

Minor: Sexual content