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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

17 reviews

annabananadel's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

4.0

“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?”

The beginning to the middle was so slow it took me weeks to get through it - not that I was bored but for some reason, I always get sleepy. It was pretty much text heavy so in return, my eyes was also heavy. Not that it stopped me from continuing the story. It was indeed very interesting but there were alot of small details that could have been left out (that’s what I thought at first).

After the middle mark, I was hooked. I’ve brought the book everywhere I go in case I have time for a read because I wanted to know how it goes. Would Addie and Henry have a happy ending or what? You just have to keep reading it. She told stories of the past and how she got thru them all - including the war too. What really shocked me was the love story between Addie and Luc because that was a fast ball I did not see coming. But after getting past that, I realized that it was going there and I was just blinded by Henry.

The ending though. Addie, you stubborn girl. I’d love to be like you one day.

(I love love love how this really feel like it was written by Addie herself.)

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myleejmiller's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

It is not often I find myself without something to say after concluding a story written and published, or otherwise yet to be printed on paper. I have so many words to explain my absolute astonishment at this novel and what it entails, but not enough words to scribe my thoughts properly. Thinking of my own writing, I often consider the benefits of certain methods leading to literary excellence. This novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, made me question for the first time the benefit of writing a story in one popular way or the other, quieter way. One method, in which the author focuses on the plot, and the characters, and weaves a story of epic wonder and magic that makes you jump out of your seat while reading to evoke exclamations. Or, alternatively, a story which provokes such deep reflection and thought while and after reviewing it, that it changes lives due to its outstanding lean towards overarching theme and moral tension. Both, I feel are outstanding in their own ways. However, one provokes excitement while the other provokes memory. And unlike the thousands of books I've read over the years, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was merely the second book, and the absolutely better book, to ever channel tears from my eyes. The characters are exquisite in their anguish, the story is profound and encompassing in its bluntness. The world within it is deep and vivid and real, so much so that it makes for an un-put-downable standalone from start to finish. It is life-changing. Though it does have it faults, as every story (even with five star ratings) does, it is a book I am not likely to forget. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue paints the pictures of life so brutally real and in such vivid color that it is both memorable and provoking, long after its completion. V.E. Schwab, and her writing of this masterpiece, tells me that she is an author of deep thought and even deeper meaning. I cannot wait to dive into her future and past works, and let these alongside other stories like hers better my own perspective on reality, and also my writing of real and fictional worlds.

I could say so much more, and explain how much a story like this means to a person (of many flaws) like me, but I will simply end with this: Thank you. Thanks to V.E Schwab, the book itself, the agent who took it on, the publisher who printed it, and the readers who praised it so highly. You have made, altogether, an unforgettable tale of change, hope, and devastation. Thank you, from a reader who is just beginning to understand the impact a story can have.

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kaziaroo's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I liked the beginning, and the very end, but the middle not so much. While it's not my usual kind of book, and I have no patience for this kind of "lyrical prose" and over-romanticisation of everything, I was intrigued by Addie's situation and the bitter sadness of her not being remembered by everything. I struggled with some of the plausibility of it; that she would really be so desperate to avoid a quiet, comfortable marriage that she would make a deal with a strange eldritch being, and that she would never stray beyond Western Europe and the USA in her 300 years. Her relationship with the demon that cursed her was interesting, and so were the ways in which she learned to cope with and manoeuvre within her curse. I did find it tedious reading about her endless one-sided one-night stands, but I was willing to push through that.

But then Henry appeared. I honestly think I would have enjoyed the book more if I'd just skipped Henry's chapters. The story would have mostly made sense without them and I would have those hours of my life back. Although I related to some of his struggles with choosing his career path and specialism, and his situation is also sad, Henry's chapters were just boring. He mopes around all day and whenever he feels a little worse he just downs a mixture of drugs with gay abandon and no consequences the next day. His and Addie's "love" was totally unconvincing; compared to the other lovers we see her meet, Henry is by far the most dull and she only likes him so much because he remembers her. She becomes the only interesting thing about him.

I wish the book had either explored the world and history a bit more or been a couple of hundred pages shorter. I had no interest in watching Addie and Henry having nice days out and going to endless bars and clubs, or sleeping with everyone they meet. The flowery writing desperately tried to make me fall in love with the characters and settings, but it was all style over substance. My overall feeling about this book is disappointment after the hype.

I would recommend this to fans of Matt Haig's "How to Stop Time" and who want nice, deep-sounding quotes to put in their Instagram captions.

TL;DR: it was well executed for what it was but the writing was flowery, the male lead boring, the female lead unadventurous, and there was too much sex, drugs and rock & roll for my tastes.

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kyleighf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I wouldn’t say it’s the kinda 5 star that changes your life, but it’s the kind that keeps you entranced all the way through. The story was inviting and enticing, and the ending was perfect for a story of memory. Addie is a compelling main character who’s motives are a bit inhuman which makes her fit her role even better. The book is diverse and just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it’ll turn itself around, always playing the game. This book will keep you in the here and now while still recalling the past. Loved the way it was told and tone it was told in! 😁

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sarahbiegelsen's review

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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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nikinem's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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parfait52's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

This book barely has a plot. It is almost entirely a character study that then adds an additional smaller character study later on. If the writing were not as effortless and beautiful as it is, I probably wouldn't have finished this book. It was kind of tedious to read through over 400 pages of exposition and flashbacks and ponderings. The plot points that do exist are all very predictable and played out, so there wasn't really anything there to tantalize or excite. And I also can't exactly tell if this banal disappointment betrayed the book's themes or exemplified them. The characters were all fairly interesting and likeable and real (within the setting), with Henry being a personal highlight for me.

If you enjoy reading gorgeous, languid writing that feels almost burdensome at times, with some insightful peeks into the mind of an unfortunate soul, this is the book for you. If you enjoy a clear plot with characters that are revealed through actions instead of long ramblings, this is not the book for you. Ultimately, I am glad that I read this book but I probably wouldn't want to do it again. Kind of like life itself.

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avie_j's review against another edition

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dark 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

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bentobookdragon11's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.5

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limewheel's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

Addie LaRue's unheard of twist on immortality hooked me from the beginning. A life lived forever, in exchange for being erased from history is something wild and exciting, and for most of the book, I was completely invested in her stories through time. Addie's morality warping as the uncomfortable truth of her nonexistence became blatantly clear, all the retries she's had at first impressions and how she took advantage of them, the first person look at history through the eyes of somebody who lived through it but could never take part in it. This is an amazing view of immortality and I was blown away by how far Schwab could take it. It's telling of a very creative mind, and for my first work of hers, this was a pleasant surprise.

My only pitfall with this book has to delve into spoilers, so read at your own risk.

The romance and love triangle was corny at best, and teetering on infuriating at worst. It wasn't Henry that was the problem—his and Addie's relationship actually seemed like a natural progression of the story—but rather Luc and Addie's "relationship". It came out of nowhere and seemed annoyingly out of character for Luc. Sure, he'd been trying to whittle down Addie for centuries before, but that was entirely out of spite. Spite is the very basis of their relationship: Addie wants to live forever to prove Luc wrong, and Luc wants her to give up to prove Addie wrong. In any other book, this might make sense for it to take a romantic turn, and I don't even blame Addie for developing feelings towards him because she's human, but the difference is that he's not. Luc is a god with innumerable souls to reap and even more waiting to make deals with him. Why is Addie so special? At the end of the book, she says that she'd spent 300 years learning the ins and outs of his behavior, and that he'd learned nothing of her in that same time, so why did he want her so bad? For having this love triangle between Henry and Addie and Luc take up, like, 1/3 of the book, it was more than enough to taint my enjoyment.

The characters were alright, but most fell flat, even the main few. Addie, of course is wonderfully fleshed out, because, after all, this book is about her invisible life. But I just grew bored with the other two, Henry and Luc. Henry, specifically, I became frustrated with because I want to like his character so bad, but everything about him is just so... insignificant. And that's a big problem for a main character. I truly could not care about his struggles because he's a poorly written coward who wallowed in pity . Now, I have nothing against cowards, or characters who wallow in pity, but being poorly written is where I draw the line. Next to nothing happens with his development for almost the entirety of the book, except that he falls in love, and even that barely changes him. His problems had been solved before he and Addie crossed paths and that's probably what made him so stagnant to me. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Luc, well, he was just a not not evil guy whose only purpose was apparently to torment Addie sometimes. Kinda boring and kinda predictable, but I can barely fault him for it because he is a nonhuman god, and they tend to be like that. Whatever.

There's not much else for me to say about this book. I loved Addie and her circumstances, but everything else was pushed to the sidelines. That about sums up why this is rated 3.25.

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