A review by v171
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-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

4.0

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! 
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