Scan barcode
A review by emycustodio
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
4.0
"Never pray to the gods that answer after dark."
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a stunning novel, and it is the book that proves that V.E Schwab not only has the power to tell stories but to tell them beautifully. Her writing technique here -- more than ever -- is splendid. She really can transport us inside the novel, the descriptions are strong to make the scenes very visual to the reader. At some point, you will forget that you are reading the novel and you'll be traveling the world alongside Addie. But that's just it -- at some point.
Thus, the reason why the book is not 5 stars. There's nothing wrong with descriptive stories. Hell, some of my favorite authors have their novels loaded with descriptions, Tolkien, Tartt, etc. However, even when your focus is on the literary aesthetic, you must provide us with scenes that will add something to the story. Not necessarily make the plot go forward, or develop the character but show us something. A small detail of worldbuilding. A curiosity. Something new. Unfortunately, that is not always the case in Addie LaRue. Schwab sometimes falls into the trap of not trusting the reader to get it, ends up on repetition of scenes, sentences, and even descriptions. There is a limit to how many beautiful metaphors and sentences you can make until you start repeating them incessantly to the point that well... it wears away to nothing, just like rocks (as even Schwab says in her novel). I do feel like the novel could be a bit shorter (many stuff at the beginning and even the middle could be trimmed) and it would still count for a wonderful story about the power of words, ideas, freedom, time, and life.
In the end, it is a simple tale, but beautiful nonetheless, and that I super recommend if you think it is something that suits your interests. I do not think this is a book for everyone though. (But is there such a thing?)
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a stunning novel, and it is the book that proves that V.E Schwab not only has the power to tell stories but to tell them beautifully. Her writing technique here -- more than ever -- is splendid. She really can transport us inside the novel, the descriptions are strong to make the scenes very visual to the reader. At some point, you will forget that you are reading the novel and you'll be traveling the world alongside Addie. But that's just it -- at some point.
Thus, the reason why the book is not 5 stars. There's nothing wrong with descriptive stories. Hell, some of my favorite authors have their novels loaded with descriptions, Tolkien, Tartt, etc. However, even when your focus is on the literary aesthetic, you must provide us with scenes that will add something to the story. Not necessarily make the plot go forward, or develop the character but show us something. A small detail of worldbuilding. A curiosity. Something new. Unfortunately, that is not always the case in Addie LaRue. Schwab sometimes falls into the trap of not trusting the reader to get it, ends up on repetition of scenes, sentences, and even descriptions. There is a limit to how many beautiful metaphors and sentences you can make until you start repeating them incessantly to the point that well... it wears away to nothing, just like rocks (as even Schwab says in her novel). I do feel like the novel could be a bit shorter (many stuff at the beginning and even the middle could be trimmed) and it would still count for a wonderful story about the power of words, ideas, freedom, time, and life.
In the end, it is a simple tale, but beautiful nonetheless, and that I super recommend if you think it is something that suits your interests. I do not think this is a book for everyone though. (But is there such a thing?)