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A review by theinquisitxor
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
3.0
Ok ok ok. Am I the only one here who didn't absolutely love this with all of my being? Don't get me wrong, this was a good book, and it was enjoyable to read, but I feel like this 3ish star rating I'm giving it is a gross outlier to all the other reviews I have seen.
I was expecting this book to be a favorite of the year. I've been following this book since before it had a title, and was just a one sentence description on goodreads. This book has tropes that I like-- especially the 'death and the maiden,' one of my favorites and not super super common. I only have a couple of books on a high pedestal for this trope (Winternight, Wintersong, Gods of Jade and Shadow...). This book just didn't do it for me.
The Good:
the Faustian deal/curse that Addie has. I thought that this was an intriguing concept and the way Schwab explored and exploited the boundaries of the curse was cool. (however, this is not the first time that someone has explored a similar concept).
The New York setting was great too. I don't live too far away from the city, and as a result of that, it's not my favorite place in the world, but the way Schwab writes makes it magical. I also thought the pacing of this book was pretty consistent. I never felt like one part was dragging or went too fast.
The 'meh':
The flowery/poetic prose wasn't my favorite. I like it in some books, and usually in smaller doses. A whole book of this prose started to wear on me after a while. There were a lot of pretty lines though.
I never got attached to the characters, nor did I ever care about them as much as I should have. Addie grew on me throughout the book, but VE Schwab has an issue of writing her female characters 'not like other girls' to the point where she puts down other women's wants and desires. (the seven damn freckles on her face drove me crazy too)
Henry wasn't all that enjoyable, but he was real and sweet. I did not like Luc. I don't get why people fan over him (he's manipulative, abusive and horrible) (I also did not like the ending. A specific trope was employed that I do not enjoy)
Addie has been alive for 323 years. There was so much more of the past and of her experiences in history that could have been explored. Instead, we alternate between the present (2014) and the past without a significant exploration of historical events. This book is heavily focused on character relationships. I do prefer character driven stories, but not when the characters spend half the book making googly-eyes at each other and not being able to keep their hands to themselves. 75% of this book is just pure romance and that's not what I was expecting.
This kinda turned into a rant review, which is not entirely what I was intending. I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this book. I guess I was expecting something in line to Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian in terms of craft, detail and traveling. What I got instead was a romance heavy story, not quite as great as I was expecting. I still consider VE Schwab a favorite author, and I enjoyed this book overall, just a little disappointed.
I was expecting this book to be a favorite of the year. I've been following this book since before it had a title, and was just a one sentence description on goodreads. This book has tropes that I like-- especially the 'death and the maiden,' one of my favorites and not super super common. I only have a couple of books on a high pedestal for this trope (Winternight, Wintersong, Gods of Jade and Shadow...). This book just didn't do it for me.
The Good:
the Faustian deal/curse that Addie has. I thought that this was an intriguing concept and the way Schwab explored and exploited the boundaries of the curse was cool. (however, this is not the first time that someone has explored a similar concept).
The New York setting was great too. I don't live too far away from the city, and as a result of that, it's not my favorite place in the world, but the way Schwab writes makes it magical. I also thought the pacing of this book was pretty consistent. I never felt like one part was dragging or went too fast.
The 'meh':
The flowery/poetic prose wasn't my favorite. I like it in some books, and usually in smaller doses. A whole book of this prose started to wear on me after a while. There were a lot of pretty lines though.
I never got attached to the characters, nor did I ever care about them as much as I should have. Addie grew on me throughout the book, but VE Schwab has an issue of writing her female characters 'not like other girls' to the point where she puts down other women's wants and desires. (the seven damn freckles on her face drove me crazy too)
Henry wasn't all that enjoyable, but he was real and sweet. I did not like Luc. I don't get why people fan over him (he's manipulative, abusive and horrible) (I also did not like the ending. A specific trope was employed that I do not enjoy)
Addie has been alive for 323 years. There was so much more of the past and of her experiences in history that could have been explored. Instead, we alternate between the present (2014) and the past without a significant exploration of historical events. This book is heavily focused on character relationships. I do prefer character driven stories, but not when the characters spend half the book making googly-eyes at each other and not being able to keep their hands to themselves. 75% of this book is just pure romance and that's not what I was expecting.
This kinda turned into a rant review, which is not entirely what I was intending. I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this book. I guess I was expecting something in line to Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian in terms of craft, detail and traveling. What I got instead was a romance heavy story, not quite as great as I was expecting. I still consider VE Schwab a favorite author, and I enjoyed this book overall, just a little disappointed.