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A review by starryeyedenigma
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I have so many fixed feelings about this book. I've been trying to read all of V.E. Schwab's backlists and new releases, since I was a big fan of the Shades of Magic trilogy and I really wanted to love this book, as much as I love its cover. But sadly, I could not. I didnt hate the book, but I also didnt love it.
It was the fastest 500+ read for me, and yet in many ways, felt the slowest.
I loved the premise, I mean, getting a wish to be immortal and experience the world and not having being tethered down to anything or anyone? Sounds like a dream for so many of us. But at what cost? I enjoyed the travels and the artistic experiences that Addie has in these 300 years, and even though she lives through some of the darkest times of our civilization, the author chooses to focus on the beauty rather than the truth or the bleakness. Which was fine for me, because I was in the mood for a feel good fiction.
But I didnt feel good after finishing the story. Somewhere halfway in the novel, the story changed from living and experiencing to a strange kind of romance with a twisted love triangle with protagonists who had no personality and no chemistry. And that was my biggest contention with the book I guess.
I would have loved it, if the story would have just been about Addie experiencing the world and never growing tired of it and helping others once she figured out the loopholes of her curse/gift. I couldnt figure out why Henry or Luc wanted Addie or said they loved her. I couldnt figure out why Addie loved either of them. It just felt very situational to me, the very same thing Addie was trying to escape in the beginning with her arranged marriage to a stranger.
I found the writing haunting and lyrical and a lot of the passages stayed with me. But I felt wanting at the end of the book. I just wish this hadnt been a love story :)
It was the fastest 500+ read for me, and yet in many ways, felt the slowest.
I loved the premise, I mean, getting a wish to be immortal and experience the world and not having being tethered down to anything or anyone? Sounds like a dream for so many of us. But at what cost? I enjoyed the travels and the artistic experiences that Addie has in these 300 years, and even though she lives through some of the darkest times of our civilization, the author chooses to focus on the beauty rather than the truth or the bleakness. Which was fine for me, because I was in the mood for a feel good fiction.
But I didnt feel good after finishing the story. Somewhere halfway in the novel, the story changed from living and experiencing to a strange kind of romance with a twisted love triangle with protagonists who had no personality and no chemistry. And that was my biggest contention with the book I guess.
I would have loved it, if the story would have just been about Addie experiencing the world and never growing tired of it and helping others once she figured out the loopholes of her curse/gift. I couldnt figure out why Henry or Luc wanted Addie or said they loved her. I couldnt figure out why Addie loved either of them. It just felt very situational to me, the very same thing Addie was trying to escape in the beginning with her arranged marriage to a stranger.
I found the writing haunting and lyrical and a lot of the passages stayed with me. But I felt wanting at the end of the book. I just wish this hadnt been a love story :)