✭ PUBLISHED: October 2020 ✭ PAGES: 545 ✭ GENRE: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Fiction ✭
“Amid the growing list of negatives – she cannot write, cannot say her name, cannot leave a mark – this is the first thing she has been able to do. She can steal. It will be a long time before she knows the contours of her curse, longer still before she understands the shadow’s sense of humor, before he looks at her over a glass of wine and observes that a successful theft is an anonymous act. The absence of a mark.”
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue left a mark that won’t be easily erased. The memory of Addie LaRue will live on in many readers’ hearts. The book might sit on the bookshelf, but the weight of its presence is remarkable.
I saw many posts about Addie LaRue, everywhere I looked I saw her name. I felt a pull towards this book, I had to see what the hype was all about. After multiple visists to the bookstore, I finally found a copy high on a shelf. The last copy! My heart raced and I immediately paid for it, just in case someone decided that they wanted it too. When I started reading, I was amazed! Every page is a thing of beauty laced with emotion. I became so absorbed in Addie’s story, at times it felt that she really existed, that she wasn’t just a figment of the author’s imagination. I haven’t read any books by V. E. Schwab before, and after reading Addie, I can’t believe I haven’t read her other books. Am I living under a rock?
V. E. Schwab is one of the few writers (for me) that has the ability to make a story come to life. Her descriptions are outstandingly beautiful and vivid and the characters are well developed. The book is divided into 7 parts and coincidentally Addie (Adeline) has 7 freckles. The author is a master planner. Throughout the chapters we are taken back to Addie’s past and we get to know her, we feel what she feels and we see what she sees. I do not want to give away any details, because this book is a masterpiece and each reader must find its beauty.
To be honest, I’m finding it hard to write this review. The story is so complex and only by reading it yourself will you be able to experience Addie’s 300 years as she did. A plot twist is introduced and his name is Henry Strauss, a bookseller. Addie thought that he was just like everyone else, that he will forget her soon enough, but he didn’t. What makes him different? You will be shocked! I literally gasped. I loved Henry’s character, his flaws made him seem real and he is a bookseller. What’s not to love about a boy selling books?
For me the ending was unexpected, and that’s what makes a book memorable. I haven’t even mentioned Luc yet! Luc is a complex character and just when you think you understand him, you’re thrown into a different direction.
“He is smoke and skin, air and bone, and when his mouth presses against hers, the first thing she tastes is the turning of the seasons, the moment when dusk gives way to night.”
— Adeline LaRue
I absolutely loved this book and even listened to the audiobook, and I never listen to audiobooks. This book is hands down my best read for 2021 and Addie has a special place on my bookshelf, she left her mark on me.
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- Add The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to your Goodreads list.
- More titles by the author.
If you enjoyed The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon or The Wicked King by Holly Black, you will love this book!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victoria Schwab is an American fantasy author best known for her 2013 novel Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and for her children’s and young adult fiction published under the name Victoria Schwab.
Willow's Corner 