V E Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue (Hardcover)

$15.78
(4.2) 4.2 stars out of 10 reviews 10 reviews
$15.78
$15.78
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The Invisible Life of Addie Larue (Hardcover)

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4.2 out of 5stars
(10 reviews)
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Most helpful positive review

5.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
05/15/2021
My goodness, this book was a…
My goodness, this book was a pleasure to read from the first page to the last. I loved the writing style, and the lush, expressive way the author described settings. But what really hooked me, of course, was Addie - her spirit, her hopes, her strength, her humor. Discovering along with her what the circumstances of her life would become was so compelling, and watching her risk, and get hurt, but continue to risk again pulled on every heartstring. The author did such an interesting job of examining the difference between love and possession; the risks of making a promise; the yearning to be remembered and truly known. So much to think about in this magical novel. This is one I will definitely read again in the years to come.
NeedMoreShelves

Most helpful negative review

2.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
05/05/2021
It pains me to give a V.E. Schwab…
It pains me to give a V.E. Schwab book only 2 stars because I love the Shades of Magic series. To be fair, I have recently read several books in which characters live multiple lives (Oona Out of Order, The Midnight Library) so the novelty of a person living 300 years wore off within a few chapters. Worse, however, is that Addie LaRue doesn't learn anything or grow emotionally from living centuries of history. For an immortal, she has shockingly few interesting experiences (most of them in France or New York City) and she is solely focused on pushing the boundaries of the deal she made with a god of darkness which prevents her from being remembered by anyone. But even when she is successful at it, she is unsatisfied. The book tries to tell the reader why Addie is determined to live rather than surrender her soul but, in my view, it doesn't make a strong enough case. Meeting Henry is a briefly bright turn of events but he also turns out to be a dull character. I love books, and bookstores, and libraries, and I firmly believe that stories are a crucial element of a life well-lived but not every book that draws on these treasures deserves automatic praise. The writing style is repetitive (has anyone counted the number of times the narrative refers to Addie's seven star-shaped freckles?) and Addie LaRue's story is completely forgettable.
bookappeal
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/08/2021
    Well now, hello first 5-star read of…
    Well now, hello first 5-star read of 2021! Yes, technically there have been two others, but they were both rereads and I already knew I was going to love them again. This book, oh this book, felt like it magically appeared at a time when I wanted it most. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue captivated me from the moment that it started. It's true that I'm a sucker for tragic love story at the best of times, but this particular story is like a piece of art. The more that you stare at it, the more that you allow yourself to be immersed, the more you find to uncover. Addie was a beautifully complex character, and my heart went out to her immediately. As her life unfolded on the pages, both the past and the present intermingling with one another, I was in awe of how rough, messy and fragile it truly was. A lot of times I feel like Fantasy books have a habit of making a character too black or white. When, in fact, we are all some shade of gray in between. Addie's character embraces that wholeheartedly. She is wild, and broken, and beautiful. She is simultaneously brave and utterly heartbroken. It's truly almost impossible not to love her, simply because she is so relatable. When she met Henry, and their two kinds of gray meshed together into something somehow so much brighter, I was completely sold. You couldn't have pried this book out of my hands if you tried. I sometimes have issues with books that flip back and forth between time periods, especially on audio. Since I half listened to this, and half read it, I was worried that I might fall back into that trap. There was no need to worry. Schwab makes the transitions feel completely natural as Addie's story slowly comes to light. The pacing is perfect, in my opinion. It never felt like like too little was being shared, or that too much was happening too quickly. Even as the book approached the ending, and my heart knew that it was in for something painful, the pace felt on point. My favorite part were the small, quiet moments in this story. They never felt unnecessary, or out of place. What they did was bring the link between Addie and Henry even more into the forefront and, of course, made them even harder not to love. If you can't tell, I am trying extremely hard not to spoil anything because this is a story that absolutely needs to be experienced sight unseen. I knew next to nothing about what I was getting myself into before I started this, and I'm honestly so happy about that. It made every little detail, every win and every loss, that much more vivid for me. It made the character growth that much more palpable, and the heartbreak that much more devastating. With all the reading I do now, it's hard sometimes to find books that truly feel new. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue gave me that feeling. It swept me away, and I went willingly. This was one stellar read, and my only regret is that I can't erase my memory and read it again for the first time.
    roses7184
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    06/17/2021
    Can't wait to read it
    Beautiful covering and very nice
    kaziah
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/15/2021
    No wonder this was a top read for so…
    No wonder this was a top read for so many people last year! Addie is a stunning character who learns so much over the course of her life from the early 1700s-current day. As a reader I got to see those lessons play out for better or for worse in V.E. Schwab's pages. Addie's gift/curse came with a price and she was never able to forget it. This was a sad story filled with hope, art, beauty, and love that touched my soul, and made me ask the question: If I could live forever, with the price that Addie paid, would I? Highly recommend. Such a creative way to tell a story, it makes me want to read everything else Schwab has created.
    Evelyn.B
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/15/2021
    My goodness, this book was a…
    My goodness, this book was a pleasure to read from the first page to the last. I loved the writing style, and the lush, expressive way the author described settings. But what really hooked me, of course, was Addie - her spirit, her hopes, her strength, her humor. Discovering along with her what the circumstances of her life would become was so compelling, and watching her risk, and get hurt, but continue to risk again pulled on every heartstring. The author did such an interesting job of examining the difference between love and possession; the risks of making a promise; the yearning to be remembered and truly known. So much to think about in this magical novel. This is one I will definitely read again in the years to come.
    NeedMoreShelves
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/13/2021
    This book brilliantly explores all…
    This book brilliantly explores all the ways we are remembered in daily life by following Addie LaRue through her life..... in which she is not able to be... Having made an impulsive Faustian bargain as a young woman to get out of a forced marriage, Addie finds herself having to make a new life when the conditions of her immortality require her to be forgotten by everyone she meets as soon as she's out of sight. I was amazed at how painful I found her circumstances, and the relief I experienced as a reader when she meets a young man who somehow can see and remember her. I was rooting for this battered, proud and smart woman as she tries to outsmart her supernatural opponent to make an impact in life when ( almost) no one knows her name.
    Aronfish
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/13/2021
    I have mixed feelings about this…
    I have mixed feelings about this book. Many people complain that the beginning was slow, but I actually liked the beginning as we gradually learn Addie's challenge of an endless life without being able memorable to anyone. The details of how to deal with daily life challenges -- like food, shelter, not being able to make a living -- were such clever unexpected additions to this story. And this story made me ponder how short our lives are and if we can't be remembered, do we even leave a legacy or impact. But somehow, the middle of this book dragged for me. After all, if you're covering even just the major events for someone who lives over 300 years, it's going to take a lot of pages. I did like the introduction of Henry, but I didn't think that Henry's backstory added that much to the overall book. This is Addie's story after all. The writing was beautiful and the overall line is definitely unforgettable, but not the masterpiece I was hoping for.
    jmoncton
  • 3.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/11/2021
    It took far longer to finish than I…
    It took far longer to finish than I had anticipated and that was mostly because I expected it to be one thing and it was decidedly another. I had thought (and hoped) it would be heavier on the historical fiction side of things and while it did start out that way it ended up leaning more towards romance (not my fave genre as you know). The reader follows a young woman named Addie LaRue (as the title suggests) who in a moment of desperation cries out to the universe for help and the answer she receives is not at all what she expected. In order to truly be free and live a life of her own choosing she is sentenced to be forgotten by everyone she meets. The story bounces between time periods beginning in the early 1700s and ending up in 2014/present day. Schwab's descriptive writing is truly beautiful and there were many passages that gave me Hamnet vibes (i.e. they were deliciously written) but these sections were brief and generally devolved into Addie's relationship with the god who cursed her. I also appreciated the chill LGBTQ+ vibes that were threaded throughout. However, if I have to distill all my feelings about this book into one word it would have to be: lukewarm. 4/10
    AliceaP
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/09/2021
    This book was SO HYPED - personally I…
    This book was SO HYPED - personally I didn't get the hype until the last quarter of the book. I though the first 75% was slow and at times tedious. I still ranked it a 4 out of 5 though because I LOVED the ending. Readers just have to go through a lot of build up to get to the good bits! Addie LaRue is cursed - no one remembers her name or face. Everything will be fine until someone leaves the room and falls asleep and then she is a clean slate - someone they have never ever seen before. It's no way to live a life - let alone an eternity. For three hundred years she has roamed the Earth - invisible to all but the one who "granted her wish." She just wants to be noticed - to leave an impression on someone - anyone. One day she walks into a New York bookstore and everything changes. Very slow build up but SUPER satisfying ending. Completely unique and original concept!
    ecataldi
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/09/2021
    I enjoyed this book of a young…
    I enjoyed this book of a young French woman who makes a deal with essentially "the devil". It follows her through 300 years of an immortal life where no one remembers her. I thought the story was clever and the book well written. There were many little stories told within the novel and a love story intertwined. It moved from past to present easily and the end certainly remained open for a sequel.
    tinkerbellkk
  • 2.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/05/2021
    It pains me to give a V.E. Schwab…
    It pains me to give a V.E. Schwab book only 2 stars because I love the Shades of Magic series. To be fair, I have recently read several books in which characters live multiple lives (Oona Out of Order, The Midnight Library) so the novelty of a person living 300 years wore off within a few chapters. Worse, however, is that Addie LaRue doesn't learn anything or grow emotionally from living centuries of history. For an immortal, she has shockingly few interesting experiences (most of them in France or New York City) and she is solely focused on pushing the boundaries of the deal she made with a god of darkness which prevents her from being remembered by anyone. But even when she is successful at it, she is unsatisfied. The book tries to tell the reader why Addie is determined to live rather than surrender her soul but, in my view, it doesn't make a strong enough case. Meeting Henry is a briefly bright turn of events but he also turns out to be a dull character. I love books, and bookstores, and libraries, and I firmly believe that stories are a crucial element of a life well-lived but not every book that draws on these treasures deserves automatic praise. The writing style is repetitive (has anyone counted the number of times the narrative refers to Addie's seven star-shaped freckles?) and Addie LaRue's story is completely forgettable.
    bookappeal
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