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A review by ana_rooth
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"Never pray to the gods that answer after dark."
I love a Faustian bargain story, and this is no exception. Our protagonist Addie Larue makes a deal with a god of darkness to live a life completely free in exchange for her soul. In true trickster fashion, there's a drawback: Addie has complete freedom from people's memories. No one who meets or sees her can ever remember her but after 200+ years, someone finally does.
The most interesting thing about Addie Larue is that she is a creature powered by spite seemingly. She's stubborn and refuses to give up just because she doesn't want to lose. This is amusing to both me and Luc, our villain and "Mephistopheles". It's hard to really describe Luc because he is, in the end, a personification of the concept of darkness. Then there's Henry, he's just...Henry.
The book is divided between the story told in the present interspersed with flashbacks, and I found myself much more interested in the flashbacks. The storyline told throughout the present was interesting for me while the mystery of Henry and who he was, was hanging over me. I wanted to know why he was the only person who remembered Addie, at one point I was convinced he was Luc who put himself in a human body like Doctor Who. But once that mystery was solved, I went back to not caring about that storyline (or Henry). I was a lot more interested in the dynamic between Luc and Addie.
After the reveal of Henry's character, it was hard for me to read those present sections of the book, I found myself almost skimming the pages so I could get to a flashback chapter. It seems like the real story Schwab wanted to tell was in the past, and she was just writing those present-time moments with Henry because she needed them to get to the novel's conclusion.
That being said, I was satisfied with the ending. It was written ambiguously but to me, I feel like I know what happened exactly afterward. I would recommend this novel, it's charming and the prose is clear but melodic.
I love a Faustian bargain story, and this is no exception. Our protagonist Addie Larue makes a deal with a god of darkness to live a life completely free in exchange for her soul. In true trickster fashion, there's a drawback: Addie has complete freedom from people's memories. No one who meets or sees her can ever remember her but after 200+ years, someone finally does.
The most interesting thing about Addie Larue is that she is a creature powered by spite seemingly. She's stubborn and refuses to give up just because she doesn't want to lose. This is amusing to both me and Luc, our villain and "Mephistopheles". It's hard to really describe Luc because he is, in the end, a personification of the concept of darkness. Then there's Henry, he's just...Henry.
The book is divided between the story told in the present interspersed with flashbacks, and I found myself much more interested in the flashbacks. The storyline told throughout the present was interesting for me while the mystery of Henry and who he was, was hanging over me. I wanted to know why he was the only person who remembered Addie, at one point I was convinced he was Luc who put himself in a human body like Doctor Who. But once that mystery was solved, I went back to not caring about that storyline (or Henry). I was a lot more interested in the dynamic between Luc and Addie.
After the reveal of Henry's character, it was hard for me to read those present sections of the book, I found myself almost skimming the pages so I could get to a flashback chapter. It seems like the real story Schwab wanted to tell was in the past, and she was just writing those present-time moments with Henry because she needed them to get to the novel's conclusion.
That being said, I was satisfied with the ending. It was written ambiguously but to me, I feel like I know what happened exactly afterward. I would recommend this novel, it's charming and the prose is clear but melodic.