wildflowerx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My charity shop find of the year. Yes, 2023 is not over yet, but that's it, I know that.
I purposely took some time before writing this review because I wanted to see if I would still think about it after finishing it. 24 hours later, I have my answer, and the answer is YES, I've been thinking about it all day. Some books leave a mark, and they just make me happy to be alive and to be able to read and live, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of them.
Summary
Adeline LaRue is a young woman living in a small village in France in the 18th century who dreams a life of freedom and adventures. As she's about to get married to a man she doesn't love, she begs the Gods to help her. Darkness answers her prayers. He agrees to letting her live forever, granting her an immortal life of pure freedom in exchange of her soul. But the deal is a curse, and Addie is condemned to never be remembered by anyone, ever. Until 300 years later, when in a New York bookstore she meets Henry.
Plot
The book is definitely character driven. If this is something you aren't into and would rather read a book with a clear plot, then I don't think it's going to be for you. To me, TILOAL felt almost like a diary, alternating moments from Addie's long - and mostly heartbreaking - past, narrated in chronological order, and events from a nearer time. The title is pretty explicative: you are going to be reading her whole life, including how it comes to an "end".
Writing
The writing is absolutely gorgeous, and makes me want to read more work from Schwab. The lexicon is not complex, yet it is poetic and evocative. I felt so much while reading this book, and it doesn't happen often. I could feel all the anxiety and dread and panic as Addie was feeling trapped in a life she didn't want.
What Schwab does beautifully too is using art as an active part of her storytelling. I loved how art is used as a device to discover more about Addie's life, but the most beautiful aspect of it is that it symbolised how although she was destined to be forgotten, she left such a mark on people that she was always remembered in a way.
Main characters & relationships
Addie is the protagonist, and I love her just because of how ordinary she is at first. A girl who dreams of escaping the reality she's trapped in, who is ready to get outside of her comfort zone. And that continues after the curse, and perhaps her desire to Live is even stronger. Ultimately, it's what keeps her going and fighting Luc, it's what pushes her to take what she can from a curse who took her dreams and desires to the extremes and twisted them into her nightmares. Yes, she lives, but she's always alone, and lonely, and hungry. Yes, she's free, nobody (but Luc) can control her. But nobody remembers her. She can't work, she can only steal and sell her body. She has nobody who loves her. She has no home.
I could empathise so much with her desire to run away and explore, and then with her loneliness. I felt like crying a lot throughout the book, especially as we explored her first year after the curse. I wanted to hug her so badly. I felt she changed over the course of the centuries, but she still remained herself in a way. I love, love, love her. I also loved how her story is a big metaphor for all the forgotten women in history. Had it not been for art and books, what would be left of them?
And now the two men of the story. Luc (the Darkness/Devil) and Henry, and Addie's relationship with them, play an essential role in her story.
On the one hand we have Luc, the darkness, the cause of her suffering, but also the reason why she got to live this long, experience this much. Luc, the shadows, who takes the shape of the man of her dreams, who every year on their "anniversary", the 29th of July, tried to persuade her to give up on the life she sold her soul for, and which he made his best to make miserable. Luc, who does his best to ruin every small bit of happiness she manages to conquer, and who wants to be the reason she breaks.
And on the other hand we have sweet and kind Henry, who is a bit lost, and doesn't feel like he really belongs and like he found his way. I'm his age as I read this, and I couldn't emphasise with him more. What a weird decade, your 20s.
He and Addie helped each others in ways nobody else could, and were there for each other in ways nobody else could have. I so feel like "right person wrong time" fits their relationship perfectly. He's perhaps not as an interesting character as Luc, but he was exactly what Addie needed, and vice versa. I really loved him.
Ending
It's been 24 hours since I finished the book, and I still don't know how to feel about the ending. I'm definitely a bit broken.
I had no clue of how it was going to end, but overall, I think it's a satisfying one, though I'm not normally a fan of open endings. I really hope she makes Luc pay. Such a shame we'll never see how she manages to get her revenge.
I purposely took some time before writing this review because I wanted to see if I would still think about it after finishing it. 24 hours later, I have my answer, and the answer is YES, I've been thinking about it all day. Some books leave a mark, and they just make me happy to be alive and to be able to read and live, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of them.
Summary
Adeline LaRue is a young woman living in a small village in France in the 18th century who dreams a life of freedom and adventures. As she's about to get married to a man she doesn't love, she begs the Gods to help her. Darkness answers her prayers. He agrees to letting her live forever, granting her an immortal life of pure freedom in exchange of her soul. But the deal is a curse, and Addie is condemned to never be remembered by anyone, ever. Until 300 years later, when in a New York bookstore she meets Henry.
Plot
The book is definitely character driven. If this is something you aren't into and would rather read a book with a clear plot, then I don't think it's going to be for you. To me, TILOAL felt almost like a diary, alternating moments from Addie's long - and mostly heartbreaking - past, narrated in chronological order, and events from a nearer time. The title is pretty explicative: you are going to be reading her whole life, including how it comes to an "end".
Writing
The writing is absolutely gorgeous, and makes me want to read more work from Schwab. The lexicon is not complex, yet it is poetic and evocative. I felt so much while reading this book, and it doesn't happen often. I could feel all the anxiety and dread and panic as Addie was feeling trapped in a life she didn't want.
What Schwab does beautifully too is using art as an active part of her storytelling. I loved how art is used as a device to discover more about Addie's life, but the most beautiful aspect of it is that it symbolised how although she was destined to be forgotten, she left such a mark on people that she was always remembered in a way.
Main characters & relationships
Addie is the protagonist, and I love her just because of how ordinary she is at first. A girl who dreams of escaping the reality she's trapped in, who is ready to get outside of her comfort zone. And that continues after the curse, and perhaps her desire to Live is even stronger. Ultimately, it's what keeps her going and fighting Luc, it's what pushes her to take what she can from a curse who took her dreams and desires to the extremes and twisted them into her nightmares. Yes, she lives, but she's always alone, and lonely, and hungry. Yes, she's free, nobody (but Luc) can control her. But nobody remembers her. She can't work, she can only steal and sell her body. She has nobody who loves her. She has no home.
I could empathise so much with her desire to run away and explore, and then with her loneliness. I felt like crying a lot throughout the book, especially as we explored her first year after the curse. I wanted to hug her so badly. I felt she changed over the course of the centuries, but she still remained herself in a way. I love, love, love her. I also loved how her story is a big metaphor for all the forgotten women in history. Had it not been for art and books, what would be left of them?
And now the two men of the story. Luc (the Darkness/Devil) and Henry, and Addie's relationship with them, play an essential role in her story.
On the one hand we have Luc, the darkness, the cause of her suffering, but also the reason why she got to live this long, experience this much. Luc, the shadows, who takes the shape of the man of her dreams, who every year on their "anniversary", the 29th of July, tried to persuade her to give up on the life she sold her soul for, and which he made his best to make miserable. Luc, who does his best to ruin every small bit of happiness she manages to conquer, and who wants to be the reason she breaks.
Spoiler
As the story progresses, Luc develops a morbid obsession for Addie, an obsession which he calls "love", but which could never be real love. Luc who is her abuser, but also the only person who remembers her for 300 years. I would be lying if I said their relationship and the toxic power dynamic wasn't interesting to read. In fact, it was definitely one of the most exciting parts. But I can't see him as a love interest, he wasn't.And on the other hand we have sweet and kind Henry, who is a bit lost, and doesn't feel like he really belongs and like he found his way. I'm his age as I read this, and I couldn't emphasise with him more. What a weird decade, your 20s.
He and Addie helped each others in ways nobody else could, and were there for each other in ways nobody else could have. I so feel like "right person wrong time" fits their relationship perfectly. He's perhaps not as an interesting character as Luc, but he was exactly what Addie needed, and vice versa. I really loved him.
Ending
It's been 24 hours since I finished the book, and I still don't know how to feel about the ending. I'm definitely a bit broken.
Spoiler
A bit broken for Henry, who really loved her, and despite being heartbroken after she left, made sure that everyone knew about her by writing her story, and made sure everyone knew that it was HER story. He was just his pen when she couldn't be one. A bit (a lot) broken for Addie, too, because after centuries she had finally found some normalcy, and happiness, and love with someone kind, and caring, and smart who adored her. And she had to give up on it and go with Luc because of the deal Henry stroke with Luc. And because of Luc's unwillingness to let her go, and to let her and Henry go.I had no clue of how it was going to end, but overall, I think it's a satisfying one, though I'm not normally a fan of open endings. I really hope she makes Luc pay. Such a shame we'll never see how she manages to get her revenge.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence
rbjennings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Violence
raeb's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
i really liked the first 80% of this book, but was not a big fan of the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, and Biphobia
Minor: War and Suicidal thoughts
littlewr3n's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
bookishbutterfly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide attempt and Alcohol
halliot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a book that I kept seeing good things about so I was really happy when I found a copy.
I have found it really hard to sit down and write a review about it. I really enjoyed the book. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes curses, prophesies, the movie Labyrinth, pansexual characters, book shops, art and music, and croissants. (if that's you, don't read the review, just go and get the book)
Addie La Rue is a semi-mortal person who has been gifted and cursed by an old god, to have all the time she wants, but never be remembered by anyone longer than she is in contact with them. This includes writing anything down, breaking things, or appearing on cameras, but does not include people drawing her or writing down things about her. It's a really cool premise for a story and provides a lot of scope for her interactions over the centuries. The story is not told in fully chronological order, but you don't get lost.
How would you react if you ordered a coffee but couldn't get it unless it was delivered to your table number, rather than you personally, because you are literally "out of sight, out of mind"?
Addie develops a perverse relationship of sorts with the one entity who can remember her; the one who cursed her in the first place. This creature of Darkness who she names Luc, has a definite Goblin King vibe and much of the feel of their relationship, and the crap he pulls, could easily have been straight from the movie Labyrinth.. the parallels are not lost on me.
Running into someone who can remember her is incredibly emotional and goes against all the things Addie has learned in her last centuries of life. They spend time figuring out the limits of her curse, and why it is that it doesn't work on him.
Honestly, the story, the growth, the recurrent nature of having to go through first-time meetings (over and over again) is a captivating puzzle. My son who is interested in SCP found himself spending time pondering about the limits of such magical restraints, what she can or cannot do, and what might happen if she encountered someone else with different powers or limits.
I really love this book.
I have found it really hard to sit down and write a review about it. I really enjoyed the book. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes curses, prophesies, the movie Labyrinth, pansexual characters, book shops, art and music, and croissants. (if that's you, don't read the review, just go and get the book)
Addie La Rue is a semi-mortal person who has been gifted and cursed by an old god, to have all the time she wants, but never be remembered by anyone longer than she is in contact with them. This includes writing anything down, breaking things, or appearing on cameras, but does not include people drawing her or writing down things about her. It's a really cool premise for a story and provides a lot of scope for her interactions over the centuries. The story is not told in fully chronological order, but you don't get lost.
How would you react if you ordered a coffee but couldn't get it unless it was delivered to your table number, rather than you personally, because you are literally "out of sight, out of mind"?
Addie develops a perverse relationship of sorts with the one entity who can remember her; the one who cursed her in the first place. This creature of Darkness who she names Luc, has a definite Goblin King vibe and much of the feel of their relationship, and the crap he pulls, could easily have been straight from the movie Labyrinth.. the parallels are not lost on me.
Running into someone who can remember her is incredibly emotional and goes against all the things Addie has learned in her last centuries of life. They spend time figuring out the limits of her curse, and why it is that it doesn't work on him.
Honestly, the story, the growth, the recurrent nature of having to go through first-time meetings (over and over again) is a captivating puzzle. My son who is interested in SCP found himself spending time pondering about the limits of such magical restraints, what she can or cannot do, and what might happen if she encountered someone else with different powers or limits.
I really love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Blood, Physical abuse, War, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexual content
esme_may's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Misogyny
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, War, Classism, Drug use, Blood, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death and Cancer
coco1mocha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Gaslighting, and Rape
magic_multicolored_miracle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Is forever worth your soul?
That is the question at the heart of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The novel follows a girl who trades her soul, and unknowingly the ability to be remembered, to a man who might be the devil or might be a Old God in exchange for an immortal life of freedom.
Full of romance and art and clever turns, the novel starts slow but soon builds into a crescendo. Alternating chapters between her modern life in New York City in 2014 where she meets and falls in love with the enigma of Henry Strauss and flashes of the life she lived over the last 300 years, mostly tangled with "anniversaries" with Luc, the being that she promised her soul to, the book does an excellent job of telling two stories twined into one. And though it is a complete piece on it's own, the story coming to a beautifully bittersweet ending, it teases a third at the close, promising that forever goes on and there is still hope yet.
It does not shy away from the horrors facing a woman alone through history, but reminds the reader that Addie is clever and strong and will make it through, and that no matter where and when she is, there are beautiful things to be find when she looks.
A definite must read for fans of trickster fae tales, doomed love, and the timeless power of art and stories.
That is the question at the heart of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The novel follows a girl who trades her soul, and unknowingly the ability to be remembered, to a man who might be the devil or might be a Old God in exchange for an immortal life of freedom.
Full of romance and art and clever turns, the novel starts slow but soon builds into a crescendo. Alternating chapters between her modern life in New York City in 2014 where she meets and falls in love with the enigma of Henry Strauss and flashes of the life she lived over the last 300 years, mostly tangled with "anniversaries" with Luc, the being that she promised her soul to, the book does an excellent job of telling two stories twined into one. And though it is a complete piece on it's own, the story coming to a beautifully bittersweet ending, it teases a third at the close, promising that forever goes on and there is still hope yet.
It does not shy away from the horrors facing a woman alone through history, but reminds the reader that Addie is clever and strong and will make it through, and that no matter where and when she is, there are beautiful things to be find when she looks.
A definite must read for fans of trickster fae tales, doomed love, and the timeless power of art and stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Self harm, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death, War, Alcoholism, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body horror, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic