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r_clark's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent
lizzie_b99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kaitlyn7385's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
jefferz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This one of those rare books that made me think “how does someone come up with this?” The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a difficult book to describe or categorize due to how many different elements and themes it incorporates, but one thing that is easy to summarize is how ambitious and beautiful V. E. Schwab’s writing is. And by that I don’t mean flowery lyrical language or awe inspiring visuals (which the book does feature at times), but by its poignant pondering and wistfully quiet tone coupled with incredible portrayals of emotions. This is all on top of a wildly creative premise that takes the common plot of an immortal person and devil deal and runs in a completely new direction. I will attempt to review just why I found this book to be brilliant in execution shortly (i personally was in awe of the book despite not necessarily being emotionally attached to it like many other readers were), but know that this is easily one of the most impressive and critically strong books I’ve read since getting back into reading.
I initially had mild reservations about the premise on paper considering it vaguely sounded like some other works I’ve experienced like The Age of Adaline (unfortunate coincidence on the name as both works have very little in common), Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time, and to a lesser extent Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and ABC’s drama Forever. After watching or reading a few of these works, there’s certain familiar themes or common tropes that had started to become repetitive to me. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue takes the playbook and tosses it into a French Revolution fire. Unlike nearly every other immortal protagonist who attempts to remain unnoticed for fear of inciting panic or gross experimentation, the book's creative twist of nobody remembers Addie felt incredibly refreshing and intriguing to read. The amount of thought and detail is immediately noticeable as Addie struggles with basic things needed to survive such as where to spend the night when nobody can remember lending her a room or clothes. Not being remembered makes it impossible to own property, keep a job, or even explain who you are when your life is invisible to time and essentially doesn’t exist. A lot of reviewers have commented on how deep and emotional it can be, but so many reviews fail to mention the level of detail and considerations V.E. Schwab includes in otherwise ordinarily mundane activities which carried me through the slower parts of the first two sections.
Faustian deals with the devil (referred to by several metaphors in the book) is again not a new concept, but The Invisible Life also made this feel different by the characterization of “Luc” as well as the way the deals work. Specific details, contract terms, and loopholes are a constant theme in the book and I loved the way the deal and Addie’s interactions with Luc were done. Every word choice, cadence, implication, it's all purposeful, precise, and frankly quite similar to how I go about my day and mantra (am I actually Luc in another life? No comment). What starts as a simple plea, deal, and then curse by a devil slowly evolves into a game of chess between Addie and Luc on who will surrender to their deal first that spans over three hundred years as she discovers the limitations and loopholes of her situation. I am a sucker for complex strategic plays and while it’s not the main focus of the book, I loved how it was handled and incorporated.
Now onto the much talked about emotions, what I appreciated about The Invisible Life is that it’s not an inherently sad or depressed book despite its lonesome contents. Despite Addie’s (and to a lesser extent Henry’s) life being filled with hardship, challenges, and loneliness, I never found the book to come off as being melodramatic or tragic. Despite Addie experiencing heavy feelings leading up to her desperation to call Luc followed by her years of solitude, the book's quiet and wistful tone gives the read a sophisticated and mature feel. Obviously intended considering Addie’s age, the 3rd person present tense storytelling feels detached and timeless like an old school fairy tale narrator (I will resist the urge to say more, less I give away spoilers). Despite that, the book’s literary beauty shines in its reflection on Addie and Henry’s emotions. The way the novel is able to capture the feeling of loneliness is amazing and it's a perfect example of “show, don’t tell”, letting the characters actions and reactions speak more about their internal feelings than what is told. Both Addie and Henry are heavily shaped by events leading up to the present and Schwab makes illogical feelings make perfect narrative sense with proper setup. Addie’s slow shift in mindset and her outlook on her endless life over the years is gradual and done so well, culminating in her quiet resolution by the end of the novel. The story has a lot of dramatic moments that could have easily come off as overdramatic or Titanic tragedy sad, but the writing and style exercises a lot of restraint to keep them at a reflective level instead. Almost every negative review I’ve read has commented on the emotional impact being shallow, muted, and detached, but these are actually hallmarks to what makes the book genius and make perfect narrative sense considering the context of the book’s plot (again, spoilers). I could see where the book was going with this plot thread ahead of time, but it worked so well for me and fit the story perfectly. If you want a sob story or over dramatic melodrama, there’s countless romance dramedy genre books you can go pick up instead.
With three hundred years of various settings and characters, the book really only has three main characters and I found all of them to be excellent. All three characters are quite subdued, to the point where I’ve seen other reviews comment on them having poor characterization or lacking of defining character quirks. Honestly these feel like readers that have become accustomed to in your face, unrealistic characters that populate trending books that lack quality and sophistication. In many ways this book feels like it was written in an earlier and more classical time, despite having quite a few modern elements. While not explicitly explored or identified, both Addie and Henry fall somewhere in the bi/pan area and the book has numerous LGBTQ+ references and characters. Addie’s initial plight rebelling against the traditional gender roles and misogynistic views in various eras feel on-brand and relevant in today’s culture. Addie herself is a well-rounded and flawed character that the story heavily hinges on and I found her character to be handled well (I often find these types of characters annoying initially, good job Schwab). Henry is less distinctive and developed compared to Addie, but that’s also by design as Schwab intended for the reader to experience Addie’s life from Henry’s point of view and to see themselves in his narrative. They both act as perfect foils to each other and bond organically over the discovery of their shared loneliness. While Addie’s early conflicts are mostly metaphors by today’s culture and of their time, Henry’s insecurities and demons (ahem) are spot on and areas that a lot of people will find relatable. Then the way the book twists his own wants and pain on himself is poetically cruel and ironic; and I loved it. And finally Luc is a joy for me, and by that I mean he’s morally questionable, witty, and flat-tempered. I wasn’t sure what to think when he was first introduced as an obviously stereotypically dark being, but his interactions and dialogue with Addie was a highlight for me as their relationship evolved, so to did his character.
Admittedly this book’s plot is a bit thin, but the plot is clearly not the focus of the book. The novel is divided into Seven parts, each incorporating a piece of fictional (or not?) art that plays a significant or thematic role in the section. The first part focuses on Addie’s life in the French village of Villon leading up to her Faustian deal. Parts two and three detail her life in Europe adjusting to her new immortality and curse. Part four focuses exclusively on Henry’s perspective and backstory while part five shifts it to Addie’s encounters with Luc. Finally part six and seven focus on the present events in New York, involving all three characters. While Addie experiences events ranging from the expansion of her French hometown, the French Revolution, World Wars, Beethoven, her life through Europe and eventually America is focused on the recurring theme of leaving a legacy or memory, rather than Addie’s actual experiences themselves. A lot of the actual historic plot consists of Addie wandering around aimlessly, drifting from place to place which can sometimes feel like the story is slightly dragging. Meanwhile in the present, there really isn’t a plot as Addie drifts around New York until she encounters Henry in the highlighted bookstore at the very end of part 1 and even then, she and Henry’s storyline doesn’t really take off until partway through part 3.
The book’s chapters generally switch back and forth between the present day in 2014 and the past of wherever Addie’s backstory is at. While there were times that I found the story to be slow (and to be sure, the overall pacing of this book is quite slow and deliberate), the split timeline setup definitely helped keep me invested. I found part 1 to be the slowest for me as I wasn’t too interested in Addie’s mortal life in the French countryside and traditional 18th century gender roles is familiar territory, but her unusual daily life and invisible movements in the present kept me going. While crucial to exploring the limitations to her curse and exploring Addie’s invisible life, parts 2 and 3 also felt repetitive at times with Addie repeatedly getting kicked out of places or her various flings with people that won’t remember her. Despite the interesting incorporation of real historical events and locations into Addie’s story (this book is definitely part historical fiction aside from the magical realism elements), this section started to blend together and lacked direction. Again, that makes narrative sense considering Addie had no direction in life and nowhere to go, but my interest dipped here. I think this had to do with a lack of urgency or clear direction as to where the story was going that made these sections feel longer than they needed to be. As soon as the book shifts to Henry’s perspective in part 4 and a clear conflict with a finite deadline is introduced in part 5, I immediately was invested again and stayed interested until the end. On paper the plot and historical elements sound interesting, but they’re really just thematic framework to shape Addie’s outlook on life to what it is in 2014. And despite the book’s synopsis and her unorthodox life, the real focus of the story is about two lonely people that find solace and something to live for in each other, not on Addie’s 300 year life. Particularly in the back-half of the novel, chapters will jump several years to even decades at a time, instead choosing to focus solely on Addie’s interactions with Luc in the past and her present day interactions with Henry.
Ambitiously crafted, poignantly beautiful, wildly creative, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the rough equivalent of a critic’s choice type of movie that screams quality and appeals to sophisticated readers. With an underlying element of art, whether it be written works, music, sculptures, paintings, photographs, this is a book meant to appeal to English literature enthusiasts and metaphorical readers. This is an easy recommendation for anyone who is looking for a critically strong read, though readers that prefer casual comedic comfort or plot-oriented epics may find this a struggle to stick with. There were times I wasn’t sure what this was or where it was going (5-stars for quality of the book but my enjoyment wasn’t always that high consistently), but I would suggest being patient and reading to at least part 4 where Henry is the focus and the book picks up urgency. But at that point you’re basically half-way into the book so it would make more sense to finish reading the rest of the book while I sit here having successfully schemed you into my plan all along (Luc would be proud of me). Just kidding, but in all seriousness this was a great read and sets the bar high for anything I’m reading next.
I initially had mild reservations about the premise on paper considering it vaguely sounded like some other works I’ve experienced like The Age of Adaline (unfortunate coincidence on the name as both works have very little in common), Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time, and to a lesser extent Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and ABC’s drama Forever. After watching or reading a few of these works, there’s certain familiar themes or common tropes that had started to become repetitive to me. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue takes the playbook and tosses it into a French Revolution fire. Unlike nearly every other immortal protagonist who attempts to remain unnoticed for fear of inciting panic or gross experimentation, the book's creative twist of nobody remembers Addie felt incredibly refreshing and intriguing to read. The amount of thought and detail is immediately noticeable as Addie struggles with basic things needed to survive such as where to spend the night when nobody can remember lending her a room or clothes. Not being remembered makes it impossible to own property, keep a job, or even explain who you are when your life is invisible to time and essentially doesn’t exist. A lot of reviewers have commented on how deep and emotional it can be, but so many reviews fail to mention the level of detail and considerations V.E. Schwab includes in otherwise ordinarily mundane activities which carried me through the slower parts of the first two sections.
Faustian deals with the devil (referred to by several metaphors in the book) is again not a new concept, but The Invisible Life also made this feel different by the characterization of “Luc” as well as the way the deals work. Specific details, contract terms, and loopholes are a constant theme in the book and I loved the way the deal and Addie’s interactions with Luc were done. Every word choice, cadence, implication, it's all purposeful, precise, and frankly quite similar to how I go about my day and mantra (am I actually Luc in another life? No comment). What starts as a simple plea, deal, and then curse by a devil slowly evolves into a game of chess between Addie and Luc on who will surrender to their deal first that spans over three hundred years as she discovers the limitations and loopholes of her situation. I am a sucker for complex strategic plays and while it’s not the main focus of the book, I loved how it was handled and incorporated.
Now onto the much talked about emotions, what I appreciated about The Invisible Life is that it’s not an inherently sad or depressed book despite its lonesome contents. Despite Addie’s (and to a lesser extent Henry’s) life being filled with hardship, challenges, and loneliness, I never found the book to come off as being melodramatic or tragic. Despite Addie experiencing heavy feelings leading up to her desperation to call Luc followed by her years of solitude, the book's quiet and wistful tone gives the read a sophisticated and mature feel. Obviously intended considering Addie’s age, the 3rd person present tense storytelling feels detached and timeless like an old school fairy tale narrator (I will resist the urge to say more, less I give away spoilers). Despite that, the book’s literary beauty shines in its reflection on Addie and Henry’s emotions. The way the novel is able to capture the feeling of loneliness is amazing and it's a perfect example of “show, don’t tell”, letting the characters actions and reactions speak more about their internal feelings than what is told. Both Addie and Henry are heavily shaped by events leading up to the present and Schwab makes illogical feelings make perfect narrative sense with proper setup. Addie’s slow shift in mindset and her outlook on her endless life over the years is gradual and done so well, culminating in her quiet resolution by the end of the novel. The story has a lot of dramatic moments that could have easily come off as overdramatic or Titanic tragedy sad, but the writing and style exercises a lot of restraint to keep them at a reflective level instead. Almost every negative review I’ve read has commented on the emotional impact being shallow, muted, and detached, but these are actually hallmarks to what makes the book genius and make perfect narrative sense considering the context of the book’s plot (again, spoilers). I could see where the book was going with this plot thread ahead of time, but it worked so well for me and fit the story perfectly. If you want a sob story or over dramatic melodrama, there’s countless romance dramedy genre books you can go pick up instead.
With three hundred years of various settings and characters, the book really only has three main characters and I found all of them to be excellent. All three characters are quite subdued, to the point where I’ve seen other reviews comment on them having poor characterization or lacking of defining character quirks. Honestly these feel like readers that have become accustomed to in your face, unrealistic characters that populate trending books that lack quality and sophistication. In many ways this book feels like it was written in an earlier and more classical time, despite having quite a few modern elements. While not explicitly explored or identified, both Addie and Henry fall somewhere in the bi/pan area and the book has numerous LGBTQ+ references and characters. Addie’s initial plight rebelling against the traditional gender roles and misogynistic views in various eras feel on-brand and relevant in today’s culture. Addie herself is a well-rounded and flawed character that the story heavily hinges on and I found her character to be handled well (I often find these types of characters annoying initially, good job Schwab). Henry is less distinctive and developed compared to Addie, but that’s also by design as Schwab intended for the reader to experience Addie’s life from Henry’s point of view and to see themselves in his narrative. They both act as perfect foils to each other and bond organically over the discovery of their shared loneliness. While Addie’s early conflicts are mostly metaphors by today’s culture and of their time, Henry’s insecurities and demons (ahem) are spot on and areas that a lot of people will find relatable. Then the way the book twists his own wants and pain on himself is poetically cruel and ironic; and I loved it. And finally Luc is a joy for me, and by that I mean he’s morally questionable, witty, and flat-tempered. I wasn’t sure what to think when he was first introduced as an obviously stereotypically dark being, but his interactions and dialogue with Addie was a highlight for me as their relationship evolved, so to did his character.
Admittedly this book’s plot is a bit thin, but the plot is clearly not the focus of the book. The novel is divided into Seven parts, each incorporating a piece of fictional (or not?) art that plays a significant or thematic role in the section. The first part focuses on Addie’s life in the French village of Villon leading up to her Faustian deal. Parts two and three detail her life in Europe adjusting to her new immortality and curse. Part four focuses exclusively on Henry’s perspective and backstory while part five shifts it to Addie’s encounters with Luc. Finally part six and seven focus on the present events in New York, involving all three characters. While Addie experiences events ranging from the expansion of her French hometown, the French Revolution, World Wars, Beethoven, her life through Europe and eventually America is focused on the recurring theme of leaving a legacy or memory, rather than Addie’s actual experiences themselves. A lot of the actual historic plot consists of Addie wandering around aimlessly, drifting from place to place which can sometimes feel like the story is slightly dragging. Meanwhile in the present, there really isn’t a plot as Addie drifts around New York until she encounters Henry in the highlighted bookstore at the very end of part 1 and even then, she and Henry’s storyline doesn’t really take off until partway through part 3.
The book’s chapters generally switch back and forth between the present day in 2014 and the past of wherever Addie’s backstory is at. While there were times that I found the story to be slow (and to be sure, the overall pacing of this book is quite slow and deliberate), the split timeline setup definitely helped keep me invested. I found part 1 to be the slowest for me as I wasn’t too interested in Addie’s mortal life in the French countryside and traditional 18th century gender roles is familiar territory, but her unusual daily life and invisible movements in the present kept me going. While crucial to exploring the limitations to her curse and exploring Addie’s invisible life, parts 2 and 3 also felt repetitive at times with Addie repeatedly getting kicked out of places or her various flings with people that won’t remember her. Despite the interesting incorporation of real historical events and locations into Addie’s story (this book is definitely part historical fiction aside from the magical realism elements), this section started to blend together and lacked direction. Again, that makes narrative sense considering Addie had no direction in life and nowhere to go, but my interest dipped here. I think this had to do with a lack of urgency or clear direction as to where the story was going that made these sections feel longer than they needed to be. As soon as the book shifts to Henry’s perspective in part 4 and a clear conflict with a finite deadline is introduced in part 5, I immediately was invested again and stayed interested until the end. On paper the plot and historical elements sound interesting, but they’re really just thematic framework to shape Addie’s outlook on life to what it is in 2014. And despite the book’s synopsis and her unorthodox life, the real focus of the story is about two lonely people that find solace and something to live for in each other, not on Addie’s 300 year life. Particularly in the back-half of the novel, chapters will jump several years to even decades at a time, instead choosing to focus solely on Addie’s interactions with Luc in the past and her present day interactions with Henry.
Ambitiously crafted, poignantly beautiful, wildly creative, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the rough equivalent of a critic’s choice type of movie that screams quality and appeals to sophisticated readers. With an underlying element of art, whether it be written works, music, sculptures, paintings, photographs, this is a book meant to appeal to English literature enthusiasts and metaphorical readers. This is an easy recommendation for anyone who is looking for a critically strong read, though readers that prefer casual comedic comfort or plot-oriented epics may find this a struggle to stick with. There were times I wasn’t sure what this was or where it was going (5-stars for quality of the book but my enjoyment wasn’t always that high consistently), but I would suggest being patient and reading to at least part 4 where Henry is the focus and the book picks up urgency. But at that point you’re basically half-way into the book so it would make more sense to finish reading the rest of the book while I sit here having successfully schemed you into my plan all along (Luc would be proud of me). Just kidding, but in all seriousness this was a great read and sets the bar high for anything I’m reading next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
rchulin1's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Such a good book the ending has me in tears
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and War
beebowbabe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, Stalking, Death of parent, and War
latsin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Classism
zoe_271's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death
Minor: War
lojwinreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? No
5.0
This just became my favorite book ever. It has such an amazing plot, the writer’s style is fantastic, and it always kept me wanting more. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to re-read when enough time has passed and I can revisit the magic. The ending became a bit predictable towards the end, but not horribly so. This book tugged at my heart strings, made me so attached to its characters, and reminded me what a truly good book is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
levzies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
5 ✨
0.75🌶️
Hubby - 6 ✨
Audiobook - Hoopla
Adult Fantasy • Slow Paced • Flashing timeline from 17th Century to today • Beautifully written
I could watch you for a life time… living over 300 years and never leaving your mark.
To be honest I was expecting more of a love story with Addie & Death like in Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. Whilst I don’t like making comparisons both these stories have a haunting beauty in two very different respects.
You cannot deny the beauty of this book. It’s poignant, reflective, beautifully written. It’s regret and not regretting, it’s about making the most of your life and time. It we make you think and feel what one would do with making a deal with death. You really feel every despair that Addie experiences and then what Henry does too.
It’s not for everyone, you won’t have a HEA but rather leaves it up to you to decide what happens between Adeline and Luc.
Addie
Luc (God of Darkness aka death)
Henry
0.75🌶️
Hubby - 6 ✨
Audiobook - Hoopla
Adult Fantasy • Slow Paced • Flashing timeline from 17th Century to today • Beautifully written
I could watch you for a life time… living over 300 years and never leaving your mark.
To be honest I was expecting more of a love story with Addie & Death like in Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. Whilst I don’t like making comparisons both these stories have a haunting beauty in two very different respects.
You cannot deny the beauty of this book. It’s poignant, reflective, beautifully written. It’s regret and not regretting, it’s about making the most of your life and time. It we make you think and feel what one would do with making a deal with death. You really feel every despair that Addie experiences and then what Henry does too.
It’s not for everyone, you won’t have a HEA but rather leaves it up to you to decide what happens between Adeline and Luc.
Addie
Luc (God of Darkness aka death)
Henry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit and War