Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

6 reviews

spatterson7's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

msradiosilence's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

TLDR; 4.5 rating rounded up, I love monkey’s paw wishes, I love queer women, and I’m not gonna lie this book almost had me crying.


Full review to come. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Rape, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Stalking

molly_rose's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

sefab764's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

I think this was a great concept and overall it was an entertaining read. It did drag in some places but Adeline's passion for art and the cruel realities she experiences gave lots of emotional depth that pulled at my heartstrings. It glossed over some details I felt should've been explored more over what was brought to the forefront but I read it in one day and would revisit it, perhaps for an anniversary ;) 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism

Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

madmilliner's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to like this story, especially because the writing is so beautiful.  The words, and scenes are a cross between poetry and art.

It is the ultimate manic pixie dream girl vs depressive demon nightmare boy, I felt it was trying too hard and was somehow ¿oversaturated? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War

nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The story starts with a girl on the run, escaping a marriage that she wants no part in, desperate to be free. When the sun sets and the girl finds her prayers answered by the gods of the dark, she makes the gamble to accept a deal that will enable her "to live." What she doesn't know at the time, however, is that the price for her life is her very identity, which no one will remember. Upon going to sleep or simply closing a door, Addalyn LaRue's acquaintances, friends, and family will forget her entirely. For three hundred years, this is how Addie lives, exploring the world, learning through experience and do-overs, and hearing her name from only one other being--Luc, the devil who set the terms of her deal in the first place--until, one day, someone else remembers her. 

Henry is the only employee of The Last Word, a rundown used bookshop in Manhattan, and when Addie returns to his store after stealing a torn Greek-language copy of The Odyssey, attempting to exchange the very same book, he is incredulous. "I remember you," he tells her, words she hasn't heard in nearly three centuries, and which set them off on a whirlwind journey. 

The story jumps back and forth in time a bit, setting the scene for Addie's deal and her long process of interpreting its complexities and, eventually, granting us a glimpse into Henry's life before Addie, his relationships with his siblings and parents and best friends. When Addie's curse and Luc inevitably begin to intervene, the two lovers are desperate to hold on to each other, and it is a rush to the ending as all three characters attempt to navigate the many iterations of love.

This complicated romance and bizarre love triangle was engaging and exciting, if a bit predictable, and I enjoyed Henry and Addie's efforts to learn each other's stories. Their love seemed hopeful and wholesome, and a drastic contrast from the deep, fascinating, troubling obsession between Addie and Luc. The presentation of these two potential sides of love was powerfully executed and utterly chilling.

The way to get there, though, left something to be desired, and, frankly, I think the book could have used another swipe over from an editor or two. Despite a gripping first sentence, the beginning of the novel was convoluted and without all the press copy and layperson hype surrounding the book, I would not have understood Addie's curse at all. As it stood, I'm still not convinced that Addie made a Faustian deal at all while laying there in the woods, though that is certainly how its consequences played out for the rest of the novel. I would have appreciated a lot more clarity in those first few pages.

As the book went on, I was frustrated by the repeated emphasis on Luc's and Henry's similar appearance and the strange repeated callback to Addie's girlhood sketches of a dream man. Green eyes and curly black hair. Classically handsome, somewhat dark, and ultimately predictably basic. Luc's personality was far more complicated and intriguing than his ability to shapeshift into a creature of attraction, and Henry's, though a rather flattened representation of someone with lifelong social anxiety and depression, certainly deserved more credit than it got. This flaw of repetition was also frustrating in scene after scene of Addie being forgotten "the morning after." Though certain of these stories were significant and profound, Addie is clearly a clever and conniving character, and I was disappointed to see her reduced to something of sexual pawn, playing the part of a drunken mistake or a prostitute far more often than a résistante or spy or caregiver.

And yet with all my hesitations throughout the book, I actually loved the ending. The climax, admittedly, was slightly confusing, but I felt all the suspense deeply, and I found myself rooting for all three characters, despite their significant flaws. Schwab painted a complicated portrait of the sometimes dark depths of love in the final chapters, and I was completely immersed. In the final, final moments, I was surprised to be surprised, and I am incredibly content with the way it all played out. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship