A review by marissasa
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved the start and central premise of this book - a woman's desperate plea to the gods in search of freedom from a life where she would belong to someone else is only answered by a devil in the dark, and she accepts a deal as her only way out. She receives immortality, for the price of her soul and the catch that no one will ever be able to remember her and she cannot leave her own mark on the world. However, the rest of the book that followed was lackluster to me. V.E. Schwab writes beautifully with rich descriptions and atmosphere, but the plot ached along so slowly and I never found Addie compelling or interesting enough to root for her. She had her clever moments, but that's a bare minimum trait for any person who lived for 3 centuries and remembered and learned from every day of it. I didn't find Henry super compelling either and didn't enjoy them as a couple since the only reason they liked each other was because he was the only one who remembered her, and she was the only one who wasn't already affected by his deal to be loved. The best character in the story was Luc, and we didn't get to see much of him until the last 10% of the book when the plot really picked up. Although I liked the beginning and the ending, the story overall left me wanting more. 
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