BOOK INFO
Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: VE Schwab
Pages: 442
Publication date: October 6th 2020
Description: France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
REVIEW
This book is proof that you don't need to write complicated stories for them to be good. It's also proof that your story doesn't need to have plot twists or anything to be a fun read, because I predicted a lot of the stuff that happens in the book, but that doesn't mean shit.
This book is slow-paced and a hard read. I'll admit, the first half of the book, I considered putting it down because it was that boring. Vivid descriptions of the old world, and loads of the main character not doing much of anything.
But! (Heh, butts.) When the plot really starts to kick in, you really start getting into the book.
VE Schwab takes her time building up her characters, which I respect. She also manages to write a pretty straightforward story with a simple plot in a way that feels complex (but in a good way.) While yes, I dreaded the flashback scenes at first (because I'm still recovering from My Dark Vanessa and its many flashbacks) halfway through the book, I find myself looking forward to them. (I really want to say why, but that'll spoil the book.)
It's a solid, simple, beautiful story that explores its themes in a grounded way, which I like.
My only problem is, well, it's still sort of boring. But that's just personal taste.
Descriptions: Rich, complicated, uses big and fancy words.
Dialogue: Also like the description; not realistic at all.
Characters: Great development (especially for Addie herself), and amazing exploration.
Plot: Simple, easy-to-digest, no high fantasy stuff.
Rating: 9/10
YOU ARE READING
Clemmie Judges
Non-FictionSo, books. I've read a bunch of them. I also have strong opinions about them. Why not share it with the internet? (Don't worry, it's spoiler-free.)
