The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab is a standalone book. This is the first adult stand-alone book by V.E. Schwab. I usually don’t read stand-alone books as I prefer series, the longer the better. However, I only heard great things about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and it sounded like a story that I’d enjoy. Not to mention that I wanted a good shorter read while I waited for a new book to be released. Like always, I will not have any spoilers for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
SPACE
Plot
In 1714 in France, during a moment of hopelessness, a young woman makes a deal in order to live forever and ends up with a curse where she is forgotten by everyone she meets.
Which in turn starts the incredible life of Addie LaRue: an adventure where this young woman spends centuries, traveling multiple countries, influencing history and art to test the limits of her curse in order to leave her mark on the world.
Then, after 300 years, everything changes for Addie when she stumbles across the impossible in an old book store: a young man who remembers her name.
Review
In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, there are three main characters. Obviously there’s Addie, and then Henry and Luc. I’m mainly going to focus on Addie since the entire book is about her, and then I’ll touch on Henry and Luc.
First, Addie is a dreamer who wants to be free. Being a female in the 1700s makes that hard for a young woman ahead of her time. However, being a woman ahead of her time, Addie is stubborn, clever, and willing to resort to unconventional methods to escape being caged. By doing this though, Addie encounters one of the old gods who helps and curses her at the same time. Throughout the centuries Addie continues to be that kind, stubborn, and clever young woman, but also develops a silver tongue and a magnetic air around her. Despite always being forgotten, Addie draws artists to her day after day and leaves her mark on them.
Next there is Henry, the one who remembers. Now Henry is a very kind, sensitive, and lost soul. What I love about Henry is not only does he remember Addie, but he makes every day with her count with new experiences. That is a very special kind of relationship when you can give someone who has lived for 300 years brand new experiences. Where Henry is light, Luc is the darkness. Despite Luc being Henry’s opposite I really like his character. Luc is aggressive, manipulative, seductive, but also can be charming and thoughtful. Even though Luc causes a lot of drama throughout Addie’s life, he is her one constant companion and she enjoys his company from time to time. The characters are beautifully written and despite not having the ending that I want, it was the best ending to the story in my opinion.
Favorite Quotes
“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives – or to find strength in a very long one.”
“Déjà vu. Déjà su. Déjà vécu. Already seen. Already known. Already lived.”
“There is a defiance in being a dreamer.”
“You are a stubborn thing. But even rocks wear away to nothing.”
“I can be stubborn as the weeds, and you will not root me out.”
Star Rating: 
/5
Spice Rating: 0
/5
Add it to Your List: Add to your Goodreads
Snag a Copy: I will always suggest getting the hard cover, but buy in any format on Amazon
Interested in other books that I’ve read? Check out my other book reviews here!
