Fantasy Book Critic: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab review

AUTHOR INFORMATION: V.E. Schwab, also known as Victoria Schwab, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, This Savage Song, Our Dark Duet, and Vicious. Her work has received critical acclaim, has been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, and more, has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and has been optioned for television and film. When she's not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Nashville and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.

FORMAT/INFO: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue publishes with Tor Books on October 6, 2020.

I’ve never read Schwab before. A tremendous mistake. She has an engrossing story to tell, and the skills to do it right. Her writing is beautiful and conveys all kinds of emotions through elegant phrases.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue plays with the idea of immortality and shows the cost of Faustian deals. As a young woman, Addie wants more from life than an arranged marriage and a flock of kids. To save herself from such a life, she makes a deal with the devil. She doesn’t want riches, she only wants “a chance to live and be free", and that’s what she gets. But the devil is in the detail. Anyone who meets Addie forgets her the moment they leave the room she’s in.

Addie suffers consequences of her decision for centuries; she lives, always alone, through poverty, wars, hunger, and despair. But even in darkest moments, she won’t yield and give her soul away. The relationship between Addie and the Devil is abusive but also fascinating to witness as they meet throughout centuries. And if you think the devil will have the last word, think twice.

I loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I really did. The writing awed me. It caused emotions I didn’t feel while reading for a long time. The story spans centuries and blends past and present storylines with feeling and sensitivity. It’s as much a love story as a love letter to storytelling, art, and books. Even though its view of human connections and emotions is, ultimately, bitter, the story itself remains sweet and hopeful.

12:00 AM |

Posted by Łukasz |

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1 comments:

Magic and Dust said...: I am so glad you liked. I was following this book around. I cannot wait to read too! Thanks for the review.; October 6, 2020 at 9:36 PM