Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Main Genre: Fantasy
Sub-Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
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:
Addie was told, no matter how desperate, never to pray to the gods after dark. They would require a price to be paid for their prayers. Addie did exactly that, though, when she was put in a situation, she would do anything to get out of: marriage. When none of the gods answered her during the day, on the night of her wedding, she ran into the forest and prayed and prayed to be able to live freely forever and not be tied to anyone. A god answered, and of course granting her prayers came with a price which was not only her soul, but also that no one would remember her…ever. Or that’s what it seemed like Addie spent years walking on the face of the earth but always forgotten until she met Henry. A boy who worked in a bookshop remembered Addie, the only human ever to, but how?
I considered Addie quite brave and determined as she was hurt when her own parents and close friends completely forgot her and had to teach herself to be sneaky and deceiving to be able to survive living in a world where she couldn’t leave a single mark. She started off as so naive and innocent, her past self had no clue how to steal or lie properly. With time and practice, she learned and became better at surviving. I liked seeing this transformation because I felt really bad for her past self as she went through such tough experiences just to live on. Luc (the god she made the deal with) was always taunting her and trying to get her to give up on this world so he could have her soul. At the same time, he was the only one who remembered her and kind of, in a way, kept her company at times. He was a big factor that prevented Addie from giving up so quickly. She was quite stubborn.
Henry seems like he had everything and was liked by everyone. He was sweet to Addie and believed Addie when she told her story. They were a balanced couple as Henry’s soft, understanding demeanor neutralized Addie’s strong one. I can’t get too into Henry, though, as he is a plot twist in the book. I do have to say, Henry came in quite late into the story and he didn’t really seem like an important part of it rather than just being the one to help Addie leave her mark on the world in a way since he can remember her. Luc, actually, seemed to leave more of an impact on me since he was a constant throughout the whole book by showing up for his and Addie’s “anniversary” and being there sometimes when she needed it. They both were stubborn and had some sort of toxic chemistry. Overall, Luc just seemed more significant to me as compared to Henry who seemed significant to make Addie more significant (I hope that makes sense).
One of my biggest problems with this book was the pace of the plot. It was too slow for me, and I wasn’t hooked on the plot. It wasn’t a page turner and also repetitive at times. The reasoning behind how Henry could remember Addie was pretty clever and unexpected. Another big problem I had with the book was the ending. I was not satisfied with the ending and wished it felt more complete. An epilogue to tie any loose ends would have been nice.
I did enjoy the author’s writing a lot. The way the past was needed in order for the events of the present to mean as much as it did. The word choice helped the setting seem a bit dark and antique in the past and a bit chirpier in the present when Addie was with Henry. I was able to form images in my mind of Addie’s village when she would go back to visit, old Paris, or when it rained or snowed where Addie resided at that moment of time. At the end, the author did break the fourth wall in a way which I found really interesting and liked that aspect of the story as it added more depth to the book itself.
“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives--or to find strength in a very long one.”
Overall, this was a pretty good read and a great book to pick up during the fall on a rainy day as this book radiated that vibe often within the story. If you have nothing better to do or really want to read this book, maybe to see what the hype is all about or want to know Addie’s story, then you will be more likely to finish this quicker. This took me longer to get through than I expected it would because I wasn’t really excited to pick it back up and read on. I did enjoy Addie’s journey though and it really did highlight the hardships of life, especially when someone is alone, and how nice it is to be loved and remembered.
But it is a lonely thing, to be forgotten.
To remember when no one else does.”
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