Goodreads says, "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."
Adeline's life is planned out for her, but that is to be expected for women during in the 18th century. She is forced into a marriage she doesn't want and then she's stuck living in the small town she longs to escape. How can she get out of this smothering trap that will be her life? Adeline ends up making a horrible deal with the devil for more time and for her freedom, but she must give up her soul when she is done with this life. But nothing is for free, right? After her deal, no one remembers her. Her family, her friends, and all the people she encounters as the many years go by don't remember her. As hundreds of years go by this becomes even more pronounced. It's like she is living in the shadows and is ultimately she is forgotten. But then something magical happens. 300 years later she finds someone who actually remembers her. He knows her name! V.E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a spellbinding and memorable audio book.
At first, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Is it a historical novel? A fantasy? A sci-fi? The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a genre-bending novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed. When I first met Addie, I was desperate for her to escape her doomed life. I could completely understand why she would want to try to find a way out, but I didn't anticipate her deal with the devil. Obviously this wasn't going to go as planned and there are always consequences. As the years go by, she learns more about her "captor" and what her deal actually entails. It's not as simple as it seems. Readers also go through the various years with Addie and a lot of it is heartbreaking as she can never really love someone due to her curse. That is until 300 years later she meets Henry and he remembers her! That's when everything changes for Addie; however, readers can't help but wonder why does Henry remember her? What does this all mean?
V.E. Schwab is an excellent writer. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is the first book I've read by Schwab and I was very impressed. She was able to incorporate characteristics of a romance, a suspense, a historical novel, and a fantasy quite well; it all blended together seamlessly. My only issue was that there were a few parts that were slow moving and took awhile to unravel. Also, a few parts in the middle of the book felt repetitive at times. Other than that, I really enjoyed this evocative audio book.
One of the main reasons I enjoyed the audio version of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was the fact that it was narrated by the wonderful Julia Whelan. She is just so good at what she does. I really loved her tone and I think she truly brought the story to life for me. I'd listen to just about anything she narrates.
So, if you love historical fantasies and are looking for an audio book with an incredible narrator, look no further.The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was very memorable!
I'm really glad to hear you liked this one - I haven't had much luck with her books, and I'm hoping this one changes that!
ReplyDeleteI have never read her books before, so I didn't have much to go by, but this one was really captivating. I really liked the audio version. You'll have to let me know what you think if you read it! Thanks for visiting, Angela!
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