The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
Published by Tor Publishing Group on October 6, 2020
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Historical, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Multiple Timelines
Pages: 480
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Source: Books A Million

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
THE WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER

Recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, NPR, Slate, and Oprah Magazine
#1 Library Reads Pick—October 2020
#1 Indie Next Pick—October 2020
BOOK OF THE YEAR (2020) FINALIST—Book of The Month Club

A “Best Of” Book From: Oprah Mag * CNN * Amazon * Amazon Editors * NPR * Goodreads * Bustle * PopSugar * BuzzFeed * Barnes & Noble * Kirkus Reviews * Lambda Literary * Nerdette * The Nerd Daily * Polygon * Library Reads * io9 * Smart Bitches Trashy Books * LiteraryHub * Medium * BookBub * The Mary Sue * Chicago Tribune * NY Daily News * SyFy Wire * Powells.com * Bookish * Book Riot * Library Reads Voter Favorite *

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

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.

Other books by V. E. Schwab
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

Shades of Magic series
A Darker Shade of Magic
A Gathering of Shadows
A Conjuring of Light
The Fragile Threads of Power

Villains Series
Vicious
Vengeful
Victorious* Coming October 2026

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Review

“Never pray to the gods that answer after dark.”

Reader, why did I wait so long to read this book, not to mention the author? Seriously, this book has been out since 2020! It has a Goodreads rating of 4.16, not to mention the fact that it was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards in the category of readers’ favorite fantasy. Why on earth did it take me so long to pick it up? Maybe it was intimidation, or maybe it was what Winn from Literary Diversions calls a rainy day book, who knows, but let me tell you, Reader, I flew through this book. I listened to it on audio, and I thought the narrator did a great job.

Addie LaRue is a girl who was born in the 1600s in France. She, like all girls her age, is expected to marry, and frankly, many of the girls are excited for the prospect of marriage; however, this is not the case for Addie. It is her wedding day, and she goes into a panic. She ends up running away before the wedding begins. She does not want the life that is set before her; she has no interest in marriage and children. Addie just wants to be free to live her life and make her own choices. She makes a choice on the night of what would have been her wedding night, and she does the very thing she has been warned against her whole life. She prays to the god who answers after dark. The darkness answers, “The deals I make I make for souls.” When asked how much time she wants, Addie has no response.“You do not know. You ask for time without limit. You want freedom without rules. You want to be untethered. You want to live exactly as you please.” “You want an ending,” she says. “Then take my life when I am done with it. You can have my soul when I don’t want it anymore.” Such a short conversation was had in a desperate moment that led to the next 300 years of her life. Addie will live forever, but no one will remember her; she will be forgotten by everyone she comes into contact with. Until one day, Reader in 2014, when a man said to her I remember you. This could change everything for Addie.

This is a story that spans centuries, following a girl who is desperate to live her life the way that she sees fit. This, however, becomes a story of a girl living her life on her own terms while desperately wanting to be remembered. The adventures that Addie has from the 1600s to the present day are amazing. She sees so many things and meets so many people, but there is an underlying sadness that comes with all of those adventures, which in turn made my heart break for her.

This book was such a wonderful story, and it is one that I will not forget anytime soon. I found it to be original, and it truly had me racing through the pages, or in my case, hours, because like I said, I listened to this book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something completely original and transportive. To anyone who loves thinking about the characters even when they are not reading, counting down the time until they can return to the story. I guess that basically means anyone and everyone who loves to read. As always, Reader, please let me know if you pick this book up and, more importantly, what you thought of it. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.

Check Trigger Warnings