If I have to be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled when my book club selected The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Not because I didn’t care about the story, but rather because of the size of the book. The combination of 560 pages, the book being unavailable everywhere and a nearly impossible deadline was a tad too similar to my time as a literature student. However, I was intrigued once I opened it on the first page and saw that the title was printed in black, slowly fading to grey. I just felt so…right…for the story. You’ll see :).

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

This book tells the story of Addie LaRue, a young girl living in 18th century France. Addie loves exploring and wants to live her life to the fullest, but that’s not in the books for her as her parents have arranged a marriage for her. On her wedding day, she flees into the forest in desperation, praying to any god that might listen to free her. However, the god that appears makes a bargain that she does not expect: she can live free forever, until she willingly surrenders her soul to him. That doesn’t sound too bad, right? But there’s are reason why you should never pray to the gods that answer after dark. He omits to tell her one small detail before the deal is sealed: she will be forgotten by everyone she meets. Afterall, doesn’t true freedom require being able to live unnoticed?

Although Addie does not appreciate Luc’s deception (yes, of all the nicknames you can give to a dark god, she goes with “Luc”), she’s not one to stay down for a long while. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue throughout the world and history. Longing to leave a mark on the world, she becomes the muse of many an artist. But then, centuries later, the impossible happens: a man remembers her.

Dark Poetry that will capture your soul

As I mentioned above, I was immediately impressed by the layout and artwork of the English Hardcover edition. The title fading away, just like all memories of Addie just added this little bit extra that convinced me to give this book a fair chance. Then there was an interesting illustration, the first chapter, and suddenly, I was hooked. Schwab uses such beautiful metaphors and descriptions that I was sometimes left gaping at the beauty of it all. The story itself is original, full of interesting plot twists, and really grips the reader.

I find it difficult to compare to any novel I’ve read before. The vibe is distinctly dark academia with a Romantic poetic language, filled with philosophy, big existential questions, and handsome devils. Or gods. Or Lucs. Whatever you want to call them.

I have to say, V.E. Schwab really enchanted me with this book. It’s the first time I’ve read one of her works and I’m curious to read more. I’ve heard that her writing differs quite strongly between the series/novels, so I’m excited to start two of her other books on my TBR list: Vicious and A Darker Shade of Magic.

Definitely a discovery: four out of five gemstones:

Age Category: Adult, but also suitable for teenagers who are into more philosophical/poetic books

Representation: Main character with depression

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Mild. Warnings for suicide attempt, alcohol abuse and depression.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores. If you decide to buy it via one of the following links, I will receive a small percentage at no extra charge for you!

Amazon.nl: English Hardcover Edition (the one with the pretty layout)

Amazon.nl: English Illustrated Anniversary Edition (isn’t it simply gorgeous??? It will be released in October 2021)

And if you do not want to wait until the book gets to you, you can listen to this video in which V.E. Schwab reads the first chapter:

The Illustrated Anniversary Edition is a stunning, white edition that has become quite expensive on the second-hand market due to its beautiful illustrations.

Illumicrate chose this book for their October 2020 book box. Their edition has different hidden covers, an exclusive cover, endpaper art, sprayed edges, and is signed by the author. It came with a pin and a print in an acrylic frame.

Similar to this

As mentioned above, I do not have a lot of books that feel similar to this one. Of course, if you are charmed by this novel like I was, you might want to check out some of the other bestseller novels/series by V.E. Schwab, like A Darker Shade of Magic, book one of the Shades of Magic series. I’m quite curious about that one seeing that it’s about magicians that can travel between parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White and Black London. I haven’t encountered many stories about parallel universes either, so I’m quite excited! Let me know what you think about this series if you’ve already read it!

Next to this, The Picture of Dorian Gray by my beloved Oscar Wilde also came to mind. This classic tale tells the story of a man who sells his soul in return of eternal youth and beauty. While he remains fixed in time, his portrait grows older and older…

And finally, if we are discussing philosophical and poetic writing about souls cursed and cast out in darkness, shouldn’t we always include the magnificent Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice? Interview with the Vampire (the first book in the series) was also the first “spooky” movie I saw as a teenager and the first book I ever bought in English, before I had even started English classes in school. I just had to have it, I was so obsessed with the tragic and dark fates of the vampires Louis, Lestat, Armand and Claudia. Although the storylines are quite different from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue the writing style has similar elements and made me remember how much I adored Anne Rice‘s work. If you haven’t read any of her Vampire Chronicles, please do so asap. Thank you.