Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

Angie Ybarra, Writer

Imagine if you can, the old-world Europe of the 1700s and take in its simplicity. France, the countryside, the richness of the fields, mountains, and of course countless people have more family and friends than strangers. The beautiful and simple countryside ;is the backdrop for the upcoming forced wedding of Addie LaRue.  However, LaRue does not wish to be a wife. LaRue is willing to seek the help of a god of the night, but she is warned by an old woman from the village to not make a deal for she will surely rue the day she did.   In “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue”, we walk alongside Addie LaRue and her escape from a loveless marriage into the hands of a dark god, making a deal that would cost her the highest price of all,  her soul.  Her soul is in exchange for a life outside of her small world. Just the thought of this possibility gives LaRue hope, she is about to receive the life she has longed for. Willing to make a deal with this god for a life bond by not only the price of her soul but not being able to stay in the memory of others, not being able to say her name or live a life of any substance.

V. E. Schwab weaves a tale of traveling alongside the ocean of time, with LaRue living different lives throughout the decades and finding a person in her travels that remembers her but happens to have their own secrets.  Over a dozen lives, LaRue had gotten more than she bargained for. Being all alone in life. Invisibility is the price of freedom, and no consistent family and friends. With the inability of being able to be remembered by the people she meets, Death can not come soon enough, or rather at all if LaRue can help it.  Through this book, we learn who Addie LaRue is and what motivates her to make a deal with Luca, a god who is akin to the devil himself. Readers might find themselves rooting for LaRue and almost understanding the motivation behind this god and his deals, as they form some sort of companionship as he attempts to take her soul. Take some time out of your study schedule and give yourself a treat. I encourage you to pick it up. I am sure you will enjoy this twist on a classic story.  Personally, I give this book four stars out of five.