““The old gods may be great, but they are neither kind nor merciful. They are fickle, unsteady as moonlight on water, or shadows in a storm. If you insist on calling them, take heed: be careful what you ask for, be willing to pay the price. And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark.” ”
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab, is the story of a young woman ahead of her time. Adeline LaRue is a young woman in 1714 France who has no desire to play housewife. She wants to be free, to make her own choices and to see more of the world than her little village. Her mentor, Estelle, teaches her the hidden magic of the woods near her home, the streams and meadows. All with the warning to never pray to the gods after dark. But as Adeline grows, and as her life takes a turn for the ordinary, she makes a deal with the dark for an extraordinary life—only, it’s a life no one can remember.
Mental HEALTH AND THE POOR CHOICES WE MAKE: Spoilers Below
Schwab doesn’t shy away from tackling major issues with Addie LaRue. How do you live a life no one remembers? How do you grow when nothing you do impacts the world around you? Those are the questions that the antagonist, named by Addie as Luc, hopes will destroy her. I adore Addie as a character, as she has an indomitable stubborn streak that I can definitely empathize with. Her story is told in two parts: the past, and her current situation. The reader watches as Addie returns home after making her bargain for immortality with Luc and the heartbreak as no one within her village remembers who she is. She is instantly homeless and has absolutely no coping mechanisms to handle suddenly being thrown into the streets. Her problems are compounded at every turn when no one remembers what she’s paid for, and no one remembers what belongs to her.
““I am stronger than your god and older than your devil. I am the darkness between the stars and the roots beneath the earth. I am promise, and potential, and when it comes to playing games, I divine the rules. I set the pieces, and I choose when to play.” ”
Luc visits her on the anniversary of their bargain, always tempting her to simply let him have her soul. To end her miserable existence of being forgotten the moment she walks away. She nearly relents on multiple occasions. After all, there is so much loneliness and misery in her life. Yet there is also a stubborn beauty. Addie refuses to be completely forgotten by those around her. She gravitates to artists. She becomes the unknown woman in many a painting and poem. Despite Luc’s power, Addie begins to realize there are, in fact, loopholes. In every dark situation, there is a small star of hope.
A hope that supernovas when a young man named Henry catches Addie stealing, and remembers her.
I absolutely loved this book. It has a very different feeling to it than the Darker Shade of Magic or the Villains series’ do. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one Schwab poured more into on a personal level and it shows. It isn’t a book to binge, although I can understand why many have. Instead, I believe this is one of those books that should be enjoyed slowly. Sipped, not chugged. Some things are better consumed slow enough to savor and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of them. In fact, I would argue that this book is one best read with a glass of wine and a truffle chocolate.
5/5 Stars
L.J.
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