A woman destined to be forgotten; a story I will never forget

      V.E. Schwab is well known for her fantasy novels, including the A Darker Shade of Magic Series, but her newest book is unlike anything the world has ever seen. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a book that will stay with me, and other readers, for a long time after finishing it.
     In 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.
     This book took me on a whirlwind of emotions. I’ll admit that I was a little discouraged while reading this book in the beginning. It didn’t hook me in like I was expecting and just found myself waiting for the main plot to get going. I took a break about halfway through and then forced myself to finish the book. The last 100 pages sucked me in and by the end of the book I was legitimately sobbing. From sadness, despair, hope, happiness, relief, and just appreciation of the beauty that is this novel.
     Henry says at one point in the story that he didn’t think he could feel one emotion at a time, instead feeling a mixture of many. The same sentiments can be applied while reading this book. Between a doomed love story that you can’t help but fall in love with, a villain who you’ll love to hate, and wondering what has happened to Addie throughout the years, when I say that you will feel every emotion while reading this book, I truly mean it.
     Schwab emphasizes many themes through the book including the fragility of life and what it means to be human. The sanctity of being mortal and living each day like it’s your last versus having all of the time in the world, like Addie, shows that despite wishing we could live forever, is it worth it if you can make no impact on the world? Tied into the last theme is the power of stories and the power of words. As the reader sees through Addie, communicating with others and interacting with the world around you is integral to living life to the fullest. Overall, this book places a large emphasis on how precious life can be. But this book is so much more than I can even express.
     Going into reading this book, I thought I knew what to expect; however, I was sorely mistaken. This book shifted from a four star read to a three star read to an ultimate five star read for me. Please go read this book. Make the effort and read Addie’s story. Because unlike almost all of the people in Addie LaRue’s life, I will never forget this story. I Remember Addie.

*I received an ARC from Tor Books and BookCon.

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