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V.E. Schwabb - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 This was a really popular fantasy pick a few years ago, and I picked it up at the bookstore at one point, but never read it.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue follows the story a French girl named Addie. Addie grew up in a small French village called Villon-sur-Sarthe in the early 1700s. Addie is promised to an older man, and despite her best efforts, she cannot get out of the marriage. Eventually she summons a dark entity in a last ditch effort to avoid the wedding. This entity promises her that she will live as long as she wants, but the promise has a dark side. She can live forever, never aging or changing, but no one will remember her, and she will be able to make no marks on the world. She can meet a person, but as soon as she leaves their line of sight, they will not remember seeing her. She cannot speak her name. She can't write, or draw, or alter the world in any way. Then, in 2014, she steals a book from a used bookstore, but when she goes the next day, the clerk remembers her.

The biggest thing I loved about this book was that it was pretty. I felt like every word was intentional, and that Schwabb carefully crafted every little sentence in the novel.

This is a very character driven, nonlinear plot. The story bounces between the present (2014), and the centuries that span Addie's life. The story also digs into the bookstore clerk, Henry, as their lives intertwine. That being said, the conflict is not very complex, and does not move very quickly. I loved the story, but if you're looking for an action-packed fantasy novel, this is not it. I personally did not mind this because I was very intrigued by Addie's curse, and also trying to figure out why Henry can remember her when no one else can.

I loved the premise of this story, and was intrigued in it from the start. I rated this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



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