Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (audio)

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V.E. Schwab

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Published: October 2020, Macmillan Audio / Tor Books

Length: 17 hours 10 minutes / 442 pages

Source: Audio – ALC via Macmillan Audio / Print – Personal copy

Summary:
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.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.

 

My thoughts:  I have been sitting on this review for quite some time, trying to figure out how to put into words my love of this book…and still I know that whatever I put here will never do justice for what I feel. This book was pure brilliance…I loved it. And let me just say, I do not read fantasy. But I loved every single second I spent with this book and it is hands down my favorite book I’ve read this year, quite possibly my favorite ever!

I ended up listening to this book, and while the audio comes in at just over 17 hours, I could not get enough of it. I was transfixed with the story, completely caught up in the story that V.E. Schwabb masterfully weaves. I finished this book months ago and am still thinking of it – that should tell you just how much I loved it.

I’ve only read a few time travel books, but this one was just amazing. 300 years with Addie and I actually wanted more if you can believe it. I loved the way we moved back and forth in time with her and found myself completely swept up in all the nuances and descriptions we get.

This book is such a beautiful story that takes you on quite the emotional rollercoaster. It’s magical and captivating. Part romance, part survival, it begs the question: How do we know we’ve left our mark on this world if we are destined to be forgotten? Well, I know for a fact this book certainly has made a mark on me and will absolutely not be forgotten anytime soon.

This is a book to be treasured and I know without a doubt, it will be a book I will reread at some point in the future. Maybe I’ll just reread a passage or two or maybe I’ll reread the entire book, but this is a book that has definitely earned a place of honor on my bookshelf. Have you read it yet? It’s the first I’ve read by this author and I am on the fence as to whether I want to try her other books – are they similar to this one or not? Let me know!

 

Audio thoughts: As soon as I saw that Julia Whelan was narrating this book, I knew I had to listen to it. And what an absolute treat it was. She brought this book to life the way no other narrator could. She was the perfect voice for both Addie and her voice for Luke…OMG – it was just as Addie describes it, like silk and smoke. Julia Whelan’s voice perfectly epitomizes this. I could listen to this book over and over again, and know that I will be listening to it again in the future – it was that good! The pacing, the intonation – it was pure perfection and I cannot think of a better audio book and narrator than this one!