I waffled between 4 and 5 stars on this book, but ended up giving it 5 stars. I was waffling between the two because it was a exceptionally well written piece, and I absolutely loved the characters, it was first and foremost a romance novel. As such, it's not really my cup of team normally. I think it's a testament to the quality of the writing and the story that I finished the book anyway.

As someone who's not a fan of romance, because Schwab was able to draw me in enough to finish the book means that it was really a great piece of literature. The world building and the premise were both great, and I always love a strong female lead.

Overall, I'm not sure it's a book I would recommend if you are a fan of Schwab's other work, but only because while it has the characteristic thread of darkness through the story, it's a very different kind of story than her other work. But it's a worthy piece on its own, and worth your time. Just remember, it's a supernatural romance and if you go in with that expectation, I'm sure you'll enjoy the story. ( )

dnf, maybe come back to it later ( )

“‘The vexing thing about time...is that it’s never enough. Perhaps a decade too short, perhaps a moment. But a life always ends too soon.’”

This book has the best parts of all the best myths—those ancient stories that have been retold and retold through each new generation. Each new generation leaving their mark on the most basic story of all—our obsession with life and legacy. This book is also the perfect mix of pleasant paradoxes: it feels expansively intimate, melancholically joyful, beautifully ugly, and blessedly cursed.

Addie LaRue is the (sometimes cross-dressing) girl born into an 18th century world too small to hold her desires for complete freedom and cravings for beautiful experiences. In a fateful act of desperation for that untethered freedom, Adeline, with the angelic markings of seven celestial stars across her visage, makes a deal with the darkness, proffering her soul for a lifetime of autonomy. This deal catapults her into a life that becomes both her greatest blessing—the freedom to come and go as she pleases—and greatest curse—the loss of her identity and ability to make her mark on the world. With an infinite amount of time but no ability to create or be remembered, Addie discovers through history and art and relationships what it means to live a full and satisfying life.

This book is simply beautiful—memorably beautiful. I’m not one who’s normally drawn to fantastical adventures, but Addie’s story is so universal that I couldn’t help but be drawn into her constellation of love and experiences, time and memory. Anyone who was enchanted by Madeline Miller’s Circe would be just as bewitched by V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. This would be a perfect winter read curled up warmly by a fire when the world is cold, asleep, and a little bit magical. ( )

WOW! I am in love and I don't know how to express what I feel. Please, if you choose reading this, read it attentively. There is so much attention to detail, so many great twists, characters you will love and miss dearly, when they are gone (even the ones, that are only there for a few pages), so many great feelings. Seriously, please read this, if you haven't already. And work yourself through the first half, because it is long, but it's all worth it.

Song I listened to on repeat, while reading: Too Late - SUPER JUNIOR ( )

Where to start? There was a lot of repetition in this novel. This novel repeated itself a lot without saying much of anything new. I felt like chapters were restating what had already been said. The novel seemed to go on forever without saying anything new. It was déjà vu all over again. And again. And again. Seriously. Addie is a young woman who desperately does not to marry the man who was chosen for her. To escape this fate worse than death, she makes a bargain with “the darkness.” Now she will not have to marry, but she also will not die, the people she meets will not remember her mere moments after she leaves, and she cannot write or draw. She does not have to eat to live, but she feels hunger, and she can feel pain. Then, a few hundred years later (my, how time flies, just not in this novel!), Henry remembers her. This should have been a gripping tale of mystery and fantasy, but sadly, to me, it was just too long and boring. Addie is just a pathetic creature who shows little growth despite her many years. None of the characters are very well developed. I know I am part of a very small group of readers who did not care for this novel, but having enjoyed other books by this talented writer, I can’t help but wonder what went wrong here. ( )