The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

  I'm going to start off this review by saying that I experienced The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue as an audiobook, not a physical book.  I generally prefer physical books but I saw that I was able to get this audiobook for free and I had already heard a decent amount of it so I got it.  As such I won't review the writing as much as the general feel of the book and narration.    With all that out of the way this is excellent and my guess is that that's true no matter how you consume it.  Addie LaRue tells the story of (you guessed it) Addie LaRue, a French girl born in the late 1600s who makes a deal with a god that allows her to live forever but at the cost of having nobody remember who she is after she leaves their sight.  About 1/3 of the way through the book, she meets Henry Strauss, who is able to remember her for some reason.  Addie and Henry are truly wonderful protagonists who you feel so much for.  They are eminently rootable, especially against a figure like Luc (Addie's name for the god she made a deal with).  They are so flawed and at times they made me want to rip my hair out but they are ultimately good people.  Henry is one of the most relatable protagonists I've ever read and some of his narration (as written by Schwab) is undeniably poignant.  A lot of this book is deeply depressing, particularly when narrated by Addie, but it never quite stops feeling hopeful because Addie herself never gives up hope.  She has lived a life that sounds truly miserable but she somehow manages to put it together through sheer determination.  Luc is also a fantastic villain, in many ways a typical ‘god who has some human characteristics' but he is just so hatable in a way that doesn't quite make him repulsive, just compelling.  These three main characters are easily able to carry the 17 hours of audiobook.  That's no small feat and I have to say that in this way and many others Schwab executed his vision for this book pretty flawlessly.  This is an excellent book and I recommend everyone check it out.