The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E. Schwab
“Three words large enough to tip the world. I remember you.” If you loved this book your memory of me won’t be the best. However, maybe stay and read this review and leave me a genuine response about what you loved.
Spoilers Ahead!
Here is my take on Addie Larue:
Addie was so flat. Few things in life are as flat as the character Addie Larue. She wasn’t magical or interesting. She loved art and she spent her time sleeping around as it was the closest connection she could feel to someone, and it was brief. Did no guy ever leave the dinner table to pee? Three hundred years of existence, and she managed to steal coffee, books, and a leather jacket. There are people currently on this earth who have stolen more in less than one life time than Addie has managed to in hundreds of years. I know the curse, the rules…..
Henry Strauss is another flat character. While Addie was battling her clear Stockholm Syndrome for Luc, Henry enters the picture. All dark curls, she even thinks, at first it’s Luc, but no. Obviously a close resemblance. The weaker brooding human version of the dark god in the flesh. Henry has one other thing going for him though, he remembers Addie. If you as the reader were as naïve as Addie and thought, “Three hundred years spent trying to break this curse, and Luc did the one thing I never expected…. He made a mistake.” then you probably read theirs as a love story. Too coincidental. Luc knows her type and Henry is pretty damn close, without upstaging him. After 300 years she finally had a good reason to give in to her deep desire with Luc. She could surrender without really surrendering. She won in that way a little, but did she? Luc set this all up to get her. She gave herself up for Henry which is what I and Luc expected, a good human/nonhuman 300 year old person to do. We would hate her otherwise, and it would make for a bad story. Also, Henry is a young dumb kid who made a mistake. I’m sure we all wish someone in that situation was offered a second chance. I’m sure Henry was heartbroken at losing her, at least it was only months and not years. It was a romance of circumstance more than love, and that made the loss bearable.
At end of the book Addie feels so clever, so proud. She is going to beat Luc at his own game. “Oh Adeline” Three hundred years and Addie is still as naive as the first day she met the darkness. Let me just take a moment to point out that Luc has given her everything she has asked for. It may be her words at face value but he did give her all that she desired…
“I do not want to belong to someone else. I do not want to belong to anyone but myself. I want to be free. Free to live, and to find my own way, to love, or to be alone, but at least it is my choice, and I am so tired of not having choices, so scared of the years rushing past beneath my feet. I do not want to die as I’ve lived, which is no life at all.”
Also, he gave in to exactly what she requested in exchange for Henry. When the darkness is done with Addie he will again trick her into doing exactly what he wants, and she will think she thought of it. Whatever Luc may or may not be, he has the same sort of addiction to Addie. Unlike Luc’s other customers, Addies game plays on. He may even admire her will to keep forging ahead. Addie has an attraction to him as he is the only one who knows her. Part of the curse, I am positive he cleverly did on purpose. Like Addie, maybe Luc is lonely. Addie may be the only constant in his existence as well. Again, a romance of circumstance. It could also just be a fun game for Luc, and he knows how to woo her. She says he is incapable of love, yet she feeds into that love herself. She can’t help herself. Either way Luc will ultimately win. She could’ve played into Luc a little, given him a little of what he wanted. She’d probably be living in a penthouse with some ability to call on him, and break the curse rules here and there. She turns her nose up like she’s too good. Come on now Addie, play the game better, you already sold your soul my dear.