Blurb: 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.
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Published: 2020
“Because time is cruel to all, and crueler still to artists. Because visions weakens, and voices wither, and talent fades…. Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end… everyone wants to be remembered”
THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK WAS JUST, WOW. WHY DID I TAKE SO LONG TO PICK IT UP? I am going to have a lie down and take approximately 16-18 business days to emotionally recover. This book was beautiful. It is a warm drink on a cold night; an ice cream on a hot day. This is a book that stays with you for a long time and makes you think about yourself, about the world, about everything.
The book has 3 main characters and various side characters, I was worried on initially reading that the book might get a bit boring following just Addie around as she is alone in the world. But it was also fun to read about the demon Luc. He was such a evil character but also had a lot of depth. It would have been easy to write him off as a villain through and through but there was more to him, he was so complex and fascinating. Henry is the final character of the trio and he was really sweet. I felt like we did not see enough of him, the time spent was too short, however that was almost poetic when compared to Addie’s endless long life. Oh, and I cannot forget about Book, the cat. Oh to be a cat living in a bookshop. The Dream.
Addie was such a wonderful character to read about, she was so hopeful even in times of struggle and she really learnt how to make the best of a terrible situation. I really enjoyed being able to explore different parts of history through her eyes. The Main chapters also being broken up with various art work that she has influenced over the years was just a fun extra too. The book bounces from 2014 to various moments in history, slowly building a picture of Addie’s life over the years.
The writing in this story was so beautiful, it was descriptive and full of life! The ending crushed my heart into little pieces, but not in the way I expected. I just cannot put into words how beautiful this book was. Like a modern fairy tale.
The sorrow and heartbreak in these pages was enough to reduce anyone to tears, but the occasional happy moment made all the sadness feel worth it for a second. This is only my second V. E. Schwab book but she is just brilliant. Her stories are incredible and such a pleasure to read.
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