The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue has been the most-awaited, most anticipated book of the year in the bookish community. I myself bought 3 different copies (Coz why not.!) even before this was released. When you have a book that has been hyped for so long, there's always an added pressure, even as a reader to like it. And when the hyped book is by one of the best authors in the genre, you definitely are already in love with the book, even before you open the first page.
Thankfully for me, this was my first V.E. Schwab's novel (I KNOW. !! :0 ) and I could really provide an honest opinion without any bias.
And after reading it, I would have to say, I will go towards a really unpopular opinion: I didn't absolutely love it.!
Yeah, don't hate me, but listen to what I have to say. I agree it's a great book. I agree the writing is good too. But I wouldn't say this was Schwab's best work. I later read the Vicious series by her and loved it instantly. And I have heard really good stuff about V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy, and so I hope to find it much more interesting than this book.
Addie LaRue started on a really high note, then felt a bit boring in-between, and finally, the ending was of course mind-blowing. I would say, I never felt the need for a second to put the book down, but the storyline in-between got a bit dull and repetitive. Addie's encounters with the devil were predictable and so was her story. The character of Henry himself didn't stand out much, and I was honestly rooting for the devil rather than henry himself. (Yes, I do question my life choices at times, but what are you gonna do).
The travel through time, covering hundreds of years was something interesting to see. There was of course no storyline, just Addie and her loner self. The character of the Devil could also have been built more than just:
'Hey, just dropping by to say hello. Ahh... okay, Bye. see you next time'.
The ending was definitely good and made me tear up a tiny bit, but not in the way that most people claimed that they bawled their eyes out.
All in all, I didn't super love it and found it a bit flat and boring.
So much hype for this book makes me wonder about my opinion. So, I might re-read it later to see if I change my opinion (when I gain back my humanity and free my soul from the deal that I made with the devil).
