Rating: 3.75/5
Recently I’m quite into magical realism of sorts. Or is it fantasy? Is a story about devils and ghosts considered fantasy, if I believe that these entities exist? Or would they be classified as magical realism? I don’t really know.
Anyway, I’ve finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and took some time to collect my thoughts on this one. As much as I enjoyed it, it’s a 3.75 for me, sadly.
The book was enjoyable, for sure—I really liked the premise and felt that the pace and flow of the story was good. Right from the start, I did feel for Addie when she was placed under those circumstances—that is, until the end of the book.
The last bit was quite a frustrating read for me and I ended up being quite upset at Addie towards the end—it felt like this 323-year-old woman just… didn’t grow up at all. Character development for her was so minimal—almost none—and I didn’t get why she had to continue being so petty at the end. I mean, woman, you’ve been around for an extra three centuries on top of your 23 years of life. Can’t you just live, and let live?!
I felt that it would have been a nice touch to just let her fully sacrifice herself for Henry’s sake without her ‘sacrifice’ being part of a chess game w Luc. I suppose in a way she did grow a little—just that tiny bit—when she gave up the freedom that she has so enjoyed all her life for someone else? But it just didn’t seem selfless to me, because at the end of the day it was still a move on the ongoing chessboard game that she has with Luc.
I’m not sure what really is going through her mind. She wanted to be seen, and Luc fully sees her. Isn’t that enough? And to want freedom yet also to yearn to be seen and loved—I’m sorry to burst your bubble, Addie, but that’s not how it works. Love is not without its sacrifices—neither is freedom. And the moment Addie sold her soul to Luc she has essentially lost all her freedom, since her soul belongs to him now. Yes, she’s free to roam, but she’s not free from harm, not free from her loneliness, and definitely not free from the binding trade with Luc.
So for the entire book, I felt that the one person (or thing) that actually has some sort of character development is actually Luc. And I really love that. A devil, a darkness, a thing—thought to be incapable of feeling love—has the ability to feel the possession that comes with love. The way Luc always swoops in to save Addie everytime she’s in harm’s way shows how much he actually cares for her, and towards the end I could somewhat believe that deep down he may actually truly love her. Sure, he said he just wanted to make sure he was the one to break her, but he might as well have claimed his prize anytime he wanted to. But he didn’t. And he’s a prideful devil at the end of the day, mind us, so he definitely wouldn’t have expressed his love so easily at the start. It’s become a game to him—to get Addie to first admit that she needs him before he does—and his ego definitely saw to it.
On the topic of Luc—he’s such a lonely thing, and it’s telling that he sees comfort in Addie’s prolonged company and their anniversaries. The fact that he didn’t want her soul when she proposed a trade was the only indication I needed to know that he feels something for this woman. He didn’t want her to disappear. He wanted to be seen and to be felt without fear or expectations. All he wanted was a partner. A partner who understands how he feels and who he is—and with centuries of experience, that is who Addie is.
And then we have poor Henry, who was just there to fulfill Addie’s wishes of being seen and remembered—and knowing how smart she is at finding loopholes, I’m not surprised if Luc put him in her way knowing she would find a way to fulfill her own desires. At the end of the day, I looked at the entire storyline and ending logically and this is the conclusion I came to—Luc gave Addie a gift, but she is so selfishly absorbed in her want for freedom that she fails to see it.
Alright BUT, but hear me out—with all that I’ve said, I still think this was a good read and I really did enjoy the entire book, so I definitely recommend it—just… don’t be too frustrated with Addie.
Also, isn’t this special edition gorgeous?! I love the illustrations and the treatment on the cover. And it’s signed by the author! If you’re starting to think about Christmas gifts for friends, I think this should really be on your list!