At a glance
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers of literary fantasy who are drawn to questions of identity, memory, and legacy, and who will happily trade plot velocity for deep character interiority and the accumulated emotional weight of nearly three centuries of solitary existence.
Worth it if
You value a dual-timeline structure that rewards patience — where the payoff of a present-day romantic thread depends entirely on the centuries of longing and near-invisibility built before it arrives.
Skip if
You come to it expecting the propulsive, momentum-driven plotting of commercial fantasy — or Schwab's own faster-paced Shades of Magic series — because the book's deliberately unhurried accumulation across 300 years of flashbacks is a genuine and significant departure from that register.
What readers & critics say
Kirkus Reviews awarded the novel a starred review, calling it "rich and satisfying," and Publishers Weekly (starred) called it "a knockout," both cited via McNally Robinson and Barnes & Noble. The Macmillan publisher page documents simultaneous New York Times, USA Today, National Indie, and Washington Post bestseller status, a #1 Library Reads Pick and #1 Indie Next Pick for October 2020, and "Best Of 2020" recognition from outlets including NPR, Oprah Magazine, CNN, and Goodreads — reflecting a book that crossed genre and mainstream literary audiences with unusual success.
“Rich and satisfying. — Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review”
— Kirkus Reviews (via McNally Robinson)“A knockout. — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review”
— Publishers Weekly (via Barnes & Noble)“Schwab's writing is more poetic and lyrical than in other books I've read by her, and it sucked me into the story.”
— Takes Two to Book Review“Another banger from V.E. Schwab… I thoroughly enjoyed it. Schwab is incapable of writing a bad book.”
— Good, Bad and UnreadAsk LuvemBooks
Was this helpful?
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers who prize atmospheric, character-driven fantasy with a literary sensibility, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of the more formally ambitious fantasy novels of recent years. Its dual-timeline structure — one moving forward through 300 years of Addie's solitary experience, the other counting down the 35 days Henry has left to live — generates a tension that critics and readers responded to strongly, earning "Best Of 2020" recognition from more than two dozen outlets including NPR, Oprah Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, and the Chicago Tribune. Jodi Picoult, writing in the Washington Post, said it "completely absorbed me enough to make me forget the real world." The key caveat is pacing: readers expecting the propulsive plotting typical of commercial fantasy will find the novel's deliberate, expansively unhurried approach a genuine test.
- Similar books
- Readers captivated by The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue's blend of romance, supernatural stakes, and literary atmosphere have several strong next reads to consider. Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart shares the template of a Faustian bargain with a morally ambiguous supernatural figure at its center, wrapped in lush, fairytale-inflected prose. For those drawn to V.E. Schwab's broader body of work, the Shades of Magic series and Vicious showcase her faster-paced, more plot-driven fantasy side. Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Susanna Clarke's Piranesi are natural companions for readers who respond to Addie LaRue's slow-burning, atmosphere-first approach to fantasy. George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition offers another entry point for readers interested in ambitious, world-spanning fantasy storytelling.
- Who should read this?
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is designed for readers who value character interiority and accumulated emotional weight over plot velocity — those for whom the question of what it means to exist without being remembered is itself compelling enough to sustain nearly 300 years of narrative time. Fans of literary fantasy, of novels preoccupied with art, memory, and legacy, and of romantic storylines complicated by genuinely high supernatural stakes will find it one of the more formally ambitious fantasy novels of recent years. Readers who enjoyed works positioned at the intersection of literary fiction and fantasy — such as The Time Traveler's Wife or Life After Life — are the novel's natural audience. Those seeking the fast-paced escalation typical of commercial fantasy, or fans of Schwab's own Shades of Magic series expecting similar momentum, should approach with adjusted expectations.
- About V.E. Schwab
- Victoria Elizabeth Schwab is an American writer.
- What are the main themes?
- At its core, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a novel about identity, memory, and the desperate human need to be known — what it means to exist without leaving a trace in anyone's mind. Slate described the novel as "an elegant comment on the erasure of women from recorded history," while also noting that Addie never becomes a mere allegory; she remains a fully inhabited character. Art and legacy run as companion themes throughout: Addie spends nearly three centuries leaving ghost-marks on human culture — inspiring paintings, sculptures, and a song called "Dream Girl" by Toby Marsh — even as her name goes unrecorded. The Faustian bargains at the novel's center also foreground questions of freedom, cost, and the nature of desire.
- Any content warnings?
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue contains a depiction of a suicide attempt in Henry Strauss's backstory — the event that drives him to strike his bargain with Luc — as well as thematic content around Addie's forced-marriage backstory and centuries of isolation and existential despair. The novel is best suited for adult readers or mature older teens, given both the complexity of its themes and these specific content elements. Readers particularly sensitive to depictions of suicide attempts or themes of compulsive forgetting and erasure of selfhood should be aware of these threads before beginning.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Ages 16+
Reading level
Adult
Content to know about
Best for: Adults / mature 16+ — includes a depicted suicide attempt in a character's backstory and sustained themes of existential erasure and compulsive isolation
Skip if you're looking for fast-paced, plot-driven fantasy with escalating action and momentum-driven chapters
Editorial Review
V.E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a fantasy novel published by Tor Books on October 6, 2020, following Adeline LaRue — a young French woman who in 1714 makes a Faustian bargain granting her immortality at the cost of being forgotten by everyone she meets. A New York Times bestseller for 37 consecutive weeks, it was nominated for the 2021 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and earned "Best Of" recognition from dozens of outlets including NPR, Oprah Magazine, and Kirkus Reviews. Its dual-timeline structure weaves nearly three centuries of Addie's wandering life against a 2014 New York City thread in which she encounters Henry Strauss — the first person in almost 300 years to remember her name. Readers who prize atmospheric, character-driven fantasy with a literary sensibility will find much to admire; those seeking fast-paced plot mechanics may find the novel's deliberate pacing a test of patience.
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