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.
Addie’s journey is full of heartbreak, devastation and loss. Yet she seems to find the beauty in life. Addie is deep down a sad and lonely person, but who wouldn’t be in those circumstances. Addie is also strong and resilient and makes for an extremely interesting character.
Addie also interacts with numerous interesting characters, with the mention of many prominent artists and historical figures.
Addie’s relationship with Luc was dynamic and well put together. Half the time readers were hating Luc, the other half we were loving him.
Addie’s relationship with Henry intrigued us all - why could he remember? When we came to realize he had also made a deal, we were all secretly hoping for a happily ever after.
V.E. Schwab has an almost magical way with her words that brings this story alive. The plot is extremely enjoyable and unique. It is not a fast paced book but it allows the reader to engage in the story. The story moves in two directions : one moving forward from childhood and the other from the present. The timeline flip flops between the chapters and if it wasn’t for the chapters giving both location and date, things would get very confusing.
Overall I thought it was a great and unique plot line but in general I was a little underwhelmed. Was it because my expectations where set too high from the hype surrounding this book? Was it because I was in a slight reading slump? Or was it just not my cup of tea? Who knows! I enjoyed it but I wouldn’t say it was life-altering.
