V. E. Schwab takes readers on an incredible journey of one women, who everyone forgets, but who lives hundreds of lives:
France 1714, a woman makes a desperate plea to those who live and love the dark and make a bargain, that will change her life forever, let her live forever, but she will be forgotten by everyone she meets. Addie has lived many lives since then, but has attempted to leave her mark along the way. She has learned to use people forgetting her to her advantage, but there are times where she longs for something more. When she enters a random bookstore in New York City, she is shocked to discover something that has not happening in 300 years, she is remembered.
I will admit that this book was not even on my radar, and the only reason I picked it up is that I kept seeing it constantly on Bookstagram with glowing reviews. I have only read one other book by Schwab and it was more in the YA genre so I was not too sure what to expect from this one being an adult book, but i was extremely impressed. This was an interesting read and out of my comfort zone a bit as well, as it has a contemporary romance feel to it, with a fantasy twist.
This is a slow burn of a book, as Schwab takes the time to set Addie as a character and there are several flashback to what her life has been like in the 300 years that she has been alive. I enjoyed getting to know the places she visited, the people she met along the way and her desperate attempts to find a connection. But there were times that I just wanted it to get a move on with things that I was pretty sure were going to happen and other events felt like they were just filler.
There were times where I found Addie very frustrating as a character as it seemed like had lived all this time but Addie had not learn anything with it but in the same sense knowledgeable, it was a weird juxtaposition within one character. I like her cleverness in making a mark on the world, and finding those who have the ability to do so and her own manipulation abilities there were just times I wanted to shake her but I will say that I do appreciate Addie's ability to play the long game. Henry for me was just there as a character, I did not really find him entertaining or exciting, just really someone for Addie, but I have to give it to him (and Schwab's) cleverness in the end.
What I liked about this book the most is that I can say that I have not read a book like it and I applaud Schwab for doing something different. I look forward to reading more adult books by Schwab.
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