#115 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab 

My most anticipated book of forever, i feel like ive been waiting and wishing for this book for such a long time. I was gutted that the Waterstones edition sold out so fast so had to pre-order this on amazon as i have no independent book shops near me *cries* and amazon completely messed up my preorder and estimated that i would receive to book in the second week of December. Thankfully my girl Steffi hooked me up with the e-book like the lifesaver that she is.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue follows Addie in France in the 1600's, when she is expected to marry a local widower and help raise his young kids Addie runs into the forest and pleads with the gods to help her to get out of this situation but what she doesnt realise is that the sun is setting and Addie summons the devil instead. She pleads for a life that belongs to no one but herself which he grants but he decieves her, the consequence of the deal she makes means that no one is able to remember her. When Addie meets someone if they leave the room they automatically forget who she is. Addie is also immortal as a result of her deal with the devil and is destined to live a very long and lonely life.

This book is very different from any of VE Schwabs other work (believe me, ive read it all haha) it read more like literary fiction which im typically not drawn towards but honestly this was gorgeous. It was atmospheric and whimsy but so sad at the same time. The book is told in split timelines of past Addie in the 1600's in Villon, France where she lived in a small town with her mother and father and housekeeper and present day 2013-14 with Addie in New York living her day to day life. When one day Addie steals a book from a bookshop she goes back the next day to try to return it only to find that the man working there, Henry remembers her from the previous day. Obviously Addie is immediatley drawn to him as hes the only one in centuries to ever remember who she is. The book is very complex as it delves into Addies situation so deeply, it covers exactly how this deal has affected her. She cant have a job, doesnt have any friends, doesnt have any money or a way of making any and cannot rent somewhere to stay as she is instantly forgettable. My god my whole heart went out to her.

The story really picks up with Addie trying to figure out why after so long Henry seems to be able to remember her. Honestly this plot is so unique. I could sing VE Schwabs praises all day. If you have never read anything by her i implore you to do so (Viscious is a masterpiece) 

Lets discuss the ending (no spoilers). Everyone said that my heart would be ripped out by the end, i sent posts on youtube and twitter of people crying their eyes out by the end. I didnt shed a single solitary tear for this book which im not sure what that says about me, i just didnt find it that sad? I was glad that it didnt end the way i thought but it didnt feel very satisfying either. In the end i decided on a 4 star rating as the book was mesmorising and just stunning but the ending left me feeling a little flat. 

This book reminded me a lot of The Starless Sea, not in plot but definitely in style. Ive also hear it compared to The Shadow of the Wind which i highly agree with too. Overall, i really enjoyed this. A true Schwab masterpiece as always. The only criticism i can muster is that the pacing at times felt a little off but thats only if im really knit-picking. 

#114 The Wolf and the Water

 The Wolf and the Water by Josie Jaffrey

First off a huge thank you to the lovely author for sending me an incribed (my frist ever!) physical arc of this gorgeous book. Which i was delighted to hear was self published as it made me want to support the author by promoting the shit out of this book even more! Admittantly i didnt know much about this story before i agreed to apart of The Write Reads blog tour and was completely sucked in my that amazing cover. I assumed this would be a light hearted YA fantasy read, oh boy was i wrong!

The Wolf and the Water is an ancient greek inspired high fantasy adult novel that follows the story of Kala. Kala is the daughter of Glauks which is one of the ten important houses in this society. When Kalas father dies under suspicious circumstances, Kalas mother Charis is ordered to remarry straight away as is customary in this world that Jaffrey has so wonderfully crafted. When Charis chooses to marry the suitor from Lykos who is a very cruel man Kala immediatley fears for her life. The suitor from Lykos is called Nikos and he has two children, Leon and Eulalia. At the beginning of the story someone tries to poison Kala in the same way her father was murdered which instantly makes her question everyone around her and their motives. 

Kala lives with a disability from a childhood illness and walks with a cane as a result, she has spent the majority of her life being looked down on as vulnerable and weak, she ultimately fears that her new step father will murder her as to not be shamed by her. 

This book has what most adult fantasy lacks, both disability and LGBT rep. I cant really speak for the disability rep but i did like how Kala didnt hide from it and it didnt hold her back from how badass she was in protecting herself and the people she cared about. I really loved the sapphic romance in this book and how both Melissa and Kala were bonded from such a young age, it gave me Priory of the Orange Tree vibes. I wasnt the biggest fan of the relationship with Leon as it all felt a bit sudden, there was no slow burn or build up. They met, spend a fracture of time together and then he is declaring his love her her which also didnt really make sense that he was calling her sister when they first met. It just wasnt overly believeable to me. 

I thought the world building was a little under developed and hope to see more of this in the next book, the world sounds so rich and i really wanted to immerse myself in it. I would also like to see more about the politics of each house and their motivations or desire for power. I would have loved to see more of that and less on the romance side of things. 

Overall this is a really great read, it reads very quick even though the chapters are a little on the long side. Its very reminiscent of early Brandon Sanderson which is what made me fall for it and keep reading. I enjoyed the cliffhanger that this book ended on and it made me very excited to carry on the story. Hoping the next book has an equally gorgeous cover! 

There is a full page of trigger warnings included in the back of the arc so please do check that out before you read it as there are a few triggering themes in this book. 

Please look into this book and support the author:

https://www.josiejaffrey.com/ 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolf-Water-secrets-killing-Deluge-ebook/dp/B08DXXPNS1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+wolf+and+the+water&qid=1601043981&sr=8-1

Release date: 8th October 2020