delaneyann140's Reviews (60)

It took me a long time to get into the flow of this book, probably about 40%… but when I did? It quickly became a story that I could not step away from.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of the first books in a while that brought me on the verge of tears, which was not something I was expecting. Her relationship with Henry and those around her wasn’t perfect, it was real something that, while utterly gutting, was such a nice breath of fresh air. This book did a fraction job reminding us about how much life had to offer, while also giving us the ability to be grateful it doesn’t last forever.

As a book I’ve been hesitant to read, I’m so glad I did.

This books POV system was something to get used to. Many times I had to go back and reread paragraphs to make sure I knew what characters perspective I was in.

It held a very steady pace. At no time did I feel any more drama or adventure than another, it kept an incredibly flat tone. 

Regardless the story itself was intriguing and I was very happy with how refreshing the magic system was, though I would have liked to see a bit more information on the different societal structures of different worlds. For an entire city full of those with talent, I’m not sure I ever understood what was so special about them outside of the ability to manipulate god metal. In that case, other than its ability to be forged only by those with talent, I don’t quite understand what purpose this metal served or why an entire society was built around it. 

It was a good book with a new and refreshing take on magic, but it could have benefitted from a bit more world building to truly allow readers to understand the stakes. 

The first half of this book is Tom Riddle fanfiction. It was thoroughly enjoyable, however if you are incredibly family with Riddle’s story, the first 50% follows that almost exactly beat for beat.

The second half of this book seemed to really be where it came into its own. The government and political sphere became much more important and made it clear this was more than just the Harry Potter universe, however if this creativity was sprinkled throughout the first half I think it would have made a more cohesive story. 

What I think is interesting is how Mal is differentiated from Tom Riddle. While he certainly isn’t all green flags, I felt as if he was written in a way that embodied a dark morally grey character, while still giving enough to latch onto that would not dissuade a reader from liking him. 

All in all it was an incredibly fun read and I am looking forward to book two. I have a feeling that it will rely on more original world building that will truly showcase the author’s strengths.