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Review
5 stars
I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I don’t know what I can say to put all of my complex feelings into words. But wow, what a read. An emotional, intriguing, unique and thought-provoking story that kept me captivated from start to finish.
Addie LaRue is a young girl growing up in a small village in France in the very early 18th Century. She longs for freedom, and to truly experience life, but when she is forced into marriage with a man she does not love, she makes a deal with a mystical being for freedom and time. Her deal is twisted though, and in giving her freedom, Addie becomes instantly forgotten by everybody who meets her. And it will be that way forever, because Addie is also now immortal.
Just imagine – her family and friends no longer know who she is. And every person that she meets forgets her the moment she is out of their sight. Sure we probably immediately think about all of the fun and adventurous things she can do, but think of nobody knowing you beyond a day, nobody knowing your real name, and never being able to leave your mark on a person’s life, destined to be forgotten by all. It’s a horrific twist to her hopes and dreams, and it sets the stage for her unique story.
For the majority of the book, we see Addie living her life in New York City in the present day, but the book also flashes back to tell us the story of her life. Over 300 fascinating years, Addie has learned how to live with her curse. She has suffered devastating lows but she has resolutely carried on, determined to experience the life she longed for, and desperate to find a way to leave her mark on the world.
Through beauty and heartbreak, we see glimpses of Addie’s world, how she has adjusted to her life, and the fascinating way that she connects with people. My heart ached for her, but I celebrated every little achievement, and I was just as invested in the story of the past as I was in her story in the present.
Throughout Addie’s journey, we continue to see the darkly handsome and mysterious man she made her deal with. He visits her unexpectedly, and over the years their dynamic shifts and changes, and it’s fascinating. Should we hate him? Should we love him? Who knows? But the man, and his relationship with Addie, is a big part of the story.
And then Addie’s life takes another unexpected twist when she meets Henry, a young man who, for the first time in 300 years, remembers her. It’s a turning point that brings big changes in both Addie and Henry’s lives, and had me madly theorising what was going on and what it meant for both of them, and for the story. And while some of my predictions may have come true, there is so much about this story that is truly surprising.
There is romance – again, it’s unique, but it suits the story and it’s really well-written. For a big romance reader like myself, it’s not the sweeping, all-consuming love stories that I tend to favour, but it was still lovely.
The book has an interesting writing style with the story jumping across timelines – not just the setting, but also in describing the events, and I thought it was really engaging. The ending is surprising, and I admit, I’m not 100% sure how I feel about it but, as with the rest of the rest of the story, it’s definitely thought-provoking. It’s one of those books where you finish, and you just sit there contemplating all that you just read. I finished it days ago, and I’m still thinking about it.
I was immediately consumed by this story, and struggled to put it down. I listened to it as an audiobook, narrated by Julia Wheelan, and she does an amazing job bringing the story to life. I absolutely recommend listening to this one if you get the chance
5 stars.