Trigger and Content Warnings: attempted assault, abuse, loss of a loved one, substance abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide
“I remember you.”
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss
Publication: October 6th, 2020 by Tor Books
This book wasn’t even on my radar, of course I saw EVERYONE talking about it. I’ve read a couple of VE Schwab books in the past and I didn’t fall in love with them. So at first I wasn’t overly excited about this book. It wasn’t until I started to pay attention to what the synopsis was actually about that caught my attention. This is quite possibly my favourite book of the year and a new favourite of all time.
A girl makes a deal with a devil at night. Everyone she meets immediately forgets her once she’s out of there sight. Until one day she meets a boy in a bookshop who remembers hers. Now does that not sound absolutely magical. This book was truly everything. I loved it with every fiber of my soul.
I’m desperately trying to put my feelings I to words and I am having such a hard time. This book was the opposite of all my expectations. I went into this book thinking I would enjoy it, have a good time but what I got was something so heart wrenching and wonderful.
“Seven freckles. One for every love she’d have, that’s what Estele had said, when the girl was still young. One for every life she’d lead. One for every god watching over her. Now, they mock her, those seven marks. Promises. Lies. She’s had no loves, she’s lived no lives, she’s met no gods, and now she is out of time.”
Addie: A girl with seven freckles across her nose. She is truly one of the most intriguing characters ever written. She is from a rural town in France during 1714, but has big aspirations. She wants to see the world, be in love, be an artist not be tied down with marriage and children. She is such a strong character yet vulnerable.
Henry : Lives in New York City in a small apartment while working at a secondhand bookshop. All he ever wanted was to be loved, completely for who is he but he continues to fall short. Until one day a girl is caught trying to steal a book and his whole life is changed forever.
Luc: A devil made of shadows. He reminds me of Rhysand but even darker. He’s intriguing and complex, cunning, cruel and confident. But he’s also so much more than that. I longed to know more about him, to have more interactions with him and Addie.
“I am stronger than your god and older than your devil. I am the darkness between stars, and the roots beneath the earth. I am promise, and potential, and when it comes to playing games, I divine the rules, I set the pieces, and I choose when to play. And tonight, I say no.”
One of the things I loved the most about the book was Schwab ability to write beautiful prose. I lost count of the amount of quotes I highlighted. She has a magical way with words that brought the story to life. This story is told over the span of 300 years, yet it never gets confusing or boring, it’s the exact opposite the pages just fly by.
The role of art plays a huge significant part in this story. And not just painting/ drawing but all forms of art, music, poetry photography, I loved it so so much. And of course Addie and Henry’s love of books.I honestly could talk about this book for hours, this review is already getting quite lengthy.
I also want to address that Addie is possibly pansexual or bisexual, as she has relationships with different genders throughout this book. Henry I believe is also pansexual yet it is never said on page however he does say “he’s attracted to a person first and their gender second”. There is other queer characters in the story as well, I love how well they all fit into the story. They are not just there to be the queer character but to just be themselves.
“They say people are like snowflakes, each one unique, but I think they’re more like skies. Some are cloudy, some are stormy, some are clear, but no two are ever quite the same.”
Addie’s journey is heartbreaking and devastating, but filled with so much light as well. Henry and Addie relationship brought me so much joy as they learned about each other. They had so many cute moments that had me clutching the book to my chest and smiling.
This is not a fast paced book, it allowed you to sink into the story and get caught up in the atmosphere. I was in a book slump while reading this book and I honestly could not get enough of it. When I wasn’t reading it is all I thought about.
This is the rare type of book, where upon finishing it I immediately wanted to reread it. As the end near I dreaded how Addie’s story would end, Schwab created the perfect ending that left me heartbroken and full of emotions. Writing this review has my eyes filling with tears and the urge to reread it several weeks later is still very strong. Nothing I say can actually describe the wonder and beauty of this book. You honestly need to experience it yourself.
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Wow, sounds good. You know, I have also been seeing this book EVERYWHERE, but just like you say, I haven’t been charmed by other books by this author (I mean, they were ok, but not quite my thing). So now your review makes me even more curious – maybe I’d like it too.
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Oh I hope you do give it a try and that you love it. 💖
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Incredible Review!! ❤️ OMG, I need to read it, it sounds SO emotional & amazing 😍✨
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