RaveSlate... it’s rare to encounter a character as stunningly, fiercely written as Addie as she grows and changes over a span of 300 years. She is a high wire act of a character in a high wire act of a story, neither of which—despite the devil’s best efforts—I am likely to forget ... I am pleased to say that much of what has made Schwab’s previous work so successful can also be found in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue ... the scope of Addie is unlike anything Schwab has written before—epic yet intimate, sweeping but not sprawling ... Because Addie covers so much ground, it can be disappointing when stories are hinted at but never manifest ... But though Addie’s world may be vast, it is depicted with careful attention to detail, like the changes in her vocabulary that subtly signal time’s passage ... has a lot to say about how connection and love are always possible even in the face of isolation, how we inevitably leave our mark in the world and on the people who cross our paths, even in the unlikeliest or most fleeting of circumstances. It is easy to feel that in the absence of traditional, tangible moments of connection, no such connection could exist, no mark can be made. And yet, as an acquaintance advises Addie, \'there are many ways to matter.\' If Addie shows anything, it’s that the impact of our actions and interactions can be vaster and longer-lasting than we can predict. Much like the seven freckles that sprinkle Addie’s face, we create our own constellations, and as we live through these darkened days, I feel brighter for having added Addie to mine.
