3.5*

I finished this book yesterday and I have been unsure what to say about it... as soon as I read the blurb (and saw the pretty cover ha) I was intrigued. It's been a while since I've wanted to read a book as much as this, and I tried very hard to manage my expectations meanwhile. Of course I soon gave in - I decided to treat myself with the first new book I've physically bought in a VERY long time.

I really enjoyed the journey of reading the book - it is written in a lyrical way with great flow and imagery. I took it quite slow to start, partly because I didn't have the time to sit and read so had to grab stolen moments, but also because the specifically dated timejumps to 'then' and 'now' meant the book was quite easy to put down between chapters.

Adeline LaRue wants more than to live and be buried in the same tiny French town, surrounded by the same people, spending her days living the life others wanted for her - a life without adventure, without seeing the world and all its wonders. So she prays to the Gods to save her and the one that answers - the one she should not have called - makes her a deal. She can live and be free, but no one will ever remember her - she is cursed until she surrenders, and gives up her soul. 300 years later she wanders into a second hand bookstore in New York and the man who runs it, Henry, remembers her.

This book had a lot of potential but I have realised since yesterday (when I finished it and gave it 5 stars) that it didn't actually deliver in many ways. For someone who had been around for 300 years, someone who prayed to the Gods because they wanted to see the world, she only saw Europe and Central America. What about South America, Africa, Asia... and everywhere else? It also felt odd that she didn't seem to evolve or change much in that time - yes she couldn't help that she was physically frozen, and she did learn several languages and a few other skills here and there, but what about her emotional maturity and general view of the world and people? She of course lives a very lonely life and is stubborn by nature, but this seems to be the main focus where I feel other angles could have been explored within her character.

I think what actually swept me up was the writing itself, and not necessarily the story - some of it is truly wonderful. Some of the moments and ideas in this book are beautifully evocative and it really was an easy and pleasurable read. I also liked the little inclusions of art within the pages, I just think some elements of the whole fell a bit flat and in particular the ending - I liked where it went but I didn't like the way it made Addie look. I don't want to say too much but it felt as if the whole book and story of the 300 years (including Henry) simply didn't matter - that what was actually important was what comes next... and then the book ends! This is my first V E Schwab and I will likely be picking up another of theirs soon - I would also re read is, if only to double check if my initial emotional feelings, and then subsequent conflicting thoughts, are the same!