Additional note: I wouldn't go into this expecting a plot as windy as ADSOM

If you heard that this book was about a girl falling in love with the devil... I suggest that you throw that out of your mind. Because (first) it's more complicated than that and (second) is it really about that?

I'm telling you this now: this is romantic. But it is not exactly a love story.

sad, sweet, heavy-hearted, emotional, and melancholic. I feel like a lifetime has passed since starting this book (in a good way)

The reason I kind of lowered my rating was because I was left so unsatisfied by the ending. Like, I get it, it makes sense.... but I expected so much more?? Nevertheless, this is one of those books that I will be thinking about a lot long after I have read it. The journey is worth more than the ending.

I will now direct you to my good friend Mary's playlist which upped my experience for this book by 10x (I suggest playing the song "I Love To Tell A Story" sometime in between chapters or after you've finished the book)

tw// sexual assault, suicide (mentioned), drug addiction

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —

First thing’s first: yes, the pacing is definitely a slow burn but every once in a while I enjoy the book for it’s atmosphere and Schwab delivered. That isn’t to say that I disliked plot because the looming, aching sense of dread was so well written that I felt heavy the majority of the time that I was reading it.

And then BAM!, plot twist drops and I suddenly feel awake (at least for one of the twists in the middle)

"There is a defiance in being a dreamer.”

this to me was about how the ideas and impressions we leave behind might not always be visible to us but they do leave a mark on people we meet over time. About freedom and the absence of it. And how we can inspire every person we come across even (or how strangers inspire us) even when we can't place a name or a face... Because we remember who they are, as a person.

There are times when I’m in a lyrical writing kind of mood but there are times when I just can’t stand it. Which was the reason I had mixed feelings about this at first. V.E. Schwab had a different take/tone with this book compared to her other books which is to be expected since she said it herself.

I felt the stretch of the years for Addie and just imagining everything that she was going through… I honestly don’t know if I would have lasted as long as she did. I felt addie’s own loneliness seep into me. And I get that if you aren’t the kind of reader who likes full on emotion-on-pages, this might just not be your style.

…But if you are, good news, time to stock up on extra hearts because it will surely break a couple of times.

"I am here with you, more often than you think."

I was very pleasantly surprised at the fact that I enjoyed Addie's relationship with Luc a lot more than with Henry. Her and Henry are cuteness overload don't get me wrong... but I live for complicated relationships. I felt that we got that more with her interactions and feelings towards Luc over the years.

I also wasn't as attached to Henry as I was to Luc (oops!) because there was more build up with Luc I feel. When Henry was introduced, I knew who his character would be right away and since he's so central to the plot... I thought I would have had more convulated feelings.

Spoiler

And I don't know if the 7th person she loves (for her seven freckles as per Estelle) is Luc or herself or someone in the future

“Blink, and the years fall away like leaves.”

The 2014 timeline felt so homey while the 1700s timeline felt like I was going to sob at every page.

Only Schwab has the power to make me finish and love a fully lyrical style book because I am now realizing that I like the idea of a whimsical and lyrical plot, but I prefer the writing to be more straightforward.

It takes some time to get into and since this is more contemporary/historical fiction/what ever genre this is than Schwab's other works, there is more emotional building than world building. I really loved the details that was in the art before every chapter, piecing them together was important to the story and I applaud the attention to detail.

take your time reading this because you only get to read it for the first time once. I actually reread the first 30% of this book because I needed more time to process the emotion.

“The evening is quite, and she is alone, but for once it is not the same as being lonely.”

Once again, this is a heavy book to read, having to process and imagine what addie goes through, is a lot. V.E. Schwab portrays it really well and always leaves something to think about.

Unlike ADSOM or Monsters of Verity, this isn’t an action packed kind of book and I would not approach this expecting the ADSOM kind of fantasy mindset.

V.E. Schwab’s aesthetic bleeds into her writing style every time. Even though this books is loads different plot wise from the other books I’ve read of hers, it still has the classic Schwab in the way she humanizes the "monsters" of her stories.

As a sucker for all themes astrological, I have once again sold my soul to the devil stranger worlds.

“Time always ends a second before you're ready.”

I really thought this would make me feel like I'm stuck in a dream state but I just feel sad haha, but we can't blame the book for that.

I signed up for this heartache.

↣ Save this book for when you are in the mood for atmosphere, slow burns, and something that feels like someone is telling you the story of their life around a fire place in an isolated countryside. ↢

I’ve heard people being mad at this book because it doesn’t feature a person of color in Addie’s 300 years and I’m going to be honest with you… I’d rather read about a person of color from an author of color. And those who go as far as saying there’s no diversity in this book? Henry and Addie are lgbtq+ (which is actively pointed out) so I really don’t understand. It's just not super prominent and is treated like a normal thing... which I love to see because that's how I feel like it should be in books that don't focus on those topics. Some people will really look for ways just to hate on a popular book.

It reminds me somewhat of The Afterlife of Holly Chase but make it a lot more emotional and whimsical. I would recommend TAoHC if you want something similar to this book but a little more light hearted and something to put you into a more Christmas-y mood.

It was so hard to write this review because my emotions are swirling but I'm done now.

*curtain close*

« my emotional journey in status updates: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 »

----------------
Friends... I got to that part at the half way point and: *cries in french*

It's been a while since I've felt this way over a plot twist and you know what... I'M LIVING FOR IT

----------------
PRE READ:

I want to read about this french woman so bad already