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  • The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

  • Written by: V. E. Schwab
  • Narrated by: Julia Whelan
  • Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,496 ratings)

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Written by: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
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Publisher's Summary

"[Narrator Julia] Whelan's performance is unforgettable in this darkly romantic fantasy about one young woman cursed always to be forgotten.... Her depiction of the darkness is smooth with a low cadence, capturing listeners' attention and their heart strings." (Booklist)

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times best-selling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

A life no one will remember. A story you will never forget.

France, 1714: In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever - and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
USA TODAY BEST SELLER
NATIONAL INDIE BEST SELLER
THE WASHINGTON POST BEST SELLER

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

"This epic story, spanning three centuries and two continents, is expertly narrated by Julia Whelan.... This is a transporting listen, and these characters will stick with you for a long time." (Bookpage, starred review)

©2020 V. E. Schwab (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

2020, NYPL Best Books of the Year, Long-listed, PrizeJury

2020, Oprah.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed, PrizeJury

2020, NPR Best Book of the Year, Long-listed, PrizeJury

2020, Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed, PrizeJury

2020, Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, Long-listed, PrizeJury

2021, Locus Awards - Nominee, Short-listed, PrizeJury

2020, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, Long-listed, PrizeJury

Editorial Review

Addie LaRue is cursed to live a very long life no one will remember. But when she meets a stranger who can remember her name, her quest to leave a mark on the world is forever changed.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, written by V. E. Schwab, is a historical fiction following Addie LaRue's cursed but extraordinary life across centuries of adventure. Addie's story begins in 18th-century France, where full of despair, she unwittingly makes a devastating sacrifice for the sake of eternity. Over the next 300 years, she moves through worlds where she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she comes across, a caveat of her deal made with the stranger in the woods, Luc. That is until she meets Henry, a bookseller in New York City, who remembers her name. This tour de force by writer V. E. Schwab has taken the literary world by storm and become a bestseller in The New York Times and The Washington Post. It has also appeared on countless book of the year lists, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Amazon.com, and Kirkus Reviews.

The narration of this audiobook takes this character-driven tale to incredible heights. Julia Whelan captures the magic of these characters, allows listeners to see past villain and victim tropes, and instead brings their souls into vivid focus. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a perfect listen for anyone who is a fan of epic historical fantasy audiobooks and other works from V. E. Schwab, like the Shades of Magic series ( A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Light) and Vicious.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will take listeners from heartbreak to exhilarating hope as Addie's breathtaking adventure continues over centuries of solitude. Victoria Schwab's writing has cemented them as one of the most moving writers of the time, and this story is no exception. Full of thought-provoking situations and life-altering lessons, this is a story listeners will never forget.

Featured Article: The Top Audiobooks People Are Obsessed With on BookTok

For audiobook lovers, nothing comes close to the feeling of stumbling upon a new favourite adventure, love story, or thriller. Finding that new favourite is now easier than ever! The world of BookTok is overflowing with audiobooks ready to become your new obsession. A young girl cursed to live forever, Greek mythology reimagined, life-saving time-travel, and so much more. We've scoured this corner of social media and compiled a list of what titles are trending and are definitely worth the hype. So sit back, press play, and escape your world for a while with the most popular books on BookTok.

What listeners say about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Average Customer Ratings
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    5 out of 5 stars

Breathtaking from start to finish

I gobbled this up as fast as I could. I could not get enough. I loved this story. It was well written and incredibly performed. Both the words and the voice gave me goosebumps. 300/10

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Nice enough

Honestly at first I found it very boring and had a hard time getting into it eventually It did get more interesting and I did enjoy it but the characters were kinda ify for me and even though the ending was pretty good I did expect everything that happened early on. Another thing was 300+ years living with like no diversity? I did appreciate the bisexual rep tho.

I understand why some like it but it wasn’t worth the hype for me personally.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great, enjoyable read

This is a good good book. And the ending is exactly what I needed to be, which really leaves a satisfying finish in my mouth.

I have really, really enjoyed listening to this book. It is a tad bit long, yet there is not one scene or moment I would have glossed over or taken out. It all fits together quite nicely.

It is very atmospheric, which I LOVE in an audiobook. Julia Whalen (my girl crush narrator 4ever) does a fabulous job yet again of transporting me to exactly where Addie is in the moment, both physically and emotionally.

The characters can be a bit juvenile, yes, but the relationships between them and the descriptions weave through the story like silk, binding it all together in a beautifully wrapped package.

It is not a strongly plot driven story, rather character driven, however the plot is solidly mapped out and holds up throughout the book. The settings are really what take you away.

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy/fiction, and just a generally good read. I am even considering buying a copy for my kindle so I can highlight some of my favourite passages!

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A definite have to listen to book.

A page turner and not what I expected.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
The narration was done extremely well.
Her rendition of “Luke”, was exceptional and very creepy. It gave me chills.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

it's tiring

this story was very long and drawn out. most things were described to death, over and over again. I found addies relationship with luke to be really frustrating, the back and forth between them felt childish and hardly any thing changed. I didn't like Henry at all, their relationship seemed pointless. be prepared to hear "shadow, storm, and orbit" a LOT. there was a tonne of redundancies all the way up until the end. I think this author could take up an entire chapter just to describe a pencil. don't get me wrong, I appreciate a thorough description but this was just overkill. I liked the performance though, the narrators voice is enjoyable.

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6 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

blahh !!

I was really thinking I'd love this ...this was one of the books I thought would be one of my favorites but once I got like not even half way all I wanted to do was to turn it off.. was just boring ...like the beginning was fun and exciting then It just went flat ...

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible.

Wow, just wow. This book was unlike any other I’ve read. The story is creative, layered, well written, and brilliant. The narration is so well done. She takes on the voices of so many characters perfectly, drawing you into the story. I couldn’t stop listening and was sad to have it end. You will think of the story days after it’s over.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Sad it ended!

Amazing story!!! So captivating and kept me engaged the whole way through!! I truly didn't want it to end!!! The reader's voice is very easy to listen too as well. Highly, highly recommend this book!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • DK
  • 2022-08-26

Engaging

An unexpectedly wonderful adventure spanning several hundred years. As a fan of supernatural fiction, this hit all the spots

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not bad

I’d probably give it 3.5/5 overall if that was an option but it’s not so I rounded up. Decent enough just not a wow for me.

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  • C.V. Cox
  • 2020-10-18

Prose style not to my liking

The story is interesting and the voice actor is good, but there is just one level of emotion throughout all the hours of this book. Perhaps if I’d read it rather than listening to it I’d have enjoyed it more. I kept finding myself rolling my eyes because I felt like was listening to a melodramatic teen who feels everything excessively intensely. Who can keep that up for 300 years? I also didn’t like the prose style— multiple similes for what seemed like everything. I think a more thorough editing and a firmer director activeIy looking for interpretations that would allow for variation in the emotional tone would have made a better experience for me. I liked the ending.

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275 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • joseph strickland
  • 2020-10-17

I'm glad it's finally over...

You'll need to gird your loins if you're going to dive into this book. It is deep, dark, heavy and sad. After each listening session, you'll feel like a soggy, wet blanket has been placed over your soul. The narration was sublime and needed to be to drag u thru the depths of this book. It needed far more dialog between the characters, as it read more like a memoir about Addie and Henry than a novel. So much detail! And Henry's background story should have been less, and Addie's more. This seemed to be 2 books in 1. Having said all this, it was beautifully recorded and the prose was magnificent. How someone could have come up with this subject matter and lived to tell about it is a miracle in itself. It is depressing and lovely, all at the same time. You have been warned.

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233 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • J. M. Silva
  • 2020-10-07

So much better than I was expecting and that was already high

Oh my god I can’t even begin to explain what goes on in this book. So much happens, emotions just explode out of the words; out of Julia’s performance. This is my third book from V. E. Schwab and she knocked it out of the park and straight into space. The ending (without spoiling much) is bittersweet but it closes the story nicely.

This came out at the perfect time. It’s a great and powerful story, amongst a bleak and unpredictable year. I want to revisit this novel again sometime soon.

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112 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Nom de Guerre
  • 2020-10-07

Schwab at her best

I've read a lot of V.E. Schwab's work, including her Conjuring of Light series, middle years works, YA stuff. Overall, Addie LaRue is a sophisticated and engaging book, one I prefer to Conjuring of Light. It has echoes of Gene Wolfe (Latro), Neil Gaiman (Hobb in the Sandman), and Erin Morgenstern (in general). I am knocking it down a star because about halfway through, the book became overwhelmed by the romance. The romance is important to the plot, but I just didn't find it very compelling. I decided not to recommend the book to several friends just on the basis of the romance, though I think a lot of other people will really like this aspect of the book. Just not me, or my friends.

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89 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Mijo
  • 2020-10-15

Two Centuries too Long

Interesting idea and excellent narration. However, slow to start and for my taste a main character that lacked, well, character.
I could understand the innocence and lack of experience at the beginning of the story but as the chapters unfolded her development was superficial and manipulative.
This was not a book I would recommend to most friends.

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87 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Tatiana
  • 2020-10-08

Best book i’ve ever read

Wow, just wow. Everything about this book is five stars. The story is so heartfelt and heart wrenching at the same time. I think people of all audiences could fall in love with this book and find themselves entranced in Addies life.

Julia Whalen has done an immensely great job at performing this book and made it all the more real.

One read through is simply not enough for this book it will definitely be one that you keep coming back for.

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54 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • DAWN
  • 2020-10-12

Wow!

I momentarily hesitated before purchasing this audiobook, but the reviews were so strong that I decided to give it a try. I finished this book in a little over 24 hours, playing at a slightly higher speed of course. The characters are incredibly vivid and, though aspects of the selling your soul storyline have been told before, the book is still fresh and like nothing I have ever read previously. I definitely recommend this book!

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53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Claudia Guerreiro
  • 2020-10-15

the never ending, boring, repetitive, need of a bi

way too long. way too repetitive. way too pointless. I'm glag it was on audible and didn't actually waste my time reading it

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48 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • oregongirl
  • 2020-10-08

beautiful

I love anything by this author, but this is different than all of her other stories. you can feel her love and passion for Addie in every line. I am so happy that she was finally able to share this with us.

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36 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Veronica
  • 2020-10-11

Stunning!

Whoa! What a beautiful experience! The story was fantastic, hard to put it down. I was invested in it from beginning to end. Also, Julia's performance was incredible. I cannot recommend it enough.

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  • Florian Girardin
  • 2020-10-20

A wonder to listen ! A masterpiece

The quality of the narration is out of this world and I listen to a lot of fictions. Julia Whelan is able to give an auditive identity to each character and her voice gives each word an impact, a taste that enchanted me for the last week. I m a French researcher in medieval literature and folklore and Victoria schwab made such a good representation of the dark... This is brilliant. This is literature.

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7 people found this helpful

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  • Nameless_random
  • 2021-06-30

Magique !

La voix de la conteuse est aussi incroyable que l'histoire. J'ai vraiment passé un bon moment !

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Judith Dubois
  • 2020-10-26

Excellent narration and good story idea.

Some passages a bit too repetitious. I wish there had been more surprises. Sex with the devil should be less predictable.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Gaelle C.
  • 2021-06-23

Smooth and smart, I will remember you Adie!

Voice and story are great! It was a really good time spent listening this book! Thank you for these moments 👍

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Grégory
  • 2021-06-09

Full of wonders

A wonderful book! I was quickly ingulfed in the story, which is easy-going yet so disturbing especially in the beginning, when you discover things. The story is a bit lengthy sometimes … but the details and the caracters are so wonderful that it’s nice to take the time.
I was a bit worried about the performance, after some comments, but I found the voice, the tonalities and the accents (especially Addie’s and Luc’s voices!) excellent.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Sasha Hart
  • 2021-04-22

Take your time listening to this. It needs to be savoured.

I am so mad at that ending. It is perfect but I want more. I have so many questions but the answers would dull this.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Yasmine
  • 2022-02-07

Absolutely wonderful!

I´m quoting a previous review because Florian could not have put my thoughts and feeling into better words: ¨The quality of the narration is out of this world and I listen to a lot of fiction. Julia Whelan is able to give an auditive identity to each character and her voice gives each word an impact, a taste that enchanted me for the last week. I m a French researcher in medieval literature and folklore and Victoria Schwab made such a good representation of the dark... This is brilliant. This is literature.¨

I wholeheartedly agree with this as such I not only loved the book but think I would not have loved it as much if it wasn´t for the narrator. Coup de coeur!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Harrison
  • 2022-02-07

Great read

The narrator is fantastic and breaths life into the amazing tale about love and loss.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Anonymous User
  • 2022-01-18

Listened in 2 days!

capting story very well red by Julia Whelan, also understandable for non native speakers.
The story was very captivating but a little deceiving in the end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Lynaël
  • 2021-10-31

Beautiful

An incredibly beautiful story, and an outstanding narration. Not a single moment that disappoints. Perfect.

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1 person found this helpful