Book Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
A fast-paced, paranormal ride that keeps you guessing until the end.
This was such a fun ride!
I really enjoyed the way the timeline was set up, to give the reader perspective on the characters and their motivations and experiences.
"Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human."
I also really enjoyed the rivalry between Eli and Victor, it was interesting and tense to see how their origin stories played out and how it got them to where they are at the end.
I’ve read two of VE Schwab’s books so far this year (Invisible Life of Addie LaRue in the beginning of 2024) and I’ve come to really enjoy her writing style. It’s so beautifully descriptive and emotional, and intense in a way that keeps you turning page after page.
"The absence of pain led to an absence of fear, and the absence of fear lead to a disregard for consequence."
A fast-paced read that I couldn’t put down.
Rating: ★★★★.5
Book Summary
- Title: Vicious
- Author: V.E. Schwab
- Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal
- Who Should Read It? A fun ride for those interested in dark academia and paranormal writing.
Synopsis: Victor and Eli started out as college roommates―brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find―aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge―but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.
