Vicious by V.E Schwab – Spoiler Free Review

I finally got around to this as part of a buddy read with Matilda from Matilda Reads so go check out the lovely lady! It’s a good job too because I needed that push to pick up it up as it is one of many books on my TBR that are so hyped up it becomes daunting. I own all of V.E Schwab’s books and so I am glad to have finally crossed one off and enjoyed it so that I can get to the rest!

Synopsis

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates – brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognised the same shapreness 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 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?

Review

This book was jam packed with morally grey characters. Obviously due to that it made it slightly difficult to connect with any characters at the beginning, but as the story went on and I learned more I got sucked in.

Vicious is told using very short chapters which is something I adore in books and helps me to fly through them. It jumped around between ten years ago and kind of present day, plus there are many different perspectives that are not very clearly defined but somehow they just worked… I never found myself confused.

I only now realised that this book is essentially character driven and that is normally not my cup of tea at all. However, there were so many different and unique characters that I needed to know more about them. I found myself relieved when we would get a chapter from a new perspective because it’d satisfy my curiosity.

As you would expect with a book about villains, some characters were completely unlikeable but I loved to hate them. I also wanted more of them so that I could understand their motivations.

Another fun fact about Vicious is that it passes the Bechdel Test since Serena and Sydney have conversations not about men/boys. V.E Schwab also does not focus on any romantic relationships which is refreshing and something I know people are looking for.

My only slight criticism is that there is a new character introduced towards the end that seemed every so slight convenient. Thankfully it wasn’t unbelievable and was still really interesting.

My rating: 4/5