Review: Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Vicious
V. E. Schwab
Release: September 24, 2013
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A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.

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.

Review by Rose Red:
Vicious was the first adult novel by V.E. (Victoria) Schwab I've read and it was awesome! I’ve read all of her YA books and I loved them all! She has definitely earned a spot on my autobuy list. Schwab is one of those authors I completely trust.

You know those books that suck you into the story and keep you thinking about them long after you finish them. Vicious was that for me. It met my high expectations and then proceeded to blow them out of the water.

“There are no good men in this game.”

Vicious is about superheroes and super villains, but it’s not your normal superhero story. It really explores the question about what kind of person you would become if you had super powers. The characters are complex. The writing is intelligent and very quotable. The story is fascinating and not predictable.

“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”

Her characters are so complexly fantastic you love and hate the characters at the same time. The multiple points-of-view were perfect and didn't take away from our main character. In my mind, Victor and Eli are like Tony Stark and Bruce Banner from The Avengers but if they had had a falling out. They are those friends that are similar yet opposite in so many ways but are joined together by the unifying bands of science and the pursuit of knowledge. They are perfectly imperfect characters that had me hooked from the first page. I loved both Victor and Eli, but I'm totally Team Victor. Eli wasn't as loveable as Victor is. Not only were they great but all the side characters are wonderfully complex as well.

The pacing of the story was spot on. I loved how it switched back and forth between the present and the past. The flashbacks really added to depth to the characters and the plot and provided a way for us to see why Eli and Victor are now enemies and not friends. The truly great thing about this novel is that it makes you think. It makes you wonder about special abilities and what lengths humans would go to become ExtraOrdinary. Some of the characters suffer a loss of self, and taking that journey with them was such an experience.

Vicious was my favorite book of last year and it quickly became one of my favorite books ever. Words really can't do the awesomeness contained in this book justice. All I can say is GO READ IT! You will not be disappointed!

    

5 / 5  stars