Vicious | Review

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?

This book was so freaking good, not that I expected anything less from Schwab.

This book was written in multi third person pov which made so much sense for this book. We’re jumping between time periods and things happening in different locations in this book so it worked well. Plus, the backstory between Victor and Eli is unfolded slowly throughout the book so the third person pov also helps with that.

One thing I was really excited for with this book is that it’s full of morally gray characters! Each person has their own agenda and reason for doing what they think is right, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. Something in the acknowledgments mentioned that this book is about mortality and morality and that’s a beautiful way to sum this up.

There weren’t loads of action-packed fighting scenes like I thought there would be, but I wasn’t mad about that because the book was still interesting. There were still things happening and the plot was progressing and backstory was being revealed and I loved it.

Overall, this book was practically perfect in every way. I’m almost scared to read book two because I thought this book ended wonderfully and I’m not sure I want to mess with that.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by V.E. Schwab, go to her Goodreads profile or her website.