Vicious wasn’t a part of my August TBR but here we are. It had a discount on Google Play Store and I couldn’t resist. This was my first book, I’ve been meaning to read one of V.E Schwab books since I watched her interview with Neil Gaiman a few months ago. Also she sure comes with a hype. So I felt like this was a good place to start. And oh boy, was I right.
Vicious is a different kind of superhero story. It’s the first installment of Schwab’s Villains serie, so you get the gist. We follow two pre-med students and “friends”, Victor and Eli and their journey through ten years. The book doesn’t have a linear timeline, we go back and forth, jump from time to time and it is very enjoyable.
Vicious is very easy to read, fun, lead characters are very interesting and nothing is black and white. As a classic fantasy reader, I like the ultimate bad and pure good trope but I also enjoy being charmed by a villain and this book manages it very well. It is very addictive and I couldn’t put this book down.
Athough I couldn’t put it down, it’s still a four star book for me because I felt like it dragged a little towards the end and all that 350 page build up concluded very quickly. I loved reading about Victor and Eli, I loved being in their heads and explore their thoughts and motivations but when it comes to action, it didn’t feel the same. Of course I don’t want to spoil it for the people who haven’t read it yet but I think I can safely say that due to some aspects within the story, stakes did not feel high enough and everything felts safe. That killed some of the excitement in the final act for me. You can easily see some stuff coming miles away.
While it’s great to get to know characters like
In general, this book did not disappoint and I can’t wait to continue the series with Vengeful. I hear it is even better than Vicious. And I believe I will enjoy V.E. Schwab’s upcoming adult works. I would put this book barely outside of YA, but sue me, I liked it. Vicious is a great, light read with an adult sci-fi-y vibe and I can’t recommend it enough.
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