Series: The Villains #1
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.
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.
*Publisher provided the ebook via Netgalley for the tour. My review is honest and without bias.
REVIEW
Getting into main characters and how I feel about them. Victor and Eli both had savage ways, in my opinion. Eli, of course, was the bigger monster, weaponizing his beliefs and using God as justification to be judge and jury over other extraordinary individuals. If he felt that deeply about it then he should have started with himself. Even writing about him irks me. And it wasn't even like he was this great person in the beginning. Eli always came off as self-righteous and conceited. And the things Victor had detected in his personality from the moment they became roommates and friends, developed immensely when Eli became EO and started on a mission to kill the others.
Speaking of Victor, he had some shady ways about him too. I think these guys crossed paths because both had something inside similar to the other. Victor also had a messed up head. He had jealous ways and definitely wanted to become EO because Eli had achieved that. And I feel that a lot of the hurt and betrayal he felt went back to a certain girl between them and how the whole thing played out after Eli turned him in. But in spite of being vicious at times, Victor still had better control of himself and in the end, he was nothing like Eli. Yes, Sydney's character became more interesting to him once he'd realized her abilities. But that changed quickly and even though he didn't show it much, it was obvious he cared for the girl. She was like family, just like Mitch and how they connected. But in Eli's case, he cared for no one. I doubt he ever truly considered Victor as a friend. The only reason he kept Serena around was due to the fact that he was unable to tear himself from her, and her ability helped his horrible mission. In the end, she definitely deserved what she got, but like I mentioned before, Eli's fall wasn't as satisfying as I would have liked.
So for my final thoughts: a very intriguing story with a few supernatural and scientific moments here and there. Characters weren't perfect. There wasn't a clear hero and no one was without complications. And although I did appreciate all the details involving the background for each character and the frequent back and forth between past and present, the overflow made me feel a tad overwhelmed and the switch could get confusing if you're not staying sharp. However, I knew I had to just look past those issues and understand that they were necessary to the story in order to better understand these individuals: who they were before all this and why they were like that now. Plus, the concept of EOs and how they came to have their abilities was the most interesting part and not really like anything you've seen in movies or read about more. That was unique in a sense and rather refreshing. It left me wanting to learn more, so I am curious as to what happens next after that ending.
~BLACKOUT POETRY~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
VICTORIA (V.E.) SCHWAB is the author of the NYT bestselling
Shades of Magic series, as well as a number of MG and YA novels,
including This Savage Song. She has been called
"the heir to Diana Wynne Jones." Her dynamic work has caught the
attention of major TV and film studios. Schwab has a Masters degree in Art
History from the University of Edinburgh. She currently lives in Nashville,
Tennessee, but frequents Edinburgh.
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