Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Published: September 24th, 2013
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 384 (paperback)
Series: Villains #1
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

 

 Yet another book that I technically started months ago, but never really finished. Honestly I don't really count that though because I didn't get too far into the book before I put it down and it definitely was not because the book was boring. Grad school really kills a love of reading between the textbooks and hardly ever having free time.

I really need to start reading more of Schwab's books because so far I haven't been disappointed. I think This is the second series by her that I've started and I haven't finished yet because I haven't had the time, but I definitely will be getting around to her other books (as soon as my tbr pile is smaller). 

The writing really makes this book shine. Had someone else written this the book may have come off as dramatic and less intriguing, but Schwab has a way with keeping me glued to my seat. I also thought that the story itself was fairly unique compared to other books I've read. I loved that the concept of EO's is scientifically based rather strictly magical. It made the book slightly more realistic. I could really believe in the possibility of EO's.

The characters were really well developed as well. I could understand their motivations and they seemed more real because of it. I wish that Serena's character had been a bit more developed and given more time on the page because I think she played a more important part in the book than she was given credit for. 

I think the only reason I didn't give this book five stars was because it didn't really wow me. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed it, but the ending was shocking. While the story is compelling, it's not a story that I've been left thinking about. 

Overall, I loved the book, but it wasn't the best thing I've ever read. I think it takes quite a bit now to have me gushing over a book these days. This one did come fairly close though.