Vicious by V.E. Schwab – Book Review

I originally read Vicious a few years ago so I wanted to reread it before Vengeful released. And it was just as amazing as I remembered it to be!

Rating: 5/5

If you don’t know what Vicious is about then you can read the synopsis from goodreads here:

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 arch nemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

This book is a wonderfully dark story filled with morally grey characters. It deals with the complexities of what a hero and villain is. Both Eli and Victor are complex, dark and very arrogant. They always know how to be in front of people but inside are something else altogether.

The first chapter shows Victor with Sydney digging up someone’s grave. It is such an interesting way of opening a book because it makes you instantly curious and want to know why he is doing that. We then are taken back ten years to when Victor was at university and each chapter goes forward and back in time through which we are slowly given the information to understand the full story. It built up the suspense and made me want to read one more chapter to see the big picture.

Victor Vale is one of my favourite characters and our anti-hero, he is arrogant, ridiculously smart and petty and is hell bent on seeking revenge but he still cares for those he works with, especially Sydney. The way he is with Sydney is just adorable! He does use her for his own advantage but still tries to protect her when it’s possible. I was totally rooting for him throughout the book.

Eli was his own brand of crazy, he has a god complex and feels that what he does is truly the right thing to do. I just couldn’t relate to him at all. He was a sociopath, even when his girlfriend died he didn’t feel anything, just used it to his advantage.

Sydney and Serena’s relationship was so tragic. You could see how close they were before they became EO’s and that path led them down a destructive road and they ended up on opposites. It was heart breaking watching their relationship devolve and I truly felt so bad for Sydney.

Sydney is a child and is pulled into this because of Serena and she’s innocent but at the same time it was scary how well she adjusted to Victor’s plans and didn’t seem fazed or scared by it.

Vicious is an addictive, fast paced read and if you love anti-heroes with an element of sci-fi then I know you will love this book!