Vicious

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have heard a lot of people rave about this book. The hype surrounding it seemed to be almost too good to be true.. and it kind of was. I do really like the book, sure, but is it the best thing I’ve ever read? No. I enjoyed reading it and I’ll be reading more from Ms. Schwab, but its not quite entering the realm of favorites.

Vicious is about two friends who discover that it is possible to give themselves superpowers. And ultimately become eachother’s arch nemeses.

There were several things I really enjoyed about this book. First of all, I enjoyed the idea of everyone being the hero of their own story. For a long time I have been very intrigued by villains. What’s their motivation? Why did they turn out the way they did? And this novel caters to my borderline obsession with what makes villains tick. That being said, there isn’t really a villain in this story (but there isn’t really a hero either) just two opposing sides, both of which are not good people, who happen to have superpowers.

Everyone is doing what they think is best, it just turns out that sometimes they’re intentions are not what is best for those around them. What’s that saying about the what the road to hell is paved with..?

The characters are all wonderfully written and not a single one feels at all flat. There’s a lovable villain and a psychopathic hero and an array of wonderful “sidekicks.” All the characters are given the same resect from the author, not even the stereotypical cop-in-the-superhero-story is left out of the depth department.

The author writes beautifully and is able to bounce between timelines with ease.. it could have easily gotten confusing, but I never had a problem following along.

I do recommend that you read this if you’d like to experience a unique superhuman story and you don’t mind if the lines between good and evil aren’t just blurred, they’re nonexistent.

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