Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review.

PUBLISHER:

TOR

If you follow me on Twitter you'll know I’ve been talking about Vicious. A LOT. This is a novel that has captured my interest since I first read the premise: College roommates Victor and Eli have cracked the code on turning ordinary humans into EO’s aka Extra Ordinary's, humans with powers. The process severs a fragile friendship between the two men with Victor ending up in jail and Eli coming to an enlightenment that leads him on a murderous path. Now after 10 years Victor is free and hungry for revenge.

Schwab know her stuff. As a fangirl I find her homage's to the comic book world a lot of fun. It is obvious that she is a fan of the superhero world but she wraps it in subtle layers that make this book friendly to readers who know about comics or those who don’t.

What I Loved

Pacing

I usually don't like books that hop all over the place chronologically, It can be distracting. But the way this book moves from events 10 years ago, to a year ago and present day, is not confusing but a page turning reading experience that won’t let you put the book down!.  Schwab really  raises the level of this technique

Powers

Cracking the code to EO creation leads Eli and Victor to discover how the mental state of the transformed is a huge part of what they manifest. The pair also discover that there are a lot more EO’s in the world with varying powers. In the superhero world the basic powers are  flight, invulnerability, temperature based and even cosmic in nature. Schwab however chose abilities that were very unique and interpreted them in very interesting ways. Serena however has one of the most interesting powers I would love to see pop up in main stream comics  ( no spoilers!)

The Ladies

I talk a lot in my reviews about female characters, especially in comics. When I first read the blurb about the book I thought where are the women? I soon found out. Serena and Sydney are sisters who died together and both manifested powers. Serena leaves home and later encounters Eli, causing a major glitch in his plans but also giving him the means to succeed in his mission far easier than  he ever imagined.

Sydney barely escapes the machinations of this pair and falls under the protection of Victor. A twist of fate that will make a world of difference in the coming battle.

A very satisfying read! I would love to see more of these characters and a lot more of Schwab’s writing. This book has a complete story Arc with a definite ending but an opening for more stories. My favorite book of October.