"EO's were weapons, yes, but weapons with minds and wills and bodies, things that could be bent and twisted and broken and used."First of all, I want to say that this book was beautiful. There are a few (and only a few things) that I would know going into this book: superpowers, nemesis, anti-villians, anti-heroes, and (my personal favorite) morally grey characters.
Second of all, I want to say that this book is kind of similar to a spider web: it's beautiful, interwoven, and mysterious. That being said, I don't want to say too much and give away the beauty and the mystery of it all.
I can't think of a thing that I didn't love about this novel, so let's talk about everything (well, not everyhting) I loved about V.E. Schwab's debut adult novel.
EO = ExtraOrdinary
The Characters
I can't read a book if the characters are horrible, not morally horrible but horribly built. I just can't read about characters that I don't care about. Even though our two main characters, Victor and Eli, are as morally grey and ambiguous as characters can get. They're both well written and well fleshed-out. It's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
Also, sidekicks galore! Where they come in is a bit too deep in the web for me to say, but oh my goodness you care about these sidekicks. Victoria Schwab is not scared to mess with your nerves and emotions.
The Story
It's not your average battle of good versus evil because (as I mentioned) our two main characters are as grey as grey can be.
What is good?
What's evil?
Who defines villians and heroes, good and evil?
Can people play God? Or does fate look down upon them?
Who deserves second chances?
Who are we to give or deny second chances?
The Pacing
It never stops moving. Ever. I never ever wanted to quit reading it. With the mix of past-present and short chapters, picking up this book before bed is the easiest way to stay up all night reading. Trust me, I know.
Status: New Favorite
Content: PG-13
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Published: 24 September 2013 by Tor Books
Format - Pages: Paperback - 384
Source: Barnes and Noble
Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Superpowers
A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.
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.
"A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one…highly recommended!" - Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero
Have you read this book? Do you want to / did you love it as much as I did? Tell me down in the comments!
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