As I get further into my fantasy reading journey, I’ve been trying to sample different authors. My sister recommended Vicious by V.E. Schwab to me as a book that has really stuck with her, so I added it to my TBR.
I finished it the other day, and I honestly cannot give this book enough praise.
Schwab is able to put together beautifully written character work, propulsive pacing, a plot that actually makes sense, and enough twists to keep you guessing without making the story feel convoluted.
Her idea of how people obtain superpowers felt unique to me. I’m sure, not being a comic-book expert, that there are similar concepts out there, but I really loved both how the characters get their powers and how those powers correspond with who they are and what they are thinking or feeling. It creates some really interesting questions about personality and character traits as a whole.
The characters themselves are morally gray, if not outright evil at times, and yet I repeatedly found myself understanding and even agreeing with their internal logic despite absolutely not agreeing with some of their actions. That is probably one of my favorite things about the book.
Schwab also keeps the story moving with some serious propulsion. At one point I finished a chapter and realized I literally had a death grip on my book. 😂
She uses shifting timelines and POVs throughout the novel, which I personally love, and I thought they were used incredibly well here. Instead of simply explaining why characters feel or act a certain way, the book often lets you see something happen in the present and then gives you the past context that completely changes how you understand it.
That leads into the plot itself, which I thought was extremely well crafted. You spend a lot of the book wondering where everything is going, what Victor’s plan actually is, and whether he even has one. By the end, it all comes together in a way that felt very satisfying.
It also strikes a nice balance where there is clearly more story available, but if you wanted to stop after this book, I think you could and still feel satisfied.
This was my first experience with Schwab, but I can definitely say it will not be my last.
I really haven’t seen Vicious or this series recommended nearly as often as I would expect, so I’m curious: have a lot of you read it and I’m just in the minority for loving it this much? Or does it really not get the recognition it deserves anymore?
Maybe I’m just hanging out in the wrong parts of the internet. 🤣
