Vicious Review

What if a school project went so wrong that you ended up with superpowers? That is where Vicious by V.E. Schwab starts. Victor and Eli are roommates in college when their college thesis gets assigned. Eli chooses to study ExtraOrdinaries (people with superpowers) while Victor studies the effects of adrenaline. Together they find a way to create ExtraOrdinaries, and that’s where it all goes wrong. Ten years later, Victor gets out of jail and decides to hunt down Eli, but Eli has been up to schemes of his own.

Vicious is a story that flips many conventional story tropes and does so well. The plot is told through a series of flashbacks and current events that meld together seamlessly to create an incredible story. Nothing in the pacing feels abrupt or jarring, even when the story changes from present to past and back again. The plot is driven by a great cast of relatable and unique characters. Their own backstories and motives pair perfectly to the overall storyline. Complete with an engaging storyline filled with great characters paired with the writing talent of V.E. Schwab, you cannot go wrong by picking up this book.

If you love anti-heroes then this is definitely the book for you. Vicious will suck you in right from the beginning and leave you asking yourself why you waited so long to read it in the first place. Vicious is the first book in the Villians duology (Vengeful being the second) and, while I haven’t read the second book yet, the first book has built something truly amazing!

MAYA OEVERMAN

Editor Emeritus at The City Voice | MIPA Honorable Mention Award Winner

I am a Senior at City and I normally write the weekly book reviews! If I'm not reading, you can usually find me at the barn riding and taking care of the horses.