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ivusus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
outlast0002's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Self harm, Torture, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction
queensplay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book sadly didn't live up to my expectations, since I was super excited to read it. It was still a really good read! I love morally gray people, and Victor did live up to that. I know he secretly cared about them, even though he didn't want to admit it.
I love love love Sydney. She was my favourite character.Not to mention she can raise the dead??? That's so cool! Probably one of my favourite EO powers in the book. She also goes from a quiet kid to "I hope Victor hurts him." she said cheerfully, "A lot." Like??? She turns into someone who wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone, or be happy that someone is hurt, because they hurt someone else first, and I love that for her <3
Someone I love, someone I hate: Serena. She makes me so mad. It seemed like she had no guilt over her actions (but I mean, tHeY aRen'T hUmAn).You mean to say you TURNED YOUR BACK ON YOUR SISTER SO THAT SOMEONE COULD KILL HER???? WTF Serena. And then you proceed to try to kill Mitch? Fuck no, not my Mitch.
Mitch's backstory is so sad. He deserves a huge hug, because honestly, he's not a bad guy. He's absolutely precious, and I love him.
Finally: This. Ending. The best ending I've read in a while. The conclusion came together so perfectly, and everyone I wanted dealt with was dealt with. And oh, did I love Eli's ending.
What they did to Serena? That scene-mwah. Chef's fucking kiss. Her telling Mitch to kill himself, but there were no bullets in the gun, and then Victor coming out of the shadows and killing her? 💅💅💅 The only thing about that, is something Sydney though after, about how Eli was going to pay for killing her sister, or something, and now I'm worried what's that going to do in the next book.
Eli's ending, though. Ohhhh, karma. What Victor first did to him, that was fucking awesome. And then when he though he won, killing Victor, but then the police come in, and arrest him while he's blabbing on and on about being a "hero" hahahahahahahaha. I suppose he quickly realized how much he needed Serena then hahahahaha. I loved it. One of the best endings in a book.
And see! This is why Sydney's power is awesome. She could raise Victor up from the dead! They're so Dad/Daughter 🥰
I love love love Sydney. She was my favourite character.
Someone I love, someone I hate: Serena. She makes me so mad. It seemed like she had no guilt over her actions (but I mean, tHeY aRen'T hUmAn).
Mitch's backstory is so sad. He deserves a huge hug, because honestly, he's not a bad guy. He's absolutely precious, and I love him.
Finally: This. Ending. The best ending I've read in a while. The conclusion came together so perfectly, and everyone I wanted dealt with was dealt with. And oh, did I love Eli's ending.
Eli's ending, though. Ohhhh, karma. What Victor first did to him, that was fucking awesome. And then when he though he won, killing Victor, but then the police come in, and arrest him while he's blabbing on and on about being a "hero" hahahahahahahaha. I suppose he quickly realized how much he needed Serena then hahahahaha. I loved it. One of the best endings in a book.
And see! This is why Sydney's power is awesome. She could raise Victor up from the dead! They're so Dad/Daughter 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Torture
enchanteddroppings's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
(2nd read: may 31 2024 - June 1st 2024)
The first time I read this book was in 2016, a couple years after it was released. I don’t remember how I came across it, but I remember thinking that the plot seemed interesting. As I read it, I remember thinking how different it was to all the other books I’ve ever read. Most books had clear morally black or white characters. This book was purely about morally gray characters. Maybe even dark gray. It felt like the origin story of how a villain came to be. Sure enough, a couple years later, the sequel of the book was released and the series was named “Villains”.
This was the first book by V.E. Schwab I ever read and it’s why I jumped to read her next book, A Darker Shade of Magic, when it was released. That book did not hit the same way Vicious did and it is probably why even though the sequel to “Vicious”, Vengeful, was released in 2018, I didn’t jump to read it.
It took me 5 years to finish reading A Darker Shade of Magic. I initially DNF’d it, but somehow thought I finished it, but I couldn’t remember the story. I then got the audiobook to finish it and the voice narrator didn’t do a good job in my opinion.
The experience with A Darker Shade of Magic left me wondering how could an author be so polarizing? I wondered if I should read Vengeful since I finally bought the book. Most of the reviews on Booktube for A Darker Shade of Magic were on the positive side. I read the graphic novels for A Darker Shade of Magic series and liked them. So I decided to reread A Darker Shade of Magic. This time since I had a better sense of the world and what was going on, it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. I do think I might have rated it higher the second time, if I read it and not listened to the audiobook. The voice actor didn’t do female character voices, attitudes, and dispositions well. The words on the page did not match the emotions and personality the voice actor was giving to the characters.
I decided to finally read the sequel Vengeful, but because it has been so long since I read “Vicious”, I decided to re-read it. I still think it is a great book. However, I remember having a clear side I was on the last time I read the book. This time, I noticed so much more, and I kept changing sides. By the end of the book, I was on no one’s side, lol. If anything, I was on the little girl’s side.
While reading this book, I kept noticing similarities to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein: The 1818 Text. I was convinced that this was a modern remake or take on the same theme as Frankenstein. Between finishing this book and writing this review, I have since reread Frankenstein: The 1818 Text and still see similarities but in different ways.
The first time I read this book was in 2016, a couple years after it was released. I don’t remember how I came across it, but I remember thinking that the plot seemed interesting. As I read it, I remember thinking how different it was to all the other books I’ve ever read. Most books had clear morally black or white characters. This book was purely about morally gray characters. Maybe even dark gray. It felt like the origin story of how a villain came to be. Sure enough, a couple years later, the sequel of the book was released and the series was named “Villains”.
This was the first book by V.E. Schwab I ever read and it’s why I jumped to read her next book, A Darker Shade of Magic, when it was released. That book did not hit the same way Vicious did and it is probably why even though the sequel to “Vicious”, Vengeful, was released in 2018, I didn’t jump to read it.
It took me 5 years to finish reading A Darker Shade of Magic. I initially DNF’d it, but somehow thought I finished it, but I couldn’t remember the story. I then got the audiobook to finish it and the voice narrator didn’t do a good job in my opinion.
The experience with A Darker Shade of Magic left me wondering how could an author be so polarizing? I wondered if I should read Vengeful since I finally bought the book. Most of the reviews on Booktube for A Darker Shade of Magic were on the positive side. I read the graphic novels for A Darker Shade of Magic series and liked them. So I decided to reread A Darker Shade of Magic. This time since I had a better sense of the world and what was going on, it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. I do think I might have rated it higher the second time, if I read it and not listened to the audiobook. The voice actor didn’t do female character voices, attitudes, and dispositions well. The words on the page did not match the emotions and personality the voice actor was giving to the characters.
I decided to finally read the sequel Vengeful, but because it has been so long since I read “Vicious”, I decided to re-read it. I still think it is a great book. However, I remember having a clear side I was on the last time I read the book. This time, I noticed so much more, and I kept changing sides. By the end of the book, I was on no one’s side, lol. If anything, I was on the little girl’s side.
While reading this book, I kept noticing similarities to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein: The 1818 Text. I was convinced that this was a modern remake or take on the same theme as Frankenstein. Between finishing this book and writing this review, I have since reread Frankenstein: The 1818 Text and still see similarities but in different ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
alisa_justonemorechapter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
it’s was so fascinating and captivating, the first book i‘ve read by that author but i love her writing style
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
capsandclauses's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
Wow. I think anti-heroes might just be my jam. If you haven't read Vicious already (which you probably have because it was released over a decade ago and is really popular), Vicious is the vigilante origin story of Victor Vale, a prison escapee with the power to stop pain. Years ago in college, Victor and his sociopathic best friend Eli Cardale (now Ever), experimented on themselves to turn themselves into superpowers, until one night where it all went wrong. Victor ended up in jail and Eli ended up a superhero (but really not at all).
Now, Victor has broken out of jail and along with a young girl and his soft-hearted giant of a fellow escapee, is out for revenge.
I loved the reluctant found family vibes. The powers were cool. And the characters were absolutely ruthless.
“But these words people threw around - humans, monsters, heroes, villains - to Victor it was all just a matter of semantics. Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
Wow. I think anti-heroes might just be my jam. If you haven't read Vicious already (which you probably have because it was released over a decade ago and is really popular), Vicious is the vigilante origin story of Victor Vale, a prison escapee with the power to stop pain. Years ago in college, Victor and his sociopathic best friend Eli Cardale (now Ever), experimented on themselves to turn themselves into superpowers, until one night where it all went wrong. Victor ended up in jail and Eli ended up a superhero (but really not at all).
Now, Victor has broken out of jail and along with a young girl and his soft-hearted giant of a fellow escapee, is out for revenge.
I loved the reluctant found family vibes. The powers were cool. And the characters were absolutely ruthless.
“But these words people threw around - humans, monsters, heroes, villains - to Victor it was all just a matter of semantics. Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Torture
alexashabit's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death
katebella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction and Drug use
lyndle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Pretty dark and bloody but very cool plot structure. The first half walks you through multiple timelines to explain where the characters are and how they got there; then we watch each character progress and make decisions from there. Very character driven and introspective, but good characters and cool story beats. Somehow missed that this was basically a dark superhero book when I picked it up. Lots of trigger warnings below but none of them felt super triggering or were intended to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Alcohol
fantastiskfiktion's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Abandonment