anacloudniine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The second book from V.E. Schwab that I’ve read and the second time I wasn’t disappointed by her fantastic world building and creative plot premise. Both, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Vicious are unforgettable tales, but there was a certain level of daring in this one that I truly did not expect.
Schwab did not hold back when writing Vicious, a shadowy dark story of villainous characters fiddling with the idea of becoming twisted “heroes” in the name of vengeance. Just about every chapter was laced with death and disdain that played out like a movie in my mind and made my stomach twirl with unease.
I found myself rooting for characters I would have originally thought otherwise of, ie. Victor, Serena, and Dominic, all of whom I found to be fascinating. I really enjoyed their EO abilities. I was underwhelmed by Sydney and Mitch, to be frank, and Eli was… a bit much. But when the built-up climax was revealed, I was glued to the story and really enjoyed how it all played out in the end.
All that being said, I felt the story was missing… something difficult to put my finger on, but once I closed the book, I realized what it truly lacked was my emotional connection to it all. Maybe because the story was laced, front to back, with jealousy, betrayal, and vengeance… maybe because each character was one-track minded the entire time, I found the story to be pretty one-dimensional and impossible to truly connect to. I realized what carried me through the book were my own questions and discomfort in a stopping point, and less about resonating with the characters or the story itself. I never really felt like I was fully in the story with the characters, and instead felt like an observer interfering on a sick, chaotic, interpersonal mess. That’s honestly what separates my rating from a 5 star to a 4. Oh, and the fact that I would never reread this story, being that it is way too dark and gloomy for my personal liking.
Aside from the stink of it, I would recommend reading this for all who enjoy out-of-pocket, daring plots and unconventional characters. It was truly incomparable to anything else I’ve ever read lately.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Suicide, Gore, and Self harm
pjdotcom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Medical content, Death, Murder, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Child death, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
elinorn's review
3.0
Graphic: Death and Suicide
molzeus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Torture, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse
praaliine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, Gun violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Animal death, and Alcoholism
chronicacademia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Gore, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, and Toxic friendship
jgalla's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Self harm, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Gore, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Cursing
violetaffairs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Spoiler
Eli is driven by religion and the belief that he is no longer himself. Maybe he was right and something is missing, but his self-righteousness refuses to allow him to see it would be missing from him too. Victor wants to put an end to Eli's reign but has questionable methods and motivations.Perfection. V.E. Schwab is brilliant.
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Suicide, Drug use, Self harm, and Gun violence
jenpen's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
This book was thrilling. It has uniquely slow pacing with the way it goes back and forth through snippets of past events, so it’s definitely not for everyone and I did find certain parts a bit uninteresting. However, the scenes all play a role in the characters’ development, and it made for the perfect book to read in between others.
The author has absolutely beautiful writing, but on top of that, the plot was very well thought out. The ending was phenomenal and so *so* satisfying.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, and Death
fiizso's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Violence, Gun violence, Suicide, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury