verpissdich's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Self harm, and Drug abuse
sofiadanielle'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
4.25
It’s safe to say that I don’t hold much love for the two main characters, though I was quite fond of Mitch and Sydney (and Dol, of course.) Despite my apathy for Victor and Eli, I found myself quite enamored with the storyline.
The way the story was told was interesting, with the switching POVs + time skips, and though I found it slightly disorienting at first, I was definitely intrigued and interested, motivated to keep reading on.
Dark and a bit violent, but so easy to get drawn into. Excited to start Vengeful soon!
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Gun violence, Death, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Self harm, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
danascolesi's review
5.0
Graphic: Self harm and Death
Moderate: Murder
casualk's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Death
Minor: Self harm
cowardlyteaman's review against another edition
- 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
Fucking hell, this was a WILD RIDE.
I love every single one of the characters, and I love the way this book kept me hooked 100% of the while.
Even though Victor is «edgy» in a way, it just makes sense for him in such a good and logical way. I'm not annoyed or icked by it, I just like his character.
Loving the way Mitch's character is built up, too, and of course Sydney.
I especially loved Eli and Serena as villains, too. Nothing I love more than a sexy and crazed religious man and a fem-dom.
For a while, I was conflicted on what I thought about people being revived. However, I don't think it matters here? In all other media, it seriously bothers me, but in this book in particular, who lives and who dies isn't really what keeps you on edge, it's how the characters' relationships with each other develops. I absolutely love the dynamic between each and every character, I CANNOT stress any more how much I LOVED reading this.
Ditched Norwegian, maths, and economics class for this book.
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Violence, Drug abuse, Murder, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
ahpets's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Torture, Animal death, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
readwithsophsx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Self harm, Violence, Murder, and Gun violence
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
ashlynregan's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Stalking, Car accident, Child death, Sexual assault, and Torture
atomicrobin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Child death, Toxic relationship, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, and Gun violence