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a_chickletz's review against another edition
5.0
AHHHHHHH. Victor Vale is one of my favorite literary anti-heroes. Or villains? Or what is he?
I was so fortunate a couple years ago to actually meet Victoria and tell her how much I enjoyed Vicious. I asked her if she planned on writing a sequel and when she said 'yes' my heart flew out the window. She also signed my Vicious paperback too.
The world building was a slight issue I had in the first book, but in this one I feel the more characters made the world building tighter and acceptable. While I still find EO's and their history a bit perplexing (like, why haven't people heard of them prior to when Victor and co started playing 'God'), and they did establish there were men and women older than them that had powers, the 'powers' themselves got more depth and the limits of the powers were more explained and how people 'got' their powers they ended up with.
Victoria created quite an amazing world where one has to compete with Marvel and co and I love how she was the first one to try this twist out.
I loved Marcella and I loved June, I loved director Snell and Eli... he's still an alternate take on Superman in my eyes. But Victor... Victor will always remain my favorite because he's so chilling, so distant but as they keep mention in the book 'he's always aware'.
I really hope we get another book because I still want to know June's backstory and if Eli and Victor ever meet again.
I was so fortunate a couple years ago to actually meet Victoria and tell her how much I enjoyed Vicious. I asked her if she planned on writing a sequel and when she said 'yes' my heart flew out the window. She also signed my Vicious paperback too.
The world building was a slight issue I had in the first book, but in this one I feel the more characters made the world building tighter and acceptable. While I still find EO's and their history a bit perplexing (like, why haven't people heard of them prior to when Victor and co started playing 'God'), and they did establish there were men and women older than them that had powers, the 'powers' themselves got more depth and the limits of the powers were more explained and how people 'got' their powers they ended up with.
Victoria created quite an amazing world where one has to compete with Marvel and co and I love how she was the first one to try this twist out.
I loved Marcella and I loved June, I loved director Snell and Eli... he's still an alternate take on Superman in my eyes. But Victor... Victor will always remain my favorite because he's so chilling, so distant but as they keep mention in the book 'he's always aware'.
I really hope we get another book because I still want to know June's backstory and if Eli and Victor ever meet again.
strawhat_kd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Vengeful reads more like a comic book, which I think was a great choice, because it keeps the action moving in the book. Most of the chapters are short and even the longer chapters give you multiple POVs, helping expand the story. The new main characters are great choices because they provide a great contrast to Victor and Eli. Marcela was my favorite character in this book as she was a great villain and I was almost rooting for her. My main knock on this book is that it introduces elements, but it seems like those elements don't have any impact on the conclusion of the story. Maybe those loose strands are wrapped up in a forthcoming book. An enjoyable read, I can definitely see this story playing out on a screen somewhere, maybe a movie or an anime adaptation.
right_mew's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
flaccidunicorn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
islandreader's review against another edition
5.0
V.E. Scwhab definitely one of my favorite authors. Vicious one of my favorite books, Vengeful just as good, I need a third book Victoria lol
lenella's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
winter_daphne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
xtinaji's review against another edition
2.0
I really wish I could say I liked this book more than I did. And for all intents and purposes, it really is a solid book! There's great action scenes, an interesting premise, and a well-written plot. In terms of mechanics and structure, the narrative is constructed neatly and fluidly. However, Vengeful fell flat for me because, well, the characters were.
For one, given the multiple perspectives she filters through--Victor, Eli, Marcella, Sydney, Stell, June--it's disheartening to know nearly all the powerful players are blue-eyed, pale skinned, and beautiful. That isn't to say that's the main reason why I found myself feeling as though the novel was sub-par--I don't believe that diversity is something that should be added for the sake of being there--but I was left with a sour taste in my mouth because I KNOW she could do better. That she HAS done better in past works through including diversity in her world building, for example the Shades of Magic trilogy. The knowledge that Schwab has done great works with diversity and yet chose to forgo that inclusivity in this book was the beginning of my disappointment with Vengeful. But this is more of an aesthetic gripe I had against the book. I'd have to say the characters themselves, in terms of their construction, are the reason why I didn't like Vengeful as much as I wanted to.
I love powerful female characters as much as the next person. And Marcella is undeniably powerful--brimming with ruin and beauty. But the way Schwab described her perspective...I was left with the feeling that she could have been more. It's almost ironic in that while describing how Marcella wanted to be viewed as more than just a pretty face, Schwab doesn't develop her into a character more than that desire. It's almost as though Marcella only has surface level power. Her ambition and EO ability are markers for a powerful character, but not necessarily for a strong or well-rounded one. I found myself asking: why do we care about her character? She's just a well dressed plot developer, powerful only to somehow unite Victor and Eli. I thought she was a cool character in concept, but there was definitely a lack of depth for me. June I liked a lot better, but she wasn't given much room to be more fleshed out. Schwab said herself she leaves little seeds in her novels in case she wants to come back and explore them, but in holding back June's back story, you can definitely feel as though something is missing.
In terms of Victor and Eli--I wish they had more character development. While Eli definitely had more room to be fleshed out, Victor just felt like the same man from Vicious. It's hard to grasp them as characters beyond a few flashes of sudden vulnerability. It really felt like instead of using the characters to move the plot forward, the plot was forcing the characters to adhere to the beats that Schwab wanted implemented.
I can tell she worked hard on this novel. I can tell that there has been an enormous amount of planning that must have gone into this book to intertwine everything together. But everything feels a little too clean cut, the characters' plots all tied up nicely with a few loose ends for a potential book 3. But in trying to juggle so many perspectives, Schwab waters down the potency of each character. She leaves interesting nuggets to be explored, and never goes far enough into actually exploring them.
I'm really not disappointed in the novel itself--it was a fast engaging read--but I also can't shake the feeling that it could have been more. Her plots are always solid, and her writing is fantastic. But I wish we could have gotten to know the characters a bit more thoroughly.
For one, given the multiple perspectives she filters through--Victor, Eli, Marcella, Sydney, Stell, June--it's disheartening to know nearly all the powerful players are blue-eyed, pale skinned, and beautiful. That isn't to say that's the main reason why I found myself feeling as though the novel was sub-par--I don't believe that diversity is something that should be added for the sake of being there--but I was left with a sour taste in my mouth because I KNOW she could do better. That she HAS done better in past works through including diversity in her world building, for example the Shades of Magic trilogy. The knowledge that Schwab has done great works with diversity and yet chose to forgo that inclusivity in this book was the beginning of my disappointment with Vengeful. But this is more of an aesthetic gripe I had against the book. I'd have to say the characters themselves, in terms of their construction, are the reason why I didn't like Vengeful as much as I wanted to.
I love powerful female characters as much as the next person. And Marcella is undeniably powerful--brimming with ruin and beauty. But the way Schwab described her perspective...I was left with the feeling that she could have been more. It's almost ironic in that while describing how Marcella wanted to be viewed as more than just a pretty face, Schwab doesn't develop her into a character more than that desire. It's almost as though Marcella only has surface level power. Her ambition and EO ability are markers for a powerful character, but not necessarily for a strong or well-rounded one. I found myself asking: why do we care about her character? She's just a well dressed plot developer, powerful only to somehow unite Victor and Eli. I thought she was a cool character in concept, but there was definitely a lack of depth for me. June I liked a lot better, but she wasn't given much room to be more fleshed out. Schwab said herself she leaves little seeds in her novels in case she wants to come back and explore them, but in holding back June's back story, you can definitely feel as though something is missing.
In terms of Victor and Eli--I wish they had more character development. While Eli definitely had more room to be fleshed out, Victor just felt like the same man from Vicious. It's hard to grasp them as characters beyond a few flashes of sudden vulnerability. It really felt like instead of using the characters to move the plot forward, the plot was forcing the characters to adhere to the beats that Schwab wanted implemented.
I can tell she worked hard on this novel. I can tell that there has been an enormous amount of planning that must have gone into this book to intertwine everything together. But everything feels a little too clean cut, the characters' plots all tied up nicely with a few loose ends for a potential book 3. But in trying to juggle so many perspectives, Schwab waters down the potency of each character. She leaves interesting nuggets to be explored, and never goes far enough into actually exploring them.
I'm really not disappointed in the novel itself--it was a fast engaging read--but I also can't shake the feeling that it could have been more. Her plots are always solid, and her writing is fantastic. But I wish we could have gotten to know the characters a bit more thoroughly.
sasuuuke's review against another edition
5.0
yeah... this book did rip my heart out, stabbed it, chopped it, burned it and threw its ashes into the trash can.
i love it so much
i love it so much