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A review by remilauren
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
5.0
I always thought I needed doses of romance in every book I read but the Villains Series has proved me wrong. Turns out I'm fascinated by morally grey characters. Vicious was a tug-of-war between Eli and Victor but Vengeful raises the bar, with more characters added, each of them treading on dangerous grounds vying for either power, freedom, or safety and putting everyone else on the line.
I absolutely tore through this book, enjoying how their minds worked, their insights, how they came to conclusions in strange ways. But what I loved most was the character growths of Eli, Victor, and Sydney. In their own twisted way, they have come to terms with the chaos they have unleashed (or may unleash) and thus strive to be responsible.
***SPOILER***
Let's move to the spoilery grounds to have a little more fun ;)
What the story is about
Marcella, June, and Jonathan are our new trio. Marcella survived a murder attempt and has returned with the ability to ruin. June is a shape-shifter and Jonathan a shield. While Marcella is brazen and unafraid of showing off her power, June lurks in the background and is much more powerful as she just can't be caught! Strangely, she has befriended Sydney and for some unknown reason is immensely protective of her.
Our characters from Vicious, Eli, and Victor are equally sufferable. Eli is a test subject under the disgustingly ambitious Dr. Haverty, at EON set up by Stell. Meanwhile, Victor keeps dying and is desperately searching for a cure. Sydney, on the other hand, is getting stronger and is now able to resurrect lives from almost nothing!!
What I enjoyed
Initially, I thought that this book was not focussing on Eli-Victor or their rife at all when it kept coming back to Marcella and Co. But I enjoyed reading Marcella, her character could have been explored further but she served as a means to bring about the final confrontation between Eli and Victor. What unfolds then, is truly spectacular. It has Eli and Victor working together to beat Marcella and Jonathan, has Marcella literally becoming "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", ruining everything in her wake but ultimately smarted by Eli who takes her down the ruin, thus killing her. Aah, I loved the grandiose setting, the dramatic fight that stretched everyone to their limits, and ultimately our duo won!
As much as I enjoy reading about their rivalry, I loved reading them alone, Eli's back-story, Victor's pain, and his growing bond with Sydney. So when the final scene happened between them, it was worth the wait. Rendered powerless due to Haverty's discovery, it was a simple fight between mortals but Sydney dealing the final blow gave it a fitting end.
What could have been better
The title left me wondering whose vengeance the book was talking about, Victor had his revenge, Eli was rotting in a cell and didn't know for a long time that Victor was still alive. Our new characters, Marcella and Jonathan had their respective issues sorted, as for June, we still don't know what she wants. So it's still a bit unclear as to what was being referred.
Another issue I had with the book was the frequent and absurd jumps in time. Though I did enjoy the book, it was initially super-hard to keep track of the POVs and the timelines. Also, when the book did end, it left me slightly disappointed. I didn't learn much about June, didn't know if Victor will ever meet Sydney or not. Unlike Vicious, this book warrants a sequel in my opinion.
Final Opinion
I thoroughly enjoyed it, there may be minor issues, but I would still give it a solid 4.5 rating.
I absolutely tore through this book, enjoying how their minds worked, their insights, how they came to conclusions in strange ways. But what I loved most was the character growths of Eli, Victor, and Sydney. In their own twisted way, they have come to terms with the chaos they have unleashed (or may unleash) and thus strive to be responsible.
Spoiler
***SPOILER***
Let's move to the spoilery grounds to have a little more fun ;)
What the story is about
Marcella, June, and Jonathan are our new trio. Marcella survived a murder attempt and has returned with the ability to ruin. June is a shape-shifter and Jonathan a shield. While Marcella is brazen and unafraid of showing off her power, June lurks in the background and is much more powerful as she just can't be caught! Strangely, she has befriended Sydney and for some unknown reason is immensely protective of her.
Our characters from Vicious, Eli, and Victor are equally sufferable. Eli is a test subject under the disgustingly ambitious Dr. Haverty, at EON set up by Stell. Meanwhile, Victor keeps dying and is desperately searching for a cure. Sydney, on the other hand, is getting stronger and is now able to resurrect lives from almost nothing!!
What I enjoyed
Initially, I thought that this book was not focussing on Eli-Victor or their rife at all when it kept coming back to Marcella and Co. But I enjoyed reading Marcella, her character could have been explored further but she served as a means to bring about the final confrontation between Eli and Victor. What unfolds then, is truly spectacular. It has Eli and Victor working together to beat Marcella and Jonathan, has Marcella literally becoming "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", ruining everything in her wake but ultimately smarted by Eli who takes her down the ruin, thus killing her. Aah, I loved the grandiose setting, the dramatic fight that stretched everyone to their limits, and ultimately our duo won!
As much as I enjoy reading about their rivalry, I loved reading them alone, Eli's back-story, Victor's pain, and his growing bond with Sydney. So when the final scene happened between them, it was worth the wait. Rendered powerless due to Haverty's discovery, it was a simple fight between mortals but Sydney dealing the final blow gave it a fitting end.
What could have been better
The title left me wondering whose vengeance the book was talking about, Victor had his revenge, Eli was rotting in a cell and didn't know for a long time that Victor was still alive. Our new characters, Marcella and Jonathan had their respective issues sorted, as for June, we still don't know what she wants. So it's still a bit unclear as to what was being referred.
Another issue I had with the book was the frequent and absurd jumps in time. Though I did enjoy the book, it was initially super-hard to keep track of the POVs and the timelines. Also, when the book did end, it left me slightly disappointed. I didn't learn much about June, didn't know if Victor will ever meet Sydney or not. Unlike Vicious, this book warrants a sequel in my opinion.
Final Opinion
I thoroughly enjoyed it, there may be minor issues, but I would still give it a solid 4.5 rating.