A review by se_wigget
Vicious by V.E. Schwab

 
So... er... characters don't have to be likeable. 
I appreciate the craft in the writing of this book. It must have been quite challenging. But the subject matter is seriously cringey. 
After I began reading this book, its popularity puzzled me. I certainly enjoy other books by V. S. Schwab. Maybe this is my "I'm an empath and an asshole magnet" perspective... or my "I dumped a narcissistic sociopath a few months before another narcissistic sociopath began squatting In the White House and continued doing so for four years" perspective. Maybe it's a generational thing--I'm Generation X, not a millenial. But yeah, this book hit my aversion buttons. After reading a little bit, I set it aside for months. 
I dislike Eli even more than Victor, probably because I didn't escape the Midwest because I enjoy the company of smug and self-righteous, Goddess-rejecting, monotheist hypocrites. Eli is a smug and self-righteous, Goddess-rejecting, monotheist hypocrite, psychopath, and murderer. 
Well... Sydney and Mitch aren't psychopaths. I like them. 
 
“Aren’t all those records classified?” asked Sydney. Mitch beamed and flicked open his laptop, settling in at the counter. 
“Mitchell,” said Victor. “Tell Sydney what you were in prison for.” 
“Hacking,” he said cheerfully (p. 163). 
 
Page 186: This scene strikes me as potentially triggering: a psychopath following a female student around on campus... because he wants to kill her... and does. It reminded me of the recent incident in London, when a cop murdered a young woman. A more extreme version of everyday experience for women. 
 
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