This book immediately started out very promising. Actually, I was really excited before I even started it.
I'm familiar with V.E. Schwab's Shade's of Magic Series, in which I read the first book: A Darker Shade of Magic.
(Which I also intend to re-read when I make my way through that entire series)
That being said, I was really excited to learn about this series when I recently picked up a signed copy of book two, Vengeful, from my local Barnes and Noble (where I tend to be a lot).
You don't care. Got it.
Okay, let's get serious.
Buy Vicious:
So, whether it was the hype of having a signed book two, or the comparison I heard made to the X-Men's Magneto and Professor X rivalry, I'm unsure. Probably a mix of both, if we're being honest with each other. But, I was extremely excited before even starting.
If you're anything like me, you don't mind slower books, as long as that slow read comes with a lot of character development.
That's what I got out of this one. It took place in one spot, and things happened, but they felt like they were coming slow while we waited and waited for the final "battle" of the rivals.
This series is called "Villains" which led me to believe it would be hard to choose a side and fall in love with characters, but it actually made it that much more enticing at times. V.E. Schwab jumps from character to character with her perspectives and story telling which gives you deeper insight to each character's thoughts and feelings; in turn building your connection to each one as well.
It's this aspect of the book that really drew me in. The fear you find yourself having for all the characters.
The book itself was great in the sense that it lived up to the "X-Men" comparison. The main character's Victor and Eli start best friends and quickly become arch rivals, each having their "sidekicks" or team behind them for you to fall in love with as well.
The "superhero" portion that V.E. Schwab calls extraordinary (but which I will not spoil any more) is also very fun and enticing. I find myself wanting to hear about more people and their abilities...which is a good sign!
And, I will be completely honest when I say I was thinking of coming into this review to give the book 3-3.5 stars. Then I finished the last 50 pages and decided it was worthy of a 4.
There was still the somewhat slow pace, and the restricted setting that made me not absolutely LOVE it like I do Harry Potter, but the finale and the overall story was definitely something that made it so I'm going to be reading Vengeful (Book Two) sometime soon!
My next read will be The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg if you'd like to keep up with what I'm reading.
Please share your thoughts and keep the Book Club Discussion going in the comment section below!
Review Conclusion
Overall really fun read. I really enjoyed the rivals, the supporting characters, and the development behind each and every one of them. I like the extraordinary abilities, how they were developed, and would love to read about more characters who have them! The book was slightly slow and restricted to what felt like a small setting, but the finale and fun throughout the book made up for it enough for a 4 out of 5 stars! I recommend reading this one.
Purchase Vicious: Amazon Link
4/5
What I liked:
What I disliked:
Purchase Vicious:
SUPERHUMAN SECRETS V.2
NOW UPDATED AND EXPANDED WITH A NEW SECTION & SEVEN BONUSES
USD$29 USD$14.95
USD$29 USD$7.95
UNLOCK THE SECRETS TO UNLEASHING YOUR INNER SUPERHUMAN
SIGN UP FOR FREE WORKOUTS!
Join over 100,000 member of The SHJ Army & receive:
