Vicious by V.E. Schwab - Book Review

I had no expectations when I began reading 'Vicious' so it came as a shock when it became one of my favourite books. In the days and weeks after reading it, the themes and characters haunted me and now, 10 months later, it has still stuck with me. Maybe it's just because it completely exceeded my expectations, or maybe it's because the themes it tackles are fascinating to me to read about, but I love this book and have loved every V.E. Schwab book I have read since.

'Vicious' is much more than a superhero story. It delves into power and how it can shape or corrupt the people it touches, into mortality and what it means to be human, and most notably, into morality. No one is 'good' in 'Vicious', but each character has their own motivations and reasons they behave the way they do. The two main characters, Victor and Eli, begin with the intention to create monsters in themselves and each other and are willing to risk their lives for just the chance that their hypothesis is correct. They endanger everything for power, and when they succeed, they become obsessed with hunting the other down. We read most of the story through the eyes of Victor Vale, an amoral sociopath who always kills for a reason, only doing what he deems necessary to accomplish his goal. Stopping Eli. Eli, on the other hand, is manipulative, apathetic and self righteous. While he appears charming and charismatic, he will murder any Extra Ordinary he comes across, believing that they are abominations of nature and God wants Eli to execute his will and kill them. Both are moral black holes who truly believe they're doing the right thing.

However, Vicious wouldn't be nearly as good without the characters surrounding these two evils. Schwab slowly introduces the thoughts, feelings and backstories of Mitch and Sydney. Mitch met Victor in prison after being put there due to his chronic bad luck and being judged by his rough 'bad guy' exterior. It is impossible not to love Mitch. He is a stark contrast to Victor's evil and, despite not being a moral compass, offers some humanity to the novel. Despite his appearance, Mitch is an incredibly intelligent and skilled hacker, with a love for chocolate milk and a desire to protect those he cares about, especially Sydney. Similar to Mitch, Sydney provides humanity to the story. She is constantly trying to find her place in a world where she doesn't belong. Sydney's story brings home the evil of Eli after we learn that she, at only 12 years old, had her sister Serena manipulated by Eli to the point where she helped him attempt to murder her, just for being an EO. All this after the trauma of facing a near death experience helps us fully understand the impact of Eli's actions and the extent he will go to, being willing to murder a 12 year old girl. The dynamic of the sisters, Sydney and Serena was also interesting. They play such different roles in the story, fighting on different sides of the same war. Watching their relationship split and the confusion between love and hate was simultaneously intriguing and sad, developing their characters and motivations well. Dol is also a fantastic addition to the story. The presence of an undead dog by no means advanced the story, however, it does intensify the familial relationship Victor, Mitch and Sydney that develops through the novel.

I found the premise interesting too. The idea of near death experiences causing people to become EO's was something I found particularly compelling, the idea that in a time of such intense danger and desperation the body could gain superhuman abilities based on what is most the important thought to you in the moment is an interesting and conceivable idea. I found myself guessing at characters final thoughts based on their powers and wondering what abilities would result from various near death situations. Unlike many superhero stories, Vicious lacks heroes and instead explores how the trauma and abilities caused by near death experiences can corrupt.

The writing style in this book is extremely readable. It is concise, with short chapters jumping around the timeline which we are forced to put together. The nonlinear narrative allows for us to gain each piece of information and character development exactly where it will impact the reader most. Although it could be confusing, the extra work you put in to piece together what is happening and why makes the outcome even more rewarding. Everything leads up to this moment and our understanding of the importance and gravity of it deepens with each chapter. The pacing is slow, yet the intensity is high. We see both years and hours before the final showdown simultaneously. On top of this, the snappy writing and short chapters are paired with a slow pacing that allows for a constant feeling of foreboding and intensity without rushing the story. Schwab also creates an atmosphere of heaviness and darkness that permeates through the entire book. The time period or perspective may be different, but the atmosphere is overall consistent.

In all honesty, I found Vicious a very difficult book to review. It's hard to fully explain why I enjoyed it so much and I feel unable to give it the credit I feel it deserves. Of course, there are flaws in the book, the ending happens very fast and some may find it underwhelming, but I couldn't bring myself to care as they didn't hinder my enjoyment in any way. Although it was a challenge, writing this allowed me the opportunity to delve back into the world and the characters and I really enjoyed being able to revisit this book. From what I have read of V.E. Schwab's other novels, the themes she covers and the characters she creates are consistently interesting and stay with me for for quite a while after I finish reading. I am excited to read more of her work.

'Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.'