Book Review: Vicious  

By V.E. Schwab 

3 Stars 

Although I only rated this 3 stars, I would easily recommend Vicious to anyone who is into villain psychology, superheroes, and epic origin stories. Set in the modern world, Vicious follows two brilliant university students and their research project on EOs – extraordinaries, the name for people who have supernatural powers. But as the characters stray from research to experimentation, characters Eli and Victor soon learn that to become a superhuman, they “lose” a part of them that makes them human. Riddled with metaphors addressing trauma, mental health, and how power corrupts, Vicious is a story where you are constantly intrigued by the concepts presented by the author, forcing you to think and question your own values and what it means to be human. With two very morally gray characters who bear a more exaggerated version of common human flaws, the book presents a rivalry between ‘bad’ and ‘worse’ – with two powerful villains fighting against their humanity for very human reasons: vengeance, and ‘what they think is best for the world’. The story itself is not very plot packed – following a very linear ‘cat and mouse’ plotline and lacks world building regarding control over EOs– both of which I think would have boosted the rating I gave the title (how would you balance the power between ‘superhumans’ and social structures??). However, I have never read a book like Vicious before, and while I felt it lacked plot, it left a lasting impression on me that I don't think I’ll ever be able to forget.

Reviewed by Sophie 

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