Vicious by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one was thoroughly entertaining. It's not deep or earth-shattering, and it doesn't even truly turn the whole hero/villain thing on its head, but as a character study of many flawed peeps with powers, it succeeds brilliantly.

Three were no truly and deeply likeable characters, besides perhaps Sydney, but they were definitely all interesting. Hell, I liked them a lot more than any of the characters from The Magicians, and they had a lot more time to develop and change over three books.

But I'm not saying that I don't appreciate Vic and Eli, because I do. Eli was always pretty static, even if he was a mask with something sinister underneath, deluding himself that he was chosen by god to eradicate the EOs even if he was one himself. Victor, at least, had the sense to make friends. He's certainly not blameless, and while he's the ostensible "villain" of the tale, he functions a lot better as a dark hero. I even cheered him on after he had his stint in the block and I was very satisfied with the end of the novel.

For people who liken this to a comic book, I see your point. Just another superhero story with a twist, right? I'd agree with you on principle, but in the particulars, the book was actually written well and had good pacing. I enjoyed jumping between the two time frames and wondering mildly how Victor's plot would finally unhitch.

Was the tale surprising?

No, not really, but it was very entertaining. In the end, isn't that what really counts?

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