Book review of VICIOUS by V.E.Schwab.
A darker world, a story between two friends -turned foes. Each one, struggling to pursue what feels right to them. Neither of them is completely wrong, nor completely right, yet the turmoil amidst them would be gravitating. And this is exactly what the setting of VICIOUS by V.E.Schwab looks and feels like.
One-line review:
‘A masterful narrative, unique in its way. Taking off from nothingness and leaving the reader in a realm of myriad emotions, betrayal, love, and turmoil.’
Plot synopsis:{spoiler free}
The book starts with two happy go lucky friends named Eli Cardale (Ever) and Victor Vale. The duo begins, with a summer holiday project about the effects of adrenaline (epinephrine) which induces unmatched powers, far more beyond our imagination especially when administered in a NEAR DEATH situation. And this would trigger a person to acquire new powers, according to what they deserve and believe. In this process, Eli obtains the power of Healing himself as soon as he is hurt, and Victor gains the power of inducing or reducing pain upon himself and people around his vicinity. And this leads to a series of events, thereby turning the story power-packed with betrayal, vengeance, tackle, and out of all ‘survival’
Review proper:
Now, who the hell wouldn't be able to fall for such a riveting plot with a stunning scope of creating a setting, characters, and a stunning climax. Before the plotline, the aspect which must be acknowledged and needs to be appreciated is the way how Victoria writes. She would undoubtedly be the best storyteller of dark fantasy in our times and I could claim this without any doubt. Her writing just keeps attracting us again and again making us vulnerable to read the book without any known interruption.
Another huge hit for the book is the flawless character development. As the plot proceeds, we increasingly get inclined towards the characters and start to feel that they are much more relatable to us. Victoria’s writing has played paramount importance in building up the rapport between the reader and the characters, which is maintained till the last sentence of the book.
“and how much of forever someone could reasonably remember, especially when nothing left a mark.”
Despite being dark fantasy, Victoria leaves no stone unturned to create marvels with her words and drops in these heavy sentences at the right time and place, in the plot. And this line right from chapter 1, felt as if rusted metal was being scratched over my steel heart. (much painful)
There are innumerable instances, where your capacity of judgement is clearly questioned in this book. Instances prevail where you need to choose either ELI or VICTOR to be, correct in their position, and the other characters such as Mitch and Sydney are the ones, whom you cannot resist pitying. I’m quite sure that you could easily have a character hangover after reading the book.
Now comes the literature style, which is most appealing and in no way obscures your understanding of the plot, because the story takes a considerable amount of time to pitch in, and from then you would be grossly engrossed into reading further.
Each chapter in the book changes with timeline, and sometimes even with the point of view, which may prove a little confusing initially. Once you get used to the style of Victoria’s writing, there would be no looking back.
For the lovers of dark fantasy this book is highly recommended, yet considering that the book takes a bunch of time to grab your attention, it may not be a very easy read for dark fantasy starters or beginners.
Having minimalistic characters have also profoundly impacted the dynamics of the plot, which makes us cringe at times due to its terrible slow pace, yet if you make your mind to perpetuate reading it, this book will not fail you.
‘Trouble followed him like a shadow, clinging to him no matter how much good light he tried to stand in.’
Tracing back the history of Mitch adds a lot of subtle value to this book. Despite being a shorter plot time provided to Mitch, you would be head over heels for his character.
The intense turmoil being faced by Victor and the unbreakable friendship between Victor, and Mitch can never be forgotten. The ending absolutely has my heart. Despite the fact that I could guess the ending, I desperately wanted to read it. All thanks to Victoria’s writing style.
Appreciated aspects of the book:
Stunning plotline and narrative.
Creative story and compelling character development.
Vivid description and appealing writing style.
Repelling aspects of the book:
The prolonged storyline, and slow-paced narrative.
I generally don't gauge books, but. Who doesn't like scores?
Well, I would give this book 4.6 out of 5 points.
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