REVIEW: VICIOUS by V. E. Schwab

Title: Vicious
Author: V. E. Schwab
Series: Villains #1
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Titan Books
Release: January 10th, 2014
Source: Kindle Edition
Pages: 366

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BLURB: Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

EXPECTATIONS: As much as I love V. Schwab I first thought the book was going to be a villain-like cliché hmm you know what I mean? Same background story or "redeemable" villains and things like that so I didn't go into it with high expectations but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE BOOK!

THE WORLD: Our world, kind of... but the cities are invented and also EOs (ExtraOrdinary people) exist. The cool thing is how EOs exist! It's not because they're born that way or because of radioactive stuff! It's science *wink wink*

CHARACTERS: The main character is Victor Vale. The book is divided in chapters from the past, when Victor was in University, and from the present which is 10 years later. So we start with Victor studying at Lockland University... he's a very good student interested in science and medical research. He's not supper sociable but gets along with his classmates and his best friends are Eliot 'Eli' Cardale and Angie (I don't remember her last name). Eli is Victor's best friend and Angie's boyfriend, who Victor had a crush on. He's also a top student and loves science like Victor although he's described as a boy with a facade like he's sweet on the outside but dark on the inside. He's interested in EOs and starts researching them with the help of Victor. *Fast forward* terrible things happen, Victor gets blamed for them and goes to jail for 10 years, when he gets out he seeks revenge from Eli. Here we introduce 3 new characters: Mitchell 'Mitch' Turner, Serena and Sydney Clarke. Mitch was Victor's prison buddy and he's a very good hacker. He's helping him stop Eli and Serena. Serena is just as crazy as Eli, I hate her, we don't talk about her here. Sydney is a sweet teenage girl that Victor saves and she's technically the most powerful of all of them.
That's all the summary you're getting because no spoilers! Read the book. It's amazing.

ROMANCE: No romance. Villains ain't got time for that sh*t.

GOOD: Everything. I love the characters and how gray they are. They're both heroes and villains, it just depends which perspective you take. I love the EOs story line and how they originate. I love the revenge story line as well because let's be honest here, 99% of us would seek revenge as well if we were Victor. I also like how the book alternates past and present chapters so that you learn about their motivations along with the plans and you can understand the logic behind.
In conclusion: this is a great villain book and everyone should read it!

BAD: Hello? It's Schwab. Nothing bad about this book, in my opinion.

OVERALL: 5 stars and goes to favorites. I can't wait to read the second book! I can't believe I have to wait a whole year...

What do you think about VICIOUS?