I know that some people aren’t crazy about Vengeful, the sequel to the vastly celebrated Vicious, but this is *exactly* the kind of Schwab fare I sign up for.
Yes, it was missing the simplicity of Vicious, yes, it took things further than its predecessor, HOWEVER it was that complexity which meant I ended up liking it even more. And I frickin loved Vicious. Not only did it have the stellar concept from the first book, but it raised the stakes, pushed the boundaries of sympathy and challenged the already established ideas. Schwab didn’t rest on her laurels with this book; she didn’t just reproduce the first book. She did something different and that’s why I think this has been somewhat of a divisive sequel.
For me, it ticked all the boxes. There were so many strokes of genius that I was blown away time and again. The plot was intense from start to finish; the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the layered element of flashbacks and timejumps- which served to make it ever more intricate. It was thought provoking and thrilling in equal measure. The intensity was such that I couldn’t stop reading. As it heated up towards the finale, I was on tenterhooks.
Naturally, this was in large part thanks to the fabulous voice employed throughout. The writing was as composed as an orchestra, each instrument, from word choice to pacing, was perfectly on beat. Its overall effect was exquisite. Needless to say, my kindle ended up as colourful as an impressionist painting 😉
What added to this masterpiece was the characters. The return of Victor Vale was, as expected, something to behold. It’s no secret I LOVE this character- a visionary villain who is almost a hero. It was fun to see the others return as well- even if I wasn’t crazy about all of them. And of course, it wouldn’t have been the same without the enigmatic Eli and his horrifyingly manipulative ways. I did like the main antagonist, Marcella, since she created a nice sense of drama too and added to the themes, however she wasn’t my favourite.
Evidently, I adored this book. The Villains series, for me, is the very best of Schwab. I can’t wait to see where it ends up!
Rating: 5/5 bananas
Have you read this? Do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
Hall! What a review! I will need to read this series at some point 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you!! So glad you liked it!! Definitely recommend it!! 😀
LikeLike
So the Darker Shades of Magic series is a go? Had it in my queue for awhile, I do audiobooks and I bought them. Sci-fi/fantasy/magic my favorite genre
LikeLike
I’m a Librarian and just started following your blog. Love your rating system!
LikeLike
I read Vicious and now, Chris, you have be hooked on Vengeful. I’d moved on and had forgotten about Victor, Sydney and Eli. Now I remember why I loved the book. As you said, Marcella is a nice addition. V.E. Schwab has perfected her skill with this one.!
LikeLiked by 2 people
So glad you liked this too!! 😀 Yeah for sure!!
LikeLike
So glad to see this! I read Vicious a little while ago and loved it! But I was hesitant about this sequel because I loved the way the first one ended. Glad to see you liked it so much, I may just have to give it a shot!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m glad you loved the first one as well 🙂 I totally get what you mean, but this took things in a really cool direction. Definitely worth giving it a shot!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t read Vicious yet! I soooooo need to get to it!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ooh definitely recommend!!
LikeLike
I might be only person in this community who hasn’t read any book by this author. I wish to read this series in future. Awesome review!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh definitely recommend! Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love a story that makes me pause and think. I haven’t read this yet, but i just started on Schwab’s books and finished this savage song last week. Once i’m done with our dark duet, i’ll start on vicious.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah me too. Awesome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I absolutely loved Vicious and I was pretty nervous picking up Vengeful but it was so good too! Perhaps not better than Vicious but I really, really enjoyed Vengeful! It had more characters, more POVs and more plot intensity (which I didn’t think possible after Vicious)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah me too! I can understand that- but I really agree that there was a surprising amount of intensity!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am adding Vicious to my list just based on your review for Vengeful. If the sequel is this awesome, then Book 1 must be pretty darn great, too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brilliant! It really was 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Terrific review!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really need to pick up this series! I loved her Darker Shade of Magic books. Her writing is just gorgeous – and like you, I LOVE reading about villains.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh definitely recommend it then!! You’re bound to love it!
LikeLike
An orchestra is the PERFECT way to describe the writing of this book! It’s so masterful, and I feel like I need to read it again because I just gobbled it up so fast the first time. Schwab is truly such a chameleon—the way she’s able to change her style between different series is incredible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah glad you thought so!! Me too! I really agree with you 🙂
LikeLike
The writing was as composed as an orchestra,… I love that description you used. Sounds like a wonderful reading experience.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!! It was 🙂
LikeLike
Oh man. I loved this book too. I don’t know how Schwab gives us such fabulous morally gray characters that you can’t help but love, even if you don’t like them. She really loves to mess with our heads doesn’t she?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah glad you loved it too!! So agree!! YES!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d heard lukewarm things about Vengeful, so I’m super happy for you that it lived up to its predecessor! I do think authors can fall into that trap of trying to do reproduce the success of a first book by following the same formula, so it’s great to hear Schwab didn’t do that in this case.
Excellent review! I can’t wait to read Vicious and Vengeful soon myself. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah so did I- funnily enough, I think lowering my expectations helped me enjoy it more (though I think I’d love it too). It definitely did for me! Yeah for sure!!
Thank you! awesome 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never read any V E Schwab, I wasn’t sure that her work was really my thing. This sounds like an excellent book though and I’m so glad you thought it surpassed it’s predecessor. I have so many books that I want to read at the moment but you’ve really tempted me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s totally fair. It was! 😀 hehehe!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is another series that I really want to read. If only I had infinite time or something Haha. Glad you liked this one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
hahaha gosh I relate! Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
God, I loved Vengeful so much! I can’t wait for Victorious!! Great review!
LikeLike