V.E. Schwab

Vicious

Natalia Melike

Victor smiled. He was having a fabulous time killing Eli.

She'd told her to go somewhere safe. And over the course ot the last week, safe had ceased to be a place for Sydney, and had become a person. 

Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same ambition in each other. A shared 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 with 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 arch-nemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end? “Supremely plotted and incredibly well-written.” The Independent on Sunday “Vicious is the superhero novel I've been waiting for: fresh, merciless, and yes, vicious.” Mira Grant, New York Times bestselling author “Schwab writes with the fiendish ingenuity, sardonic wit, and twisted imagination of a true supervillian.” Greg Cox, New York Times “A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one... Highly recommended!” Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author “Schwab gathers all the superhero/supervillain tropes and turns them on their sundry heads... I could not put it down.” F. Paul Wilson, New York Times bestselling author

Villains #1

kaii

Serena hadn’t told Sydney to go home. She hadn’t told her to run away. She’d told her to go somewhere safe. And over the course of the last week, safe had ceased to be a place for Sydney, and had become a person. 

The worst part of going numb was that it took away everything but this, the smothering need to hurt, to break, to kill, pouring over him like a thick blanket of syrup until he panicked and brought the physical sensations back.

April 

Victor wanted to find Eli, and Eli wanted to find Victor, and one way or another,

“I’m your big sister,” said Serena. “It’s my job to know things.”

safe had ceased to be a place for Sydney, and had become a person.

Eli wanted this kill to be his, not the Merit Police Department’s, and certainly not Serena’s.

Sydney hoped they didn’t put him in isolation. She thought that maybe if they found out he could heal himself, hurting him would become the most popular game in the facility.

Sydney made a mental note to leak that detail wherever he ended up.

Mitch had a horrible feeling that he was wrong, and his curse had followed him all the way here.

Matthew Soeder

“We could be dead,” said Eli.“That’s a risk everyone takes by living.”Eli ran his fingers through his hair. He was rattled, unsure. Victor liked seeing him that way.

It wasn’t just that Eli stole Angie from Victor—that was bad enough—but somehow Angie had stolen Eli from him, too. The more interesting Eli, anyway. Not the one with perfect teeth and an easy laugh, but the one beneath that was glittering and sharp, like broken glass. It was in those jagged pieces that Victor saw something he recognized. Something dangerous, and hungry.

Lyne had called the outline solid, had said that Victor was off to a running start. But Victor didn’t want to run while Eli was busy trying to fly.

Eslie

“Your sister and Eli, they think they’re a team. But they’re nothing compared to us."

If Eli really was a hero, and Victor was meant to stop him, did that make him a villain?

Over the course of the last week, safe had ceased to be a place for Sydney, and had become a person. Specifically, safe had become Victor

"I like that we’re finally different,” said Sydney, fighting back a shiver. “I don’t want to be you.”

The moments that define lives aren’t always obvious. They don’t always scream LEDGE, and nine times out of ten there’s no rope to duck under, no line to cross, no blood pact, no official letter on fancy paper. They aren’t always protracted, heavy with meaning.

kemi

“If you want to find Eli, and Eli wants to find you, why do you have to go through all this? Why can’t you just find each other?”

A trade paperback repackage of New York Times bestseller V.E. Schwab's Vicious, a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, and superpowers which will include: *A new cover by Wil Staehle, cover artist of the iconic Shades of Magic trilogy covers *Schwab's Tor.com short story set within the Vicious universe, "Warm Up" *A teaser for the upcoming sequel, Vengeful 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? In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question. "A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one...highly recommended!" —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero

“I like that we’re finally different,” said Sydney, fighting back a shiver. “I don’t want to be you.”

, by blood and death and science. They were alike, more so now than ever. And he had missed Eli. He wanted to see him. And he wanted to see him 

. He wanted to see the look in Eli's eyes when he lit them up with pain. He wanted his attention.

I would probably declared this as my best read of 2025. I really would, cause it's been so long since I was this engrossed in a book I finished it in one day.

I do really like the premise of this book, the theme, the forth and back setting, the relationship between each character, the accidentally become not-so father figure, the hunt and being hunted, the promise from the past, the miss-you-cant-forget-you, the morally fraudulent character, the Victor freaking Vale.

Anyway, I swear Eli is sick in the head, pompous self-righteous, delusional person Ever, but God he's such a interesting character too.

This book also teasing me too much with someone almost dying (although they did at some point) from Dol, Mitch, and Sydney (I'm not talking about you, Victor, with your sick gambling insanity called plan) I'm literally holding my breath every time. 

"...he missed Eli, He wanted to see him, And he wanted to see him suffer, He wanted o see the look in Eli's eyes when he lit them up with pain, 

My only complain is this book feels too fast-paced that I feel there's still space to explore their relationship further especially Eli and Victor in the past and how by any mean they are bonded, and make them obsessed at each other as it is. 

All aside, I do like, scratch that, love this book very much everyone is so messed up and hell yeah that's what I love.

Rene

I would probably declared this as my best read of 2025. I really would, cause it's been so long since I was this engrossed in a book I finished it in one day.

I do really like the premise of this book, the theme, the forth and back setting, the relationship between each character, the accidentally become not-so father figure, the hunt and being hunted, the promise from the past, the miss-you-cant-forget-you, the morally fraudulent character, the Victor freaking Vale.

Anyway, I swear Eli is sick in the head, pompous self-righteous, delusional person Ever, but God he's such a interesting character too.

This book also teasing me too much with someone almost dying (although they did at some point) from Dol, Mitch, and Sydney (I'm not talking about you, Victor, with your sick gambling insanity called plan) I'm literally holding my breath every time. 

"...he missed Eli, He wanted to see him, And he wanted to see him suffer, He wanted o see the look in Eli's eyes when he lit them up with pain, He wanted his attention."

My only complain is this book feels too fast-paced that I feel there's still space to explore their relationship further especially Eli and Victor in the past and how by any mean they are bonded, and make them obsessed at each other as it is. 

All aside, I do like, scratch that, love this book very much everyone is so messed up and hell yeah that's what I love.

Anyway, "Victor Vale was not a fucking sidekick."

picked this up today on a whim, and i'm so happy i did! schwab has never disappointed me. i tend to read more fantasy/magical stories, and the shades of magic trilogy is one of my favorites, but this book has quickly risen near the top of my all time favorite books.

victor was my favorites, of course. who doesn't love a morally ambiguous man out for revenge? the relationships that formed between him, mitch, and sydney were so bittersweet. not to mention little dol. 

other than my obvious love for victor, the plot had me hooked, the intrigue was too much for me to even consider putting the book down. i loved everything about it, especially getting to see victor's and eli's differing perspectives. eli convinced himself that he was doing everything for the greater good, that God had given him a second chance for a reason. victor was simply driven by revenge. which one is better than the other? not the delusional one, in my opinion. 

i could ramble about this book all night long, so i just wanted to say that it was very enjoyable, absolutely a 10/10! i can't wait to read the next one :) 

picked this up today on a whim, and i'm so happy i did! schwab has never disappointed me. i tend to read more fantasy/magical stories, and the shades of magic trilogy is one of my favorites, but this book has quickly risen near the top of my all time favorite books.

victor was my favorites, of course. who doesn't love a morally ambiguous man out for revenge? the relationships that formed between him, mitch, and sydney were so bittersweet. not to mention little dol. 

other than my obvious love for victor, the plot had me hooked, the intrigue was too much for me to even consider putting the book down. i loved everything about it, especially getting to see victor's and eli's differing perspectives. eli convinced himself that he was doing everything for the greater good, that God had given him a second chance for a reason. victor was simply driven by revenge. which one is better than the other? not the delusional one, in my opinion. 

i could ramble about this book all night long, so i just wanted to say that it was very enjoyable, absolutely a 10/10! i can't wait to read the next one :) 

I am addicted to anything V E Schwab writes. ❤️ One of my favorite authors of the modern age. This book was a bit darker than most of hers I’ve read - more scientific and brutal than her other more fantasy centered novels so it made it a bit hard to stomach at times, but I did love the ambiguity of characters - no one is all good or bad, leaving the ability to decide to the reader. A very good read, I devoured it in a matter of days. 

Liv Wukasch

shen

Liv Harman 

if it werent for the fact that there was a sequel i’d be pissed. lovely writing fun themes intriguing plot and world building

khush

Excellent book. I had my doubts at first, because it was my first time reading something with a dark academia vibe. I thought that it wouldn’t fit well with the idea of superpowers, but it actuall goes really well with the aesthetics, and how it is approached in the book is new and refreshing. Loved the characters and how they develop throughout these jumps in time. 

Luis Letelier

Excellent book. I had my doubts at first, because it was my first time reading something with a dark academia vibe. I thought that it wouldn’t fit well with the idea of superpowers, but it actuall goes really well with the aesthetics, and how it is approached in the book is new and refreshing. Loved the characters and how they develop throughout these jumps in time. 



Scanners meets Criminal Minds meets Jessica Jones? Didn’t quite land for me.

Amelia Hruby

Victor and Eli, due to a research project gone wrong, become ExtraOrdinaries with supernatural powers. Ten years later Victor escapes from prison, determined to get his revenge on the man who put him there, while Eli has spent the years hunting down and killing other EOs.

Villians #1

hana

that was so so good!! I was unsure in the first probably 10-15% but when the plot takes off the plot takes off and I really enjoyed it, and now I need vengeful immediately. I love how at first I wasn’t sure who was supposed to be good and who was bad but over the course of the book you get to know that there are only really two good people in the whole book and one is a dog. I love a devolution arc. I think eli and victor should just kiss each other as a little treat instead of fighting

fris🐝

Love love love this book. Was hooked from minute one and could not put it back down!

Thea Sophie

4.5 stars, this was really really good. if you like thrillers and complicated revenge stories, this is perfect. the chapters jump between past and present which made it a little slow to get into in the beginning because you’re trying to figure out what the hell is happening. but the chapters are also super short and provide the perfect level of detail to provide context but also not to spoil the whole story. it was really well done. i’m not going to say i was so surprised by the ending, but i don’t think that negates how engaging this book was

big ab

victor vale if you read this please give me one chance please read this victor vale give me one chance just one sir please victor vale i would like one chance

tink 😵‍💫⭐

roksi

enjoyed this more the second time than when i first read it 🤞 so good and im so excited to start the second book

𝜗𝜚

kelsey

it took me longer than most of my reads to finish this book, which is to say more than a month. 

nevertheless, i love how victoria had the time jumps in the first part of the book. it's different than most books who would tell the past first, rather than keep things a mystery and let past and present collide.

i also loved the way victor developed. it isn't much but he grows to care for mitch over time becomes attached to him and then to syd almost instantly. they become a tight knit family, dol included, of course.

i also LOVE how sydney realizes she's more than serena, or well she comes to realize her sense of self. coming from a very big home, self identity is an important topic to me.


favorite quotes:

she didn’t feel afraid, but sydney knew not to trust fear, and certainly not to trust the absence of it.

“there are no good men in this game,” mitch said.

plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.

“when no one understands, that’s usually a good sign that you’re wrong.”

Greer Andersson

☆☆☆☆☆
This was one of the easiest 5 stars I've given in a good while.
I whole heartedly believe I could've have read this in one sitting if given the opportunity. 
These characters are everything to me. Victor Vale, Sir, I love you. I knew that I would probably eat this book up, given that The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, also by Schwab, is one of my all time favourite books, but goodness I did not expect to love it this much.

I think Schwab does an amazing job at portraying the morality (or more accurately lack-thereof) of the characters, and how Victor and Eli are really just 2 sides of the same coin, which Victor acknowledges, but Eli refuses to. Their dynamic is so interesting, and I can't wait to read more of them in the next book.

arwen

goodbye serena you were bigger than the whole sky

Monicap

This book was so twisted and so human and so just the best.

FULL REVIEW TO COME.

Nova

holy shit this was truly a ride. brought me right out of my slump! i love morally gray characters and miss schwab really delivered... i worship her. a brilliant book that kept me on the edge of my seat, especially the last few chapters leading to midnight. AND THAT ENDING!!!! god

frankie

Galera do tiktok me vendeu esse como um livro super inteligente, mas uma merda como essa só é inteligente se a pessoa for extremamente burra.

victor

Victor Vale is, without a doubt, my all time favourite supervillain. 

There are definitely a lot of similarities between this and Deadpool (which I also adore), but is different enough to make it a compelling read. 

Kate B-L

Victor Vale is, without a doubt, my all time favourite supervillain. 

There are definitely a lot of similarities between this and Deadpool (which I also adore), but is different enough to make it a compelling read. 

Isabella 

I absolutely love this book! I live for it, and i will die for it. It's such a quick and easy read. The writing style is addictive, and the plot is intriguing; an absolute page turner. The build up of the tension and pacing was perfect. I loved how it went back and forth in time. The characters were morally gray, and I am all for that. They were all *chef's kiss* The found family trope this book has; Victor, Mitch, and Sydney owns my heart. However, I felt like there could have been more development. Nevertheless, I still loved it and it is definitely one of my fave books this year.

Vicious

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