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.

“To never dying.”

starting vengeful immediately

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

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.

victor vale was not a fucking sidekick

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

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

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

i was very surprised when they first mentioned the term extraordinary, because my sister recommended me the book and forgot to mention that it's science fiction, and i'm not the type of person to look up information about a book, i just start reading it. i thought i wasn't a fan of supernatural books, but vicious proved me wrong. it was amazing. i found myself in the middle of the night reading it and every time i finished a chapter i was like one more and then i go to bed. the characters were very interesting. i liked how mitch was portrayed. although he was a massive and strong guy, inside he was pure. he loved drinking hot chocolate and also watching classic movies. when in the end syd didn't want to leave until dominic brought dol from there (i love dogs) was heartbreaking. and also the fact that each eo had different abilities was interesting and i wanted to know what ability each person eli had killed had.

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

4.5

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

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.”

☆☆☆☆☆ 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.

goodbye serena you were bigger than the whole sky

This book was so twisted and so human and so just the best. FULL REVIEW TO COME.

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

victor vale the only man EVER !!!

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 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.

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.