Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

39 reviews

jkneebone's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a delightfully dark book! Vicious by V.E. Schwab centers around two men, Eli Cardale and Victor Vale. Ten years ago, they were college roommates and close friends who's shared interest in science lead them to the hypothesis that near-death experiences can cause someone to develop supernatural powers, to become ExtraOrdinary (an EO). In the present day, Victor has just escaped from prison, and with the help of his former cellmate Mitch and a 12-year-old runaway named Sydney, he is determined to hunt Eli down. Ten years ago, Victor and Eli decided to test their hypothesis by engineering their own near-death experiences in the hopes of becoming EOs. In the present day, Eli has teamed up with Sydney's older sister to fulfill a dark, self-imposed mission, and Victor has vowed to stop him.

I loved this book! It's certainly not for the faint of heart, with lots of graphic violence and generally creepy and upsetting themes, but I honestly adored it. Schwab did an amazing job of weaving together the past and present timelines and the various points of view into a cohesive whole, while also using the structure to slowly reveal the whole picture of Victor and Eli's, and Sydney and Serena's, history. The whole thing was deliciously messed up - all of the characters, especially Victor and Eli, were so twisted, which (to me) makes for a very fun reading experience. I was hooked the whole way through, and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel as soon as I can.

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nekoshka's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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ladynavalon's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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donatio's review

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

As always V. E. Schwab did not disappoint.
I loved the writing style and how she skipped back and forth between the past and the present. The characters were well-crafted and I found a connection to every one of them, especially Victor's group of strays. 
It was not really action-packed but I still loved how the story evolved. 
Before reading one should check the trigger warnings, because it gets dark at points and "There are no good men in this game" is quite true. The mix of flashbacks and present might be annoying for some people too. 

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astrid_mel's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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alexandrabelze's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

sydney and dol CARRIED! mixed up victor and eli’s hair colors for the ENTIRE book and didn’t notice until the last few chapters. only one or two awkward transitions or unnecessary moments; nothing crazy or unusual.
eli’s self harm scene was very poor in taste and could’ve been written better. a let down on schwab’s part.
 

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emohan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wonderfully story and a great book to start the new year with. I really enjoyed reading about Victor, Mitch, Sydney, and Eli. The relationships
the trio built are great. The fact safe for Sydney is Victor is too pure. She sees him as someone who can care for her despite his ability to cause her and those around them pain.
I loved the story concept and the tie in of how biology/pathophysiology could ultimately lead to giving humans powers to become EOs. Whenever science can be incorporated and make some plausible sense, I’m here for it. 

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rosenau's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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saurahsaurus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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house_of_hannah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was hesitant to start this, since I wasn't the biggest fan of Addie LaRue. I am pleased to say that this is nothing like that book. It had me hooked from page 1, and I devoured the story. I've been burnt out on superheros lately, so it was nice to follow some villains. 

Each character feels unique, but also real. They all have their own personalities, and I found it really easy to fall in love with the ragtag group of found family. I see that this is supposed to be a series, and although I don't really see where it's going to go based on the ending, I definitely wouldn't mind spending more time with these characters. 

I did feel that the story was a tad too long. The short chapters definitely helped in mitigating that though. There are quite a few moments of "plot convenience", which is what brings it down to a 4 for me. Those moments really stick out to me, and unfortunately take me out of the story. 

Overall, I am just straight up happy with this book, and I'll be thinking about it a lot over the next few days. 

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