Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

108 reviews

jj_tj's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lizziaha's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

A very interesting look into villainy. The jumbled storyline (particularly in the beginning) was a bit hard to follow at times, and the characters made some truly abhorrent choices. But this brand of super powered people that Schwab has introduced is very intriguing. I kinda wanted more info about the various superpowers. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wizardingwisteria's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

4.75

I don't even know where to start with this one.  This was insane from start to finish. 

I absolutely devoured this. I never wanted to put it down because in every single chapter a new piece of information is revealed or something shifted in a way that made the plot more interesting. It is certainly a good story.

The characters really make this one. Their experiences, their morals, and their motivations (and their powers lol) drive every single plot point. 

Although, as much as I enjoyed this, I would be lying if I said I didn't get bored at some points. In the last 100 ish pages I had become impatient. The entire book set up this massive fight that almost felt like it was never going to happen.  When it did eventually happen it was quite satisfying.  

Some of the characters have special powers that can essentially undo things that would ultimately be fatal which knocked down some stakes in a story that was designed to have the highest stakes possible.  I stopped mourning my favorite character after they seemingly died for the second time.  By the end I had a grasp on how things were going to play out and it became a bit easy to predict. 

Death itself was something that was tossed around with varying degrees of severity.  Without spoiling too much, there is a character that dies in the beginning whose death is set up to be this massive shock but is kind of brushed under the rug in a few chapters. This character's death was in some ways the catalyst for the primary antagonist and yet at some point they just kind of get forgotten.

Even with these things I still greatly enjoyed this. I would have quickly DNFed it if I hadn't. But it is definitely a book I had to be in the right mindset to read. The story and the characters are exceedingly dark. If I only had one word to describe this book it would have to be dark.  Not to say it was not enjoyable, but it was a heavy one. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jo_withabook's review

Go to review page

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

4.0

About 2/3 of the book were pretty boring honestly. But the ending and the way things evolved was absolutely fantastic! The story of two people who'd do anything to get their way, accompanied by characters who seem extra and unnecessary, but end up being extremely useful. What I like about Schwab's writing and, therefore, this book, is the fact that every character ends up having a purpose. The whole ExtraOrdinary part of the world is so well thought! It's catchy from the beginning and ends up shocking you a little. It's a four-star because the majority of this was just waiting for the upcoming battle, but I'm sure Vengeful will be much better.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

donatio's review against another edition

Go to review page

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. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amethystandherbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

vilima's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense 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

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

laurafrances's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marsiguess's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.75

I really loved this book. I've read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Schwab and already enjoyed her writing style. I love how perfectly timed the time jumps in the novel, providing just enough context to the present time.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings