Reviews - Vicious | The StoryGraph

3.37k reviews for:

Straight-up trash, fr. I only picked it up 'cause it was all over booksta, but omg, what a NIGHTMARE! The mmc? Just a jealous lil’ prick with ZERO personality. Like, bro’s entire vibe is "let’s bang her" 24/7. So immature, I can't (there are moreee immature things he did

mbarnes27's review against another edition

5.0

Going back and reading this series in order after reading Ruckus a year ago and wanting to read Bane. Yep, I see what the fuss is about. Vicious is an asshole, but damn can he be my asshole? I will go back and reread Ruckus now because I want more of the moments of them happy, and I know that book has it whereas this one didn’t have a lot. But it’s okay because it worked and it worked well.

umaging's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

izzynotlightwood's review against another edition

2.0

2/5⭐️
okay so this book was good and well written but the manipulation and audacity of vicious is what makes me give it a 2⭐️ if a man treats you like viscous please go in the opposite direction asap!

jamyyc's review against another edition

3.0

“A love that was worn and old, but still burning.”

After hearing a lot about L.J. Shen, arguably one of the better-known self-published contemporary romance authors on KU, I wanted to give her books a try just to see what the hype was all about, and I'm glad I did! However, while Vicious kept me interested throughout, I did have problems with certain parts.

Okay, Kinda Cute:
❧ Emilia: was a good heroine. I enjoyed her POV and her spirit and the way she stood up for herself while also acknowledging her weaknesses.
❧ Vicious: when he finally got over himself and started groveling. Ha. I actually did like his character (even in the beginning); I can definitely understand the appeal. But he only really grew on me in the last 25% of the book. I saw some reviews saying that this book was like a modern-day The Cruel Prince, which I sort of agree with, but I think the reason I liked this much more than TCP was because we got Vicious's POV and therefore got to see both sides of the romance.
❧ The writing: I can see why L.J. Shen's work is so popular! She's definitely mastered this genre, and was also able to make the two POVs sound like two different people, which is not an easy feat. I really enjoyed her writing style; it was complex and descriptive without being too flowery or wordy.

Um, Not Cute:
❧ "Help" as a nickname/term of endearment? Nope. Ain't it.
❧ Vicious's name ... eh. Felt clunky/unnatural. Took me a while to get used to.
❧ That weird random detail that kept coming up about how Emilia looks a lot like a younger Jo. Help me understand why this was necessary to point out?
❧ The past - While I actually didn't mind the flashbacks that much, they seemed to be building up to something Unspeakably Terrible, so I was a little disappointed when the truth was finally revealed. (Not that I wanted it to be Unspeakably Terrible, but the way Dean seemed to despise Emilia in the present and the way the present narration kept purposely not talking about Something Really Bad That Happened Back Then felt misleading). Also, I found all the vague references in the present (before the truth was revealed) to the Something Really Bad That Happened Back Then a bit frustrating.
❧ All those claims of "I own her" and "she's mine"... okay, Vicious. Didn't feel as icky as I thought it might be, but still not great. Like, on paper, it was fine, I get it. But if this was real? I would run and Emilia should have too. Lol.

I don't know if I'll be reading any more of this author's books, but that might just be more of a me thing - I can only enjoy the whole jerk/enemy/bully trope up to a certain degree. Like I said though, I'm glad I gave this a try! And if L.J. Shen has any slightly softer books, I'll definitely look into them.

turtles_hydranga_12's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

shanveliant's review against another edition

4.0

La verdad es que empecé este libro con la intención de que me acompañara mientras releía ACOTAR, pero luego de unos cuantos capitulos no me aguanté y me concentré en terminarlo.

Y me encantó.