Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

385 reviews

obfuscatress's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

To be honest, this book did not live up to my expectations based on some of the reviews I had heard of it prior to reading it. Until about 75% into it, I was looking at rating it just about (if not less than) three stars. My main issue lies with the fact that one of the main characters seems to suddenly acquire very strong motivations for their actions that are not foreshadowed nor are they ever explained or explored in any detail. To me personally, this change made no sense and made it difficult to connect with the story. That being said, there are several clever little twists added to the plot in this final quarter of the book, that I felt it ultimately deserved a better rating. In addition to that, virtually every other character is interesting and fairly complex considering the limited time we get to explore each individual and relationship within such a fast-paced plot.

While I can't say I regret reading this book, I could not in all honesty recommend it to someone else. However, now having read the book and found so much of the later plot and character development interesting, I will probably read the sequel too. If you're happy to be infuriated with the way one of the central characters is written for most of a book, maybe this one is for you too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Gun violence, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Addiction, Blood, and Animal death

Minor: War

foggyoblio's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Animal death, Gore, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Medical trauma, Suicide, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Death, Alcoholism, Child death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Confinement

emeraldrina's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I’m a bit torn about this book. I love the idea of a villain MC, and the characters are all very well done- complicated, yet logical, unique, easily distinguishable. However, Victor’s not actually a villain, he’s a classic anti hero. Which is fine, but I feel like the book is misbranded. My main issue with the book is the pace and scope of the plot. Essentially the entire “current” part of the book is about one battle. It takes place over two or three days. The bulk of the plot is actually in the flashbacks. Which are liberally interspersed with superfluous flickers of characters’ thoughts in the present. The balance of past and present felt very off throughout the book- I really wanted there to be more going on in the present in order to justify all the flashbacks. The flashbacks really are the story right now, and that just feels wrong and disappointing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Gun violence

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Child death, and Death

Minor: Sexual content

cleot's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Schwab weaves a fascinating  and engaging narrative. It's not my favorite of her work because I struggle with getting as invested when most the characters are in their own ways unlikable but the plot is worth it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Torture, Animal death, Genocide, Self harm, Gore, and Xenophobia

Minor: War

sambam13's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gun violence, and Violence

se_wigget's review against another edition

 

So... er... characters don't have to be likeable. 

I appreciate the craft in the writing of this book. It must have been quite challenging. But the subject matter is seriously cringey. 

After I began reading this book, its popularity puzzled me. I certainly enjoy other books by V. S. Schwab. Maybe this is my "I'm an empath and an asshole magnet" perspective... or my "I dumped a narcissistic sociopath a few months before another narcissistic sociopath began squatting In the White House and continued doing so for four years" perspective. Maybe it's a generational thing--I'm Generation X, not a millenial. But yeah, this book hit my aversion buttons. After reading a little bit, I set it aside for months. 

I dislike Eli even more than Victor, probably because I didn't escape the Midwest because I enjoy the company of smug and self-righteous, Goddess-rejecting, monotheist hypocrites. Eli is a smug and self-righteous, Goddess-rejecting, monotheist hypocrite, psychopath, and murderer. 

Well... Sydney and Mitch aren't psychopaths. I like them. 

 

“Aren’t all those records classified?” asked Sydney. Mitch beamed and flicked open his laptop, settling in at the counter. 

“Mitchell,” said Victor. “Tell Sydney what you were in prison for.” 

“Hacking,” he said cheerfully (p. 163). 

 

Page 186: This scene strikes me as potentially triggering: a psychopath following a female student around on campus... because he wants to kill her... and does. It reminded me of the recent incident in London, when a cop murdered a young woman. A more extreme version of everyday experience for women. 

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Stalking

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

4.75

Ok amazing! Schwab does it again! This story of power dynamics and friendship is a powerhouse and i'm glad theres a second book. Victor and Eli are so similar in ways and yet fundamentally different morally. I usually hate multiple pov and third person writing but Schwab does it so well you dont even notice it. I think all the individual storylines were crafted so beautifully and connected so well. I think this just suffers from what every multiple pov book does: a lack of connection to the characters. You feel for them yes, but when the end approached I didn't really care what happened to them, or I knew it would all be ok (either or). Im so excited to read the second installment and I hope its just as good if not better than the first! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Slavery, Stalking, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical content, Suicide, Abandonment, Animal death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Violence, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Toxic friendship

cosmicwillow's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

i really really enjoyed this!! it was very fun and twisted, and i love the concept of this. i didnt love that the female characters in this were much more underdeveloped than the males as it made them feel like afterthoughts. i also think victor and eli’s friendship could have been fleshed out more to give more of an emotional juxtaposition with the ending. but overall this was really fun and im excited to read the sequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death, Alcohol, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Self harm, and Gore

marysea's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child death, Death, and Self harm

bootrat's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, V.E. Schwab's characters are always so well written and relatable, I love them all. The universe and the powers in this book were really interesting and I loved the way they were explored and developed. The time jumps back and forth were also done really well; it's not always a device that's utilised well in books, and often makes things more confusing, but Schwab used it well to develop the characters and the storyline. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Police brutality, Medical content, and Self harm

Minor: Animal death and Fire/Fire injury