Vicious

Review first written: 6.19.16 Review last edited: 9.13.16 First read 7.27.15-8.04.15Second read: via audiobook in 9.25.16-10.16.16Third read: 2.17.17 infinity/5 stars“Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human. The difference between Victor and Eli, he suspected, wasn't their opinion on EOs. It was their reaction to them...EOs were weapons, yes, but weapons with minds and wills and bodies, things that could be bent and twisted and broken and used. ”

Once in a rare blue moon, a book comes around that changes your life forever. It grabs onto your heart, and every book you read from thereon out you compare to it. Somedays, you wake up and you crave the story. It's a drug, almost, taking over your life so slowly that you don't realize it controls you until you're so past too late it's just a speck in the distance.

For me, that book is Vicious.

My original review, written right after I finished it in July of 2015, read, “Absolute amazingly written book, with very real, dark & flawed characters. I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it.” but that just doesn't give it justice. Now that I'm slowly getting better at writing reviews, I think I might be able to write something about Vicious that can truly show my love for this book. I think I've had more than enough time to gather my thoughts, a year almost, but we'll see. I'm sure that I'll be editing this review for months to come. I don't think any 5 star review is capable of giving this book the praise it deserves.

I usually have a hard time choosing favorites. Whenever I try, I spill lists of items all connected by the word “or.” It's this or that or this. It's that or this or that. Yet, when it comes to books, Vicious is my favorite. Vicious may always be my favorite. It's everything I ever want in a book, with a touch of things I never knew I needed. Vicious is a story of revenge, friendship, betrayal, superheroes, antiheroes.

This book is a phoenix. It rises from the ashes of the expectations it burnt.

“The absence of pain led to an absence of fear, and the absence of fear led to a disregard for consequence.”

How to describe Victoria's writing? It's lemonade on a hot summer day. It's the feel of water and sand between your toes. It's Christmas morning. It's the way your stomach tumbles as you jump off a swing. It's riding a bike for the first time without training wheels. It just is, and it always will be, beautiful.

If you have read any of her other books, you'd understand.

I read a chapter of Vicious to a creative writing class months ago. A short chapter of Victor and Sydney in the graveyard, and just with Victoria's words, I had people coming up to me after class wanting more, asking me where they could get their hands on a copy of the book. I'll told them instantly, as I'll always gladly endorse this book as much as I can. In fact, the day my friend came up to me and proudly proclaimed she had finally read it (and she didn't know what took her so long), was truly a great day. It was the first time, after constant nagging, someone finally listened to me and realized I was right all along. This book truly is something amazing.

“Victor Vale was not a fucking sidekick .”

The characters are thunderstorms. It's impossible to know if you should stare in fascination, or hide in fear. You can't guess when the thunder they create is going to rock the world.

You hate the main character, Victor Vale. It's easy to hate him. Being in his head is a roller coaster, one that takes you for loop after loop. You disagree with everything he says and does. He takes a 12 year old girl to dig up a dead body. He tortures without second thought. He seeks revenge on a person who used to be his best friend. Yet, after all the despicable things he does, part of you loves him. You root for him. You want to see him succeed.

There is so many things about Vicious that I love. I had the oppurtunity to meet Victoria Schwab, my idol, and have this book autographed. If I ever had to rescue a book from a fire, I would instantly choose this one.

Vicious is worth the read. It's worth the reread. It's worth taking the risk and loaning it to a friend.

Vicious is just worth it.