Review: Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
Overview:
Rating: 4 out of 5.
As far as sequels go, I liked this book better than the first one. I was very impressed by the character development, expansion of conflict, and, of course, V.E. Schwab’s writing style.
Content Warning:
Vengeful contains domestic violence, gun violence, torture, body horror, imprisonment, sexism, chronic illness, animal abuse, and death.
Book Description:
Vengeful is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy book and the second novel in V.E. Schwab’s Villians series. After being resurrected a second time, Victor Vale’s powers threaten to consume him and the consequences could be deadly. He must find a cure or forfeit his life, but new forces are coming into play: a new EO with a pension for revenge, a government agency that is trying to neutralize all superhumans, and a mysterious woman who can change her appearance at will.
On the Characters:
As a sequel, Vengeful expands upon the existing characters’ from Vicious and adds new players to the scene. I particularly appreciated the further exploration of Eli’s past. Understanding his family life and religious background justified a lot of the choices he made in Vicious that were previously less clear in terms of motive.
As far a new characters go, I absolutely adore Marcella — the ex-wife of a mob boss and recently-turned superhuman. While the beginnings of her story arc revolve around her seeking revenge against her abusive husband, I love that the entirety of her motivations are not dependent on a male character. Schwab writes her as greedy, power hungry, and wanting before even meeting her husband, and keeps her that way throughout the story. It is such a breath of fresh air to read a female villain whose main goals do not revolve around men or romance, but their own desires.
On the Building of Conflict:
Vengeful explores many of the same themes of conflict as the Vicious: Who does power belong to? How should power be controlled? Does the well-being of the masses justify the loss of freedom of some? etc. However, Vengeful analyzes these questions on a much larger scale. Politics, the court of public opinion, and many new individual characters all come into play. Consequently, there is a marked increase in bloodshed, violence, and death in this book compared to the previous. The stakes are monumentally raised.
On Schwab’s Writing Style:
If you’ve read my reviews before, you’ll know that I’m a huge sucker for V.E. Schwab’s prose. This book is no exception. Her writing is often so profound that, if taken out of context, you’d expect it’s source to be an inspirational calendar and not the dialogue of character who just murdered 10 people. Not only does she manage to convincingly share the perspective and emotions of some of the most despicable characters, but she does it in away that is somehow empathetic and sounds like poetry. Seriously, lines like “If you lived in the dark you died in the dark. But stand in the light, and it was that much harder to make you disappear…” will have even the most decent readers thinking that the villian has a good point. Her ability to convey death, violence, and horror in such a beautiful way will never cease to amaze me
On Who Might Enjoy [Book Title]:
I recommend you read this book if you:
enjoy t.v. shows like The Boys on Amazon
are into morally corrupt but protective characters
like mob/gang stories
PLEASE NOTE: Image sources for the photo edit in this post can be found here.