Article contributed by Noura Khalid
Vengeful is the follow-up to VE Schwab’s Villains, and thanks to Sydney, Victor is back but not without consequence. We watch Victor struggle to find a way to fix what went wrong and with a lot of failed attempts, the desperation just increases. Victor does a lot of things that could warrant someone to hate him. Truthfully, he is probably my favourite character from these books. It isn’t everyday where you read a story from the villains point of view, and it’s great that Schwab doesn’t try to justify what he’s doing.
Sydney has grown significantly in this book. Maybe not physically, but you can see the differences between when she was thirteen and now. Mitch was as supportive as ever and he helps Victor find EOs that could help, and he is constantly worrying about Victor and Sydney.
We had a lot of time jumping, which was a tad bit confusing, but you can get the hang of it after a while. We also switched frequently between characters’ perspectives, but it was a really enjoyable aspect. It’s especially great as you could tell the difference between the narration of each character easily. Every point of view felt entirely different and you could connect with the characters personality.
We got a glimpse of what the past was like for Eli. His upbringing and the troubles he faced. This made me love and hate him all at once, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused. Marcella was a new addition to the characters and her point of view was particularly enjoyable (aside from Victor of course) as she was all kinds of badass. June was also a new face (literally) and I admit I didn’t really understand why she was so attached to Sydney so much. It got quite annoying after a while, and I wanted nothing more than for Sydney to be with Victor and Mitch.
I really enjoyed these books and one can only hope that this won’t be the last we see of these characters. I would definitely love to see what happens next to them and the story became so much more complex than it was.
Vengeful is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Have you read Vengeful? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
The sequel to VICIOUS, V.E. Schwab’s first adult novel.
Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance.
Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.
