In my search for my next read, all I was certain of was that I wanted something disturbing.

The main question I wrestled with was what type of disturbing. A splatterpunk horror? A psychological thriller? A somber commentary on society? Unfortunately, finding a book that could hold my attention and befit a 16-year-old was a difficult task. So, begrudgingly abandoning my dream of being scared by a piece of literature, I looked into more tame options.

I had been aware of Vicious for months and had always been intrigued by the premise. So, when I stumbled upon it again, I felt obligated to give it a try. Maybe it’d even surprise me with some ominous elements? Well, as it turned out, I didn’t abandon my dreams because Vicious was delightfully what the title implies.

At Lockland University, Victor Vale was working on a thesis for his required science course. The task was rudimentary to Victor, whose intellectual supremacy allowed him to complete such things with ease. Being a pre-med student, it was also easy to pick his thesis based on his interests.

Adrenal inducers. A safe, straightforward topic for Victor. Well, compared to Victor’s best friend Eli’s topic, anything would be.

EOs. ExtraOrdinaries. What circumstances could create a being that functions on a superior level to other humans?

Purely hypothetical, of course.

However, when Victor notes Eli’s passion for the thesis, he needs to involve himself, needs to understand what drives Eli, and needs to feel connected to him. This need leads Victor to pose the question that would lead to his ruin: what if the thesis wasn’t hypothetical?

Vicious masters the art of playing with its reader’s patience. The book starts ominously in the time of “last night” where the reader is introduced to a 10-year post-col- lege Victor with no context as to how he ended up where he is. In no time at all, the reader is transported back to Lockland University, where a college-aged Victor gives a glimpse into the events leading up to his current situation. By alternating the timeline with each chapter, V.E. Schwab successfully creates tension between the reader and the pages of the book, compelling them to read on with the urgent purpose of uncovering more details about the past.

The book is not only captivating in the way it’s structured, but also in the composition of the characters. The third-person omniscient narration provides access to characters’ thoughts and feelings. Victor, the main focus of the narrator’s omniscient powers, is presented in a way that allows the reader to question his morality. If there’s anything that adds the unease I yearned for to a story, it’s when you don’t trust the character you’re meant to sympathize most with. Schwab creates this distrust tastefully, initially portraying the thoughts of past Victor that seem just a little abnormal, and using that to build up to his character’s inevitable development.

Despite many other powerful components, the crowning achievement of Vicious is its way of making the reader question what is good and evil. Even through the unease her writing instills, Schwab somehow managed to get me to sympathize with questionable characters. Once again, the omniscient narrator added merit to the impact of the story, allowing the reader to see things from many points of view. This element made it virtually impossible to say whether a character was strictly good or bad. With their perspective to consider, I often found myself understanding their motives. In this way, Vicious had all I wanted in a book, making me question my own values and morals because of my sympathies with the characters.

Altogether, Vicious is a tale that captures its readers with its suspense. Through the use of excellent setting and character building, Schwab conveys an undertone of superiority in her characters that plays smoothly into the extraordinary elements. Her descriptive passages create a visceral portrayal of physical sensations for the reader, which, along with the narration, 

builds a comprehension of characters that causes the reader to reluctantly sympathize.

Vicious quickly became one of my favorite reads of this year, and it’s easy to say I’d recommend it to anyone who hunts for a book you can’t seem to put down. You’ll find a fast-paced plot with intriguing characters you can’t help but like — albeit probably shouldn’t — and a gritty, fictional world that’s reminiscent of a classic superhero comic universe.