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Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Shwab

"A unique and darkly fun, gritty, realistic look at the Superhero Origin story with the idea that not all things that seem good are good and not all things that seem bad are bad. Great read, Schwab, so far, has not disappointed." 

4 Stars

Pros: An interesting concept, kind of like "Flatliners" meets "X-Men" meets "The Boys"/Gritty and realistic, Shwab does not shy away from the dark parts of humanity/As Mitch says, "There are no good guys in this game" and it's true, but Victor especially is the not so bad, bad guy that you can't help but love, Mitch as well.  

Cons: The EO transformation for Eli/Victor was sort of glossed over/Both of Eli/Victor's backstories were left vague but I'm hoping that will be remedied in the sequel. 

Full Review: 

Victor Vale - Disgruntled product of Self-Help gurus and best-selling author parents, he spends his free time blacking out the pages of his parents' novels and creating dark messages of his own. He's brilliant but aloof, never connecting with his peers, stereotypical quiet, cold and calculating. He's a loner except for his one friend, Angie. They have a quiet connection, a silent understanding and shared disinterest in the general populace and secretly, Victor is smitten. 

Eli Cardmore - Quarterback handsome, all-American, boy next door charmer who starts the Semester late and Victor suddenly finds himself saddled with this do-gooder as a room-mate. They eventually become friends, finding kindship in their intelligence and also, something darker. Victor can never put a name to it, but he can see and feel the darkness behind Eli's smile and he's intrigued. The downfall, of course, is when Victor introduces Eli to Angie. They become fast friends and more and Victor is left on the sidelines. 

They're all upperclassmen at a distinguished school called Lockland. It's thesis time and when their Professor goes around the room and has the class briefly explain what they'll be studying.  Eli surprises everyone with his unique subject. He'll be analyzing the physiological reaction of adrenaline, the "fight or flight" instinct and its connection in the creation of EOs (ExtraOrdinarys.) There aren't many out there but there have been stories of people gifted with superhuman strength, speed and Eli is determined to find the cause. 

Winter break comes and goes and when Victor returns to Campus, he finds Eli invigorated, excited, restless and itching for the chance to put his theory to the test. He's pretty sure he's connected it all, that all those people who are possibly EOs have all experienced one thing in common. And that commonality is a Near Death Experience. 

I think you can see where I'm going with this. 

Eager and excited to help his friend try out his theory, Victor volunteers to be Eli's first test subject. It causes a catastrophic chain of events that is both stereotypical but also unique, as Shwab's EOs have gifts that coincide with the events of their "deaths." The rest of the novel is fast paced and exciting because honestly, who doesn't love a good superhero/supervillain story. 

This was a fun, unique and entertaining read. There were parts that I would have liked to have known more, seen a bit more backstory for the characters but I'm hoping that will be resolved in Vengeance, the sequel, which is currently sitting beside me, waiting patiently. If you like comic books, stories with good guys/bad guys but the lines of "good" and "bad" are deliciously blurred so that people are never as one sided as they seem, then I think you'll enjoy this book. 

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