High Ambition, Low Execution
This is such a sad introduction for this author for me because I truly didn’t like it. I don’t know if science fiction is not for me or what the problem is but no. If I didn’t have to read this for a readathon then I think I might have DNFed this. I know writing is hard work and writing well is even harder. Either you like a book or you don’t. I’ve never had a book published, so far be it for me to go around critiquing art. But art is subjective, and the reviews I’ve read here about Vicious have compelled me. I’ve given Schwab a single star for effort, and a second star for at least leaving me with the wish that the book had been better.
The Pacing & Writing Style
Schwab manages to simultaneously tell a story that feels both rushed and endless. While others have commented on the “great” pacing, I found it incredibly choppy. The book is 366 pages divided into 72 short chapters, constantly bouncing back and forth through flashbacks.
Flashbacks are a plot device typically used when a writer only has half a story to begin with, starting two threads at once in hopes of squishing them together into something usable later on. That can sometimes work on screen, but it rarely works in literature—and I’ve never seen a device so overused as it is here. Combined with clunky tropes and heavy Tumblr-style sentence fragments (“Dominic Rusher was a broken man. Literally.”), the prose just didn’t hold up.
Content & Tropes (Spoilers Ahead)
The story revolves around “ExtraOrdinaries” (EOs)—regular people revived from death who return with special powers. The premise felt overly familiar and cliché, constantly bringing X-Men to mind (a comparison the book even explicitly makes).
Then there’s a short love scene so melodrama-heavy it’s laughable: Serena’s power is getting what she wants, and the only thing she wants is Eli… who only wants to kill her, but can’t because of her power. It almost felt sexist. I deliberately sought out a female author to avoid this kind of dynamic, so that was particularly disappointing.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever known an author, you know they’ll tell you that you have to write through a lot of draft work before you get to the good stuff. Schwab shows promise, but Vicious isn’t the good stuff—it’s a rare case where a movie adaptation could genuinely be better than the book.
That said, my work book club nominated another title by her to vote on for August, so I’m willing to give her another shot!
