4.5
Mind : blown
Breathing : stopped
Life : ruined

I have a special compartment for anti-heros in my heart and this book had quite a few of them so it should come as no surprise that I relished this book more than life, and I am eagerly waiting for the next one. I have no words to confess my love for this series and all characters in it. Every character in this book was so well developed, or should I say well corrupted? Rotten? I loved how they swung, back and forth, on the continnum of black and white. Their questionable morality and bad decisions, when faced with a impossible situation, made them realistic and utterly human. Victor's was a badass but his bravado didn't render him invincible; it made him reckless and more prone to failure, which I think is a cost associated with badassery. It was very realistic and believable. The scenes that Victor, Sydney and Mitch shared together were my absolute favourites.

Synopsis

The book take place 5 years after the event of the first book. We find Victor, Sydney and Mitch on the run from the EONs all the while trying to figure out the weird mutation taking place inside Victor. When Sydney revived him in the last book, he came back broken, and now he keeps dying and coming back more broken every time. His condition is escalating quickly. Victor and the team figures out that only an EO with the healing power can help his extraordinary condition, but that would mean exposing that Victor is alive, which is something that they can't afford.

Eli is still in the prison but he is not the same guy he was before. When he was captured by the EON, he was sent to the lab where a scientist experimented on him and broke him. He is now working with the EON in suicide squad fashion.

We meet two new characters: Marcella, a woman who can turn things to ashes with her touch, and June, a shape shifting voodoo doll.

These two set things in motion that bring Victor and Eli in the same spot once again.

ONCE upon a time, when the marks on his back were still fresh, Eli told himself that he was growing wings. After all, his mother thought Eli was an angel, even if his father said he had the devil in him.

A peak into Eli's troubled childhood helped me in understanding his motives and hatred towards the EOs and made me a little more sympathetic towards him. It was really heartbreaking, and I hope I am not the only one who wanted Victor and Eli to patch up and go back to being bros?

Perhaps she was glass. But glass is only brittle until it breaks. Then it’s sharp.

I always love reading about strong female characters and this one had at least two of them. MARCELLA was a force to be reckoned with, even if she got a little stupid and annoying by the end of the book. JUNE was an enigma and the only character with no proper backstory. She was unassailable with her powers that were far more superior than that of Marcella's so it made no sense when she genuflected before Marcella instead of taking her down and replacing her. I want to know more about her and her intentions. I hope there's another book in the works 'cos I have so many questions not only about June but about Victor as well. I still don't know what to make of the cryptic message Victor left for us in end.

V.E. SCHWAB is definitely an ExtraOrdinary and her superpower is to torture us with her writing and cliffhangers.

One thing that failed this book to land on my All-time favourite list was the lack of Victor and Eliot. If I could change one thing, I would add more of Victor and Eliot and shorten the side plots. I am pretty sure I am not the only one who feel this way.

Anyway, it was still a pretty solid read, and I had several NDE experiences throughout the book. Ms. Schwab, you have ruined my life. I blame you completely.

PS: There is secret message in my review. 😏

My thoughts on Vicious