Victor and Eli started out as college roommates - brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find-aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the arch nemeses have set a course for revenge-but who will be left alive at the end?
Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between Bad and Good, but between Bad and Worse. —Joseph BrodskyFriends, Vicious is a book that totally surprised me in the best of ways. I've owned this book for months but was kind of afraid to read because of the hype and my lukewarm/conflicted feelings about the Shades of Magic trilogy, but when I impulse bought the Limited Special Edition OwlCrate for Vengeful and decided that it was about time that I give this book a try... and I am so glad that I did because I loved it! If you enjoy morally gray characters and anti-heroes like I do, this definitely is a book for you.
🔪 "Victor Vale is not a fucking sidekick"; his belief in probability, science, and chance guide him and he has difficulty with religious faith.This is definitely a character-driven story with a very interesting world that kind of reminds me of the tv series Heroes. I do wish that there was more worldbuilding and an explanation of EOs in the context of the world Victor and Eli live in. When Eli presented his thesis topic it almost appeared like a joke; however, as the plot progressed it is hinted that EOs were a thing even before the thesis. How long had the term been coined? How much did the public know in that ten-years ago period?
🔪 Eli Cardale/Ever "was precocious, and frighteningly charming, the kind of guy who got away with everything, thanks to good genes and quick wits"; his belief and faith in God guides his life and his actions.
🔪 We also have Mitch Turner and Sydney Clarke, both of whom are absolute cinnamon rolls and I adore them wholeheartedly. And let's honest here: the banter between Mitch, Sydney, and Victor cracked me up and I lived for it.
🔪 Lastly we have Serena Clarke, Sydney's older sister and most certainly not a cinnamon roll.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “I’m trying to protect people.”Serena plays an interesting foil to Eli in this way and brings out an interesting philosophical argument for the reader to consider if they choose.
She smiled behind her coffee. It wasn’t a happy smile. “Which people?”
