Vengeful (The Villains, #2)

by V.E. Schwab

[nightingalereads]

3.75 stars

I read Vicious back in 2013 and loved it. In fact, Vicious was my first (and favorite) book by V.E. Schwab.

Thinking it a standalone, I was thrilled and slightly anxious when I heard she was writing a sequel. (Hence why I put off reading this until now). Turns out, I had no reason to fear. Vengeful reminded me why I loved the first book so much. Schwab's writing is crisp and punchy, and utterly engaging. I'd honestly forgotten some of the events and side characters from Vicious, but Vengeful did such a good job of recapturing the atmosphere of the first one that everything soon came rushing back. I forgot how much I missed them all. Especially the family bond between Victor and Sydney. As in Vicious, these two were my favorite to read about. Eli continued to be as complicated as my feelings are for him, if that makes any sense, and the new characters introduced also proved a welcome addition. Although I wasn't as invested in Marcella's storyline, she was a compelling character and a refreshing perspective to read from.

If, like me, you have been hesitating to pick this up, Vengeful is definitely a worthy successor to Vicious. I was completely sucked in, and the final showdown near the end had me clasping my hand over my mouth the entire time.

Overall: I missed my damaged found-family of villains.