Title: Vicious (Vicious #1)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Titan Books
What distinguishes a hero from a villain? Is it their actions and its effect on society, their past or is it their intentions? Does doing the right thing for the wrong reasons make you hero?
One cannot dispute the fact that Schwab is a master storyteller. Her writing style is sheer brilliancy and compels you to turn page after page. I was addicted from page one and couldn't help but be pulled into this insanely twisted tale of ambition, power, betrayal, friendship, heroism and villainy.
The novel focuses on Victor and Eli, the complexity of their friendship and the underlying rivalry and jealousy that is evident from the very beginning. Victor, our hero (anti-hero?) has an iron will, an air of quiet arrogance and a soft spot for stray (both of the human and four-legged variety). Eli is the hero in his own story, a smiling monster and a religious zealot who thinks it's his destiny to eradicate all EOs. And what super-hero (super-villain?) is complete without some faithful sidekicks? Mitch is chocolate milk loving, tattooed giant of a hacker and Sydney is the 12 year old necromancer with an attitude to match her special abilities. Morally ambiguous characters galore! Each of the characters were beautifully fleshed out and each of them were equipped with equally questionable motives.
The switches from the past to the present were seamless and the two timelines were brilliantly weaved together. While some of the twists were somewhat predictable, Schwab more than makes up for it with her writing. I also felt that the world building was some what murky so there was room for development in that account. The novel is sprinkled with witty dialogues and dark humor which brought in some levity to an otherwise dark novel. Vicious is quite an emotionally charged, melodramatic and wildly addictive read - Hands down, one of my favorite of 2015.
MY RATING: 4 AND A HALF STARS
FAVORITE LINE:
“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
Title: Devoted in Death (In Death #41)
Authors: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Piatkus Books
Release Date: September 10th 2015
ADD ON GOODREADS
MY THOUGHTS:
Devoted in Death is the 41st book in the In Death series. Yes, you read that correctly. I don't how she does it but Robb keeps churning out books like crazy! Although it's the 41st book in the series, new readers do not have to worry because it works well as a standalone too.
Devoted in Death is a Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque story of demented couple who are heading towards New York and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. As they hit NY, Lieutenant Eve Dallas takes on this grisly case. Robb gives us a peek at how the case is solved from assembling the clues and finding the connections to the actual bust. I adored this fast-paced and engaging police procedural novel set in futuristic NY. Despite knowing who the killers are in the very beginning, there was never a dull moment in this book. Robb is quite skilled at building up the tension in her reads and this was the same for Devoted in Death. It's a race against time as Eve puts together the clues and anticipates the killers' every move.
I also liked the fact that Robb explores the back stories of each victim adding to the emotional punch of the novel. The story is told in multiple POVs including the perspectives of the killers, Eve, Roarke and a few others. We were treated to the rest of Eve's team Peabody, McNabb and Mira but there was also an introduction of a new character, Deputy Banner. While the focus is on the case, we also do get a peak of the relationship between Roarke and Eve which was pretty sweet. For me reading this series is a strangely comforting ritual because it reminds me of high school when I first read Nora Roberts's books so I always look forward to the next instalment.
Devoted in Death is a Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque story of demented couple who are heading towards New York and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. As they hit NY, Lieutenant Eve Dallas takes on this grisly case. Robb gives us a peek at how the case is solved from assembling the clues and finding the connections to the actual bust. I adored this fast-paced and engaging police procedural novel set in futuristic NY. Despite knowing who the killers are in the very beginning, there was never a dull moment in this book. Robb is quite skilled at building up the tension in her reads and this was the same for Devoted in Death. It's a race against time as Eve puts together the clues and anticipates the killers' every move.
I also liked the fact that Robb explores the back stories of each victim adding to the emotional punch of the novel. The story is told in multiple POVs including the perspectives of the killers, Eve, Roarke and a few others. We were treated to the rest of Eve's team Peabody, McNabb and Mira but there was also an introduction of a new character, Deputy Banner. While the focus is on the case, we also do get a peak of the relationship between Roarke and Eve which was pretty sweet. For me reading this series is a strangely comforting ritual because it reminds me of high school when I first read Nora Roberts's books so I always look forward to the next instalment.
The In Death series is an addictive combination of police procedural, thriller, romance and mystery.
MY RATING: 4 STARS
FAVORITE LINES:
“Breath is life. You are not the pebble washed to shore by the wave, but the fish that swims in the wave. Breathe in to fill, to draw in the light.”
Have you read Vicious or any of Schwab's other works? Are you a fan of J. D. Robb? What are favorite reads this month?
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41 book series, that is impressive!
ReplyDeleteI already loved Vicious. There were some parts that could have been explored better, but I liked the characters and those time switches. It worked amazing for that story.