Ashley's Reviews > Vicious

Well, it was extra ordinary alright. What starts off as an interesting premise with two academic rivals, who both admire and resent one another, embarking on a thesis experiment that involves essentially killing themselves and then quickly reviving in order to gain a superpower, to become ExtraOrdinary.

The beginning of the book is good, and I enjoyed the building complexity of Victor and Eli's relationship. However, from the moment they become ExtraOrdinary, it all goes downhill. Almost every major (and many minor) events of the book are incredibly convenient. People are exactly where they need to be, and things happen exactly when and how they should. For example: a character needs to display that she has the power to raise the dead? Well, hey there's an injured dog. Kill it, and I'll bring it back. The dog appears literally after the question is raised. It feels absurd.

The story takes place in Merit, which we're told contains millions of people, yet you'd think it encompasses a single city block. Every single character is on top of each other. The setting feels microscopic.

The characters are one-dimensional and there's no compelling motivation for anyone. I often asked myself, Why do I care? What's the point? Side characters exist solely as convenience for the main guys and do little else. Serena in theory is interesting, but I feel her powers would match Eli better and would have made Eli more interesting.

(view spoiler)[Also, the ending is just bleh. What the hell was Victor's plan? It's a good thing he found a guy who can move secretly in shadows and condense time, otherwise he couldn't have even gotten near Eli. And what's the point? To go and stab him a bunch? There's also no stakes with Victor dying, because we know Sydney is right there and alive. (hide spoiler)]

Needless to say, I will not be continuing. I had previously read Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic, which I liked quite a lot, so this was disappointing.