As a novelist, V.E. Schwab has a habit of making the familiar strange. It’s difficult to classify what genre she falls into, as Schwab’s books have always possessed an eloquent realism, with themes of life and death interwoven into the challenge of an extraordinary circumstance. 

Toward the end of this past summer, I had the pleasure of sitting down and reading her novel, Vicious. Before reading the book, I’d only read one of her novels, called The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Now, after TILOAL, I’d already declared myself a Schwab fan. I thought there was something very unique about the writer, something I often wished to find in most authors of this time.

It was not her writing that had me curled up in my room all day, consuming every word with a sort of religious reverence. Don’t get me wrong, I think Schwab is a good writer but she’s no Donna Tart. However, her storytelling sucked me into an elaborate portal of unpredictability and curiosity.

Both of these books have enthralling synopses printed across their back covers, creative enough to spark anyone’s interest. With two very complex plot lines, I wasn’t sure what to expect from either of them but I was curiously excited. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue holds a special place in my heart because of the lessons I excavated from its protagonist. The story is about a girl cursed to live out an eternity on earth, where every soul she meets forgets her existence the second they turn their back on her. 

Running from her own ghost, she lives every day with a compelling will to live, even though she’s completely alone, unable to leave a single trace of herself behind. Following the era of the Gilded Age up to modern-day America, you see the world through Adeline’s (Addie’s) eyes, and god, it is spectacular. 

With the addition of fantasy elements like gods, curses, and mysterious magics that leave Addie invisible to the world, she fights off the devil she’s traded her life to, Luc. Luc is eager for Addie’s soul, lying in wait to witness her give up and call it quits on life. Despite this conflict, Addie manages to leave little traces of herself in people’s lives over the duration of three hundred years. In art, music, and poetry, she sprinkles little pieces of her essence and beauty into the world, through the lasting works of the artists she’s met and impacted.

This story gave me a sense of grace and compassion for life itself. When I finally closed the novel, I felt an overwhelming sense of thanks to be living my life and leaving my own trace on the world. Not only was the plot unique and elaborate but Schwab managed to evoke such earnest emotions from me, all because of the hopelessly passionate and stubborn protagonist she’d created.

Going into Vicious, I tried to ignore my bias about Schwab because I knew the book would be very different from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Vicious is disparate in many ways, taking a dark turn on this ‘familiar-strange’ concept.

Vicious starts out rather ordinarily, with two aspiring scientists picking out topics for their graduate thesis project. Pairing off two headstrong men as roommates, Victor and Eli, tensions are already high at the story’s beginning.

As they pick out their topics, Victor decides he wants to study adrenaline as Eli ventures into the unconventional idea of EOs or “extra-ordinaries,” people with supernatural abilities. Eli, the professor’s favorite, ventures into his research as our jealous protagonist chases after him. Soon enough, the two are coming up with a conjoined hypothesis by mixing their topics and toeing the line of experimentation. The built-up passion for their craft drives them over the edge and they begin experimenting with near-death experiences by becoming their own test subjects.

Vicious is fascinating and dark, portraying a double-antagonist feud with the ultimate revenge plot. I’ve always been excited by so-called ‘morally gray’ characters and this book only scratched that interest. The addition of complex characters from varying backgrounds only made the story easier to fall into.

Moving on to her other books, I’m interested in reading her Dark Shades of Magic series. The story takes place in London during the reign of King George III and plays with the element of overlapping, magical dimensions. It’s safe to say that I have high expectations for a rather elaborate, shocking story with an abundance of mysteries and themes.