There’s discussions about ethics, moral high grounds, and necessary sacrifices. That being said, one of my favorite elements in Vengeful was the way that Marcella makes us question the differences between the three of them: Marcella, Victor, and Eli. But – without spoilers – reflecting on it I felt like I was confused about Marcella as a purpose? As a piece of the broader story which was established in Vicious. But because of that, I felt like there were whole sections where I lost Victor’s story.Īnd if Marcella’s arc didn’t go the way it did in Vengeful, maybe that would have made more cohesive sense to me. Her ruthlessness, her cunning, her performative nature? Don’t get me wrong, a little unsettled by her actions, but her? Love. At the beginning, I was smitten with her. And that largely has to do with the introduction of Marcella as a character.

Did I enjoy the ride? Yes, but in the first I felt this current and almost a feeling of a ticking time bomb. There were whole sections while reading where I wasn’t sure where the story was going. But whereas with Vicious there was a clear plot direction – the showdown between Victor and Eli – in Vengeful it felt more meandering. The amount of details in origin stories, powers, and ethics? Fabulous. Schwab has done something fun and while super powers are not entirely unheard of, Schwab brings something refreshing. No question about it, I still greatly enjoy the world building. It’s actually taken me a few days to solidify how I feel about Vengeful.

Vengeful by ve schwab