Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With all the knife-sharp thrill of its cinematic predecessor, 2013's Vicious, bestseller Schwab's second Villains series plunges readers back into the world of extraordinary humans, or EOs, who were granted special abilities after near-death experiences. Upon being revived, Victor Vale discovers his pain-dealing powers are not only on the fritz but slowly killing him. With the help of hacker Mitch Turner, he seeks a fellow EO to cure him. Meanwhile, newly empowered Marcella Riggins and shape-shifting assassin June are taking over the local mob by force. Eventually the trail of bodies left by both groups bring them to the attention of EON, a clandestine paramilitary organization determined to contain or neutralize all EOs, and in whose laboratories serial murderer Eli Ever is being tortured in a never-ending science experiment. When ordinary human soldiers prove ineffective at tracking Victor or killing Marcella, EON lets Eli out of his cage, and these disparate-seeming threads are finally woven together with Schwab's characteristic skill, suspense, and vivid imagery. New readers and fans of Schwab's many other books for adults and teens will dive right in, and fans of Vicious will be overjoyed to rediscover this exciting series. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
This conclusion to the "Villains" duology picks up five years after the first book (Vicious) ends, with Eli Ever in prison and Victor Vale reanimated. The story moves forward and backward in time to connect that moment with the present day, in which ExtraOrdinary Humans (EOs) are being targeted by ExtraOrdinary Observation and Neutralization (EON). Led by Director Jonathan Stell, who initially put Vic away, EON is complicating Ever's and Vale's ability to destroy each other, as is a new villain, Marcella Riggins. A woman with a vendetta and ambition, Riggins's quest for power and creation of an EO team complicates Ever's escape plans and exploits Vale's ever-malfunctioning powers, leaving him to wonder if there is a limit to how many times an EO can reanimate. Resourceful, selfish, and motivated, Ever and Vale employ cunning strategies in their attempts to defeat Marcella and EON, so they can finally vanquish each other. VERDICT Schwab's strong writing, addictive action scenes, and fully developed complexities of plot and character combine to deliver a satisfying story.-Tina Panik, Avon Free P.L., CT © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Victor Vale has died twiceand it's not getting any easier.Five years ago, after the bloody battle that ended with Victor dead and his former friend Eli imprisoned, Sydney Clarke used her power to bring Victor back. But for ExtraOrdinary people like Victor, Sydney's resurrection power comes at a price. Now Victor is racing against time to figure out how to repair the damage death has done to himand struggling to hold his weird little makeshift familymade up of an ex-con, a former soldier, and a girl who can raise the deadtogether even though he's falling apart. Meanwhile, a new EO is rising in the town of Merit. Marcella Riggins isn't the type to take murder lying down, and she's come back from death with only one thought in her mind: ruin. She'll start with her husband, who killed her when she confronted him over his infidelity, but she won't stop there. Five years may have passed since the events of Vicious (2013), the first book in Schwab's (A Conjuring of Light, 2017, etc.) Villains series, but her superpowered characters haven't exactly used that time to relax. The tension in this sequel starts high and keeps ratcheting higher, as Victor's grip on his power starts slipping and the body count starts rising. Victor and his friends and enemies are a fascinating group of complicated characters, and the utterly ruthless Marcella is a great addition to the mix.Readers won't be able to put down this dark and riveting tale of power and revenge. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
