Victor and Eli are still very much the focus in this follow-up. They all, in one way or another, become wrapped up in Marcella’s devilish schemes while battling the ghosts of their pasts. Of course, what’s a rise to power without some enemies? Enter the familiar faces of Victor Vale, Sydney Clarke, Mark Stell and Eli Cardale, among others. But there’s also horror - not just of the corrosive effects of her abilities, but of vengeance’s corrosive toll on the soul. There’s an undeniable excitement surrounding the moments when she exacts her revenge on those who’ve wronged her. On the one hand, you can’t help but feel for her and her plight. Rather, Marcella’s will and drive are what transform her into a force to be reckoned with. She isn’t to be feared because she’s a seductress. Thankfully, Schwab’s brand of femme fatale is more complex than that. And it boils female strength down to sexual capability rather than inner-character. It’s a trope that, in the same breath, pins women as both sexual fascinations and entities to be wary of. At its core is the male fantasy of the seductress but also the male fear of the deceitful woman. The thing is, there’s a lot to be said about the femme fatale trope. And yet while so many writers would maybe leave their supervillain at that, Schwab builds on her character, adding layers of depth. Marcella embodies the classic and dark femme fatalein many ways - beautiful, mysterious, dangerous. With a single touch, she can erode anything and anyone who stands in her way.Īnd from there, Schwab chronicles the rise of one of the greatest villains I’ve read in years. And thankfully for her (and unfortunately for everyone else), she obtains the power to do just that. When she survives her would-be death, she has only one thought on her mind: ruin. The housewife of a bigshot mobster, Marcella has been cast aside in the shadows, never allowed to truly shine - at least until her devastating brush with death at the hands of someone she had once trusted and adored. So the story begins with Marcella Riggins. And Vengeful responds (shouts!) in like with its own spin on temptation - the temptation of anger, betrayal and (above all else) revenge.
Temptation is, in so many ways, at the heart of Vicious - that temptation for power, knowledge, glory. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. Victor himself is under the radar these days-being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance. Sydney once had Serena-beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. Schwab’s long-awaited follow-up to her 2013 novel Vicious. A lust for vengeance is as strong as any superpower in V.E.
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