Vengeful

I read Vicious by VE Schwab about three years ago and really enjoyed it, but it seems to have taken me a very long time to remember that and get around to reading the sequel! I had to read a detailed recap of the first one, in order to recall enough details to feel happy to move on, but I'm very glad I did.

VE Schwab somehow manages to make this story immensely involving from the start, even though every single character very much represents shades of great - and several of them are downright evil! But I found them all fascinating and very engaging, even if not likeable.

The fractured nature of the narrative is very skillfully woven together (and having done a similar split timeline in my own second novel, I know how hard that is - never again!), though it does perhaps concentrate on single characters a bit too long, meaning that others are neglected for many pages before the story gets back to them.

But the whole book is an absolute masterclass in reader investment. There were some great new characters to enjoy, though my favourite from the first book, Mitch, didn't really get a look in here, which was a shame.

Then the ending felt a bit nebulous - some of the resolutions were very satisfying, but others were left rather open-ended in a way that didn't feel particularly good.

Overall, though, a fantastic sequel to an excellent first book. I need to read more by this author.