Is doing two in one day cheating? Arguably, but I thought about doing separate posts for these two before deciding that the series should stick together.

“When no one understands, that’s usually a good sign that you’re wrong.” – Vicious

Vicious & Vengeful by V. E. Schwab both are driven by the questions of power: does power corrupt? who should have power? is power what you do to others? what is done to you?

The series starts with Victor and Eli working on questionable experiments while at school to prove the hypothesis that powers can be triggered in human beings by near-death experiences. Surprises of all surprises – things go wrong. Vengeful may not continue with the scholastic setting, but it brings in the same exact questions Schwab is asking readers in Vicious. Eli and Victor’s experiments, and the fallout from them, is still sending ripples throughout the world around them.

“It was just so easy.
As if everything had wanted to come apart.
There was probably some law about that.
Order giving way to chaos.” – Vengeful