This is by far the best book I've read all year, (excluding my reread of Vicious of course, which sits in a cloud of pure fucking artistic stardust, untouchable and unparalleled)

I'm still trying to process how marvellously, wonderfully, fucking fantastic this book was, but unfortunately I find myself a little lost for words. I'll do my best to review this eloquently without breaking out into caps lock shrieks of FUCKING AMAZING in every other sentence.

This is probably going to be the longest review I've ever written. I've got so many thoughts, so much to say. Sorry/Not sorry, (not even close)

Characters
Look, it's no secret that I'm partial to an anti-hero (or a dozen). I'm inexplicably drawn to anything with morally grey characters, and Victor Vale is the very epitome of an anti-hero, the epitome of morally grey. He's everything I want from a character and more and I love him so much, (please don't hurt him, V.E. Schwab, please?)
Even broken in the way that he is, hanging on by a thread, he's still an absolute beast and a force to be reckoned with. He's unpredictable, unrelenting and unstable, but damn me is he undeniably thrilling to read about.

But not only does Victor continue to be an incredibly strong and determined character (not least sociopathic), but he has an equally strong cast of characters supporting him.

Sydney has grown so much in this book, (not physically of course, but mentally) she's more grown up, hardened. She's not afraid to pull the trigger. Her power has only strengthened with time and I really believe she's only going to get stronger.

Mitch is an absolute delight and, being the only human worth caring about, I fear for him every time things go bad. He doesn't have any super ability, but in a way he has something much stronger. Loyalty. He would do anything for Sydney and as much as he possibly can for Victor. He's the rock of their little dysfunctional family and I think they'd be lost without him.

Eli. Isn't he just one of those characters that you love to hate? I know I certainly loved hating him. We're treated to a lot of backstory of Eli, a cold but sympathetic glimpse into his unfortunate childhood. I actually found himself feeling sorry for him.

Marcella was a total queen. She was powerful and beautiful and she knew it. She used everything she had to her advantage. She was ambition personified and, yes she was a crazy bitch, but she was a wilful crazy bitch. There was no way she was letting a man put her down. I loved her role in this book , but like Eli, I didn't really like her, although I did understand her motives and empathise with some of her situations before her NDE. She was a very strong character, no doubt about it.

June was also a newbie to the series and one it seems we'll see more of. Her ability to shapeshift was an interesting one, more interesting still was the living voodoo doll aspect of it, a potentially very dangerous power that I thought was a very cool twist and totally unexpected. She was a force into herself, not on Eli's side, not on Victor's side, not even really on Marcella's side. She's looking out for herself and Sydney alone, although her fondness and intentions for Syd aren't explained. But we haven't seen the last of June, especially given who is really is.

Spoiler

Her transformation in the last chapter. Her strawberry curls. Only one person is ever described as having strawberry curls. Angie. And the fact that she was able to take on Angie's aspect in the bar to tease Victor, even though we already know that June can't take the aspect of a dead person, it's mentioned several times in fact. The puzzle pieces have been laid out in expert fashion by V.E. but they are there to be collected and put together. Mark my words, June is Angie.

Let's be real. I cared so hard for every single one of them. EVERY single one of them.

Plot
Similarly to it's predecessor, this books jumps between the past and the present, slowly coming forward in time as it fills the gaps between Victor's resurrection to five years later, his power failing him, slowly destroying him.
And like the first book, it's so well done. Every chapter ends leaving the reader wanting more.

So Victor's in a bad way and he's desperate for a quick fix, someone who can make his power work right again. But Victor's running out of time to find a solution.

Just outside of Merit Eli is now a prisoner to EON, Detective Stell's new EO programme to contain and neutralise EOs. But Eli's made a living out of finding EOs, a master hunter, and he has plans of his own once he discovers Victor's still alive.

Within Merit a new power is on the rise, Marcella Riggins. Former mob wife and fresh EO, Marcella, with the help of her own collections of EO accomplices, has big plans to take over the city and take out the competition. The mob is under new management.

But with such brazen unapologetic power, and knowledge of EON and Victor and Eli, Marcella uses every resource she has to maintain her hold on the city. A master manipulator and backstabbing extraordinaire, Marcella has everyone pitted against everyone else.

The plot so really fast-paced. I didn't find a single moment slow. The first quarter or so is kind of just Victor, Syd and Mitch trying to continue life as normal. Just a general attempt at a domestic life as Syd transitions from little girl to moody teenager to strong women. Mitch is the soft touch with her whilst Victor is the hard arse, but both seem to care deeply for her and just want to protect her.
I didnt find these 'life as normal' chapters the least bit boring. Quite the opposite. I could quite happily read a whole nook based purely of the home life of these three. They felt like a real little family. It was so lovely to read them in such (relatively) normal, sheltered situations.

Obviously life doesn't stay normal for long as Victor gets more ill and more desperate. Eventually their travels take them back to Merit and that's where shit really goes down.

The scene in the courthouse, the big battle of EO power was amazing to say the least and the fact that

Spoiler

Victor and Eli were essentially teaming up to fight a bigger evil was so fucking glorious. This shit is poetry to me.

I devoured this chapter and trust me, it was delicious.

And the final fight between Victor and Eli was equally as satisfying.

Setting

We see a handful of different cities, much like the first book, but really it all boils down to Merit, the city that inexplicably seems to draw Victor back.

We see a slightly different, if not grittier side to this city this time through Marcella's character. As a mob wife, we glimpse a small fragment of Merit's criminal underworld, a world that apparently has no place for women, until Marcella carves herself a place.

Another prominent setting is the EON facility, impenetrable until it isn't, until the mistake of sending Victor there is made.

In Vicious there's almost a feeling of Merit being empty, probably because so much centres around the enpty construction site of the Falcon Price building. This time around, there is definitely a greater sense that Merit is a busy, bustling city with crowds of people to disappear into.

This return to Merit feels like closure. All loose ends taken care off, mostly. I can't wait to see where the story takes Victor next.

Writing Style
Impeccable, as usual.

V.E. Schwab certainly has a way with words and the way she builds and develops her characters. They grow gradually and subtletly, forming their own opinions based on their own experience. This natural progression of characterisation felt authentic and endearing. Nothing ever felt forced regarding the characters.

The pace of the writing was well set and the chapters short, making for snappy dialogue. Only the relevant stuff. We aren't bogged down with long-winded conversations or internal monologues, instead getting straight to the heart of things. This only adds to the pace of the book and intensity of the scenes. The fact that the chapters are so short makes it a definite page-turner too, a 'just one more chapter' kind of book you can sink your teeth into.

That final battle in the courthouse was one of the most exciting and thrilling pieces of writing I've ever read. It was so vivid. I was right there in the moment with them. This is what reading should feel like. I don't know what happened to my entire Saturday but I certainly wasn't at home with a book in my hands. I was completely transported.


Final Impression
Sequel? Please? Soon? Please? *dedperate grasping hands*

I really don't know how I'm going to be able to last so long without Victor Vale in my life . . . Oh wait, yes I do. I'll reread the series again next year in hopeful anticipation that we'll see the final book before the year is out.

I can't tell you how excited I am. Even the word excited doesn't cut it. This series is scarily close to beating my favourite book series (Gentleman Bastards) for the top spot in my heart. And that prospect both saddens and delights me. Because y'know what?
It bloody well deserve it.