THAT’S HOW YOU END IT?!!! My only saving grace is that I took so long to get to this sequel that all six instalments ofRe-read, part two, with Alison!
THAT’S HOW YOU END IT?!!! My only saving grace is that I took so long to get to this sequel that all six instalments of this series are already released.
Ok wow. So this was a roller coaster of emotions. Honestly, I saw the ratings for this and was quite worried ... what are you lot smoking? This was amazing! I was on the edge of my seat, SO WORRIED for my babies.
Cleo is an amazingly brave protagonist. I love her so much. I feel so bad for her, considering everything that she’s been through. Magnus, I also love and feel bad for. He’s had such a rough upbringing and just wants to be loved and ... ok I ship him and Cleo SO HARD.
I’m kind of indifferent to Lucia though? I hated her chapters. I literally couldn’t care less about her, so hopefully she’ll become a more endearing character in the future instalments?
Regardless, I’m going to start book three now because that was a heck of an abrupt ending!
P.S. I read this entire book in THREE HOURS! Yes, folks, it’s THAT ADDICTING!...more
BRILLIANT. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. I BLOODY LOVED THIS.
“Humans, monsters, heroes, villains—to Victor it was all just a matter of semantics. Someone coulBRILLIANT. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. I BLOODY LOVED THIS.
“Humans, monsters, heroes, villains—to Victor it was all just a matter of semantics. Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labelled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
I thought this would be a lot more X-Men-ish with tonnes of fight scenes and action sequences, but this was more of a psychological debate over good vs evil. Rather than supervillains, we were following the paths of sociopathic serial killers, which was fascinating, albeit unexpected. I began the novel preferring Eli, and ended it rooting for Victor. I still can’t say which is the hero and which is the villain, considering that neither of them have any qualms about killing other people. They’re both equally evilpsychopaths.
“Hate was too simple a word. He and Eli were bonded, by blood and death and science. They were alike, more so now than ever. And he had missed Eli. He wanted to see him. And he wanted to see him suffer. He wanted to see the look in Eli’s eyes when he lit them up with pain. He wanted his attention. Eli was like a thorn beneath Victor’s skin, and it hurt. He could turn off every nerve in his body, but Victor couldn’t do a damned thing about the twinge he felt when he thought of Cardale.”
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Victor Vale was definitely my favourite character. He was, by no means a good person, considering that he convinced his roommate, Eli, that conducting an experiment which requires them to scientifically die in order to be reborn as EO’s (Extra Ordinaries) was a good idea, and the fact that he got the aforementioned roommate’s girlfriend, Angie, killed as a result of the experiment. BUT, I still loved him??? I don’t know what that says about me, haha.
“You don’t think I’m a bad person. I don’t want to prove you wrong.”
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While, Victor was pretty much the King of Bad Decisions, whether it be murder or torture, he was also caring when he wanted to be. Although he initially had ulterior motives when he invited Sydney and Mitch into the fold, he did come to genuinely be fond of them and the little group that they had formed. Dol was also an adorable addition to this newfound criminal family.
“The paper called Eli a hero. The word made Victor laugh. Not just because it was absurd, but because it posed a question. If Eli really was a hero, and Victor meant to stop him, did that make him a villain?”
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Eliot Cardale, later known as Eli Ever, on the other hand, I wasn’t as fond of. I didn’t like his holier than thou attitude, thinking that he was chosen by God to essentially play God, by acting as judge, jury, and executioner, where he decided who was worthy to live or die. What makes him so special that he thinks it’s his duty to exterminate everyone with abilities? Having supernatural abilities shouldn’t be a crime, as what matters is what you DO with the abilities. The ability itself isn’t bad. If you have the power of hydrokinesis, the power could be used for good if you’re creating water for someone who’s thirsty, or the power could be used for evil if you’re creating water to fill someone’s lungs and kill them. It depends on HOW it’s used. Also, it’s so hypocritical of Eli, considering that he has abilities, as well. It’s such a Hitler-esque thing to do. Hitler only wanted Aryan Germans, despite not being Aryan himself.
In addition, Eli refused to LISTEN to Victor, assuming the worst of his friend, which was the catalyst for everything to come in the novel. Everything that occurred could have been averted, if Eli had stopped to listen. Instead, he was responsible for betraying Victor, which set Victor on the path for revenge against Eli.
This was such an engaging novel that I nearly devoured in one sitting (Why does uni exist? Honestly, why?!). I was glued to the edge of my seat, as I was SO INVESTED in these characters and SO DESPERATE to see how everything would unfold. I didn’t think that I’d like this as much as I ended up liking it. The Shades of Magic trilogy is still my favourite work of Schwab’s, but this is more of what I wanted from the Monsters of Verity duology. THIS was the dark and gritty story that I desired. It was so twisted, being centred on ambition for power, betrayal among friends, and hunger for revenge. And I LOVED IT. I can’t wait to see them all again in Vengeful!...more
✨ Helena ✨
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Books:
best-of-2013
(10)
