Last updated October 2026
Vicious is the book that made a whole generation of readers root for the villain. Two college roommates figure out how to make superpowers, and ten years later one of them breaks out of prison to finish what the other started.
With Victorious, the final book in the Villains trilogy, out October 6, 2026, now is the perfect time to remember how it all began.
My sister-in-law and I are going to Schwab's Victorious tour stop at NC State's Stewart Theatre in Raleigh on Thursday, October 8, so I have been rereading the whole series to get ready. I will be sharing a spoiler-free recap after so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
This post has everything you need to prepare for book three. A spoiler-free review at the top, a character guide, and then, below a very clear spoiler line, the full summary and ending explained.
The quick facts
Title: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Series: Villains, book one of three
Published: 2013, from Tor
Followed by: Vengeful (2018) and Victorious (October 6, 2026)
Genre: Superhero fantasy, revenge thriller
Spice level: None. This is not a romance.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Ink & Imaginings.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab Book Cover
Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop | 🎧 Audible
Vicious Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️| Antihero | Revenge | Superpowers | Dual Timeline
Spoiler free. Nothing below this heading gives anything away.
This is a revenge story told in two timelines, college then and the night of the showdown now, and Schwab cuts between them like a heist movie.
The premise. People who nearly die sometimes come back with abilities. Victor and Eli are brilliant, competitive roommates who decide to test the theory on themselves. It is such a simple idea and it is executed so cleanly.
The villains. There are no heroes here. Victor is cold, manipulative, and somehow the one you root for. Eli believes he is doing God's work, which makes him far more frightening. The whole book asks who gets to call themselves the good guy.
The found family. Victor, a giant hacker named Mitch, a twelve-year-old girl named Sydney, and an undead dog named Dol. It should not work. It is the heart of the book.
Pacing. Short chapters, constant time jumps, and a countdown to midnight. It is a fast read for a book this dark.
Final thoughts.Vicious is dark, fun, fast-paced, and so engaging, with all the classic Schwab writing you'd hope for. The premise hooks you immediately, and watching Victor and Eli try to outmaneuver each other is incredibly entertaining. The dual timeline is really well done, and it keeps the tension high all the way to that midnight showdown.
Vicious Characters
Still spoiler free. Where a character has a big reveal attached to them, I say so without saying what it is.
Victor Vale
Brilliant, guarded, and newly out of prison after ten years. His ability lets him control pain, his own and everyone else's. He is the villain you will root for anyway.
Eli Ever
Victor's college roommate and former best friend. He heals from almost anything, and he has convinced himself that people like him are abominations who need to be wiped out. He also calls himself a hero.
Sydney Clarke
A twelve-year-old Victor finds shot and bleeding by the side of the road. Her ability is the most important one in the series, and I will leave it at that up here.
Serena Clarke
Sydney's older sister. When she asks for something, people give it to her, whether they want to or not. She is dating Eli.
Mitch Turner
Victor's huge, tattooed former cellmate and a genuinely gifted hacker. Loyal to the end and the softest person in the book.
Dominic Rusher
An ex-soldier in constant pain who can step between places unseen. Victor offers him relief in exchange for one night of help.
Detective Stell
The detective who first arrested Victor, and a man who knows more about EOs than he lets on. Keep an eye on him for the rest of the series.
Angie Knight
Victor's closest friend in college and a gifted engineer. Her story is the reason the first timeline hurts so much.
Dol
A dog. The best character. No further questions.
⚠️ Full spoilers from here
Everything below gives away the twists, the deaths, and the ending. If you have not read it yet, stop here and come back when you are done.
Vicious Summary
Lockland University, ten years earlier. Victor and Eli are top students and roommates who are always competing. Eli's thesis is about EOs (ExtraOrdinaries), people who survive near-death experiences and come back with powers. Victor pushes him to stop theorizing and test it.
Victor tries first with an overdose, but Eli calls for help too early and Victor ends up in the hospital. Eli goes next with a cold, careful ice bath setup. He dies, comes back, and discovers he can heal from anything.
Victor, eaten up with jealousy, tries again with an electrical machine and the help of his friend Angie. It works. He comes back able to control pain. But the current kills Angie.
The betrayal. Eli reports Victor to Detective Stell as a murderer. Victor attacks him, Eli heals, gets a gun, and shoots Victor three times. Victor survives and goes to prison. Eli kills their thesis adviser, Professor Lyne, and a janitor who could have tied him to it, then starts hunting EOs because he has decided their powers make them unnatural.
Prison. In Wrighton Penitentiary, Victor befriends Mitch and spends years learning to control his power while looking harmless. Eventually they break out, and Victor spots a newspaper photo of Eli in the city of Merit. Now he has a destination.
Sydney and Serena. A year earlier, sisters Sydney and Serena drowned in a frozen lake and both came back. Sydney can raise the dead. Serena can make people do what she says. Serena ends up dating Eli, who was supposed to kill her, and uses her power to make the Merit police treat Eli as a hero. When Eli shoots Sydney, Serena does not stop him. Sydney runs.
The road to Merit. Victor finds Sydney bleeding on the roadside. When she sees Eli's picture in the paper, she recognizes him as the man who shot her. Victor kills a stray dog to see what she can do, and she brings it back. They name it Dol. Then Victor has her raise Barry Lynch, the bank robber Eli killed and turned into a staged rescue, and sends Barry to rob a bank and call for Eli. Eli's secret is out, and he knows Sydney is alive.
The setup. Victor tortures Officer Dane for the police codes and learns that Serena is controlling the entire department. He recruits Dominic, sets a midnight meeting with Eli at the Falcon Price construction site, and both sides arm up.
Vicious Ending Explained
Serena. Serena finds Sydney and holds a gun to her head, then cannot do it. She gives Sydney the gun and tells her to run. At Falcon Price, Serena orders Mitch to shoot himself, but Victor left the gun empty on purpose. Dominic carries Victor through the shadows behind her, and Victor cuts her throat. They burn her body afterward so that Sydney can never bring her back.
Victor and Eli. Eli shoots Dol and goes after Sydney. Dominic gets her out. Victor shoots Eli, stabs him, and floods him with pain, but Eli keeps healing. Eli traps him with razor wire and stabs him through the chest. Victor dies.
The arrest. With Serena dead, her hold on the police is gone, and when they arrive they arrest Eli. His years of killings come out.
The grave. Two nights later, Sydney and Mitch dig up Victor's grave. Sydney puts her hands on his chest, and his heart starts beating again.
What to Remember Before Vengeful
- Eli is in custody and his crimes are public.
- Victor is alive because Sydney raised him, and nobody knows yet whether something that comes back twice comes back right.
- Serena is dead, killed by Victor and burned so that Sydney cannot bring her back. Sydney knows.
- Victor, Sydney, Mitch, and Dol are a family now. Dominic owes Victor.
- Stell knows exactly what Victor and Eli are.
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab Book Cover
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop | 🎧 Audible
Ready for book two? My full Vengeful guide has the review, characters, and ending explained.
Books to Read If You Loved Vicious
1. Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. The sequel, and it adds Marcella Riggins, one of the best villains Schwab has ever written.
2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. If you want more Schwab while you wait, this is her most beloved standalone.
3. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. Brilliant, morally gray academics competing for power. Dark academia with a body count.
Don't forget to sign up for the Weekly Bookmark, my honest weekly notes on what is worth reading and why. And if you want to listen while you read, grab a free trial of Audible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who dies in Vicious?
Angie Knight dies in Victor's experiment in college. Eli kills Professor Lyne, a janitor, Barry Lynch, Beth Kirk, and Zachary Flinch, among others. Victor kills Officer Dane and Serena Clarke. Eli kills Victor at the end, but Sydney brings him back.
Who kills Serena in Vicious?
Victor does. Dominic carries him behind Serena at the Falcon Price construction site and Victor cuts her throat. They burn her body so that Sydney cannot raise her.
Does Victor die in Vicious?
Yes. Eli stabs him through the chest at Falcon Price. Two nights later Sydney resurrects him at his grave.
What are Victor and Eli's powers?
Victor can control pain, in himself and in others. Eli heals from almost any injury.
What is an EO in Vicious?
An EO, short for ExtraOrdinary, is a person who survives a near-death experience and comes back with a supernatural ability.
What happens to Eli at the end of Vicious?
Eli is arrested when the police arrive at Falcon Price. Serena's control over them is gone, and his killings come to light.
Is Vicious a standalone?
No. Vicious is book one of the Villains trilogy, followed by Vengeful (2018) and Victorious (October 6, 2026).
Is Vicious spicy?
No. Vicious has no romance subplot to speak of. It is a revenge thriller about found family and rivalry.
