On the Same Page | Vicious | V.E. Schwab

on the same pageVicious by V.E. Schwab

It’s time to talk about our second book, friends! And let me tell you something: It was a REALLY good one that featured a truckload of issues and topics for thought. VICIOUS is billed as superhero fiction, and sure that makes sense, but it’s easy to see while reading that these ExtraOrdinary folks, aka EOs, are not your typical Supermans or Magnetos.

However, quite like most superhero/villain canon, VICIOUS is rooted strongly in relationships: good ones, bad ones, seemingly insignificant ones that transform lives and people. In lieu of talking about the hero aspect of VICIOUS–which Brittany and Alyssa are doing differently and awesomely on their sites–I’m going to break VICIOUS down for you relationship by relationship (leaving out some of the REALLY small ones, unfortunately). So let’s get into it!

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Waiting on Wednesday (22): The Vindico by Wesley King

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. I love it because it is basically a squee-fest where book lovers can choose one book that they are DYING to get their hands on. Check it out!

The Vindico

by Wesley King

Book cover for The Vindico by Wesley King

X-Men meets The Breakfast Club in this darkly humorous adventure.

The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they’re not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire–after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?

Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .

Um, X-MEN MEETS THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Seriously. Reading this synopsis just makes me incredibly excited for some fast-paced, thrilling, superhero ACTION. I’m a little new to the superhero thing, but I’m making up for lost time in a big way, friends, and THE VINDICO sounds like the perfect kind of book to help me further my new love. 

Also, did you catch that hint at moral ambiguity at the end there? I can’t overstate how much I love reading about gray area. Things being black and white certainly have their place and I love those kinds of stories, too. But the gray area is where the juicy stuff is, and I’ve got high hopes for THE VINDICO. BRING IT, supervillans. Bring it. 

THE VINDICO is coming out June 14, 2012 from Putnam Juvenile.