11.35: Elemental Humor Q&A with Victoria Schwab

Vicious follows the story of Victor Vale and Eli Cardale, two brilliant and ambitious college roommates who experiment with near-death experiences to gain extraordinary abilities. The novel is structured between flashbacks and the present day, showing their complex and toxic friendship that eventually turns into a bitter rivalry. Ten years after their experiments go horribly wrong, Victor breaks out of prison to seek revenge against Eli, who has become a hero determined to eradicate other super-powered individuals. The book explores themes of power, betrayal, and the blurred lines between heroism and villainy.

In this novel, Kell serves the royal family of Red London as an ambassador but secretly works as a smuggler, traveling between the four Londons: Red, Grey, White, and the fallen Black London. After a smuggling job goes awry, Kell meets Lila Bard, a thief from Grey London, and together they embark on a mission to return a powerful black stone to Black London. Along the way, they face perilous magic, treachery, and the threat of reawakening dark forces that could destroy the balance between the worlds.