So, you want to delve into the world of V.E. (Victoria) Schwab? Let me give you a hand to find the right book for you – after all, I am her biggest fan!
Something that I love to tell customers who are trying a V.E. Schwab book for the first time, is to keep reading and wait for the magic to happen. Schwab is notorious for writing a slower plot, with intricate and dark themes plotted throughout. Her books move in a way that mean you don't realise how much you've read, and before you know it, you've fallen in love with every single character. They feel like they could jump out of the page, and each one is so individual and full of flaws that you will become obsessed with them.
I've never read anything like a V.E. Schwab book, she pours herself into every story and continues to shock me with every book.
Let's look at V.E. Schwab's adult list first:
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
V.E. Schwab's most recent release, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a raw and bloody story that follows three hungry women over multiple timelines, but whose lives end up interconnected. It's a story about vampires, but it’s also a story about love, grief, revenge and anger. With enthralling and captivating characters, and a plot that has a climatic ending after a slow build, this is one of Schwab’s best works.
I truly believe that V.E. Schwab's writing is the best it’s ever been with this one. You can tell she really threw her soul into this book. The story was atmospheric and at times messy (in the best vampire way), and it felt like I was right there alongside her characters. I remember finishing this book and staring at a wall for ten minutes, utterly amazed by what I had experienced and read. If you love slow paced plots, with deep character build-up and growth, then this is definitely a story you should check out. I will be thinking about this one for a long time to come and I’m so intrigued to see what she does next. Wow wow wow.
Read my full review here.
The Villains Duology
The duology includes: Vicious and Vengeful
Eli and Victor are college roommates in their senior year. Brilliant, lonely and arrogant, they recognise the same ambition within each other and work on shared research – into how near-death experiences, in the right circumstances, can lead some people to develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from academic to experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, and Victor has escaped from prison to track down Eli. With terrible powers on both sides, and driven by the memory of loss and betrayal, these two have set a course for revenge – but who will come out of it alive?
Jumping between the present and the past, this plot moved at a fantastic pace. As you're also alternating between Eli and Victor's points of view, I felt engaged and connected to the story the whole way through. Both characters are so twisted and complex, and I love the elements of supernatural powers. If you loved this duology, Schwab is currently writing a third book called Victorious and there is also a graphic novel in the same world.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Addie LaRue has made a deal with the devil. She wants to live forever, but in exchange, no one will ever remember who she is. That is until one day, when she enters a bookstore, and a boy called Henry remembers her name.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of V.E. Schwab's best works; she really poured a lot of herself into this one. Now, this one is one of her slower paced books, but I am telling you to stick with it – it's so worth it at the end. This book will emotionally destroy you in the best way possible. It was such a fun and heartbreaking experience watching Addie go from walking through life, lonely and forgotten, with only Luc (the devil) by her side, to being remembered by this strange boy. I devoured this one, and I love that it's a standalone.
The Shades of Magic Trilogy
This trilogy includes A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light
A man named Kell wears a peculiar coat. He can travel between the four different London's, each with its own magic system, to retrieve items from one and sell in another. And then he meets a pirate called Delilah Bard, and his world is never the same. As Black London begins to be consumed by its own power, Kell and Delilah must work together, to save all the worlds and stay alive.
If there is one thing to be written on my tombstone, it will say, 'Read The Shades of Magic Trilogy'. This series devastated me, but in the best way. It is a series that has stuck with me for years since I read it for the first time (and I even have a quote tattooed on me). The world building? 5 stars. The character development? 5 stars. The adventure and stakes? 5 stars. The yearning? 5 stars. Ugh. I will forever rave about this one.
V.E. Schwab has also recently released The Fragile Threads Of Power, which follows these characters about ten years later and will be the start of a new series.
Now onto the young adult and middle grade list:
Gallant
Olivia Prior has grown up in an orphanage and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal – which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter from an unknown relative invites Olivia to come home – to Gallant. But when Olivia arrives and no one is expecting her, it makes her want to stay even more; even if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or she spots half-formed ghouls in the hallways. Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she's determined to find out what they are.
A spooky and mysterious plot with beautiful writing, Gallant feels like stepping into an eerie fairytale. Our main character Olivia cannot speak and has never been able to, but V.E. Schwab did an excellent job of finding ways for her to express herself. This is a true hero story that the reader will be rooting for.
Gallant is a standalone. For ages 14+.
Monsters of Verity Duology
The duology includes This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet
This is a dark urban fantasy with a city divided by humans and monsters, following Kate Harker, who wants to become as ruthless as her father and let the monsters roam free for their own gain, and August Flynn, a monster who just wants to be human. As war breaks out and the monsters begin to win, Kate and August will find their lives intertwined. Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?
Incredible characters and a dark and twisted original plot – I loved this one! For ages 14+.
The City of Ghosts Trilogy
The trilogy includes City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones and Bridge of Souls
Ever since Cassidy Blake drowned, she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead and enter the world of the spirits. Oh, and her best friend is also a ghost. Following her family to Scotland, France and New Orleans as they hunt for ghosts for their reality tv show, Cassidy and her dead friend Jacob must solve deadly mysteries together.
Three books. Three cities. One fearless heroine. And a host of ghosts you won't soon forget. This is a simple series with wonderfully fun characters, and it's one that you'll absolutely fly through. For ages 11+.
The Dark Vault Duology
The duology includes The Archived and The Unbound
Mackenzie Bishop is a Keeper. Her job is simple – help the dead pass on to The Archive and stop violent Histories from waking up and getting out. But when her brother goes missing, and the dead become disturbed and released, Mackenzie starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying.
I absolutely loved this haunting and rich story about the past, present, love, pain and redemption. For ages 12+.
